Raina Telgemeier's Blog, page 3

Events! Chicago & Salt Lake City!

Hey guys! I’m doing two quick stock signings at a couple of bookstores next week. That means I won’t be giving a full-fledged presentation, but will be hanging out for about an hour at each location, signing books and chatting with anyone who wants to stop by and say hi.

CHICAGO AREA:

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

5:00PM

The Book Stall at Chestnut Court

811 Elm St, Winnetka, IL 60093

Phone: (847) 446-8880

SALT LAKE CITY:

Sunday, September 13, 2015

10:00AM

The King’s English

1511 1500 E

Salt Lake City, UT 84105

Phone: (801) 484-9100

Hope to see you there!

Presenting: The B&N Special Edition of SMILE!

2015 marks FIVE YEARS since Smile was first published, so Barnes & Noble decided to publish an exclusive collector’s edition of the book!

Here’s a post B&N created for their blog, talking all about it. There are 16 extra pages of content, including a photo gallery, a step-by-step making-of section where I show off my entire creative process, and a Q&A featuring some of my most frequently-asked questions! And, how about that super-shiny cover!!

The book is for sale on September 1, exclusively at Barnes & Noble locations across the country, or from B&N’s website. Hope you guys enjoy it!

Barefoot Gen, Again and Again

Today is August 6, 2015. That marks 70 years since the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, the morning of August 6, 1945. A day that changed the world forever. A day that artist Keiji Nakazawa lived through as a young boy, and then went on to write a comic autobiography that would one day change my life forever.

Barefoot Gen is a raw, gripping, heartbreaking first-person account of living through the bombing of Hiroshima. I read the book for the first time the summer between fourth and fifth grades, and it shook me to my core. It told me grave truths about the world. It showed me the capacity of the human spirit. It made me an instant pacifist. And it showed me, plain as day, the enormous power of comics as a storytelling medium.

Last Gasp (Gen‘s current American publisher) is running a Kickstarter to publish a new, hardcover edition of the first four volumes of Barefoot Gen, for distribution to schools and libraries. I couldn’t be more pleased to put my support behind this project. I believe this is a book every human being needs to read. It’s a difficult story to process, but it pulls no punches in showing the reader just how awful war can be. Keiji Nakazawa passed away at the end of 2012, and I’m proud to be part of a movement that does not want to see his or Gen‘s legacy be forgotten.

Back in 2002, during my last semester in art school, I was assigned to write a short comic about ‘the first comic I ever read.’ While Gen was not technically my first comic (that was Calvin and Hobbes!), it was the first graphic novel I ever read, and had such a profound effect on me that I had to write about it. The result was my short comic, Beginnings (below), which ended up being the first comic I had re-published in an anthology, the reason Scholastic noticed my comics and wanted to work with me, and the small puzzle piece that has connected me with a wide and wonderful network of readers around the world. Last year it was also translated and published in Japanese, and as a result, I was able to have a dialog with many, many like-minded people who have supported Gen in Japan.

So please, support the Barefoot Gen Kickstarter, create art and stories about the things that move you, and don’t be afraid to speak up for a more peaceful world.

Read the rest of the story here!

My Next Book’s Title Will Be…

GHOSTS!

Yes!!! I announced my next graphic novel’s title earlier today at San Diego Comic-Con, and revealed the teaser image above as well as the first bit of information about the story.

Eleven-year-old Catrina and her family are moving to the small coastal town of Bahía de la Luna because her younger sister, Maya, is sick. Cat isn’t happy about leaving her friends, but she tries not to complain because she knows Maya will benefit from the clean, cool air that blows in from the sea. As the girls settle in, they learn there’s something a little spooky about their new town…

I’ll reveal the book cover and a longer description of the story as the release date draws closer. For now, I hope this will pique your interest!

The book will be full color, published by Scholastic/Graphix, 240+ pages, and entirely fiction.

GHOSTS will be in stores in the fall of 2016.

San Diego Comic-Con International!

I’m a special guest at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con! That means I have something going on every day of the show, including a pre-con kickoff event! I’m also up for an Eisner Award, for Best Writer/Artist. I hope to see some of you over the course of the week!

Tuesday, July 7

An Evening with Raina at the San Diego Central Library

330 Park Blvd.

San Diego, CA

Free and open to the public!

6pm

July 8-12

San Diego Comic-Con International

San Diego, CA

I will have a table in Artist Alley: HH-16! Find me there, signing, at all times except for the following programming events:

Thursday, July 9

5:30pm – 6:30pm

Capturing Teen Angst in Comics

Room: 8

Friday, July 10

12pm – 1pm

Graphix 10th Anniversary panel

Room:

Saturday, July 11

3pm – 4pm

Kids’ Comics Panel

Room 23ABC

Sunday, July 12

10am – 11am

The Girls Are All Right!

Room: 30CDE

1:45pm – 2:45pm

Spotlight on Raina Telgemeier

Big Announcement! I’ll be revealing the title and a teaser image and description of my next book at my spotlight panel!!

Room 5AB

Summer Events: Michigan and California!

Hello, everyone!

I’ve finally got my summer schedule mostly confirmed. Here are all the events I’m doing between now and the middle of July!

June 20-21

Kids Read Comics

Ann Arbor District Library, Ann Arbor, MI

Free and open to the public!

Saturday, June 20

12 Noon – 1:00 pm

Signing: Faith Erin Hicks & Raina Telgemeier

Vault of Midnight (219 S. Main St )

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Comics Quickfire!

Downtown Library Multi-Purpose Room

4:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Signing: Raina Telgemeier

Downtown Library 1st Floor

Sunday, June 21

1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Signing: Faith Erin Hicks & Raina Telgemeier

Vault of Midnight (219 S. Main St )

2:30 pm – 3:30 pm

The Kids’ Comics Revolution! Awards Ceremony!

Downtown Library Multi-Purpose Room

3:30 pm – 4:30pm

Signing: Faith Erin Hicks & Raina Telgemeier

Downtown Library 1st Floor

June 26-29

ALA Annual Conference

Moscone Center, San Francisco, CA

Find me in the Graphic Novel Pavilion, Artist Alley Table 116 (Hall D), throughout the show except for the following:

Saturday, June 27

1:00pm-2:30pm

Celebrating Graphic Novels: Graphix and Beyond!

Graphic novels and the comic format have become increasingly popular, with both kids and adults. Join renowned authors and artists Raina Telgemeier (Smile, Sisters), Dave Roman (Goosebumps Graphix), Craig Thompson (Space Dumplins), Jennifer Holm (Sunny Side Up), and Dav Pilkey (Captain Underpants) to learn more about how graphic novels support literacy, learning, and a love of reading.

Location: Marriott Marquis, Yerba Buena Salon 05

Sunday, June 28

10:00am-11:00am

Signing with Ann M. Martin!

Location: Scholastic Booth

Monday, June 29

10:00am-11:00am

Graphix 10th Anniversary Panel

Graphix authors Jennifer Holm, Craig Thompson, Raina Telegemeier and Dave Roman will take the stage to celebrate the Graphix 10 year anniversary with a 30-minute presentation, followed by a 30-minute signing.

Location: Graphic Novel/Gaming Stage

Two Bay Area Book Signings with Dave Roman! Free and open to the public!

Wednesday, July 1

Green Apple Books on the Park event & book signing

1231 9th Ave

San Francisco, CA 94122

(415) 742-5833

7pm

Friday, July 3

Flying Colors Comics event & book signing

Oak Grove Plaza Shopping Center, 2980 Treat Blvd

Concord, CA 94518

(925) 825-5410

3-7pm

Tuesday, July 7

An Evening with Raina at the San Diego Central Library

330 Park Blvd.

San Diego, CA

Free and open to the public!

6pm

July 8-12

San Diego Comic-Con International

Special Guest!

San Diego, CA

I will have a table in Artist Alley! Find me there, signing, at all times except for the following programming events:

Thursday, July 9

5:30pm – 6:30pm

Capturing Teen Angst in Comics

Room: 8

Friday, July 10

12pm – 1pm

Graphix 10th Anniversary panel

Room:

Saturday, July 11

3pm – 4pm

Kids’ Comics Panel

Room 23ABC

Sunday, July 12

10am – 11am

The Girls Are All Right!

Room: 30CDE

1:45pm – 2:45pm

Spotlight on Raina Telgemeier

I’ll be revealing the title and a teaser image and description of my next book at my spotlight panel!!

Room 5AB

SISTERS is Nominated for an Eisner Award: VOTE NOW!

SISTERS is nominated for an Eisner Award!

The Eisners are basically the Oscars of comics — the biggest and fanciest award my industry offers! SMILE won an Eisner in 2011 (that’s the little gold sticker that’s printed on the cover of most of the copies). It’s a big honor to be nominated again, this time in the category of Best Writer/Artist!!

The Einsers are nominated by a jury, and then voted on by members of the industry. Incredibly, many people don’t know they are eligible to vote — but, if you’re a teacher, librarian, bookseller, editor, or a small-press comics creator, YOU CAN VOTE! Do you make mini-comics? VOTE! Are you a teacher who includes comics in your curriculum, at any grade or education level? YOU CAN VOTE, TOO! Librarian who shares graphic novels with your patrons? PLEASE, JOIN YOUR PEERS IN VOTING!

You don’t have to vote in every category, but there are some wonderful nominees across the board this year, all of whom deserve recognition. So please, head over to the ballot, register if you have not, and vote!

I’ll be back soon with my summer schedule, including appearances in the San Francisco Bay Area and San Diego!

TCAF! Toronto, May 9-10!

This weekend is the Toronto Comic Arts Festival, one of my favorite events in the world! It’s free to attend, and I’ll have a table at the Toronto Reference Library (Yonge & Bloor Streets): Table 103 on the first floor — here’s a map! The table is where you can find me for most of the weekend, and where I’ll have tshirts, original art, and books for sale, including the brand-new color BSC #1, Kristy’s Great Idea! Come by, get a book signed, hang out!

I’m also on several panels and programs. Here’s the info.

Saturday 10am – 11am

How, Where, and Why Should I Start Reading Comics?

@ Forest Hill Ballroom, Bloor Yorkville Marriott

It can be daunting to enter the world of comics, and just not knowing where to begin as a reader. This panel features authors from some of the most important and widely-read books in the graphic novel revolution, speaking about their work, and the broad appeal of the medium. Featuring Scott McCloud (Understanding Comics), George O’Connor (Olympians), Raina Telgemeier (Sisters), and Professor Glen Downey (The York School). Moderated by Robin Brenner (No Flying, No Tights).

Saturday 1pm-2:15pm

Raina Telgemeier and Dave Roman present: Comics Dance Party!

@ St. Paul’s on Bloor, 227 Bloor Street East

It’s a comics dance party! Join New York Times bestselling graphic novelists Raina Telgemeier (Sisters) and Dave Roman (Astronaut Academy, Teen Boat) for an hour of kids comics fun! With live drawing, games, and activities, this dance party just won’t stop!

Followed by a one-hour signing at this venue.

Sunday 11:15-12:00pm

Truth & Intimacy in Graphic Memoir

@ High Park Ballroom, Bloor Yorkville Marriott

Autobiography and memoir are among the most popular genres of contemporary comics, and with good reason; successful comics memoir renders its subjects explicitly, both textually and visually. In this medium where so little is left to the imagination, real experience may never have been so intimate, so ‘true’. In this feature presentation, moderator Johanna Draper Carlson (Comics Worth Reading) will interview four of the most acclaimed practitioners of contemporary comics memoir, to get at the root of what it’s like to put it all on the page. Featuring Dustin Harbin (Diary Comics), John Porcellino (King Cat), and Raina Telgemeier (Sisters).

Super exciting! I can’t wait to see my Canadian friends, and maybe eat some ketchup chips and Greg’s ice cream…see you there!

Pre-order BSC Graphix#1! Release Party 5/2 in Astoria, NY!

Just a reminder that the first of my Baby-sitters Club graphic novels is being re-released in full-color on Tuesday, April 28!

If you’d like to pre-order a signed copy, my local indie bookstore Astoria Bookshop would be happy to arrange it! Just go to their order page, scroll down to BSC Graphix #1, Kristy’s Great Idea, and be sure to specify who you’d like your copy signed to!

Astoria Bookshop will take pre-orders until April 24, so if you’d like a signed copy to arrive as close as possible to the book’s release day, be sure to get your order in by then!

I’ll be at the bookshop signing copies and playing a game of Cartoonist Pictionary on Saturday, May 2, which happens to be Independent Bookstore Day! (And Free Comic Book Day, wow!) Come by at 1pm for some games, snacks, and a book signing with me and Dave Roman! If you’d like to pick up the new Baby-sitters Club Graphix then, we’ll have lots of copies!

Cartoonist Pictionary! (We’ll need some talented volunteers to join us!)

The Astoria Bookshop

31-29 31st Street

Between Broadway and 31st Avenue

Astoria, NY

(718) 278-2665

N or Q Train to Broadway in Astoria, Queens

It’ll be fun–hope to see you there!

MoCCA Art Fest, NYC April 11-12

Hey guys!

I know it’s been a few weeks since I updated my site…since getting back from California, I’ve started penciling the actual, real, final art for my next book! I’m having a great time, but there’s not much to talk about at this point. I’ve been posting a lot of sketches and process stuff over on my Instagram, so if you want more frequent art updates, that’s the best place to find me!

I’ll be attending the MoCCA Art Festival as a special guest on April 11 and 12…which is neat, since MoCCA was the very first comic convention I ever had a table and sold minicomics at, starting way back in 2002! I haven’t tabled there in a while, but since I’m a guest this year, I’ll be signing books and doing a couple of panels! Here’s where you can find me that weekend:

MoCCA Art Festival

Location: Center 548

West 22nd Street Between 10th & 11th Avenues

New York, NY

April 11-12

11am-6pm

Tickets: $5/Day

Please note: Signings and panels are at different locations, approximately a two-block walk from one another. Below is a map. Please plan accordingly!

SATURDAY, APRIL 11

1-2 pm

Book Signing

Center 548 (main festival venue)

Bergen Street Comics Booth, #220-221

You may bring books from home or purchase them onsite!

3:30pm

Raina Telgemeier Q+A

High Line Hotel

The Matthews Room

Reservations required, GET A FREE TICKET HERE

SUNDAY, APRIL 12

1-2 pm

Book Signing

Center 548 (main festival venue)

Bergen Street Comics Booth, #220-221

You may bring books from home or purchase them onsite!

3:30pm

CAROUSEL for KIDS!

High Line Hotel

The Matthews Room

Cartoonist R. Sikoryak brings a special KIDS’ edition of CAROUSEL, his series of live comics readings and other projected pictures, to the MoCCA stage. Stories, gags, audience participation, and more, for kids of all ages.

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Also, please be sure to check out my updated event listings! You can always find those on the right-hand site of my home page. I’ll be adding more events in the near future, but as you can see, I’m going to be appearing in Astoria, NY in May; Ann Arbor Michigan in June; and the San Francisco Bay Area in July!