Batman Events this Week at the Albany Public Library - Including a Talk by Me!

I'll be giving a talk entitled "Holy Multiple Personalities! The Many Faces of (The) Batman" at two branches of the Albany Public Library later this week: Thursday, October 23rd at the John A. Howe Branch, and Friday, October 24th at the Pine Hills Branch, at 4:00 p.m. both days. Expect lots of illustrations, along with Bat-babbling by me.

Here are a few of the promo photos for the event (featuring Stef Preston, Pine Hills' Youth Services Librarian, and myself, along with Stef's poster and a few items from my personal collection), courtesy of APL's eServices Librarian Deanna DiCarlo:

And Stef's flyer for the Friday event:

The press release below gives more details on my talks and the other Bat-Events being held those days. Hope to see some of you there!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 8, 2014

Contact: Stephanie Simon

Phone: 518.427.4344

Email: simons@albanypubliclibrary.org

PRESS RELEASE

Albany Public Library Celebrates Batman’s 75^th Anniversary

With Talks by Comic Book Expert and Fun Activities Oct. 23-24

ALBANY, NY—Albany Public Library loves comic books and is celebrating a cool event in geek culture—the 75^th anniversary of Batman (first appearance in Detective Comics #27)—with some fun programs on Oct. 23-24 featuring the Dark Knight. All programs are free and open to the public.

Holy Multiple Personalities! The Many Faces of (The) Batman

• Oct. 23 (Thurs) at 4 to 5 pm – Howe Branch (105 Schuyler St., 472-9485)
• Oct. 24 (Fri) at 4 to 5 pm – Pine Hills Branch (517 Western Ave., 482-7911)

In this discussion, comic book expert and author (and APL's own) Gene Kannenberg Jr. takes participants through a highly illustrated look back at the Caped Crusader’s many pop culture incarnations over the past 75 years: spooky, gun-toting mystery man from the 1940s; sci-fi adventurer of the 1950s; campy 1960s TV star; husky-voiced, armored avenger of recent films; and many more. This program is appropriate for all ages.

Batman Cupcake Battle

• Oct. 23 (Thurs) at 4 to 5 pm – Pine Hills Branch (517 Western Ave., 482-7911)

Teens are challenged to decorate the perfect cupcake that only the Dark Knight or his arch nemesis, the Joker, would love. There will be two teams—one decorating in Batman style and the other with Joker flair. Cupcakes will be judged and the winning team gets a Batman-themed prize. This program is appropriate for ages 11-17. Registration is required at 482-7911 x230.

“Batman: Mask of the Phantasm”

• Oct. 24 (Fri) at 5 to 6:30 pm – Pine Hills Branch (517 Western Ave., 482-7911)

This popular Batman animated feature from 1993 (rated PG) follows the Dark Knight as he searches for a shrouded vigilante who is knocking off prominent Gotham mob bosses. Attendees will also enjoy snacks, drinks, and Batman loot. This program is appropriate for all ages.

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Where I'll Be This Wednesday: Gendered Publishing Panel, Univ. of Connecticut

On Wednesday, October 16, I'll be returning to my alma mater, the University of Connecticut, as a speaker on a panel entitled "Gendered Publishing: The State of the Profession for Women Writers and Illustrators of Children's Literature." I'll be joining renowned author-illustrator Barbara McClintock and prize-winning author-academic Lisa Rowe Fraustino (Eastern Connecticut State University) on the panel, which will be moderated by literacy and books-for-youth scholar Susannah Richards (ECSU).

Here's how the panel is described:

This panel addresses the position of women to contemporary children's literature by considering the influence of historical legacy, institutional processes, and editing practices on creative productivity.

My portion of the panel will focus on the evolving roles of women in the creation and production of comics and graphic novels for children.

The event will take place from 6:30-8:00 p.m. in the Class of 1947 Room of the Homer Babbidge Library at the University of Connecticut, Storrs Campus, and is free and open to the public (although seating is limited). Click the image above for more details. My thanks to UConn faculty members Cora Lynn Deibler (Art) and Kate Capshaw Smith (English) for their kind invitation!

CANCELLED: "Secret Origins of the Graphic Novel" at East Line Books, Clifton Park NY

Due to circumstances beyond my or East Line Books' control, this event has been cancelled. We hope to re-schedule it for sometime in late July or August. As soon as we find a new date, I'll be sure to post it here.

"Secret Origins of the Graphic Novel" at East Line Books, Clifton Park NY

NOTE:
Due to circumstances beyond my or East Line Books' control,
this event has been CANCELLED. See above for more information.

For those of you who might find yourself in or around New York's Capital Region next week and are looking for something to do, might I suggest this presentation? Big, big "Thank You!" to Robyn Ringler of East Line Books for the invitation!

"Secret Origins of the Graphic Novel"
A presentation by Gene Kannenberg, Jr.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at 6:30pm
East Line Books, Clifton Park, New York

Graphic novels are everywhere, from libraries to bookstores to the New York Times Book Review, and with good reason. There's something for everyone's taste, including history, memoir, humor, politics, science fiction & fantasy, and yes, superheroes. But how did we get from Superman to Maus, from Little Lulu to Persepolis, from Crime Does Not Pay to Road to Perdition?

Gene Kannenberg, Jr. traces the path from pulp to Pulitzer in this heavily illustrated talk. With stops in the U.S. Senate in the 1950s, Berkeley in the 1960s, New York in the 1980s, and more, "Secret origins of the Graphic Novel" opens the world of drawn books to readers of all ages.

A respected comics historian, Gene Kannenberg, Jr. is the director of ComicsResearch.org and the author of 500 Essential Graphic Novels (Collins Design, 2008). He has lectured and written widely about comic art, with essays appearing in publications including The Comics Journal, Studies in American Humor, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and Hogan's Alley. He lives in Albany, New York.

East Line Books is located in Old Village Plaza, 1714 Route 9, Clifton Park, NY 12065 (one block north of Rt. 146 on Rt. 9 across from Snyder's Restaurant, between Clifton Park Pizza and Captain's Treasures). For further information, call Robyn Ringler at East Line Books: 518 371-4151.

PS: You can download a PDF of the flyer pictured above by making the clicky here.

Image credit: Abdazign.

Bard College's "3rd Annual Symposium on the Comic Book": Saturday, April 26, 2008

Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY will be hosting this event on Saturday:

Third Annual Symposium on the Comic Book
Saturday, April 26, 2008

Presentation of undergraduate research on graphic literature, exhibition of student comic art, and screening of important comic book film.

Time: 5:30 pm
Location: Olin Building, Room 102
Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504-5000
Contact: bstevens [at] bard.edu, 845-758-7283
[Bard's calendar posting here]

The conference is free and open to the public. Directions to and maps of the campus may be found here. To locate the Franklin W. Olin Humanities Building and Auditorium, visit Bard's Campus Map and Tour page. You even can take a virtual tour: Olin is the third building down in the second column on the left-hand side of the page.

I'd like to thank the conference's student organizers, Jon Gorga and Arla Berman, as well as Dr. Benjamin Stevens of the Classical Studies Program, for inviting me to be a speaker. My presentation, "Comics Scholarship is Not an Oxymoron," will discuss the state of comics scholarship in the U.S., focusing on the wealth of resources for research and study we now have available. I attended the symposium last year, and I'm honored to be a guest this year.