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Do it the French way! Find us in your city.
The French Comics Association will tour to Washington, D.C. from June 20-25th, 2019. Discover the beauty of bande dessinée at our booth at the American Library Association Annual Convention, and at events across the city.
Click the little arrow to scroll for more events and details!
Find us at booth #3644 at the American Library Association Annual Conference!
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Book signings at all events & to follow panels—click the arrow at bottom right of banner for full signing schedule!
Friday / June 21st
Graphic Novel and Comics Roundtable Friday Forum
12:20 – 1:45pm
How can you possibly keep track of all the titles coming out and all the topics they cover? In this session, you’ll spend time in small groups with creators and colleagues discussing titles that work for different social justice topics. After the session, all the titles will be combined into a totally excellent resource just for you! With Karim Friha
Saturday / June 22nd
At #ALAAC19: Do it the French way. Stop by Booth #3644 for morning croissants and comics.
Panels at the Graphic Novel and Gaming Stage:
10:30 – 11:20 am
Join some of the comics medium’s most renowned publishers as they share new and perennial titles for your collections. We will discuss comics for adults and kids, as well as fiction and nonfiction, with staff of publishing houses Drawn & Quarterly, Fantagraphics, Uncivilized Books, Abrams, and the French Comics Association (Charlotte Moundlic).
2:30 – 3:20pm
There’s a wealth of translated bande dessinée (Franco-Belgian graphic novels/nonfiction) available in recent years for library collections, from diverse genres, voices, and publishers. The French Comics Association showcase brings together renowned and star creators on tour from Europe, with new releases in English: Karim Friha, Wilfrid Lupano, Typex, Julia Billet, moderated by Meg Lemke, French Comics Association.
Graphic Novel and Comics Roundtable Panel:
2:30 – 3:20pm
Join publishers and creators from around the world to learn about the routes graphic novels take to come to your attention and to your library. What makes up the process? How are editorial decisions made? How do publishers seek out and champion diverse voices in the medium? What role can librarians play and at which points? Attendees will learn about what happens behind the scenes in creating a graphic novel, the careful work of translating cultural context and languages, marketing, issues around censorship, and how to advocate for an inclusive, international collection. Featuring Thierry Laroche (Gallimard).
Sunday / June 23rd
At #ALAAC19: Do it the French way. Stop by Booth #3644 for morning croissants and comics.
Panels at the Graphic Novel and Gaming Stage:
10:30 – 11:20am
European Comics: A Melting Pot Asterix, Tintin, The Smurfs and Persepolis are just some of the few that have made it across the Atlantic. But Europe’s comics heritage is much richer and varied, different in every country. As we stress on the importance of diversity and the need of different voices, Europe Comics presents a panel of award-winning European creators and their latest works. Including: Typex. Presented in coordination with EuropeComics.
12:30 – 1:20pm
Comics scriptwriters creatively adapt their styles across publishers and partnerships, from realistic, to genres including crime/sci-fi/fantasy, to picturebooks, and even wordless narratives. What guides language choice, dialogue decisions, and pacing for comics writers depending on the age level and audience for a book? How do writers “write” a wordless script? How do they work in conversation with artists? A shop talk! Featuring: Amy Chu, Jaime Hernandez, Julia Billet, and Wilfrid Lupano, moderated by Heidi MacDonald.
Panels at the Pop Top Stage:
2 –2:50pm
Middle Grade is a huge growth category for graphic novel publishing, and these books are popular and flexible for younger library patrons—from eager elementary readers, who are growing out of picturebooks and ready to jump to sophisticated topics, to older reluctant readers who find the appealing style and comfort level bringing them back to books. From historical fiction to fantasy, these creators will showcase a breadth of genres in this popular category! Featuring: Karim Friha, Julia Billet, and Emily Whitten, moderated by Betsy Bird.
Small Press Expo Meet-up at the French Comics Association booth!
3 – 4:30pm
Come learn about The Small Press Expo, headquartered in Bethesda, MD, and all they do for indie comics. Treats will be served and French comics will be signed…
Monday / June 24th
Graphic Novel and Comics Roundtable Programming:
9 am – 10:00am
Trauma is life-changing, from living through the explosive conflict of a war zone to recovering from personal ordeals. Eyewitness accounts are particularly well evoked in the constraints and freedoms of a graphic narrative. This panel will draw together creators who can speak from their first-hand knowledge of violence and the work that goes into expressing a traumatic event in comics. Attendees will learn about expressing strong emotion and experiences graphically, the difficulties of first-person narration and reportage, and receive suggestions for their collections. With Julia Billet.
At the Graphic Novel and Gaming Stage:
11:30 am – 12:20pm
The virtues of graphic biographies are now recognized. Having two visions of a famous person’s life in one, that of the biographer and of the artist, adds even more nuance and depth to a person’s life story. It might also happen that we pick up a biography we wouldn’t usually be interested in, thanks to the appealing art. A panel of award-winning graphic biographers will discuss and present their works. Featuring Typex. Presented in coordination with EuropeComics.
ALA Event:
11:30am – 1pm
Details TBA
Educators, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect about comics and their academic potential are encouraged to RSVP for this ALA offsite meet-up with a “comics creator speed-dating” element. Coffee and treats will be served, and give-away comics will be available to participants!
Meet the Authors at Booth #3644!
Signed review copies FREE for ALA attendees, while supplies last
Friday / June 21st
5:30 – 6:30pm: Julia Billet (Catherine’s War)
Saturday / June 22nd
At #ALAAC19: Do it the French way, with morning croissants and comics!
11:30am – 12:30pm: Julia Billet (Catherine’s War) & Wilfrid Lupano (The Wolf in Underpants)
3:30 – 4pm: Wilfrid Lupano (The Wolf in Underpants) at Lerner booth #1244
3:30 – 5pm: Julia Billet (Catherine’s War) and Typex (Andy: The Life and Times of Andy Warhol)
3:45 – 4:30: Karim Friha (Rise of the Zelphire) at Lion Forge booth #3846
Sunday / June 23rd
At #ALAAC19: Do it the French way, with morning croissants and comics!
11:30am – 12:30pm: Typex (Andy: The Life and Times of Andy Warhol)
1 – 2pm: Typex (Andy: The Life and Times of Andy Warhol) at Abrams booth #2006
1:45 – 2:15pm: Wilfrid Lupano (Sea of Love) at Lion Forge booth #3846
2:30 – 3:30: Wilfrid Lupano (Sea of Love and The Wolf in Underpants)
3 – 4pm: Julia Billet (Catherine’s War) & Karim Friha (Rise of the Zelphire)
3-4:30 Small Press Expo meet-up at the FCA booth—refreshments provided!
Monday / June 24th
12:30 – 1:30pm: Typex (Andy: The Life and Times of Andy Warhol)
East City Bookshop / 645 Pennsylvania Ave SE
6 – 7:30pm
Featuring artist from Jaime Hernandez (Love and Rockets: Is This How You See Me?) and Ezra Claytan Daniels (BTTM FDRS) from America; Karim Friha (Rise of the Zelphire) and Christophe Ferreira (Milo’s World) from France; Typex (Andy: The Life and Times of Andy Warhol) from Amsterdam; and Flavia Biondi (Generations) from Italy; with comics writer Wilfrid Lupano (Curtain Call) from France, also on hand to sign! Select artists drawing onstage and all signing new release graphic novels. Stop by the store and pick up a pen (or just watch others and meet the creators), sip free wine, and meet other indie comics and bande dessinée (Franco-Belgian style comics) fans.
Co-hosted with Fantagraphic Books and EuropeComics.
Sunday / June 23rd
Small Press Expo Meet-up at the French Comics Association booth!
3 – 4:30pm
Come learn about The Small Press Expo, headquartered in Bethesda, MD, and all they do for indie comics. Treats will be served and French comics will be signed…
Featured creators: Julia Billet (Catherine’s War) & Karim Friha (Rise of the Zelphire)
Sunday / June 23rd
10:30 – 11:30
Solid State Books / 600 H Street NE, Washington, DC 20002
Join French creator Wilfrid Lupano for a morning storytime at this lovely local DC store. “Young readers will howl for this tale that combines a timely, smart message alongside crowd-pleasing silliness.”—Kirkus Reviews
Sunday / June 23rd
11am-12:30pm
Bonjour Books / 3758 Howard Ave, Kensington, MD 20895
Youth aged 8-12 are invited to this special workshop with visiting French artist Karim Friha, creator of Rise of the Zelphire, a super-cool steampunk fantasy story about a group of young people with strange powers, newly translated to English by Lion Forge (originally in French from Gallimard). Friha will share how he sketches and creates characters, and help the young artists design their own heroes, and inspire them to dream up new, fantastical worlds. The artist will inscribe book copies at the end of the event! RSVP and pre-order of the English edition required (French editions of additional titles in the series will also be available for sale).
Sunday / June 23rd
5:30 – 7:30
Fantom Comics / 2010 P St NW, Washington, DC 20036
This panel offers a rare opportunity to meet French and European artists on tour, who represent the contemporary bande dessinée (BD) scene. French comics are familiar American bestsellers, from Tintin to Persepolis to Valerian, but fans can discover the diversity in genres—from steampunk fantasy to crime fiction to graphic biography and historical fiction—and vibrant/sophisticated art styles from the next generation of creators who are “big in France.” This ultra-cool panel will be followed by a comics party with a cash bar! Featuring 2019 Eisner-Award nominee Wilfrid Lupano (Sea of Love and Curtain Call); Typex (Andy: The Life and Times of Andy Warhol); Julia Billet (Catherine’s War); and Karim Friha (Rise of the Zelphire). Moderated by TK
Meet the Creators
Dominique Bertail, of Tours, France, takes his influences as a cartoonist from around the world, including Moebius, Juillard, and Otomo.
Born in 1977, in Switzerland, Guillaume Long, from an early age, observed his mother working in her kitchen. After graduating from Art School in Saint-Etienne, he decided to combine both his passions: comics and food. He then started a comics …
Laurence Baldetti was born in 1982 in the sunny south of France. Introduced at an early age to visual art by her Fresco painter mother, she pursued artistic studies in Lyon. Influenced by international styles and artists including US Comics, …
Wilfrid Lupano was born in Nantes, in the west of France, and spent most of his childhood in the southwestern city of Pau, France. He spent his childhood reading through his parents’ comic book collection and enjoying role‑playing games. He studied …
Julia Billet was born in 1962. She is the author of both prose and comics. She lives in Paris while thinking that it would be good to live somewhere else, far from the city, in order to write, write, write… …
Karim Friha was born in Maisons-Laffitte, France, in 1980. As a child, he took a liking to comics with the Franco-Belgian classics, most notably Asterix and Gaston Lagaffe. After receiving his bachelors degree in science, he studied math but ended …
Typex is a Dutch illustrator and graphic novelist. A graduate of the Amsterdam College for the Arts, his work appears in many nationwide newspapers and magazines. He has illustrated numerous children’s books and has published some of his own. His …
Discover the Beauty of Bande Dessinée
The French Comics Association brings together many of the major publishers of French comics, including Dargaud, Casterman, Delcourt, Dupuis, Gallimard BD, Glénat, Le Lombard, Rue de Sèvres, and Soleil. As part of its mission to promote Franco-Belgian comics in the United States and worldwide, the association aims to promote comics translated into English, to support the U.S. publishing industry, and to stimulate cultural exchanges on the basis of literature and visual narratives.
The French Comics Association is supported by the Centre National du Livre, the Bureau International de l’Édition Française, the Syndicat National de l’Édition and the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the U.S.
Learn more about the FCA at this link.
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