LANGSTON HUGHES STAGE
Comic Book Writing Workshop
JAN 13 @ 1:30 PM EST
Fun fact! The same techniques for writing prose are also used in the comic book writing process. In this workshop, Regine Sawyer, founder of Women in Comics, will show how to use those techniques, specifically for both character and world-building, to create an expansive and thoughtful story.
THURSDAY
Black Girl Genius
JAN 14 @ 1:00 PM EST
Who runs the world? Girls! Hear from a diverse array of comic creators who have centered brilliant young female characters in their stories.
Featuring
Yesenia Moises, Robyn Smith, Greg Burnham, and Okema Moore
Moderator: Erika Hardison, Fabulize Magazine
The BAYlies: A Community of LGBTQ and POC Cartoonists from The Bay Area
JAN 14 @ 3:00 PM EST
Live from the West Coast, this dynamic collective of cartoonists of color and queer cartoonists are here to discuss radical representation, storytelling, and the forthcoming The BAYlies Magazine Issue #1 Comics Anthology from Laneha House (2021).
Featuring
Lawrence Lindell and Breena Nuñez, The BAYlies
The Comics Chitlin' Circuit: Cultivating a Sustainable Network for Black Cartoonists
JAN 14 @ 4:30 PM EST
Historically, The Free Press was a Black Comics’ chitlin' circuit, cultivating and sustaining a network for black cartoonists and materially supporting the production of Black cartoons. The Free Black Press was a place for Black cartoonists to cultivate a relationship to a market and an aesthetic away from the white gaze and editorial censure. Seventy-two years into the project of desegregation, The Free Black Press has all but disappeared and we have witnessed the effects of the white gaze on Black cartooning. What are we doing and what can we do to cultivate Black cartooning and any type of cartooning that may be suffering similarly? Does Black Comics need a Chitlin' Circuit?
Featuring
Ronald Wimberly, John Jennings, Spike Trotman, Jason Reeves, and Andre Owens
#Edcomix: Teaching Hard History Through Comics
JAN 15 @ 2:30 PM EST
Using comics in the classroom can be a tool for cultivating critical literacies and historical consciousness in students. Join this panel of educators for a conversation about comics whose visual narratives deepen the study of black history and culture.
Featuring
David Heredia, Little Heroes of Color
Erica Armstrong, Langston League
Moderator: Deirdre Hollman, Black Comics Collective
FRIDAY
The Comic Book Spectrum: A New Era of Industry
JAN 15 @ 4:00 PM EST
The industry has begun a new era. With the COVID19 pandemic, comics like all other forms of multimedia are learning how to evolve with the times. This panel will discuss the overall effect on creators as well as how we can usher in new crops of professionals as change becomes vaster and vaster.
Featuring
Vita Ayala, Alitha E. Martinez, Eric Battle, and David Walker
Moderator: Regine Sawyer
MECCAcon presents: Black Animators
JAN 15 @ 5:30 PM EST
Prominent animators including Carl Jones, The Mad Twiinz, and the Udeh Brothers, will talk about their roles in the industry, past and present work, along with how they got started. They will discuss their process of accepting and creating jobs, how they handle their recruiting, and much more. From storyboard to live-action and voice acting, our panelists cover everything.
Featuring
Carl Jones, Mad Twiinz, and Onyi Udeh
Moderator: Maia "Crown" Williams, MECCAcon
Views from Megascope: After the Rain & Black Star
JAN 16 @ 1:30 PM EST
This panel will feature creators from Megascope’s Spring 2021 list. Join the conversation to learn about new comics, including After the Rain and Black Star that are coming out soon from some of your favorite artists.
Featuring
John Jennings, Eric A. Glover, Arielle Jovellanos, and David Brame
Moderator: Calvin Reid, Publishers Weekly Magazine
Make It Plain: Social Commentary Thru Comix
JAN 16 @ 4:00 PM EST
Comics speak volumes and sometimes without a word. Join Keith Knight, creator of Hulu's Woke, Tee Franklin author of Bingo Love, Liz Montague of Liz at Large, and Cagen Luse, creator of Lunchtime Comix, and moderator Janicia Francis of Tea with Queen and J as they discuss the role of comic art and writing in helping us grapple with social issues, past and present.
Featuring
Keith Knight, Tee Franklin, Liz Montague, and Cagen Luse
Moderator: Janicia Francis, Tea with Queen and J.
