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!