(no subject)
DRINK AND DRAW LIKE A LADY!
This year was the third annual NYC Drink and Draw Like a Lady event. It started as a pre-MoCCA brunch in 2008 between Hope Larson, Raina Telgemeier and me, where we talked about the business of comics and being a lady who makes 'em. The following year, Hope had the idea to turn it into an event, inviting ladies involved with comics to mingle and chat and hang out, just us comics girls.
This past Friday was our third annual event, and it keeps getting better. Not inviting men isn't meant to be exclusionary, but there's something really nice about having a party for women in comics, BY women in comics. It's a reminder that there are TONS of us, and that we are AWESOME, and that being involved in comics as women is a cool shared experience that is bettered by all of the other amazing women.
I've helped out every year, joining with Hope and Raina to plan and throw the party, but this year neither could make it, so I took over head-planner, with the lovely help of Tara Abbamondi. We had wine, cheese, drawing, and even a photobooth, which didn't see much use as everyone was so excited to see each-other and chat. But the photos we did get are pretty amazing. Check 'em!
Then there was MoCCA. This was, I think, my 6th year going. This year was especially nice, and had a more chill feel, I think. There were certainly a lot of young first-time exhibitors, including Miss Emma T Capps, who is only 14 and was selling her adorable comics like an old pro. I met and chatted with tons of great folks, sold lots of books (all but one, that I gave to the volunteers!), and got plenty of high-fives. I also hauled home a bunch of really amazing-looking books that I can't wait to dive into. Thanks so much to everyone who came and said hi and bought stuff. Let's meet back up in a year and do it again!
Here are a couple cool writeups about the festival:
Bleeding Cool
Pop Candy (By Whitney Matheson, who moderated our awesome Sunday panel with MK Reed and Tracy White)
After the first day of the convention, a squad of cartoonists trooped over to the Shake Shack to get food. It was chilly out in the park, so we took our eats up to the First Second Publishing (my publishers for Relish) conference room in the Flatiron Building, so we could sit in the skinny northern end of the famous building looking out at the darkening city. Very cool.
Then I joined some rad pals at a nearby bar and drank beer and drew jamcomics late into the night (with Nate Stapley, Aaron Costain, Jess Fink, Eric Colossal, John Martz, Kate Beaton and Scott C.)
An awesome comics time.
Last night I got to go to a lovely little rainy-evening talk with Tony Kushner at FIT. He sat around with a bunch of gushing 20-somethings and chatted about writing, art and politics. There are certain things about people that make me REALLY want to draw them. Tony Kushner is one of those people. Striking features, expressive hands, mobile face... Here are my "notes" from the talk:
See Bigger