Kids Read Comics!

On top of all of the terrific events and programs we're offering on June 18 and 19, KRC co-organizer Jerzy Drozd and Chelsea District Library Adult Services Librarian Sara Wedell worked with the Chelsea River Gallery to create a fine arts exhibition of comics called the Comic Jam! On the evening of June 18, you will be able to participate in a special artists reception at the River Gallery and meet some of the terrific participating artists, all of whom are guests at KRC!

Jerzy had a chance to sit down and talk with Deb Greer, the director of the River Gallery, to discuss how the exhibition came together and what surprises came out of putting on a fine arts show of comics.

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Hey, it's a new KRC Podcast! And it's a fun one, featuring some of the brilliant young people you'll be able to meet at KRC 2011 in Chelsea, MI.

During the Kids Read Comics Extravaganza, a one-day event held on March 12 at the Ann Arbor Art Center, Jerzy Drozd and Sharon Iverson of the Ann Arbor District Library led a panel discussion with some local kids who are also comics creators. These kids shared their process of creating humorous super hero stories like Aspirin Man, lovely environmental stories like Green, lighthearted fantasy stories featuring mischievous dragons, and comedy animal stories like Pattern and Crumb.

More photos from the event can be found on our Picasa page.

We will be updating with more episodes soon, so Subscribe to the podcast!

The second Kids Read Comics convention is over, but stay tuned, as we have photos, audio, and video to share from this year's event!

In this fourth episode of the Kids Read Comics Podcast, KRC organizer Jerzy Drozd moderates a panel discussion with Ann Arbor District Library staff Anne Drozd, Sharon Iverson, and Erin Helmrich. Together they share their experiences developing and organizing comics events at their library, offering tips on starting up comics workshops and events at your own library.

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The first Kids Read Comics convention is over, but we have more updates to share!

In the third installment of the Kids Read Comics podcast, we present a recording of one of our many panel discussions held over the weekend. "The Future of Comics" panel was held on Friday, June 12, at 5 p.m., and features a discussion with the organizers of the convention, comics writer Dan Mishkin, Green Brain Comics co-owner Dan Merritt, teen librarian Edith Burney, and cartoonist Jerzy Drozd. We talk about where comics have been, where we think they are going, and how the Kids Read Comics convention is our answer to the future challenges that face the comics industry.

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For our second episode of the Kids Read Comics podcast, Chelsea District Library Teen Librarian and KRC Co-organizer Edith Burney sits down to chat with two of the featured guests of the convention, actors Tara Platt and Yuri Lowenthal. Comics and Manga fans may know Tara better as Temari on the Cartoon Network Naruto cartoon series. Yuri Lowenthal not only plays Sasuke on the same show, but also voices the young Superman/Clark Kent on Kids WB's Legion of Superheroes, and Ben Tennyson on Cartoon Network's Ben 10: Alien Force.

The group discusses what it's like being a voice over artist and what they look forward to at the upcoming Kids Read Comics convention.

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In addition to the site blog and Twitter feed, we will be posting some audio podcasts with news about the upcoming convention. In this first episode, Dan Mishkin, Edith Burney, Dan Merritt, and I sit down to give an overview of the kinds of programming you can expect to find at the convention.

You can subscribe to the podcast with your favorite RSS aggregator, or listen via the handy audio player below!

Stay tuned for future episodes of the Kids Read Comics podcast, where we will feature interviews with some of the guests attending the event!

- Jerzy Drozd

Episode 81 of Art & Story features an interview with Dan Merritt, owner of Green Brain Comics in Dearborn, Michigan and co-organizer of the Kids Read Comics convention.

Dan sits down with us for an hour to discuss the business of comics from the comics store proprietor's standpoint, where the industry is headed, what the recent Diamond announcements mean for folks him, as well as what projects like Comics Monkey could mean for folks like him.

You can listen by checking out the post on the Art & Story website, or use the handy mp3 player below!

Jerzy Drozd

For an audio discussion detailing the ideas that helped shape what the Kids Read Comics! convention will be, you can check out episode 50 of The Art & Story podcast (or just use the player below!).

In this episode I'm joined by KRC co-organizer Edith Burney, Youth/Teen Librarian at the Chelsea District Library, and Stephanie (one of the attendees of my most recent comics workshop) for a discussion on the role of comics, graphic novels, and manga in public libraries. The highlights: Libraries are the new spinner racks, comics shops still frighten people, community events are the way to help libraries and comics alike, and perhaps Mr. Dewey didn’t have all of the answers.

- Jerzy Drozd