Laura Gao and Tiffany Yap in conversation with host Josh Sippie about the challenges of writing towards specific real world subject matter, whether in fiction or nonfiction.

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Deb JJ Lee in conversation with host Josh Sippie about the challenges of writing graphic memoirs, telling stories that really happened, and all the obstacles nonfiction presents. 
Deb JJ Lee is a Korean American artist currently living in Brooklyn, NY. They have appeared in the New Yorker, Washington Post, NPR, Google, Radiolab, PBS, and more. Books they have illustrated include The Invisible Boy by Alyssa Hollingsworth (Roaring Brook Press, 2020) and The Other Side of Tomorrow by Tina Cho (HarperCollins, 2024). They enjoy reality tv, sparkling water, and pretending to be an extrovert.

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Jeremy Holt and Ayize Jama-Everett in conversation with Josh Sippie about the challenges, both creative and otherwise, of reinventing classic stories for modern audiences.

Jeremy Holt is a non-binary author whose works include Gatsby, Made in Korea, Virtually Yours, Before Houdini, After Houdini, and Skip to the End.

Ayize Jama-Everett is a writer of speculative fiction, as well as the graphic novels Box of Bones and The Last Count of Monte Cristo. 

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Deena Mohamed in conversation with host Josh Sippie about the path into traditional publishing, breaking in with a full-length graphic novel, and more. 

Deena Mohamed is an Egyptian comics artist, writer and designer. Her debut full-length, bilingual graphic novel trilogy Shubeik Lubeik is available now from Pantheon. When not working on comics, she does freelance illustrations for local and international clients such as Insider, Viacom, Google, UN Women, Harrassmap and Mada Masr.

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Scott Chantler in conversation with Josh Sippie about writing comics and cartoons in historical settings, adapting those stories for various audiences, and the creative process.

Scott Chantler is the cartoonist of the critically-acclaimed graphic novels Squire & Knight, Bix, and Two Generals, which was nominated for two Eisner Awards, selected for Best American Comics 2012, and voted by CBC's Canada Reads as one of the 40 best Canadian non-fiction books of all time. His other work includes Northwest Passage (nominated for Eisner and Harvey Awards) and the Three Thieves series (winner of the Joe Shuster Award for Best Comic for Kids and listed by YALSA as a Great Graphic Novel for Teens). In 2015, he served as Writer-in-Residence at the University of Windsor, the first cartoonist to be appointed so by a Canadian university.

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Matt Emmons in conversation with Josh Sippie about creating your own opportunities, crowdfunding, and turning your creativity into a business.

Matt Emmons is a comics artist and illustrator living in Philadelphia. Born in the Greater Boston Area and raised on a healthy diet of 80’s monster movies and fantasy novels, he now spends his time drawing monsters and robots for his own books.

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Kiara Valdez in conversation with Josh Sippie about what an editor at a traditional publishing house does, how to break in that route as a creator, the traditional publishing scene, and more. 

Kiara Valdez is an Afro-Dominican writer and graphic novel editor from New York City (shout out to Washington Heights). She graduated from Williams College with a double major in English Literature and Japanese, and spends her free time reading, writing, and enjoying a long list of other hobbies she can't keep up with. She is currently an editor with First Second, where she has edited several award-winning and best-selling graphic novels.

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Ryan Inzana in conversation with Josh Sippie about creating the Eisner-nominated Ichiro, as well as placing short comics, developing an artistic style, and more. 

Ryan is an illustrator/concept designer/animator whose work has appeared in various media all over the world. Ryan's comics have been inducted into the Library of Congress's permanent collection of art and have earned an Eisner nomination as well as an Asian American/Pacific Islander Honor Award for YA literature.

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Jamar Nicholas and John Gallagher in conversation with Josh Sippie about going the traditional publishing route, getting an agent, and more. 

Jamar Nicholas is an award-winning, Philadelphia-based artist and educator, dedicating his career to helping young people realize the power of visual narrative. Jamar aims to promote anti-bullying, healing, and kindness in his work. Jamar's graphic novel “Leon the Magnificent” was published with Scholastic Graphix, and is the first book in his series featuring Leon and his friends, Carlos and Clementine. His next book, "Leon the Magnificent" will be released in 2024.

John Gallagher is the creator of the critically acclaimed Max Meow series, the art director of Ranger Rick magazine with the National Wildlife Federation, and cofounder of Kids Love Comics, which promotes literacy and the magic of comic books. He also leads workshops teaching kids how to create their own comics.

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Brent Fisher and CJ Hudson in conversation with Josh Sippie about managing a massive anthology crowdfunding campaign with Band of Bards, choosing a crowdfunding platform, and more.

Brent Fisher is a published comic writer and editor. Their passion lies in using storytelling as a vehicle of empathy to bring disparate groups closer together.Their writing can be found in many comic anthologies including Project Big Hype, Femme Fatale, Off Into the Sunset, Amongst the Stars, From the Static, Containment Breach Vol. 3, and The Color of Always, an LGBTQIA+ love anthology successfully funded on Kickstarter in co-creation with Michele Abounader. The Color of Always will be published in 2023 under the A Wave Blue World label. Their most recent work, "The Unseen," was created in collaboration with artist Rachel Distler and is part of Dandy Presents Penny Dreadfuls, published in Fall 2022 under the Source Point Press label.

C.J. Hudson is the co-founder of Warn Everyone! Comics, a creative studio focused on developing original content. His published works include Interstellar Dust for the Offworld Sci-Fi Double Feature from Antarctic Press and Intergalactic Academy from Ad Astra Media.

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Brent's website:  brentfisher.net

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Brent on Twitter: https://twitter.com/carolcollector

Brent on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/carolcollector/

CJ on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ceejthehudson

CJ on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/warneveryonecomics/