The 12th UF Conference on Comics and Graphic Novels, “Comics Read but Seldom Seen: Diversity and Representation in Comics and Related Media,” will be held on April 10th–12th, 2015. Panels and presentations commence on Friday, April 10th at 11:00am and continue until 2:00pm on Sunday, April 12th. The keynote lectures will be held in Ustler Hall atrium on the University of Florida campus. All other presentations, including the creative workshop, will be held in Pugh Hall 210. All conference events are free and open to the public.
The analysis of diversity and representation in comic books is an integral and growing part of academic Comics Studies. The goal of “Comics Read but Seldom Seen” is to celebrate and interrogate the representation of marginalized groups in comics and related media. This year’s panels and presentations explore comics’ engagement with sexuality, race, gender, and disability.
The conference features two special guest speakers. Sheena Howard is Chair of the Black Caucus and Assistant Professor of Communication at Rider University. She is the recipient of the 2014 Eisner Award winner for her book Black Comics: Politics of Race and Representation. She will deliver her keynote lecture on Friday evening, April 10th at 7:30pm. José Alaniz is an Associate Professor in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures and the Department of Comparative Literature and Director of the Disability Studies program at the University of Washington. His most recent book is Death, Disability and the Superhero: The Silver Age and Beyond. He will deliver his keynote lecture on Saturday evening, April 11th at 7:30pm. Both lectures will be followed by a reception with refreshments.
Gainesville-based illustrator and cartoonist Leela Corman will lead a creative workshop on Saturday morning, April 11th at 9:00am. Corman teaches at The Sequential Artists Workshop in Gainesville. Her comic Yahrzeit won a silver medal from the Society Of Illustrators in 2014.
More information about the conference, including a full schedule of panels and presentations, can be found at https://comics.english.ufl.edu/conferences/2015-2/