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Just as a reminder, this weekend is the first big West Coast Caf of the year: LINEWORK NW which is FREE to attend in Portland’s Norse Hall. Info in the above link but here’s the skinny:

Linework NW will take place on Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19, 2015, at the Norse Hall in Portland, Oregon. Hours of operation are 12pm-8pm both days. Attendance is free and open to the public.

Harassment Policy: Linework NW will not tolerate verbal or physical abuse, derogatory or discriminatory language, sexual harassment, and disruptive or inappropriate behavior. Anyone who feels they have witnessed or have been subjected to inappropriate or abusive behavior at the festival is encouraged to report it to a Linework NW volunteer immediately. Linework NW organizers will be available to mediate conflicts at the festival, and we reserve the right to ask anyone we determine to be violating our policies to adhere to our community standards, up to and including excluding them from the event.

Linework NW is organized and operated by Sam Marx, Shanna Matuszak, Kinoko Evans, Tristan Tarwater, Zack Soto & François Vigneault. The show was founded by Zack and François.

Special guests include Dan Clowes, Lisa Conger, Lisa Hanawalt and Jay Howell.

Maybe Clowes will spill some beans about the new graphic novel he’s been teasing! Keep us posted.

And here’s the programming line-up:

12:30: Freelance Illustration: Work and Life
Ryan Alexander-Tanner
Steve Lieber
Meg Hunt
Pam Wishbow
moderated by Tristan Tarwater
–
1:30: Lisa Hanawalt Spotlight
Moderated by Tom Spurgeon
–
2:30: Jay Howell Spotlight
Moderated by Bwana Spoons
–
3:30: Free Speech and the Aftermath of Charlie Hebdo
Sean Aaberg
Suzette Smith
Sam Alden
Tom Spurgeon
moderated by François Vigneault
–
4:30: Modern Portraiture
Michael Horwitz
Nicole J. Georges
Hazel Newlevant
Jeannette Langmeade
Moderated by Sam Marx
–
5:30: Genre Through the Indie Lens
Malachi Ward
Sera Stanton
Zack Soto
Ian MacEwan
Moderated by Tom Spurgeon
–
6:30: The Intersection of Creativity – Balancing Comics/Illustration with Other Outlets
Ben Sears
Joseph Bergin III
Bwana Spoons
Jay Howell 
Moderated by Sam Marx
–

• Sunday April 19 •

12:30: Collectives and Collaborations
Luke Ramsey
Sindre Goksøyr
Sean Christensen
Marc Palm
Seth Goodkind
Tom Van Deusen
–
1:30: Queering Up Comics
Michael Horwitz
Melanie Gillman
Virginia Paine
Genue Revuelta
Moderated by Taneka Stotts
–
2:30: Lisa Congdon Spotlight
moderated by Jason Strugill
–
3:30: Daniel Clowes Spotlight
moderated by Tom Spurgeon
–
4:30: The Modern Reality of Fundraising for Artists
Lucy Bellwood
Kory Bing
Taneka Stotts
Hazel Newlevant
moderated by Tristan Tarwater

Whew the comics arts festival circuit news is flowing thick and fast; we’re in the middle of application season and hearts and minds are turning to tabling. And the CAFs are answering back with news.

§ First off, the revamped APE (Alternative Press Expo) has revealed its dates and location: October 3-4 2015 at the San Jose Convention Center in San Jose. This is by all accounts a fine spot for a show, and the new San Jose-based APE sounds like its off to a good start. There is a one day overlap with CXC in Columbus, but what are ya gonna do—even the CAF circuit is busting out these days.

§ Short Run, the indie themed event held in Seattle, has announced its dates: Saturday, October 31st at the Fisher Pavilion at Seattle Center.

WHAT?! That’s right: get ready for a “scary” good time with Short Run as we take over Halloween afternoon with comix, zines, art books, mask-making, experimental animation, and much more. There will be both tricks and treats with 250 exhibitors under the Space Needle.

WHERE??!! Yes, it’s true: our beloved Washington Hall will be under construction this entire year as they make much needed renovations. In 2015, we’ll be returning to Seattle Center (site of the very first Short Run festival), and this time, we’ll be in the grand, expansive Fisher Pavilion. We are excited to offer both exhibitors and attendees wider aisle space in this new venue!
WHO?… Well, stay tuned! We’ll be announcing our 2015 special guests soon, as well as opening applications for this year’s exhibitors. We had such an incredible experience with our international guests last year, that we will continue to bring comix artists from around the world to Seattle.

Sounds like a good time.

§ ELCAF (The East London Comics Festival) has announced it’s expanding to two days this year, June 20-21, at a venue to be named later. This show has been getting a strong reputation for indies and it’s doubling in size. Applications are also open. (h/t Zainab)

§ Finally, April’s Lineworks NW, the Portland, OR based indie fest has announced its first four guests: Daniel Clowes, Lisa Hanawalt, Lisa Congdon and Jay Howell. Clowes and Hanawalt are best known for their comics; Congdon is afire artist and Howell does animation designs for such things as Bob’s Burgers. All four have heavy multi-media portfolio, and mixing up a CAF with guests from allied arts and animation is a very smart move and probably something we’ll see a lot more of.

More CAF news coming! If you have info on a show you would like to pass long, please email The Beat at comicsbeat at gmail dot com.