By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 9/9/2015
Dragon Con 2015 has come and gone, and for those keeping track at home (surely, none of you) this was my 18th appearance at the show. It was the first convention I ever went to as a much younger person, and while the number of days in each succeeding year I’ve attended has varied, I’ve […]
By: Julia Hornaday,
on 8/27/2014
It’s been over 10 years since Mr. Wilbert Scott and Cashadell Lewis first met, but both remember it like it was yesterday.
“My name is Cashadell, but you can call me Cash,” said Lewis.
“You call me Mr. Scott. And I will call you Cashadell Lewis,” Mr. Scott replied.
“When I first saw Mr. Scott, I knew he didn’t play,” recalls Cashadell. “And even though I didn’t want it at the time, I knew I needed someone like him.”
Mr. Scott had been paired with Cashadell as a Power Lunch reading mentor with Everybody Wins! Atlanta. The program, now in its 18th year, pairs volunteer reading mentors from local businesses and community organizations with first through fifth grade students identified by their teachers as reading below their grade level. Nearly 90 percent of the 550 students who currently participate in the Power Lunch program live in poverty. Many have no books at home.
Every Thursday, Mr. Scott visited Hope-Hill Elementary School to read aloud with Cashadell over the lunch hour. As weeks turned into years, Cashadell grew into a stronger reader and developed a special bond with Mr. Scott.
Now a mentor and a friend, Mr. Scott sees Cashadell graduating from college and returning to Hope-Hill Elementary as a mentor himself. And when he does, First Book will be there to support him.
Since June 2011, First Book has provided Everybody Wins! Atlanta with 10,126 books. The books are used to stock book carts, which hold hundreds of books for reading pairs to choose from, at the 11 schools that participate in the Power Lunch program. Each Power Lunch student also receives at least three new books to take home every year.
Last year, students got to take home even more books, thanks to our friends at dd’s DISCOUNTS. The local dd’s DISCOUNTS store raised funds to help provide over 700 brand-new books to Everybody Wins! Atlanta.
Help more kids more kids like Cashadell read, learn and succeed. Join dd’s DISCOUNTS in providing new books to outstanding programs like Everybody Wins! Atlanta by making a gift to First Book today.
The post Once a Mentor, Forever a Friend appeared first on First Book Blog.
By: Angela Muse,
on 5/11/2014
We have joined the Kid Lit Giveaway Hop hosted by Mother Daughter Book Reviews and Youth Literature Reviews again this year to celebrate children’s book week and give away some awesome prizes. This year we are giving away two great prize packs containing four children’s paperbacks and a $10 Amazon gift card to each winner.
You can enter by going to our Facebook page and entering during May 12-18. There are over 80 other bloggers participating with lots of other prizes that include children/teen’s books, gift cards, cash and other prizes so check out the list and get your entries in.
ENTER NOW -a Rafflecopter giveaway
Add a Comment
By: Angela Muse,
on 3/7/2014
Today I had the privilege of being a reader at a local elementary school. I got to read one of my favorite books, The Bee Bully, and talk to the kids about being an author. The energetic kindergartners made me feel very welcome and I really enjoyed spending some time with them. We talked a little bit about what it means to be a bully and how important reading is.
Three reasons why reading is important to young children:
1). Reading exercises our brains. That’s right, our brains need a workout too. Reading strengthens brain connections and can even create new ones so pick up a book and help your brain exercise.
2). Reading improves concentration. Kids have to focus when they read which can sometimes be a difficult task. The more you read the longer you can extend that concentration time which will continue to improve.
3). Reading helps develop imagination. When you read your brain translates what is read to pictures. Did you know you can create a movie in your head while you read? We become engrossed in the story and we can connect with the characters. We can sympathize with how a character feels and reflect on how we would feel in that same situation.
Now go grab a book and BEE A READER!
Add a Comment
By: Alice,
on 2/26/2014
Dirty South hip hop refers to a gritty rap culture first developed in the southern United States during the 1980s and the 1990s. Goodie Mob, an eccentric quartet from Atlanta, Georgia, titled a 1995 single “Dirty South” in order to shed light on myriad societal ills in the former Confederacy, where ethnic prejudice and racism seemed to be perennial sicknesses. Today the term is used to describe not only everyday life in Dixieland, but also an array of risqué artists, lyrics, clothes, and other fashion items that originated there. And even though some might say that dirty South hip hop, as a synthesis of global rap influences and aesthetics, lacks distinction, the emergence of Atlanta and other major Southern cities as recognized headquarters of urban popular culture has compelled many critics and fans to describe the phenomenon as unique. The following playlist, courtesy of Oxford African American Studies Center contributor Bertis English (Alabama State University), provides a wide-ranging selection of the most significant artists working in the genre.
Bertis English is an Associate Professor of History at Alabama State University. He has written about Atlanta’s unique contribution to hip hop on the Oxford African American Studies Center.
The Oxford African American Studies Center combines the authority of carefully edited reference works with sophisticated technology to create the most comprehensive collection of scholarship available online to focus on the lives and events which have shaped African American and African history and culture. The Oxford African American Studies Center is free for Black History Month. Simply use Username: blackhistorymonth and Password: onlineaccess to log in.
Subscribe to the OUPblog via email or RSS.
Subscribe to only music articles on the OUPblog via email or RSS.
The post Dirty South hip hop and societal ills in the former Confederacy appeared first on OUPblog.
By: shelf-employed,
on 1/10/2012
A brief review today with lots of extras...The only difference was that now, when I was alone in the afternoons, I wasn't so alone. Each day I spent a little more time with Lew, and that felt different. It was like he'd been a piece of furniture before, a big doll, and now he was a person, just because I'd noticed he was.Worth checking out.
By: Maryann Yin,
on 4/5/2011
Algonquin Books has launched the ‘Ask an Editor’ video series on their blog. Executive editor Chuck Adams stars in the video embedded above and answers the question: “How did you acquire Water for Elephants?”
Marketing director Michael Taeckens explained how it will work: “For this series, readers who have any questions about the publishing process can submit them on our blog or on our Facebook or Twitter accounts. Every two weeks a different Algonquin editor will select and answer one of the questions submitted.”
The next Algonquin Books Club will feature a conversation between Gruen and The Help author Kathryn Stockett on April 26th. Those interested can check out the website for a reader’s guide, essays by Gruen, and her recipe for oyster brie soup.
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
Add a Comment
By: Maryann Yin,
on 4/5/2011
Algonquin Books has launched the ‘Ask an Editor’ video series on their blog. Executive editor Chuck Adams stars in the video embedded above and answers the question: “How did you acquire Water for Elephants?”
Marketing director Michael Taeckens explained how it will work: “For this series, readers who have any questions about the publishing process can submit them on our blog or on our Facebook or Twitter accounts. Every two weeks a different Algonquin editor will select and answer one of the questions submitted.”
The next Algonquin Books Club will feature a conversation between Gruen and The Help author Kathryn Stockett on April 26th. Those interested can check out the website for a reader’s guide, essays by Gruen, and her recipe for oyster brie soup.
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
Add a Comment
By: Chris Singer,
on 1/16/2011
This week I’m featuring reviews of books by one of my favorite book publishers – Peachtree Publishers.
Peachtree Publishers is an independently owned trade book publisher, specializing in quality children’s books, from picture books to young adult fiction and nonfiction. They also publish self-help titles covering education, parenting, psychology, and health along with walking, hiking, fishing guides from the South (Peachtree is based in Atlanta, GA).
Besides offering high quality books, Peachtree Publishers offer many resources for their readers and customers including: Teacher Guides, Information on Guided Reading Levels, Book Trailers, Information on Author Visits to Schools and more.
You can catch the latest news from Peachtree by visiting their blog: The World of Peachtree Publishers. By the way, please congratulate them on their first Blog-O-Versary!!
This week Book Dads will feature reviews of four books from Peachtree Publishers:
Tuesday, January 19th: Hey Daddy! Animal Fathers and Their Babies by Mary Batten
Wednesday, January 19th: Flying by Kevin Luthardt
Thursday, January 20th: That’s Not How You Play Soccer, Daddy! by Sherry Shahan
Friday, January 21st: Rolling Along – The Story of Taylor and His Wheelchair by Jamee Riggio
There will be more reviews of some newly released Peachtree books coming out later this Winter and Spring.
By: Guest Blogger,
on 8/9/2010
Guest Blogger: Susan M. Blackstock, Assistant Vice President, SunTrust Mortgage, Inc.
Today is the first day of school in metro-Atlanta. Public school students will be exchanging their swim goggles and computer game controllers for book bags and lunch boxes as they head off to school this week. With a little help from friends, many students at McLendon Elementary in DeKalb County will be starting their school year with brand new backpacks, books and school supplies today.
SunTrust, headquartered in Atlanta and one of the nation’s largest banking organizations, recently introduced an internal program, Solid Gives Back, which enables its teammates to have an even greater impact on their communities through their volunteer efforts. As the program rolled out, the senior management team challenged each division to identify their own give-back initiative. SunTrust Mortgage’s Atlanta region accepted the challenge, and Solid Gives Back(packs) was born.
With a goal of helping students at Title I schools have the tools they need to be successful in school, SunTrust Mortgage teammates personally sponsored the purchase of 300 backpacks and over 18,000 various school supplies. Then, SunTrust Mortgage teammates sorted the supplies, stuffed the backpacks and even included a handwritten note of encouragement to each child receiving a backpack.
Many of the personal notes encouraged the children to read. What better way to do that than with their very own books? SunTrust Mortgage turned to their long-time partner First Book and asked them to provide a book for each of the backpacks. First Book was glad to respond to the request, and seven boxes of books later, an assortment of titles were added to the backpacks. What a terrific way for two partners to help each other help others!
Smiles broke out on the children’s faces as they received their backpacks. For many, it was their first time receiving a backpack or book of their very own. Teachers were thrilled for what it means to their classrooms to have students prepared for class, eager to learn, beginning the first day of school. Parents were excited for their children and the opportunities that lie ahead for them. SunTrust Mortgage and First Book are proud to have been a part of this momentous day and wish all students the very best for the new school year.
Students of McLendon Elementary receive new backpacks filled with books and school supplies.
By: Laura Purdie Salas,
on 11/30/2009
Well, we almost didn't get to Atlanta. At least not the day we were supposed to. Some of you may remember my "knife at the airport" story. Ack. Then there was our family trip to Washington, D.C., when my husband left his driver's license in the scanner at home, so my brother-in-law Dack drove all the way back to our house and back to the airport with the license. Only an extra hour-and-a-half of driving. And then this summer, my older daughter Annabelle wore a top with some chain embellishment on it that caused lots of issues at security. "We need a female assist" for the girl trapped in a giant fiberglass holding cell while everyone stares at her wondering what she did wrong.
When Dack picked us up to take us to the airport this time, there was lots of joking: "Got your license, Randy?" "Check all the pockets on your carryon, Laura?" "Wearing a metal-free shirt, Annabelle?"
Someone should have asked Maddie, "Do you have both your carryons?"
Because she didn't. Which necessitated another round-trip to the house in rush-hour traffic.
We got to our gate 30 minutes after our scheduled take-off time. Lucky for us, this was the day of all the FAA problems, and our flight had been delayed. This is the first time I've ever been grateful for a flight delay!
After a full week in Atlanta (including a beautiful wedding for my nephew Gabriel and his bride Andrea, a fun Thanksgiving, tons of card and dice games, time with all my fun and wacky relatives, and so much food that I still have a stomachache), I'm back home and behind in all my work.
I knew when we decided to go for a week that I'd have to work some during it, because I have two book deadlines zooming toward me in the first half of Dec. And, of course, there's NaNoWriMo. But I hardly got anything done. At home, I'm so disciplined. On vacation, not so much.
So, if I sound overwhelmed and frantic for the next two weeks, it's only because I am:>)
But I've missed you guys and it's good to be chatting with you again!
By: Laura Purdie Salas,
on 11/18/2009
I leave tomorrow for a trip to Atlanta for a family wedding and won't be back until after Thanksgiving. So, I may be able to toss up a post now and then. Or I may not. We'll see. (Sorry, that kinda sounds like I have one stuck in my throat and I might be able to expel it. Ick.)
This will be an interesting trip because we're staying with family and there's lots of family stuff going on. But I knew when we decided to make it more than a weekend jaunt that I'd have to do some work down there, too. I have a couple of projects due while I'm there, plus a book deadline shortly thereafter. Juggling work actually due to publishers and trying to do family trip stuff is new to me. Not to mention NaNoWriMo, which I've totally fallen behind in the past few days while doing all sorts of pre-trip madness errands.
Sigh. Keep your fingers crossed for me!
P.S. I'll be doing a guest post on another blog sometime in December, maybe, and the topic is wide open (but writing/reading/book-related). I am so open to suggestions, because my brain is just gaping at me, going, "Huh?"
I had so much fun this past weekend in Atlanta at the Georgia Association on Young Children conference. Not only did I enjoy meeting various childcare providers from throughout the state, but I also appreciated the enthusiastic response from them regarding our mission at bububooks to help bilingual children with literacy and cultural identity development.
I also had two pleasant surprises throughout the weekend. First, my hotel happened to be in a Korean part of town. Being half-Korean, I found my way to a BBQ restaurant and indulged in some good ol’ Korean BBQ! Even better, I invited some newly made friends to join me. It was both their first times to try Korean food and they loved it! I thought, “what a great way to embrace our mission by introducing people to a new cuisine!” Second, as I was packing up at the end of the conference, I walked past a room where a session was still continuing. The attendees were singing a song I had never heard before. However, the tune was that of the Air Force Song! I found myself humming the Song as I finished loading up the car (I’m an Air Force veteran). I couldn’t believe I still remembered the words and it brought back many memories of the jovial times in which we would sing the first verse. J
Thanks to GAYC and all the attendees for making my trip so joyful! Off we go into the wild, blue yonder…
Laura
By: Tara Chang,
on 4/21/2009
I'm apparently on a quest to photograph airport art now.
(which is harder to do if your time is tight. Or you are traveling with a destination-oriented husband :-).
I could barely keep up in the 'rainbow corridor' in Chicago!
But spring is in full swing and gorgeous in Georgia. Had a nice, quick! time of visiting and family dinner. (And boiled peanuts for breakfast. Definitely in the South!)
Happy 80th to the mother-in-law.
By: Laurel Snyder,
on 8/2/2008
…in the dirty south….
I don’t always love Atlanta, but sometimes I’m really happy I live here. Last night was one of those times. Because last night was my first ever Hot Summer Literary Car Smashing.
Yes, that’s what I said. Hot. Summer. Literary. Car. Smashing.
There were cold cans of beer, and readings atop the old junker that was to be smashed. There were kids and sledgehammers (always a good combination). There was a parking lot full of gravel for Mose to play with, and there was a lot of art.
Oh, and of course there was grape soda.
You fancy folks can keep your wine and cheese, your carefully lit galleries and hush-hush bookstores. Here in Hotlanta we know it’s about writing and reading and playing. And more than anyone , the wonderful people of the wonderful Duck & Herring Co. know how to play.
It was a time.
It's 1969 Atlanta, and Bliss Inthemorningdew (yes that is her name) has just been dropped off by her hippie parents at her grandmother's place. Her folks have just left the commune and are heading to Canada, and Bliss' world is about to change.
Her grandmother is a true Southern lady, and quickly enrolls Bliss in the tony Crestview private school. Bliss is excited about actually going to a real school, but she is keeping her friend from the commune Flying V's warning about mean girls in the back of her mind. (Flying V has a gift of sight, and Bliss has a bit of it herself).
Bliss is thrown for a loop when her peer mentor Sarah Lynn ditches her. Luckily Thelma has decided to take Bliss under her wing and she and friends Jolene and Deedee school Bliss in the ways of not only Crestview, but life in Atlanta off the commune.
Unfortunately, when Flying V's warning seems to come into play, and Bliss witnesses some cruelty between classmates, Bliss ends up befriending Sandy. Sandy who the other kids make fun of because she's clumsy, she smells, and well, she's Sandy.
But Bliss feels good about being friends with Sandy. At first. They talk about conformity, power and the Manson Family murder trial. But Sandy is really needy, and it's draining spending time with her. Bliss would rather be with Thelma, Deedee and Jolene, not to mention super cute Mitchell.
What will happen when Sandy gets mixed up in a quest for power that involves the supernatural? Can Bliss disentangle herself from this girl who is set on revenge?
Lauren Myracle has written a thrilling page turner reminiscent of Nixon and Duncan. It's perfectly paced and will keep readers wanting more. Chapters are interspersed with journal pages which are border line terrifying when one thinks about the implications of animal torture and the dark arts.
Bliss is not only a scary thriller. The setting of late 1960s Atlanta allows for some frank discussions of race and the nature of racism. From the token black student at Crestview, to the Klan daddies, to teachers feeling free to use the "N" word in their classrooms, Bliss will have readers chewing on some big ideas as well.
By: Sondra Santos LaBrie,
on 5/15/2008
By: Linda S. Wingerter,
on 5/12/2008
Last week I was traveling yet again, this time to Atlanta for the International Reading Association (IRA) conference. I have a soft spot for IRA, as it was the very first conference I attended, back when it was held in San Francisco. I think it was back in 2002--I was just an assistant editor and it was all new and exciting for me. This year, I was quite excited to check out Atlanta. My father has a PhD from Georgia Tech and was finishing up when I was born. We moved away when I was about 9 months old, so I have no memory of it, and haven't been back since. From the little I saw of it, it was a cool city, but I'll have to go back when I have more time to explore--I didn't end up leaving the downtown area all week.
It was quite different from last year's under-attended conference in Toronto. We had a heavily-trafficked booth, partially because of our booth location (right near the entrance), and perhaps also because everyone who skipped out last year came this year. This, added to the fact that one of our colleagues wasn't able to make it at the last minute, leaving us short-handed and scrambling, resulted in all of us being busy from morning till night. I found myself with barely a spare minute all week.
I hadn't quite been prepared to see the extent of the damage from the tornado that hit the downtown area in March. Some of the hotel rooms in the Omni were damaged, although mine was untouched. Jerry Spinelli said that one of the windows in his room was held together by duct tape. "But it seemed study," he said--he had pushed on it. (!) Thank goodness it held.
Here's the view from my hotel room. You can see some damage in the building on the left.
And here's a closer photo of another building with extensive damage (I think this is actually one of the towers of the Omni).
Here are a few pics of the booth:
We had seven authors/illustrators at the fair: Jerry Spinelli, Gail Giles, Joan Steiner, and Jerry Pinkney for the first half, and then Wendy Mass, Chris Gall, and Sherman Alexie later in the conference.
I'm not going to give the detailed play-by-play of this year's conference, and I didn't end up taking as many pictures as I usually do, but here are a few highlights:
I had met fellow editor Stacy Whitman for the first time at last year's IRA, and we managed to meet up again this year for some ice cream in the CNN center food court. Here's Stacy, and she has a wrap-up of the conference and more pics on her blog here.
Because we were short one staff member, the only session I was able to attend was the one with Wendy Mass and Pam Muñoz Ryan, which was excellent. I hadn't heard either one speak before, and found both to be passionate, heartfelt, and poised.
Later that day I ran into Lisa Yee while on the floor. Earlier in the conference, I had asked someone if "Lisa Yee had taken out her Peepy" which I realize sounds a bit weird. But here we are, and yes, she took out Peepy. Lisa is holding up her iPhone which had almost this exact same picture on it (except, of course, without the iPhone)--too bad it didn't show up.
Wendy had three signings after her panel, one at our booth, one with Scholastic, and then one at the Anderson Book Shop booth. I got a call from her during her last signing. "You have to come over here and see what's going on," she said. She wouldn't tell me more. I made it over and took a double take. There was quite a crowd, cameras flashing, women squealing. Do you recognize the gentleman sitting next to Wendy?
It's Jeff Foxworthy! Needless to say, Wendy didn't get much attention at that particular signing (but at least her other two signings were great). She was a good sport about it, though, and came away with a signed book for her kids, and a story to tell.
It was a conference full of author signings (back to back to back to back on Tuesday), dinners, cocktails, authors, editors and other publishing folk, and of course books books books. I didn't have too much time to walk the floor, but I did manage to snag the new Sharon Creech (Hate That Cat) and Andrew Clements (Things That Are--although I haven't read Things Not Seen yet).
We ended the fair on a high note, with a signing by Sherman Alexie on Thursday morning. The last day of the fair is generally quiet, so it wasn't quite the frenzy that we were expecting (although a few die-hard fans started lining up over a half hour before the signing), but Sherman stayed in the booth for a full hour and a half signing away. And for you fans out there, you'll be happy to know that his follow-up to The Absolutely True Diary of the Part-Time Indian should be out next Spring.
Thankfully, I don't have any more work travels until ALA at the end of June, although the hectic schedule isn't ending. I'm scrambling to edit all of my Spring 2009 novels right now so that they can go into copyediting by the end of the month. And this afternoon is our library preview for our Fall 2008 books (read about some of our previous ones over at Fuse #8 here and here). Stay tuned to find out who our surprise guest will be.
By: Sondra Santos LaBrie,
on 5/7/2008
Tall Tales Book Shop
2105 Lavista Road
Atlanta, GA 30329
Kangaroo Pouch
56 E Andrews Dr NW
Atlanta, GA 30305
Fernbank Museum of Natural History
Martinis & IMAX (What a brilliant idea!)
By: Sondra Santos LaBrie,
on 5/5/2008
By: Aline Pereira,
on 7/10/2007
How to Eat Fried Worms, by Thomas Rockweel, in print since 1973 and recently turned into a movie, is one of the 100 most challanged books in the United States, because it supposedly encourages “inappropriate behavior.” But how inappropriate eating fried worms really is? Well, that depends on your culinary preferences and where you are from. Whereas How To Eat Fried Worms shows how many expressions of disgust one can come up with when confronted with the idea or reality of eating slimy, crawly things, Men Eating Bugs: The Art and Science of Eating Insects, by the authors of Hungry Planet: What the World Eats, shows a wealth of primitive and contemporary insect-eating habits and recipes from thirteen different countries.
The fact that I recently found fried grasshoppers and Mexican maguey worms on the shelves of a food shop in San Francisco might be a sign that the western aversion to insects as food may be movig away from the usual ick! yuck! ugh!, though. But whether or not bug-eating becomes popular here and whether or not I’ll ever try insect cookery myself, I am getting the message: “respect the preferences of “others’ paletes.”
Check out this list of insect snacks from around the world. And to teach young ones how ‘yum!’ and ‘yuck!’ sound in other languages, Linda Sue Park, Sue Rama and Julia Durango’s Yum!Yuck! A Book of People’s Sounds is reccomended.
By: Mark Peter Hughes,
on 7/3/2007
I'm typing in the air conditioned comfort of an old, high-ceilinged, civil-war-style house in downtown Atlanta, GA -- have you ever seen Gone With the Wind? It's like that, only instead of Rhett Butler, it's just us inside. The house belongs to our friends Ayesha and Dave, but they're not here either--coincidentally, their already-planned vacation coincided with our visit (at least they told us it was coincidental…) so they're off in parts unknown. Still, they let us use their glorious pad in their absence. Thanks, guys! 
Here’s a picture of us in Frisco, NC, before we left. Also, a picture with Leslie Ann Lanier of the wonderful bookstore Books To Be Red in Ocracoke, NC. A must-visit if you're a bibliophile on the Outer Banks. The 'Red' in the store's name comes from Ann's hair. Isn't that cool? :-)
Some fun news: Check out the Publisher’s Weekly Web site – we’re the lead article! :-) Here’s the link:
http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6457079.html
A Note added by Karen: A highlight of our stay in Atlanta was that we met up with one of my best friends from high school, Karen Sytsma and her family! I haven't seen Karen in 20 years, and we hit it off as if we see each other everyday! Karen and her sons Josiah and Caleb followed us to all the bookstores, and we got a chance to visit her husband Mike at work! Josiah showed the kids a dragon lizard called Beowolf...a relative of the giant iguana we saw earlier. All these lizards in Atlanta, is it a requirement to have one? What a great visit!!
Tomorrow we’re off to Jackson, MS, via Birmingham, AL. :-)
Happy travels!
--Mark
www.markpeterhughes.com
By: April Henry,
on 5/1/2007
I'm proud of our governor for doing a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/01/u
">this</a>.
He grew up in a Catholic orphanage, so he has a better understanding of want than most people. I sometimes wish he was more of a leader (especially a few years ago when our schools were suffering) but on this, he definitely put his $21 where his mouth was.
When I was a kid, I think we qualified for food stamps, but we never took them. There was always food on the table, although maybe not a lot, and maybe not balanced. But food.
Subscribe with
JacketFlap's
Children's
Publishing
Blog Reader
I agree with many of the points here, but would add that one of the strengths of Dragon Con is precisely that it is not just a comic show and that means that for the comic creators that do come, they get a completely different kind of exposure than more pure comic book oriented shows. If you are a creator and want to reach out beyond comics fandom to people who enjoy all kinds of pop culture and are primed to see something new, Dragon Con seems like a good place to do that. In particular, there are a LOT more women and families at Dragon con than I see at most other comic shows.
Thanks Benno! You are 100% correct. Hopefully that’s a realization that will strike many of the other publishers to make their attendance a greater priority.
We had a blast. This con is always fun and even when the con is over, each night we had to choose from at least 6 events to go to…and got to mingle with the fans in the process. As small as the Comic room was, the crowd was steady and the panels were well attended as Kyle says above. I dont mind the mix of people really…I think on a lot of levels the show is ever growing and the staff is top notch. I am hoping they see and read articles like this and give a real look at what can be improved.
That all said, the fans…so polite and nice. They made each day better than the last.
[…] Dragon Con 2015: Costumes, Congressmen, and (not too many) Comics At the same time, it creates an infrastructure issue as well, where overcrowding quickly becomes problematic, both in general hob-knobbery and in more important tasks like line control. It's worth noting and disclosing, that in recent years, the past … Read more on Comics Beat […]