SANEjournal issue 1:2 Now Available!!!

"Teaching the Works of Alan Moore," the second edition of volume 1 of SANEjournal:sequential art narrative in education, just published!

The issue features thoughts and ideas on teaching Moore Classics like Watchmen and V for Vendetta, but it also explores Promethea, Lost Girls, and other texts from Moore's amazing opus.

Three articles, three rationales, and one review make up the table of contents, which features scholars from Northwestern University, The University of New Mexico, and even a practicing high school teacher who uses Watchmen with his upperclassmen.

Click here to visit the journal, and here's to happy reading and fun learning! Warning, you might get tachyons in your eyes or find yourself in a flux resulting from rifts in the space-time dimension!

You've heard of Book Fairs, But....

Have you heard of comic book fairs???

Chris Claremont Donates Files to Columbia University Library

From the Publisher's Weekly story:

"Renowned comics writer and novelist Chris Claremont, best known for his many years writing Marvel’s X-Men and Uncanny X-Men series, has reached an agreement to donate his archives to Columbia University’s Rare Book and Manuscript Library. During his 17 years writing for the series, Claremont is credited with both developing strong female characters as well as introducing complex literary themes into superhero narratives while turning the X-Men into one of Marvel’s most popular series.

Karen Green, Columbia University's Ancient/Medieval Studies Librarian and Graphic Novel Librarian, who has been instrumental in building a graphic novel collection at Columbia University, said the acquisition of Claremont’s archive will form the basis for establishing a research center for New York City-based cartoonists and comics writers. “We hope this is the first of more comics papers to come to the University,” Green said, “we want it to be a magnet for these kinds of archives in New York City, where the comics medium was born.”

Click the link embedded in this post's title to get the rest of the article!

It's Coming......

UNL Goverment Comic Collection Helps Faculty Member with Book

Richard Graham has a new book on"government" comics, or comics that various countries or national organizations have created to educate, inform, or propagandize. The book's main resource is the government comics collection at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Some of the collection is online, if you'd like to look into it. In the meantime, I can't wait to see this book!

New Book on Teaching GN's at the High School Level Now Available!

Yep, that blurry little name at the bottom is mine. Maureen Bakis asked me to write the forward for this text, which is based in her real-life experience teaching graphic novels at a high school in the Northeast. Check it out! It's available NOW! :)

Bucky's First Rage Comic

What I find interesting is that Rage Comics, a popular meme, integrates comics with logographic ques. Certain images come to signify without words. Wonder if students would get a kick out of taking notes via the Rage Comics??? Hmmmm....

Maureen Bakis Talks Graphica and Standards for Diamond Bookshelf

2011 ALA Teen Read Week was Themed "Picture It @ Your Library"

From the website, with my bolds:

"Teen Read Week started in 1998. This year's theme is Picture It @ your library®, which encourages teens to read graphic novels and other illustrated materials, seek out creative books, or imagine the world through literature, just for the fun of it. Libraries across the world celebrate Teen Read Week with a variety of special events and programs aimed at encouraging teens to read for pleasure and to visit their libraries for free reading materials."

Teen Read Week ran from October 18-22.

I am the 66.6%: Frustration with the "2/3's Curse"

I just received notification that my proposed session on graphic novels and the common core has not been accepted to IRA. Surprise, surprise. I've yet to crack the International Reading Association's code of acceptance. What makes this year's rejection sting all the more is something that has happened to me too often in recent years:

The two-thirds curse.

The two-thirds curse has affected me in this way: I write a book proposal, an article, or a conference proposal, and 2 out of 3 peer reviewers have something very positive to say. The third is either not positive or downright damning, and the publishing house, journal, or conference editors or higher-ups decide to side with the minority opinion.

For example, see the reviewer feedback for the GN/CC proposal:

Proposal: Grading Form for Graphic(a) To the Core: Comics, Graphic Novels, and the Common Core

Comments for Submitter

1. The proposal gives a lot of background information on graphic novels and their importance, but does not describe what the attendees will "do" in the session.

2. Very relevant and provocative and timely session! Well written proposal - clear, substantive objectives!

3. As educators "scramble" to understand the Common Core Standards every strategy that is presented is worth examining. The conversation about student achievement, teacher performance and the Common Core takes classroom instruction to the level that has not been thought of in previous years. Hopefully with the method presented, the audience will grasp a clearer understanding of the Common Core and see its alignment with students academic achievement.

Two of those statements seem fairly positive, eh? Alas, it was not enough.

Some will say it is unprofessional of me to share this information, but I've established a record of peeling back the curtain on academia since I've established this blog, and I won't stop now.

I think I'm also going to start putting my money where my mouth is. Conferences are so expensive anyway, and so are membership fees. Add in the costs of journals that my university library already subscribes to or can get me through ILL, and I have to wonder why I keep shelling out dollars and getting a frustrating "return" on my investment.

Ah, the duality of the academic: complaining about not getting into a conference while simultaneously complaining about how much it would cost to attend it!

But, one has to show affiliations to national organizations in academia. It's just sort of a fact.

Maybe it is time for me to seek out a new one and let IRA be for a year or so.

Any takers? Maybe I should just shop myself around to different organizations like a free agent and see if they'll take me. My guess? 2/3's of their membership would be glad to have me, but the key decision-makers will have reservations about associating with someone so clearly exhibiting "self-destructive" behavior like letting the cat out of the bag....

Heck, maybe this is just a little birdie's way of telling me now is the time to get involved with ALA, YALSA, and their new graphic novel subgroup. And haven't I been thinking about joining a middle school-centric organization for a while anyway?

Plus, isn't this the sort of thing that led me to founding SANEjournal? Seeing that a process seems to be broken and instead of *just* complaining about it, trying to do something about it? Yeah, it is.

Yeah... :)

Thank You, NYSEC!

I'm back from my keynote, book signing, and workshop. Albany, NY, was such a neat place, even if I never did get more than 5 miles from the airport. The Desmond is a GREAT little getaway hotel if you're ever in the area, and the biggest restaurant in the bar may have delivered the best meal I've ever had, which is saying a lot coming from a big guy like me.

Thanks to all who attended my keynote on comics and character education and to the folks who attended the seminar on comics and composition. Thanks also to the conference organizers. I felt well-treated and well-respected the entire time and hope I was worth the trouble! ;)

PBS's Independent Lens TV Show looks at The 99

Some great coverage for an important comics series! Click here to see a spot.

We're Famous! UTEP Shows up in Love and Rockets

Angel, a character from the acclaimed Love and Rockets series, is quite the athlete. No wonder she got a full scholarship to a certain University in El Paso that hosted author Jaime Hernandez a year or so ago. For proof, see this image from the recently-released and awesome Love and Rockets New Stories #4, of which you should all go out and buy seven copies.

Spiegelman Talks Meta Maus with NPR.

The new book about the phenomenon surrounding the graphic novel Maus, MetaMaus, is finally here! I've got my copy, don't you know, since we'll be reading Maus in Jewish American Literature in the next couple of weeks. Hear what Art Spiegelman has to say about the texts by clicking the link to this post's title. It'll take you to an interview from NPR.

Wall Street Journal Covers "Using Comics to Teach Kids To Read" Story

The focus is one the new TOON Book Nina in That Makes Me Mad, by Hilary Knight and Steven Kroll.

The Syllabus for What Might Have Been the First-Ever All-GN's Ya Lit Class

English 418 (H002): Young Adult Literature: Graphic Novels as YA Lit.
M-F 8:00-12:00 March 14-25, Summer 2007

Instructor:
James Bucky Carter
357 Liberal Arts Building
James.B.Carter@###.###
###-4807
Office Hours:________________________________ and by appointment

Course Descriptions:
This is a 3 credit hour, undergraduate course that is a requirement for English Education students but may not be a required course for other students. It is your responsibility to know if this is a required course for you. We will be exploring what pedagogical research and practice has to say about using graphic novels in the secondary (grades 6-12) English language arts classroom, and we will be sampling from a number of graphic novels that are worthy of strong consideration for use in our future classrooms.

Required Texts:

Building Literacy Connections with Graphic Novels: Page by Page, Panel by Panel
James Bucky Carter (Ed.) NCTE 2007.

Going Graphic: Comics at Work in the Multilingual Classroom.
Stephen Cary. Heinemann 2004.

The Amazing True Story of a Single Teenage Mom (on reserve); American Born Chinese; The Best American Comics 2006;Big Fat Little Lit; Beowulf; Bone: One Volume Edition; A Contract with God; Deogratias, A Tale of Rwanda; Electric Girl (or Queen Bee, whichever is at the bookstore); Fagin the Jew; Goodbye, Chunky Rice; In the Shadow of no Towers; King; Maus I; Maus II; Pedro and Me; Persepolis I; Persepolis II; Pride of Baghdad; Pop Gun War; Rose; The Tale of one Bad Rat; Runaways; Truth: Red, White, and Black (on reserve); Ultimate Spider-Man Vol.1; Unstable Molecules; The 9/11 Report; 300.

As well, you will be required to read a number of articles and book chapters, all of which are on reserve at the library. Most are available for digital download via any computer with an Internet connection.

Recommended Texts:

Getting Graphic: Using Graphic novels to Promote Literacy with Preteens and Teens.
Michele Gorman. Linworth 2003.

The Power of Reading. S. Krashen. Heinemann 2004.

Reading Don’t Fix No Chevy’s: Literacy in the Lives of Young Men. Smith and Wilhelm. Heinemann 2002.


CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ADDRESSED IN COURSE:
This course “Frees the Power of the Individual” by helping pre-service teachers come to understand the need for choice, access, and time in reading literature and also the importance of knowing how to assess and increase their students’ literacy skills. The course has the power to transform its students’ preconceived notions about reading and literature and gives them the tools to transform or inform their students’, peers’, and administrators’ notions as well. Students have ample opportunities to experience various ways they and their students can work in small group communities and engage in New literacies, Multimodal literacies, critical literacies, cultural literacies, and functional literacies. The course seeks to inspire its students to transform and inform themselves and those around them via communal activities and discourse and to be able to apply their experiences such that they can inform, transform, and inspire their students’ reading habits and attitudes.

COURSE OBJECTIVE(S): Students will…
• Increase their interest in and knowledge of literature for adolescents via traditional texts as well as newer forms which correspond with notions of “New Literacy.” (NCATE/NCTE 3.4.1, 3.6, INTASC 1)
• Survey graphic novels and books written for and read by adolescents. (INTASC 1)
• Accrue first and second-hand knowledge about these books for the purpose of making informed recommendations along the lines of student interest. (3.5, INTASC 1)
• Develop skill in evaluating, discussing, and writing about adolescent literature in traditional and virtual environments. (3.1.3, INTASC 2,3,4)
• Increase their knowledge and expertise in helping students become better readers. (4.9, INTASC 3,4,5,7,8)
• Learn how to help adolescents discover and develop their own reading interests.(4.0, 4.9, ITASC 5)
• Learn the NCTE/IRA standards for English language arts and learn about NCTE’s statements on Multimodal literacy
• Read an array of articles on using graphic novels and comic books in the classroom.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
• Attend every class
• Read every assignment
• Make a concerted effort to actively participate
• Keep a journal in which you reflect on each of your readings and your thoughts on graphic novels before, during, and after the class.
• Create a 3-page, inked and lettered comic entitled “How I Became a Reader.”
• Write a 5-page paper on how you see graphic novels linking with NCTE /IRA English language arts standards and the NCTE statement on Multimodal literacies.
• Complete the “Assessment Days” final exam activities over the course of the final two days of the class.

GRADING/ASSESSMENTS:

• 15% -- Attendance and ACTIVE Participation
• 20% -- Journals: You will journal about your thoughts on graphic novels as they stand/stood before, during, and after the class, and you will write reactions to your readings.
• 20% -- “How I Became a Reader” 3-page comic, inked and lettered.
• 20% -- 3-5 pages on how you see graphic novels matching up with NCTE/IRA standards and statements on Multimodal literacies.
• 25% -- Complete participation and completion of activities during “Assessment Days Final Examination”

GENERAL GRADING RUBRIC:
100-90 – Work is completed on time and meets the requirements of the assignment or goes beyond it in insightful ways. The work is mature in thought, clear grammatically, and shows exceptional application of ideas brought forth from readings, discussions, etc. Attendance is not an issue.

89-80 – Work is completed on time and meets the requirements of the assignment for the most part and has potential to be an exemplary effort but falls just short due to lack of clarity. In other words, it is good work, but could still use some work. Attendance is not an issue.

79-70 – Work is completed on time but fails to clearly meet the requirements of the assignment. It appears to be perfunctory, just completed to be completed, with little major insight into ideas brought forth from readings, discussions, etc. Attendance may be an issue.

69-65 – Work is completed on time but does not meet the requirements of the assignment, may be grammatically unsound or very murky in clarity and very shallow in depth and application of ideas brought forth from readings, discussions, etc. Attendance is an issue.

64-0 – Work is most probably late and shows little to no respect for the assignment and appears rushed or, for lack of a better term, “thrown together,” with very little connectivity to anything stemming from the assignment, class readings, discussions, etc. Attendance is an issue.


PLAGIARISM/CHEATING STATEMENT:
Plagiarism will not be tolerated. By staying enrolled in this class you understand that I have the right to take every necessary action to make sure your work is yours and your sources are properly cited. Plagiarism will result in a zero in the course. Be sure to educate yourself on what constitutes plagiarism and how to avoid it by visiting http://www.lib.usm.edu/research/plag/plagiarismtutorial.htm and taking the Plagiarism Tutorial. You will need the understanding in order to complete the writing assignments.

WRITING CENTER NOTICE:
The Writing Center offers free tutorial service to all students and on all writing projects, in order to help students meet the demands of university writing. It also houses instructional resources such as handouts, reference guides, with some limited access to word processing and internet. The Writing Center is located in the LAB and usually opens for business during the second week of classes. For more information, call ### 4821.

DISABILITY STATEMENT:
If a student has a disability that qualifies under the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and requires accommodations, he/she should contact the Office for Disability Accommodations (ODA) for information on appropriate policies and procedures. Disabilities covered by ADA may include learning, psychiatric, physical disabilities, or chronic health disorders. Students can contact ODA if they are not certain whether a medical condition/disability qualifies. [Contact information followed.]

SCHEDULE:

5/14 – Introduction. Initial writing activity. “SANE” presentation. Comic Book Show N’ Tell activity. HW: BLCWGN Chs. 1 and 11; Cary Chs.1-2; Cadiero-Kaplan; Morrell1; Goodbye Chunky Rice; Ultimate Spiderman Vol.1; Big Fat Little Lit.

5/15 – Discussion and activities. HW: Maus I and II; Persepolis I and II; BLCWGN Ch. 3; NCTE/IRA Standards for English language arts, available here:
http://www.ncte.org/store/books/bestsellers/105977.htm

5/15 (continued) -- HW: NCTE statement on Multimodal Literacies, available here: http://www.ncte.org/about/over/positions/category/media/123213.htm ; Brown Maus; Maus Crown Heights.

5/16 – Discussion and activities. Share other 9/11-related comics. HW: The 9/11 Report; Pride of Baghdad; In the Shadow of No Towers; Bitz; Gallo; Leckbee; Bruggeman.

5/17 – Discussion and activities. HW: American Born Chinese; Truth (on reserve); Fagin the Jew; BLCWGN Ch. 8; Versaci; Using Student Generated..

5/18 – Discussion and activities. HW: King; Pedro and Me; Unstable Molecules; BLCWGN Ch.2; Schwarz1 and 2; Bucher and Manning; In the Middle Chs.2-8.

5/21 – Discussion and activities. HW: A Contract with God; The Tale of One Bad Rat; Amazing True Story of a Teenage Single Mom (on reserve).; Mitchell & George; Jacobs; BLCWGN Ch. 4; Begin reading Bone.

5/22 – Discussion and activities. HW: BLCWGN Chs. 5-6; Deogratias; Beowulf; Pop Gun War; 300.

5/23 – Discussions and activities. HW: Bone; Rose; Electric Girl or Queen Bee; Reid Manga; Links to Other Articles.

5/24 – Discussions of readings. Begin Assessment Day Final Exam Activities. “How I Became a Reader” comics due. Come prepared to work in groups for your final exam. “Leveling” activity; Rationale/write-up activities; Thematic analyses; Pairings and Units activities. (More information later)


5/24 – Continue Assessment Days Final Exam Activities. Journals due. Papers due. Come prepared to work in groups for your final exam. “Leveling” activity; Rationale/write-up activities; Thematic analyses; Pairings and Units activities. (More information later)

UTEP Student Newspaper (The Prospector) covers EPCON!

CDC Teaming with Comics Makers to Produce AIDS Awareness Web Comic

Women YA Lit Graphic Novelists

Tracy White, Raina Telgemeier, Hope Larson, Audrey Niffenegger, Vera Brosgol, Jessica Abel, and Danica Novgorodoff, Marjane Satrapi, just to name a few.

"So many women 'toonists/ Are in the YA GN biz!/ Tom Cruise's wife isn't./ But I heard her agent is!"

Forgive my placeholder, yo!

Like a Brick to The Head!

The 2011 Ignatz Award winners have been announced. As we all know, winners receive notification of their honor the same way Ignatz shows his "affection" for Krazy Kat. (Kidding, of course).