Registration Opens for the Schomburg Center’s 7th Annual Black Comic Book Festival
MEDIA CONTACT: Ayofemi Kirby | ayofemikirby@nypl.org
December 6, 2018 [Press Photos]- The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture invites comic book fans of all
ages to participate in its 7th Annual Black Comic Book Festival that will be held on January 18 -19, 2019. Registration is free and open to the public at schomburgcenter.eventbrite.com.
Each year, the Schomburg Center’s Black Comic Book Festival brings creators, illustrators, writers, and independent publishers together with thousands of collectors, blerds and nerds for two days of programming and activities. The highly-anticipated community event includes interactive panel discussions, a vendor marketplace featuring exclusive titles by Black creators, a cosplay show, and more.
“This is a special time for Black comix creators, writers, and characters,” said Kevin Young, director of the Schomburg Center. “With Black Panther, Black Lightning, Octavia Butler’s Kindred, and many others, there’s a resurgence in using this medium to tell our stories, to engage existing comix fans, and to cultivate new ones. We’re excited to be the premier platform where comix creators of color convene to discuss the industry, its future, and to personally interact with their fans and each other. Plus, as a longtime comic collector since my teens, it’s quite special to find my fellow fans.”
“The Schomburg Center’s Black Comic Book Festival is not only the place where participants can find the comics and characters they love, but it's also the place where new connections, relationships, and ideas are made,” said Brian Jones, education director at the Schomburg Center. “There’s no better place than Harlem to be the home for Black comix culture. We’re looking forward to the conversations that will happen at the coming annual event, and to the ways in which we’ll continue supporting the Black comix community and nurture its growth.”
Black Comic Book Festival participants are encouraged to wear their favorite cosplay costumes and to register on-site for the annual cosplay show. Participants are also invited to contribute to the Schomburg Center’s growing collection of Black independent comic books by bringing single copies of old or new titles from their home collection. All donations will become a part of the Schomburg Center’s unique and growing archive documenting Black comix and the Black speculative arts movement.
The Schomburg Center's 7th Annual Black Comic Book Festival art was created by Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez (@mredgardonyc), writer & creator of La Borinquena Comics.
For more information on the Schomburg Center’s Annual Black Comic Book Festival program, please email SchomburgEd@nypl.org.
For media interview and on-site media requests please email ayofemikirby@nypl.org. For festival updates, follow the Schomburg Center on Twitter and Instagram @SchomburgCenter, #BlackComicBookFest.
About the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
Founded in 1925 and named a National Historic Landmark in 2017, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is one of the world’s leading cultural institutions devoted to the preservation, research, interpretation, and exhibition of materials focused on African American, African Diasporan, and African experiences. As a research division of The New York Public Library, the Schomburg Center features diverse programming and collections totaling over 11 million items that illuminate the richness of global black history, arts, and culture. Learn more at schomburgcenter.org.
About the New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is a free provider of education and information for the people of New York and beyond. With 92 locations—including research and branch libraries—throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, the Library offers free materials, computer access, classes, exhibitions, programming and more to everyone from toddlers to scholars, and has seen record numbers of attendance and circulation in recent years. The New York Public Library serves more than 18 million patrons who come through its doors annually and millions more around the globe who use its resources at nypl.org. To offer this wide array of free programming, The New York Public Library relies on both public and private funding. Learn more about how to support the Library at nypl.org/support.