CONNECT with the CityComic-Con at the Library
Graphic novels help foster a love of reading and can also be an important part of building and improving literacy skills. The San Diego Public Library uses Comic-Con's unique place in San Diego's cultural landscape to explore the connection between graphic novels, literacy and education.
Comic-Con Conference for Educators and Librarians
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Panel Info and Schedule
A hands-on workshop showing how to enhance student comprehension through the introduction of comic books in the classroom. Motivate students with comics that resonate with their individual identities and interests.
Presenters: Peter Carlson (Green Dot Public Schools), Susan Kirtley (Portland State University), and Antero Garcia (Stanford University)
10:00 a.m. | Libraries and the Challenges They Face in 2023
Presenters: Betsy Gomez (Office of Intellectual Freedom), Moni Barrette (president, GNCRT; co-founder, Creators Assemble!), Mychal Threets (supervising librarian, Solano County Library), Xaime Aceves Equihua (associate therapist) and Jack Phoenix (collection development manager, Cuyahoga Falls Library; author, Maximizing the Impact of Comics in Your Library)
11:00 a.m. | Horror at the Library: Junji Ito
Presenters: Junji Ito (Creator, Uzumaki, Black Paradox)
12:00 p.m. | fREADom Fighters on the Front Lines: Advocating Against Book Bans
Presenters: Amanda Lorge (Librarian, San Diego Public Library, primary source literacy instructor), Joel Bakker (Librarian, San Diego Public Library, Educators Unite! chair) and Helen Schalk (Librarian, San Diego Public Library)
1:00 p.m. | Bridging the Digital Gap Between Comics Publishers and Libraries
Presenters: Barbra Dillon (editor-in-chief, Fanbase Press), Matthew Noe (librarian, Harvard Medical School), Tina Lerno (comics librarian), Moni Barrette (director of collection development & publisher relations, Library Pass), Dr. Theresa Rojas (founding director, The Latinx Comic Arts Expo) and Dr. Katlin Marisol Sweeney-Romero (assistant professor, World Cinema and Digital Media Studies)
2:00 p.m. | Connecting with Your Community Through Comics
Presenters: Betsy Gomez (ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom), Christina Taylor (youth services consultant at Texas State Library and Archives Commission) and Jana Tropper (director of literacy, Reading with Pictures; speech-language pathologist, Animal Rescue Friends)
3:00 p.m. | A Crash Course in Media Literacy
Presenter: Samuel C. Spitale (How to Win the War on Truth: An Illustrated Guide to How Mistruths Are Sold, Why They Stick, and How to Reclaim Reality)
4:00 p.m. | Teaching with Comics: Family Edition
Presenters: Tim Smyth (Teaching with Comics) and Joan Smyth (eighth-grade language arts educator) with their children Charlotte age 17, Liam age 15 and Teagan age 13
5:00 p.m. | Comics Pedagogy: Teaching Outside the Panel
10:00 a.m. | Familiar Faces
Presenters: Mike Maihack (Spider-Man: Animals Assemble! (A Mighty Marvel Team-Up), Comic-Con Special Guest Raina Telgemeier (Smile), Gene Luen Yang (The Books of Clash Volume 1: Legendary Legends of Legendarious Achievery) and Dr. Lesley S. J. Farmer (professor of library media, CSULB teacher librarian program coordinator)
11:00 a.m. | Fantastic Adventures
Presenters: Nichole Santangelo (TE(A)M teacher), Franco Aureliani (Fae and the Moon), Odunze Oguguo, a.k.a. Whyt Manga (Apple Black), Lucas Turnbloom (Steve L. McEvil and the Second Wind), Gabriel Valentin (Digital Lizards of Doom) and F. C. Yee (Chronicles of the Avatar) and Lisa Harrison (middle-school teacher)
12:00 p.m. | Growing and Becoming
Presenters: Tina Lerno (digital content librarian and comics specialist, Los Angeles Public Library), Deb JJ Lee (In Limbo), Jose Pimienta (Twin Cities), Dan Santat (A First Time for Everything) and Victoria Ying (Hungry Ghost)
1:00 p.m. |Filling the Shelves
Presenters: Gina Bottini (program specialist, Secondary Professional Development Center), Yukiko Chavez (library media technician, Vista Unified School District), Rich Johnson (VP of sales and business development, Diamond Books), Art Baltazar (YAHGZ: The Craynobi Tales), Kazu Kibuishi (Amulet), Jana Tropper (Animal Rescue Friends) and Dr. Lesley S. J. Farmer (professor of library media, California State University Long Beach Teacher Librarian Program Coordinator)
2:00 p.m. | Interactive and In-Person
Presenters: Mac Barnett (The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza), Jonathan Case (Little Monarchs), Nidhi Chanani (Shark Princess #2: Shark Party), Mark Fearing (Welcome to Feral), and Dan Santat (A First Time for Everything) offer some possibilities, guided by Moni Barrette (president, Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table, American Library Association)
3:00 p.m. | All Together Now: Find Your Voice!
Presenters: Christina Taylor (youth services consultant, Texas State Library and Archives Commission), Samuel Sattin (Buzzing), Sarah Sax (Picture Day), and Comic-Con Special Guest Steenz (Lost and Found—Heart of the City book 2) and others.
4:00 p.m. | Unstoppable Forces
Presenters: Matthew Noe (lead collection and knowledge management librarian, Harvard Medical School), Rina Ayuyang (The Man in the McIntosh Suit), Kate Glasheen (Constellations), Matt Tavares (Hoops) and Jasmine Walls (Brooms)
5:00 p.m. | Centers and Certificates: Comics Go to College
Presenters: Elizabeth Pollard (professor of History; co-director of the Center for Comics Studies), Pamela Jackson (comic arts curator; co-director of the Center for Comics Studies, San Diego State University), Susan Kirtley (professor of English, Portland State University), Travis Langley (professor of psychology, Henderson State University) and Kate Kelp-Stebbins (professor of English, University of Oregon)
10:00 a.m. | Comics, Cultures, and Classrooms
Presenters: Chanti Burnette (Ánimo South Los Angeles High School), Timothy Ojetunde (WestEd) and Peter Carlson (Green Dot Public Schools), moderated by Angie Amador (Green Dot Public Schools)
11:00 a.m. | Comics Studies at Michigan State University
Presenters: Ryan Claytor (professor, coordinator of the MSU Comics minor)
12:00 p.m. | Kapow, Woosh, Zap! Engaging Students with Comics in the Classroom
Presenters: Jaime Chavez (intervention counselor, San Diego Unified), Mick Rabin (resource counselor, Youth Advocacy Department, San Diego Unified), Ella "Dizzy" Rogosin (teacher, Sweetwater Union High School District), Ed Lim (teacher, Bonita Vista High School) and Lorran Garrison (school psychologist), with moderator Jewyl Alderson (San Diego County Office of Education)
1:00 p.m. | Comics on Campus: Academia vs. Fandom (Battle or a Collab?)
Presenters: Dr. Chris Wildrick (professor, Syracuse University), Dr. Christina Knopf (Professor, State University of New York Cortland) and Dr. Billy Obenauer (Professor, University of Maine) and Bailey Day (MBA Graduate), with moderator Ed Catto (professor, Ithaca College)
2:00 p.m. | Science in Middle-Grade Sci-Fi
Presenters: Greg Van Eekhout (Voyage of the Dogs), Cecil Castellucci (Flash Facts contributor, Supergirl), Lisa Will (resident astronomer, Fleet Science Center) and Ronald Coleman (Ph.D. in regenerative medicine), with moderator Andrea Decker (scientist engagement manager, Fleet Science Center)
3:00 p.m. | Engineering Superhero Technology
Presenter: Chris Garcia (STEAM professor and middle school administrator)
4:00 p.m. | Comics Change the World: Comics Activism Then to Now
Presenters: Pamela Jackson (history professor and co-director of the Center for Comics Studies, San Diego State University), Elizabeth Pollard (popular culture librarian and co-director of the Center for Comics Studies, San Diego State University) and Betsy Gomez (American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom)
5:00 p.m. | Afghan Youth Art and Poetry Exchange
Find out how a group of San Diego students created Flowers for the Future to help Afghan girls continue their education and turned it into an international all-volunteer student-to-student learning platform.
10:00 a.m. | Admissions Departments Emitting Geek Vibes: College Course Focused on Pop Culture
Presenters: Professors Dr. Chris Wildrick (Syracuse University), Dr. Christina Knopf (State University of New York Cortland), Rob Salkowitz (University of Oregon), Dr. Billy Obenauer (University of Maine) and Bailey Day (MBA graduate), with moderator Ed Catto (professor, Ithaca College)
11:00 a.m. | What Would Aunt May Do? Supporting Heroes: Bystander Intervention on College Campuses
Presenters: Alfred Day (University of California Berkeley), Emilie Mitchell (University of California Berkeley), JonJon Junpradub (College of the Siskiyous), Dr. Alison Cares (University of Central Florida), Dr. Matthew Atherton (California State University San Marcos) and Dr. Zachary Hays (California State University Bakersfield)
12:00 p.m. | GeekEd: The Marvels
Presenters: Dr. Sunny Lee (University of California Berkeley), Dr. Emily Sandoval (University of Southern California), Alex Belisario (University of California Santa Cruz), Geralyn Williams (Pace Center), Dr. Martha Enciso (California State University Fullerton) and Dr. Marcelle Hayashida (University of California Irvine)
1:00 p.m. | GeekEd: Caring for the Nerd Mind
Presenters: Dr. David Surratt (University of Oklahoma), Jada Anderson (University of Maryland), Christine Catipon (Stanford University), Edgar Palmer (University of Southern California) and Greedley F. Harris (University of Southern California)
2:00 p.m. | GeekEd: Lessons from the Snap
Presenters: Brian MacDonald (University of California Los Angeles), Alfred Day (University of California Berkeley), Peter Limthongviratn (University Southern California), La'Tonya Rease Miles (Higher Ed Consulting), Aysa Cook (Occidental College) and Greedley F. Harris (University of Southern California)
Featured Library Programs
Anime and manga lovers can meet up with other Japanese pop culture fans to talk about their favorite series, work on projects and more at this drop-in program. This session will even feature a mini-workshop from Little Fish Comic Book Studio.
Master storyteller Kazu Kibuishi (Amulet series) discusses his bestselling fantasy series, Amulet. Look back at 15 years of adventure and the conclusion to the series, Amulet: Waverider. This is a free event, open to the public. A book signing will follow the presentation.
Teens and tweens ages 10-18 will love this virtual meetup where they can talk comics, sketch together and even get free pizza delivered to their door. In celebration of Comic-Con, this session will feature characters from Pokémon. Register by July 16.
This supercharged event will showcase superstrength and other powers through the basics of science. Elementary and preschool kids will love seeing the power of science in this engaging Fleet Science Center program.
Everyone is welcome to compete for prizes and bragging rights at Storyhouse Spirits. Drop in for some nerdy pop culture celebrating Comic-Con around the corner from Central Library.
Are you terrible at your job? Do you wish you were more terrible? Then this is the event for you! Join celebrity executive assistant Sona Movsesian at the San Diego Central Library for the World’s Worst Job Fair. Sona will share job tips and insights from her book The World’s Worst Assistant.
Blockbuster YA fantasy author Erin A. Craig (Sisters of the Salt series) & debut YA fantasy author Amanda Linsmeier share the stage at the Mission Hills-Hillcrest/Knox Branch Library for a free in-conversation event & book signing. This is a free event open to the public.
Are you cosplaying during San Diego Comic-Con and need a cosplay repair? Don't despair! Swing by the Central IDEA Lab on the 4th floor of the Central Library for quick fix solutions to your cosplay woes. No appointment necessary, all ages welcome!
Available equipment and materials (while supplies last) to help mend your costume:
- Sewing machines, 3D Printers, Laser Cutters, Desktop Cutters, Soldering Irons and more
- Sewing supplies (needles, thread, seam rippers, scissors, safety pins, etc.)
- Different types of adhesives (hot glue guns, wood glue, tacky glue, super glue, duct tape, electrical tape, transparent tape, etc.)
And more!
Come to the library anytime during library open hours on Friday, July 21 and create your very own comic book and then pick up a free comic book to take with you! Costumes encouraged!
Celebrate the diversity of comic books and graphic novels by making a comic book-themed craft. Create a shield of a favorite superhero and receive a free comic book, while supplies last.
During STEAM Tuesday, participants can create their own comic book! A selection of favorite comic books will be available for attendees to "draw from" and books to keep, too.
Little Fish Comic Book Studio is holding a mini-workshop during Free Summer Lunch. Participants will learn about comics and drawing while enjoying their meal. Free lunch served for youth ages 0-18. Learn more about the Free Summer Lunch program.
Create your own comic-themed pinback buttons in celebration of Comic-Con! This is easy, creative crafting at its best. Free and all supplies provided.
Join local studio Little Fish Comics for a workshop where attendees will learn how to improve their drawing skills, whether they like manga, Dog Man or Spider-Man. Participants will explore the art of comic storytelling and will receive free comic books.
2023 Commemorative Comic-Con Library Card
We are pleased to announce this year’s 2023 Commemorative Comic-Con Library Card design “Odi the Coyote, Book Defender!” by San Diego Public Library Assistant Rachel Murray. This exclusive card is officially licensed by Comic-Con International and is the only library card of its kind.
Wednesday, July 19, 2023 “Preview Night” at the Con, look for SDPL’s booth on the convention floor! The 2023 Comic-Con Library Card will be issued at all branch locations starting Thursday July 20, 2023.
Transportation Information
Please note that special event rates ($40/day) will be in effect in the library parking structure from Wednesday, 7/19- Sunday 7/23. Even if you plan to park in the area, the structure will likely fill up early in the day and there will be additional traffic surrounding the downtown area near the Convention Center and the Library for the duration of Comic-Con.
The Central Library is one block from the Park & Market stop on the Trolley Blue and Orange lines. Bus routes 12, 901, and 929 stop right in front of the library at the 11th Avenue and K Street stop. Bike racks can be found in the parking structure and in front of the library.
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