2019 Guests
Frederick Luis Aldama is the Arts and Humanities Distinguished Professor of English and University Distinguished Scholar at the Ohio State University. An expert on Latinx popular culture, Aldama is the author, co-author, and editor of thirty books, including
Latinx Superheroes in Mainstream Comics,
Your Brain on Latino Comics, and
Tales from La Vida: A Latinx Comics Anthology.
Amy Godfrey is a cartoonist, artist, and aerial dancer, and as the former Manager of Children’s Services at the Southwest Regional Library, created the Durham Comics Fest in 2010. She is also the brains behind the
Durham Comics Project book! Find out more about Amy at
amykgodfrey.com.
Paul Karasik is the co-author of the Eisner-winning
How To Read Nancy with Mark Newgarden and the writer of
City of Glass, a Paul Auster adaptation with art by David Mazzucchelli. He has served as co-editor for
Raw and
Masters of American Comics, is a frequent cartoon contributor to
The New Yorker, and has taught at the Rhode Island School of Design, The Center for Cartoon Studies, and many more.
Art by Paul Karasik; author image by Ivy Ashe & Paul Karasik.
Mark Newgarden is the co-author of the Eisner-winning
How To Read Nancy with Paul Karasik. His comics and illustration work has included contributions to
Garbage Pail Kids and
Raw, much of it collected as
We All Die Alone. He is also the the co-author (along with his partner, Megan Montague Cash) of the
Bow Wow series of children’s books, and he teaches at Pratt Institute and the Parsons School of Design.
Artwork © 1986 Mark Newgarden; photo © 1986 Philip Nel. 
Megan Raley is a Volunteer Coordinator and member of the Steering Committee for the
Small Press Expo (SPX), a comics event for “the best and brightest established creators in independent comics” held annually in Rockville, MD.
Jen Wang’s
The Prince and the Dressmaker has received endless acclaim, including being a 2018-19 nominee for the North Carolina School Library Media Association Young Adult Book Award and a winner of the Harvey Award for Best Children’s or Young Adult Book. She is also co-founder and organizer of
Comic Arts LA.
2018 Guests
Amy Godfrey is a cartoonist, artist, and aerial dancer, and as the former Manager of Children’s Services at the Southwest Regional Library, created the Durham Comics Fest in 2010. She is also the brains behind the
Durham Comics Project book! Find out more about Amy at
amykgodfrey.com.
Molly Ostertag is the author of
The Witch Boy,
Tomboy and the illustrator of
Strong Female Protagonist,
The Castoffs, and
Shattered Warrior among others.
Read more about Molly at
mollyostertag.com, and find her books
at the library!
Liz Prince is the author of
Will You Still Love Me if I Wet the Bed?,
Tomboy and more, as well as contributing to the
Adventure Time and
Steven Universe comic books and creating the television show
Clarence. Read more about Liz at
lizprincepower.com, and find her books
at the library!
Jenny Zervakis is the Durham-based creator of
Strange Growths, the influential comics zine that opted for personal, contemplative storytelling in the otherwise brash and violent alt-comics scene of the 1990s.
The Comics Journal calls it “an acknowledgement of the prismatic quality of life—the sheer breadth of its pitfalls and possibilities.”
2017 Guests
Kristy Guevara-Flanagan is the director of
Wonder Women!: The Untold History of American Superheroines and other documentary films and teaches documentary filmmaking at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. Read more about Kristy at
chuparosafilms.com.
Kriota Willberg is a cartoonist, dancer, choreographer, and massage therapist, among other things! Read more about Kriota at
kriotawelt.blogspot.com
2016 Guests
Eric Knisley is a cartoonist, illustrator and animator, and was a co-organizer of the
Durham Indie Comics Expo as well as being a frequent contributor to the Durham Comics Fest.
2015 Guests
2014 Guests
Dr. Jonathan Gayles is Associate Professor of African-American Studies at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia. He is the writer, director and producer of the documentary film
White Scripts and Black Supermen: Black Masculinities in American Comic Books. Read more about Dr. Gayles and the film at
blacksuperherodoc.com.
Dr. Jonathan Gayles’ appearance was made possibly by Durham Reads Together.Eric Knisley is a cartoonist, illustrator and animator, and was a co-organizer of the
Durham Indie Comics Expo as well as being a frequent contributor to the Durham Comics Fest.
George O’Connor is the writer and artist of the acclaimed
Olympians series, retellings of classical Greek myths and the illustrator of the
Captain Awesome children’s book series. Learn more about George at
olympiansrule.com and
www.georgeoconnorbooks.com.
Brian Shearer is the creator of the ongoing webcomic
William the Last, and has contributed art to IDW’s
Doctor Who,
G.I. Joe and
Transformers comics. Read more about Brian at
brian-shearer.com.
Gail Williams is a career counselor specializing in media and the arts, a working artist, and has been an art teacher and administrator from preschool through college levels. She has published numerous articles and has exhibited her art widely throughout the state. She is currently Adjunct Professor of Art at NC Central University and
a Road Scholar with the NC Humanities Council.
Gail Williams’ appearance was made possibly by Durham Reads Together.
2013 Guests
Ursula Vernon is the writer and artist of the Hugo Award-winning
Digger series for adults and the
Dragonbreath series for children.
2012 Guests
Mark Crilley is the author and illustrator of the
Akiko books series for children, the
Miki Falls graphic novel series for teens, and the new
Brody’s Ghost graphic novel series for adults, as well as the
Mastering Manga cartooning guides.
2011 Guests
Sara Appel is a Visiting Research Scholar in the Program in Literature at Duke University. Along with many other subjects, Sara has studied gender representation in comics as well as
the class-related implications of the medium.
Ben Bolling is a writer, artist, and designer in Durham, NC. While earning his PhD in English and Comparative Literature at UNC, he studied and taught comics in a number of capacities, including serial narratives and
the sociology of comic book conventions.
Rob Clough is a Durham-based comics critic who writes for the print and online editions of The Comics Journal and at highlowcomics.blogspot.com.
R. Sikoryak is the virtuosic cartoonist behind Masterpiece Comics and Terms and Conditions. Read more about him at drawnandquarterly.com.
Jeremy Sorese is the writer of the 
Keith Knight is the award-winning cartoonist behind (th)ink and The K Chronicles. Learn more about Keith at kchronicles.com
Nick Bertozzi is the writer and artist of Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey and Lewis & Clark, and the artist of Houdini: Handcuff King with Durham Comics Fest alum Jason Lutes. Read more about Nick at nickbertozzi.com.
Malcolm Goff is a local artist and cartoonist, and a contributor to Running for Hope: A Novel by the John Hope Franklin Young Scholars. Read more about Malcolm at malcolmgoff.carbonmade.com.
Jimmy Gownley is the writer and artist of the Amelia Rules! series. Read more about Jimmy at jimmygownley.wix.com.
Jim Ottaviani is the writer of Feynman, Primates, and Bone Sharps, Cowboys and Thunder Lizards. Read more about Jim at gt-labs.com.
Jadzia Axelrod is an author, illustrator, costume designer and more. She is the writer of The Battle of Blood and Ink: A Fable of the Flying City, illustrated by Steve Walker.
Andrew Aydin is Digital Director & Policy Advisor to Congressman John Lewis in Washington, D.C., and he is the co-author with Lewis and Nate Powell of March: Book One, this year’s Durham Reads Together title. Read more about Aydin at andrewaydin.com. Andrew Aydin’s appearance was made possible by Durham Reads Together.
Jeremy Whitley is the writer of the Eisner-nominated Princeless, with artist M. Goodwin, and IDW’s My Little Pony: Friends Forever comics. Read more about Jeremy and Princeless at womenwriteaboutcomics.com/2013/01/11/interview-with-jeremy-whitley-of-princeless/.
Jan Burger is a graduate of The Center for Cartoon Studies, and the creator of such comics as Uitke and the Lucky Penny.
Scott Hampton is a veteran comic book artist whose work includes Batman: Gotham County Line, as well as chapters of The Books of Magic (written by Neil Gaiman), Hellboy (written by Mike Mignola), and the Immortals graphic novel
Raina Telgemeier is the award-winning cartoonist behind Smile, Drama and the Baby-Sitters Club graphic novels. Her latest book, due out August 2014, is Sisters. Read more about Raina at goraina.com.
Ben Towle is the artist behind the folktale collection Farewell, Georgia and the biography Amelia Earhart: This Broad Ocean. See more of Ben’s work at benzilla.com.
Willow Dawson is the writer and artist of Lila & Ecco’s Do-It-Yourself Comics Club, an excellent introduction to making your own comics for kids and parents. Visit Willow’s online portfolio at www.willowdawson.com.
Jarrett Krosoczka is the author of the popular Lunch Lady graphic novel series, as well as many more books for children. Read more about Jarrett at studiojjk.com
Will Hansen is Curator of Americana at The Newberry in Chicago, IL, and previously oversaw the Edwin and Terry Murray Comic Book Collection in Duke’s Rubenstein Library.
Jason Lutes is the writer and artist of the acclaimed Berlin series and Jar of Fools, and the writer, with artist Nick Bertozzi, of Houdini: The Handcuff King. Jason teaches at The Center for Cartoon Studies.
Nate Powell is the writer and artist of Swallow Me Whole, Any Empire and The Silence of Our Friends (written by Mark Long and Jim Demonakos). His latest work is March, is Georgia Congressman John Lewis’ graphic autobiography, written with Lewis staff aid Andrew Aydin. Read more about Nate at seemybrotherdance.org.
Kirill Tolpygo is Slavic & East European Studies Librarian at UNC Chapel Hill and maintains a collection of East European and Slavic-language books and comics at UNC.