Pride In Panels: Event Schedule
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16th
Silver Sprocket
1018 Valencia Street, SF
7 p.m. – 9 p.m. Queer Comics Reading
We kick off the Pride in Panels: SF Queer Comics Festival with a Queer Comics Reading hosted by Laura Gao at the Silver Sprocket store! Comics readings, with their projected visuals and interactive elements, are hands-down the best kind of readings, and the diverse, dynamic line-up of amazing storytellers will electrify the crowds! Here are the readers:
Ann Chen, Cam Marshall, Caroline Cash, DesignNurd / Diego Gomez, DRY (Daniel Zhou, Raul Higuera, Yasmeen Abedifard), Eddy Atoms, Elle Lim-Chan, Malcolm Johnson
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17th
Latino/Hispanic Meeting Room
SF Public Library Main Branch
100 Larkin Street, SF
2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Screening of No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics
This celebrated documentary, which debuted in 2021 at the Tribeca Film Festival and won the Documentary Feature Grand Jury Prize at Outfest, celebrates the lives and careers of five scrappy and courageous pioneers of queer comics. They paved the way for the flourishing of a remarkable DIY art scene intent on making LGBTQ+ lives visible. The screening will be introduced by the librarians of the James C. Hormel LGBTQIA Center at the SF Public Library and by the film’s Producer, Justin Hall.
NR, 78 mins., 2021. Closed captions (CC) in English.
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. No Straight Lines Panel
After the film, there will be a lively discussion about the film and the past, present, and future of queer comics with moderator Margaret Galvan (In Visible Archives: Queer and Feminist Visual Culture in the 1980s) and panelists Justin Hall (No Straight Lines: Four Decades of Queer Comics), Ajuan Mance (Gender Studies, What Do Brothas Do All Day?), Lee Marrs (Pudge: Girl Blimp, Wimmen’s Comix), and Gaia Wxyz (The Tale of Daisy and Gaia), all of whom were involved in the film.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 18th
SF Public Library Main Branch
100 Larkin Street, SF
This is the Pride in Panels: SF Queer Comics Festival main event! On Sunday, February 18th from noon – 5pm, over 100 queer comics creators descend on the SF Public Library, filling the Exhibition Hall with tables overflowing with LGBTQIA+ comics, zines, and art. There will also be riveting panels and maker workshops throughout the day. Here are the offerings:
Panel schedule
Koret Auditorium, SFPL
1 p.m – 1:50 p.m. Think of the Children: Queer All-Ages Comics
From Webtoons to manga to graphic novels, comics have exploded in the children’s lit scene in recent years. How do these stories reflect the joys and trials of queer kids today? How are queer creators inspired by their childhood favorites, like The Babysitters Club and Naruto? Join moderator Laura Gao (Messy Roots) and panelists Amanda Castillo (Mapmakers), Samadrita Ghosh (Night Owls & Summer Skies), Ajuan Mance (What Do Brothas Do All Day?), Kyla Aiko (Foxlight), as they discuss their comic journeys, and how you’re never too young to make your own webcomic!
2 p.m – 2:50 p.m. Sickening! Queer Horror Comics
Horror comics can be disturbing, downright terrifying… or even a bit of campy fun! From psychological to gore to monsters, from cute to creepy, what is the range of possibilities represented by queer horror comics? How can the horror genre uncover the fears, fantasies, and fabulousness of the queer psyche? Join moderator William O. Tyler (Theater of Terror) and panelists Robyn Adams (Homozone), Dave Davenport (Feral), Diego Gomez (1963), and Malcolm Johnson (Tales of Hoodoo Horror) as they dissect the rotting corpse of queer horror.
3 p.m – 3:50 p.m. Out in the World: Publishing Queer Comics
There are more ways than ever to get queer comics out into the world, from self-publishing to the indie presses to the mainstream book and comics publishers. This plethora of options, both on the web and in print, can be bewildering and comes with its share of pitfalls. Join moderator Avi Ehrlich (SIlver Sprocket) and panelists Yasmeen Abedifard (D.R.Y.), Tara Madison Avery (Stacked Deck Press), Caspar Cendre (A.B.O. Comix), Breena Nuñez (Laneha House) as they break down the myriad challenges and opportunities of the modern publishing landscape.
4 p.m – 4:50 p.m. Graphic Content: Eroticism in Queer Comics
How have queer comics handled sex, sexuality, and desire, both in erotic stories and ones that simply include graphic content? Why and how are we making this work, and who is it for? Join moderator Justin Hall (Hard to Swallow) and panelists Trinidad Escobar (Arrive in My Hands), Jon Macy (Fearful Hunter), MariNaomi (I Thought You Loved Me), and Leah Spears (Polyamory Coloring Book) as they discuss the challenges and opportunities of representing sex in their work, how far representation has come in erotica, and where it’s all headed. This panel will contain graphic language and imagery.
Workshop schedule
Hormel LGBTQIA Center Reading Room, SFPL
1 p.m – 2:20 p.m. Mini-Comic Madness!
Queer comics have a profound history of DIY production. Punk zines and mini-comics are made with photocopy machines and staplers and enable artists to get their work into the world without gatekeepers and censors. This workshop run by Sarah Maloney will show you the basics of making your own mini-comic and empower you in the same way as generations of underground artists have been before you!
2:30 p.m – 4:50 p.m. The Reading Nook
Need a break from the festivities? After the workshop, the Hormel Center will be a quiet space for folks to chill and read our expansive collection of comics, zines, and books. Workshop attendees can also finish their mini-comics here.
