Latino Book & Family Festival at Cal State LA

This past weekend, Oct 9 & 10, I was an exhibitor and speaker at the Latino Book & Family Festival held at Cal State Los Angeles.

 

I hadn't attended the Festival as an exhibitor for about 8 or 9 years, so it was really nice to be back. I've previously written about a few events leading up to the Festival, but actually participating in it proved to be a real experience that I'm glad to have had. A few years previously we actually screened EL MUERTO on the same campus during the REEL RASQUACHE FILM FESTIVAL.

The organizers had mentioned beforehand that this was the largest gathering of Latino authors in the history of the United States, so being a part of a special event like that is an opportunity to partake of. There was no shortage of attendees either, looking to meet favorite authors and discover new material to read.

For me, this was the best of both worlds. I had numerous people tell me that they had some of my earlier comics or had even seen the EL MUERTO movie, but I also had plenty of folks discovering me for the first time. It was really nice to see lots of parents bringing their children to the event, as that's such an important group to inspire and instill some literary aspirations into. A lot of the parents asked about advice for their kids regarding cartooning and art. Sales, I'm happy to say, were very brisk at times, with comics, buttons and DVDs making their way to new readers. Talked to numerous educators and librarians as well, so the networking aspect of this type of show was in full force.

I was on a panel Saturday afternoon with several other cartoonists, where we talked about everything from distributing our works, to what it takes to get one's voice out there. 

(photo from the collection of Philip Victor)

From L to R: Me, Dani Dixon, writer & publisher of '13', Rafael Navarro, creator of SONAMBULO, Lalo Alcaraz creator of LA CUCARACHA and Philip Victor, writer and publisher of JAGUAR SPIRIT. There was a real good turnout for the panel, with some of the questions specifically aimed at self-publishing. People want to get their personal voices heard in the comics world, which is something so many of us strive to encourage people to do.

Later that evening we all attended the Dinner with the Authors gala. Lalo actually MC'd the event, with the remaining four of us cartoonists meeting up at the same table. At one point during the evening, Lalo pointed to our table, mentioning his 'cartoonist friends'. Even Edward James Olmos, founder of the Festival, pointed us out. In a room full of authors and novelists, it was nice being pointed out as the sole cartoonists in the room!

There was about an hour or so of music and folkloric dancers while we enjoyed our food. Definitely a different feel to the usual comic book conventions I attend! Honestly, I had such a great time that evening. Over the past 13 years or so that I've been publishing my comics, I've attended numerous events. But this evening, with it's celebration of Latino American voices in the arts, and the music and dancing, gave me a reaffirmation of my perspective as an artist. Providing an artistic point of view, fueled in part through my Mexican-American identity, makes me grateful to be able to do what I choose to do.

Dani Dixon and me with Festival founder Edward James Olmos. Edward's dedication to Latino literacy is so deep and sincere he inspires me every time I hear him address the cause.

Me and dinner MC/cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz. I've known Lalo for some 10 years or so, and in fact he's always been a supporter of my work. One year he wrote about me in his LA Weekly column he used to write, and I've been on his radio show, The Pocho Hour of Power, a couple of times.

Rafael Navarro, creator of Sonambulo. Me and Raf have been in this self-publishing game since the late 90s, and it's been one hell of a long, winding mindtrip since! This was actually the first time in several years that he and I actually shared a booth at a convention, and it felt like 'the good ol' days'. With our two characters, a masked Mexican wrestler and an Aztec zombie, we have a very particular niche corner of Mexican folklore and pop culture covered. And of course, our two-man rapport we have with the fans always means our booth is hopping with chit chat and drawings galore.

 Sunday was a full day for us, and in fact I only had a couple of chances to walk about the rest of the Festival. Here's my friend Joe Cepeda signing some of his children's books he's illustrated at the Luna Sol Books booth:

Stopping by our booth was Manual Ramos, an author who was here from Denver to speak on a panel:

Manuel is a lawyer, and among the books he's written are some crime stories featuring his detective Luis Montez. He picked up a copy of El Muerto, for which I was happy to sign to him.

One thing I kept thinking to myself all weekend was: "Why the heck has it taken me so long to get back to the Latino Book Festival?". I am definitely going to add this event to my yearly must-do shows. It's far to rewarding to me in many ways, and also it was announced that Cal State LA has committed to becoming the permanent home for the Festival, so it's a short drive to attend to.

My thanks to Reyna Grande, the Program Director, and to Philip Victor, for telling Reyna about me in the first place. As part of the Latino Book & Family Festival's commitment to serving their community, I'll be giving a free reading/drawing demonstration at the Pan American Bank in East LA on Dec. 4 at 12 noon.

Latino Book Festival press conference with Edward James Olmos

On Thursday, I participated in the press conference for the upcoming 13th Annual Latino Book & Family Festival.The press conference was held at the Pan American Bank in East Los Angeles. (About 2 months ago, I attended the fundraiser held there).

There were about a dozen authors there, and they asked us to bring copies of our books to have on display for the press. Reyna Grande, a local author, had invited the authors, as she's also on the organizing committee for the Festival. Obviously, as readers of this blog know, I spend a lot of time with other comic creators at our various conventions and events. But I always like meeting other creatives from different fields. So many of the things that we all do to get our work in the public's eye really overlaps with how each of one approaches the day-to-day networking/marketing part of our chosen crafts.


Among those participating in the news conference was Edward James Olmos, whose been a key driving force of the Festival since it's founding. His talk during the press conference was very inspiring to me personally. Knowing that he's got his acting career, but still takes time to work with the Festival every year, in service to the community, that really makes me realize that the efforts I put into my own 'community service' are worthwhile uses of my time and talents. 


Edward talked about growing up right outside the bank in those very neighborhoods, and how much it meant to him to be able to bring this literary festival back to the surrounding communities, making sure that books and reading become an important part of a child's life (not just their education). 


Jesse Torres, the bank CEO, also spoke, and talked about using his bank as an anchor for the community:

Not just as a place to do banking, but one where he could provide various events to promote literacy and reading to parents and their kids. The bank has a slate of author readings every Saturday for the next several months). There's a YouTube video with footage of the press conference here.


I carpooled with a friend of mine to the event, author & illustrator Joe Cepeda. Joe will be in conducting a workshop at the Festival, and also an author reading at the bank in October. (I'm scheduled for December 4th). Joe and I always have great discussions on being working artists, and actually learn quite a bit from one another precisely because we come from different mediums. 

Me, Joe Cepeda and Edward James Olmos.

Edward talked about East LA being the 'Ellis Island of the West Coast', and gave examples of how many Mexican-American and Latino creators have come from this area. I was actually born several blocks West of the bank, along an intersecting street to First Street, at a Japanese hospital. I grew up in Whittier but my dad had plenty of family in East LA that we would visit on the weekends. I'm proud to be who I am, and acknowledge the influence of my Mexican-American upbringing on how it affected my art and identity. I'm a result of how I grew up, being raised by Mexican parents in an American household. EL MUERTO is certainly proof of that. Being part of the Latino Book & Family Festival allows me to connect personally with many others who grew up in similar experiences.

Please come out to the Latino Book & Family Festival this October 9 & 10 at the Cal State LA campus. The event is free, and there will be plenty of workshops, panels, and even a smattering of comic book creators!

Official Recognition at the Latino Book Festival fundraiser

This past Saturday I attended the fundraiser event for the upcoming LATINO BOOK & FAMILY FESTIVAL and the event turned out to be an even more pleasant experience than I could have imagined. My gratitude to author Reyna Grande for inviting me to participate, and to the LBFF and Pan American Bank for putting on such a wonderful event.


The fundraiser was held at the Pan American Bank in East Los Angeles. Jesse Torres, the CEO, was very generous in hosting the event. This bank really does live up to the phrase 'serving it's community'. Banks today are seemingly perceived as despicable as Hollywood studios and lawyers, but the Pan American Bank seems to really keep their focus on servicing their patrons and the community at large. Their sponsorship of art and literature is welcome evidence of that.

Bank CEO Jesse Torres. We're standing in front of a painting that's part of a small exhibit they currently have in the bank.

Front of the bank (from their Facebook page)

Some of the bank's permanent art on display. Plus all the goodies for the silent auction.

I wish I had taken more photos, but sometimes I just get so caught up in the moment of participating in the event and meeting people that  I forget to get my Jimmy Olsen on! The inside lobby had tables for authors and other exhibitors. The area immediately outside the bank, leading to the parking lot, had a huge tent set up, where the majority of the events took place, such as author interviews and readings. You can see more pics of the event at this Facebook photo page.


Among the exhibitors on hand was TIA CHUCHA'S CULTURAL CENTER & BOOKSTORE. I've actually exhibited in a group art show there some years ago, so it was nice seeing them again. They sold my comics, and the other author's books, at their table.

Philip Victor, comic book writer. I had met Philip some years ago, and he actually suggested to the festival organizers to invite me onboard for the fundraiser. Thanks Philip!

It wouldn't be an LA Latino event without Lalo Alcaraz, the creator of the newspaper strip LA CUCARACHA. I've known Lalo for years now, and he never ceases to amaze me with his escapades. He was actually at another event prior to this one!

Like any event I attend, there's always a vibrant kaleidoscope of experiences. Also attending the event was Javier Grillo-Marxuach, writer of comics, film and television. His comic book series, THE MIDDLEMAN, was turned into an ABC television series. A few years back I was on a Writer's Guild panel with Javier, so we spent some time catching up and talking shop. He's adapted several comics as screenplays, and one thing I was reminded of in talking with him was just how lucky I had it working with a small, independent company for the El Muerto film. His tales of Hollywood studio development hell certainly don't sound like the experiences I had in the indie film world! (Although, for the uninitiated, even a small film company comes with the occasional headache and heartburn...)

Among other folks I met was a librarian for a local University who bought my comics for her library's collection. And I also met the director of a company that offers webinars, so we talked about me perhaps teaching on online comics workshop. A funny situation that happened was a fan walked up to me, waving, "Hi Javier!". Of course, I didn't recognize him, but he reminded, in a good-natured tease, "You haven't added me as a friend on Facebook for a year!".
Well, from there we hit it off just fine. And I can now report to the entire internet audience that Anthony and I are now officially Facebook Friends!

There was a great surprise later in the evening. For about an hour or so they held an author's panel, with all 20 or so attending writers and artists being given short interviews. At the end of the interviews, we were each presented with Certificates of Recognition from city, state and even Congressional representatives. These were in recognition for our support of the Latino Book Festival and our individual efforts as creative people in the community. After 12 years as a self-published comic creator, and considering everything I've done and been involved with, this felt really good to receive. Especially since it was completely unexpected.

From Supervisor Gloria Molina, of the County of Los Angeles:

Two from Sacramento. From State Senator Ronald Calderon and Speaker of the Assembly John Perez:

And U.S. Congresswoman Grace Napolitano:

I just love seeing the Congressional logo, my name and 'Comic Books' on the same certificate! I guess there's more to comics than "Bam! Pow! Ka-Blam!". I'm glad they wrote 'comics' too, not 'graphic novelist' (hate that word) or 'sequential pictorial narratives' or some other artsy fartsy word some writers and artists try to prop up. I make floppy, stapled comic books, folks!

Seriously though, these were very nice to receive. Thanks to the Latino Book Festival for arranging these for us, and to the various representatives for awarding these. Sure, it's not like they all read my comics and say 'Give that guy an award!'. But it is recognition for our work as artists who give our time and efforts to instilling some creativity and imagination in others. 


Over the last 12 years, I've spent the majority of my time in comics trying to sell my books and artwork, promoting my name and my brand (because one becomes a self-publisher primarily to sell one's work directly). But I've also spent lots of time, once I realized the value it gives to others, talking to students and teaching kids about art and comics and showing them the value of expressing themselves through comics. Like I told me friend Irma at dinner that evening, I look as these certificates as a nod to some of the educational things I've been doing since I published my first comic back in 1998. 


My only question is: Was the President too busy running the country to sign a certificate for a comic book guy?! Sheesh!


Well, maybe next time.... :)

Fundraiser this Saturday for LATINO BOOK FESTIVAL

If you're in Los Angeles this Saturday, I'll be attending the fundraiser for the upcoming LATINO BOOK & FAMILY FESTIVAL.

I'll be exhibiting at the LBFF this October, as well as appearing on a panel. It's been awhile since I've been to the Book Festival, so I'm very much looking forward to getting behind a booth again. And for the first time in some years, I'll be tag-teaming with Rafael Navarro, creator of SONAMBULO, selling our comics and doing our spiel from the same booth!


The fundraiser is this Saturday, from 4-8pm, at the Pan American Bank in East Los Angeles. If you can, please come out and support the Latino Book & Family Festival.