Hello friend!
Well, announcements don’t come a lot bigger than this: I am thrilled to share with you that I’ll be appearing at the 51st annual Angoulême International Comics Festival in a few short weeks, January 24th-28th, in Angoulême, France.
It’s been a crazy story as it all came together, but I can now confirm that I’ve been selected as one of 70 Canadian comic book authors participating in “From Coast to Coast: Canadian Comics on the Move” an outdoor art exhibition taking place right outside of City Hall in Angoulême, France. This exhibition was curated by Thomas-Louis Côté, director of Quebec BD and will be designed by Au27 – Graphic Studio. Not all 70 authors have yet been publicly announced, but the handful that they have revealed are among the very best Canadian comics has to offer, so I’m doubly pleased and honestly, a little astonished to have been asked to participate.
In addition to participating in the launch of “From Coast to Coast” on January 24th, I will also be a member of a delegation with Livres Canada Books at the Canada Stand, located in the Pavillon Canada.
As if that weren’t enough, I’m also scheduled to appear in two different panels at the Canadian Pavilion, the first on Friday, January 26th, entitled “Comics from the Prairies”, and then on Saturday, January 27th, I’ll be participating in a Live drawing session.
For those of you unfamiliar, Angoulême International Comics Festival is Europe’s second largest comics festival, and the third biggest in the world. It has occurred every year since 1974 in Angoulême, France, in January. More than 200,000 visitors attend the show every year, so it is by far the largest show in which I’ve ever participated. This year’s show has a special focus on Canadian comics, making it an extra special year to attend.
The team from Livres Canada Books (namely Mariana Bianchini and Christy Doucet), as well as Thomas-Louis Côté have been so helpful and accomodating as I’ve tried to get this trip together on relatively short notice. I wish to acknowledge the support of Canadian Heritage and Livres Canada Books, as a recipient of the Special Contribution for Canadian Exhibitors, which has really made this whole trip possible.
In addition to the thrill of representing the prairies, and Canada at an international event, I’m also just so excited to see France, a place I’ve never been, and also to—finally—put my years of French immersion education to the test.
Believe me, I’ll be documenting all my adventures on here, and on my social media channels, so feel free to follow along as I travel later this month.
Speaking of travel, here’s a comic-booky imagining of me getting off the plane in Paris, ready to catch my train to beautiful and scenic Angoulême.
I hope to have some fun updates soon, but in the meantime, I so appreciate your support. Thanks for reading, I love you.