Today, CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein will be talking about copyright and censorship in NYC! On the West Coast, CBLDF is so-sponsoring a special performance by Captured Aural Phantasy Theater!
Several folks reached out to CBLDF to tell us about their events, and you can check them out below. Today, there are events in Louisiana, Michigan, and New York, as well as a week-long fundraiser in Texas! The list that follows is far from complete — no matter where you live, you’re sure to find a Banned Books Week event nearby. For a longer list of events organized by state, check out http://www.bannedbooksweek.org!
California
CAPTURED AURAL PHANTASY THEATER presents Tales from the Comic Book Crack Down
Tuesday, September 23, 7:00 p.m. PDT
Los Angeles Central Library, Mark Taper Auditorium (630 W. 5th St., Los Angeles, CA)
TALES FROM THE COMIC BOOK CRACK DOWN restages and interprets the Senate hearings of April 21, 1954, which attacked the comic book industry and resulted in its repression for years after. We commemorate this infamous event of censorship 60 years later by spotlighting notorious comic publisher William Gaines, his EC comics and his sparring with the Senators. TALES FROM THE COMIC BOOK CRACK DOWN showcases live performances of vintage, mid-century comic book stories that the US Senate attacked in 1954 for being a bad influence on children along with excerpts from the actual transcripts of the hearings. All is presented in our signature variety show/ old radio show style. The show includes comedic acts, multimedia projections and live music. Spend the night with Captured Aural Phantasy Theater for brazen outlaw fun! More info
Louisiana
Banned Books Week – Talking Comics with Chris & Randy
Tuesday, September 23, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. CDT
Broadmoor Branch Library (91212 Captain Shreve Dr., Shreveport, LA)
Join us for a special filming of Talking Comics with Chris and Randy, the comic book experts at Excalibur Comics, Cards & Games in celebration of Banned Books Week 2014! More info
Michigan
Banned Books Week: Phoebe Gloeckner & Jim Ottaviani in conversation about comics & censorship
Tuesday, September 23, 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. EDT
Hatcher Gallery 100 (913 S. University Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI)
Jim Ottaviani, librarian and author of non-fiction graphic novels, interviews noted comics creator and Associate Professor Phoebe Gloeckner about her work in comics and the role of comics in personal artistic expression and their larger role in society.
Local comic store Vault of Midnight will be on hand with copies of books by Phoebe and Jim for sale, as well as other banned and challenged comics.
Light refreshments will be provided. More info
New York
Copyright vs. Creativity: Is Intellectual Property Reserved for the 1%?
Tuesday, September 23 • 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Lipton Hall (inside D’Agostino Hall, 110 West 3rd Street, New York, NY)
To coincide with the US launch of the graphic novel, Ricky Rouse Has a Gun, this panel asks whether copyright has lost one of its principle functions: to protect authors and original ideas. In the digital age, does copyright have a purpose beyond protecting corporations from illegal copying and file sharing?
Panelists: Jörg Tittel, Author, Ricky Rouse Has a Gun; Charles Brownstein, Executive Director, Comic Book Legal Defense Fund; Professors Christopher Sprigman and Barton Beebe, NYU School of Law.
Email Nicole Arzt, nicole.arzt@nyu.edu, if you plan to attend. Free sandwiches will be offered on a first-come-first-served basis.
Banned Books Week: Chris Hunt
Tuesday, September 23, 5:00 p.m. EDT
New York Public Library: Stapleton Library, Community Room
Join us in a workshop with cartoonist and illustrator Chris Hunt (Star Wars, Wu-Tang comic, Asher Roth “Last Man Standing” video, and Volume One) with an inking and drawing demonstration and the impact of censorship on the comic book world.
Ages 10 and up. Cosponsored by the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. More info
Texas
Banned Books Week at Generation X Comics
September 21 – 27, 2014
Generation X Comics (3504 Harwood Rd Suite 304, Bedford, TX)
Generation X will donate an amount equal to the purchase price anytime someone buys a banned comic during Banned Books Week. Titles included in the offer are Adventures of Captain Underpants Vol. 1, Batman: The Killing Joke, Bone Vol. 1: Out from Boneville, Fun Home, Maus Vol. 1, Persepolis, Pride of Baghdad, Sandman Vol. 1, Stuck Rubber Baby, Tank Girl Vol. 1, and Watchmen. More info
