Will Eisner Week Celebrates Graphic Novels and Free Speech!

Will Eisner Week 2016 poster

Each year, the week of March 6 brings us Will Eisner Week, “an annual celebration promoting graphic novels, literacy, free speech awareness, and the legacy of Will Eisner,” the father of the graphic novel. Will Eisner Week kicks off today and runs through March 7, with events including lectures, convention panels, sketch nights, public read-outs and more.

The official press release from the Will and Ann Eisner Foundation:

NEW YORK – The Will & Ann Eisner Family Foundation is pleased to announce the following Will Eisner Week events for 2016. This series of events — held annually in March — is now celebrated internationally , with events focusing on graphic novels, sequential art, free speech, and the incredible legacy of Will Eisner, one of the most innovative and influential figures in the history of comics and graphic novels. Will Eisner Week’s central theme, “Read a Graphic Novel!” is the underlying message. Will Eisner Week events are presented in universities, art schools, libraries, museums, bookstores, and book retailers in the weeks around Will Eisner’s March 6th birthday. Visit www.willeisner.com for event details and an up-to-date list of participating organizations.

Alpine, TX
Amherst, MA
Anchorage, AK
Anderson, SC
Arkadelphia, AR
Arlington, TX
Austin, TX
Baldwinsville, NY
Baltimore, MD
Bowling Green, OH
Bowling Green, KY
Bronx, NY
Burrillville, RI
Canton, OH
Cazenova, NY
Chelsea, MA
Cherry Hill, NJ
Chicago, IL
Chicago, IL
Columbus, OH
Corry, PA
Crystal Lake, IL
Evanston, IL
Gainesville, FL
Hudson, WI
Ithaca, NY
Jacksonville, FL
Knoxville, TN
Lake Forest, IL
Laurel, MD
Lexington, MA
Lincoln, NE
Los Angeles, CA
Margate, FL
Maynard, MA
Milledgeville, GA
Minneapolis, MN
Montgomery, AL
Murfreesboro, TN
Natick, MA
New York City, NY (7 events)
North Canton, OH
Northbrook, IL
Northridge, CA
Palo Alto, CA
Panama City, FL
Pasadena, CA
Phoenix, AZ
Pittsburgh, PA
Port Jefferson Station, NY
Portland, OR
Prescott, AZ
Provo, UT
Pullman, WA
San Antonio, TX
San Diego, CA
San Francisco, CA
Savannah, GA
Stow, OH
Voorhees, NJ
Washington, DC
West Hollywood, CA
West Liberty, WV
White River Junction, VT

Athens, Greece
Edinburgh, Scotland,
Glasgow, Scotland
Milan, Italy
Moniaive, Scotland
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

About WILL EISNER:

Will Eisner (1917 – 2005) grew up during the Great Depression in the tenements of the Bronx. He was a pioneer in the creation of comics during the “Golden Age” of the 1930s and ’40s , achieving fame with his noir crime-fighting hero, The Spirit. Many comics greats worked with Eisner including Jules Feiffer, Wally Wood, Jack Kirby, Al Jaffee, Mike Ploog , and others. After The Spirit ceased publication in 1952, Eisner, with his strong business acumen, turned to creating educational and instructional “sequential art ” -a term he coined – for business, educational and industrial use. In 1978, Will Eisner once again reinvented himself — and the medium — with his seminal graphic novel, “ A Contract with God. ” Will Eisner’s more than 20 graphic novels and three textbooks are still in print in 15 languages all over the world. The prestigious Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the “Oscars of the Comics Industry,” are presented annually at the San Diego Comic-Con.

To find event information for your area, click through to the Will Eisner Week website and find your city in the list. Even if there isn’t an event in your community, you can remember Eisner’s legacy of creativity and free speech by reading a graphic novel!

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