Persepolis

The lecture begins 7:24 into the video and is worth the wait. Sue Yamin’s dramatic stories from her pre-revolutionary years in Teheran kept the audience absorbed. I’m sure those who have not finished reading Persepolis will be eager now to pick it up.

Anybody interested in drawing their own comics and graphic novels should check out Jessica Abel. A comic artist, author, and faculty member at New York’s School of Visual Arts, Abel has a great how-to book out, and her web site includes a DIY page that shows the process she uses for developing her comic drawings. The web site with clearly-written text, and great riot grrl attitude. Start with the DIY page.

Pellissippi Art Instructor Jennifer Brickey and Media Technologies faculty member Todd Duren are having their students collaborate on their own graphic short stories. The plan is to publish the collected stories using Lulu.com.

Yesterday Pellissippi State’s Common Book Committee met and discussed ideas for examining the themes and ideas in Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi’s warm and human graphic novel about her childhood in Iran in the 1980s during the Iranian Revolution and Hostage Crisis. I’m excited about choosing it as our common book, and about the projects and programs that are in the planning stages. I’ve read the book  and look forward to seeing the movie version soon.

The committee is planning to have Iranian expatriot who will talk about her first-hand experiences during the 1979 Iranian Revolution. We’ll be showing the cell-animated film. We’ll also have students writing about many ideas in the book, and we may even have students write, draw, and publish their own graphic novel.

This blog will be a central place for our students and faculty to exchange ideas about this exciting novel and film. You can check for upcoming speakers and programs, read student writings on the book, watch author interviews, and leave comments. Bookmark this site and be sure to leave a comment!