// BOOM! POW! Comics, Gender + Movement Speakeasy //
BOOM! POW! COMICS, GENDER + MOVEMENT
Velocity Speakeasy Panel + Conversation
THURS OCT 10 / 6:30 – 8:30PM
FREE
A panel talk + community conversation exploring gender stereotypes and the body. From small press zines through mainstream comic superheroes, dance performance and “nerdlesque”, hear from some of the most engaged local artists + publishers on the topic.
Come share your view on how these perceptions of embodiment influence pop culture — or is it the other way around?
An Arts Crush Featured Event. Curated by Melinda Fox (geek/activist/nonprofit strategist).
Featuring Stellar Panelists:
Charles “Zan” Christensen (Northwest Press)
Jennifer K. Stuller (Ink-Stained Amazon)
Jo Jo Stiletto (Jo Jo Stiletto Events)
Maya Soto (soto style dance)
Kelly Froh + Eroyn Franklin (Short Run small press fest)
GET SOCIALl! RSVP on Facebook
Find us at @VDCSeattle + use hashtags #BOOMPOW #VDCspeakeasy
INSIGHTS
Charles “Zan” Christensen is a guy who writes and publishes comics. With artist Mark Brill, he writes the series The Mark of Aeacus for Class Comics and wrote The Power Within anti-bullying book for Northwest Press, the latter of which earned the pair a spot on OUT Magazine‘s “OUT 100” for 2011. Christensen’s most recent work was as editor of the anthology Anything That Loves, which focuses on sexuality outside of “gay” and “straight”. Christensen was the founding President of the nonprofit organization Prism Comics, which supports LGBT comics, creators and readers. He currently heads up Lambda Literary Award winning publishing house Northwest Press. Zan was also featured in Gay.net’s “13 to Watch in 2013“. He lives in Seattle. Northwestpress.com @NorthwestPress
Jennifer K. Stuller is a writer, author, scholar, media critic and feminist pop culture historian. She is the Director of Programming and Events for, as well as a co-founder of, Seattle’s own GeekGirlCon; the author of Ink-Stained Amazons and Cinematic Warriors: Superwomen in Modern Mythology (I.B. Tauris), and the editor of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Fan Phenomena (Intellect, 2013). Additionally, Stuller is a noted public speaker, and a member of Humanities Washington’s Speakers Bureau. She can be found at Ink-StainedAmazon.com, and has vowed to use her powers only for good. @InkAmazon
Jo Jo Stiletto is a burlesque producer, performer and historian. She is known as the Professor of Nerdlesque – the leading authority on all things nerdy in burlesque and is currently working on a book titled Nerdlesque: The New Burlesque. She has appeared at GeekGirlCon, BurlyCon, Nerd Nite, and will speak this fall at the National Women’s Studies Association Conference. Her work was featured in the The Wall Street Journal, Geekwire, NPR, and Penthouse. Past productions include Whedonesque Burlesque, Nerdiversary and the Burl-X-Files. Her upcoming show is Bechdel Test Burlesque on Oct 18th. jojostiletto.com
Maya Soto is a choreographer/performer drawing inspiration from a variety of styles and cultural influences, bringing together classical dance training and a sense of play and entertainment. Her most recent work, Gathering Bones (2013) explores internal personal power, feminism and femininity through dance, music and art, referencing stories and myths of powerful and wild women. Her choreography has been presented in Northwest venues including On the Boards, Velocity Dance Center, NWNW Festival, Conduit’s Dance+ Festival, The Firehouse Performing Arts Center, Tacoma Museum of Glass, and The BOOST Dance Festival. She teaches at Velocity Dance Center, Bellevue College and the Northwest School. Maya is a graduate of Cornish College of the Arts. Sotostyledance.com
Kelly Froh has self-published over 40 mini-comics and zines including “Stew Brew”, a series in collaboration with her partner Max Clotfelter which was mentioned as one of “The Best Comics of 2008” in The Comics Journal. She is working on her first full-length comic story, about her trip out west from Wisconsin and how impossibly naïve she was at the age of 20. She recently performed an abridged version of this story at the Richard Hugo House’s acclaimed Literary Series and at “Fantagraphics Follies” at Bumbershoot. Kelly is also the co-founder and co-organizer of Short Run small press fest, now its 3rd year. Cargocollective.com/kefroh @shortrunseattle
Eroyn Franklin got her degree in photography, dabbled in installation art, and currently draws sad things and writes terrible jokes. She has created several minicomics and 2 graphic novels, Detained and Another Glorious Day at the Nothing Factory, which received support from The Xeric Foundation, 4Culture, Artist Trust, and Allied Arts foundation. Her work has appeared in The Stranger (Seattle) and anthologies by Last Gasp (San Francisco), Atomic Comics (Baltimore) and Live Bubbles (St. Petersburg, Russia). Eroyn co-founded Short Run small press fest which celebrates comics, zines, art books, literature, animation, and more. eroynfranklin.com @shortrunseattle
Presented by Velocity’s Speakeasy Series
