Wonder Woman Symposium - Sept. 22-24, 2016

In honor of the 75th anniversary of the comic book super heroine Wonder Woman in 2016, Kent State University and the Cleveland Public Library will partner to celebrate the intersections of public literacy, comics, and feminism in a jointly sponsored symposium. The 2016 Wonder Woman Symposium partners two powerful public institutions in Northeast Ohio, taking up the historical trends that have changed the world of comics, American popular culture, and feminism. Centering on the figure of Wonder Woman and her heirs, this symposium will feature plenary addresses by major creators in the industry and historians of the comics world, and workshops by comics creators on creating graphic narratives and comics. This forum seeks to highlight both regional and national talent. Our celebration of Wonder Woman's anniversary pays respect to "herstory" while recognizing her perpetual relevance to our present day, and beyond. 

Register now! (Free admission)

This conference is made possible, in part, by the Ohio Humanities, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this conference do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Full Schedule:

Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016

Cleveland Public Library, Louis Stokes Wing Auditorium, 325 Superior Ave, Cleveland OH 44114 

6:00-6:30pm- Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti (via skype), Creative team of Harley Quinn, Starfire, and Harley Quinn and Power Girl

6:30-7:30pm- Phil Jimenez, Writer/Artist of Wonder Woman and Superwoman, and artist of Astonishing X-men, New X-men, Amazing Spider-Man and The Invisible

Carol & John's Comic Book Shop, 17462 Lorain Ave, Cleveland, OH 44111

8:00-10:00pm- Artist and Author Book Signing with Phil Jimenez, Cameron Stewart and other comics creators

Friday, Sept. 23, 2016

Cleveland Public Library, Louis Stokes Wing Auditorium, 325 Superior Ave, Cleveland OH 44114 

3:00-4:00pm- Joan Ormrod, Co-editor of the Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics and co-editor of Superheroes and Identities

4:00-4:45pm- Cameron Stewart, Writer/Artist of Batgirl, Motor Crush and artist of Batman and Robin and Fight Club 2

5:00-6:00pm- Trina Robbins,  Author of The Great Women Superheroes, Wonder Woman, and editor of Babes in Arms and The Complete Wimmen's Comix

6:15-7:00pm- Roundtable Discussion with Presenters

Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016

Cleveland Public Library, Louis Stokes Wing Auditorium, 325 Superior Ave, Cleveland OH 44114 

9:30-10:00am- Coffee & Refreshments

10:00-11:00am- Genevieve Valentine, Author of Catwoman, Xena: Warrior Princess and the novels The Girls at the Kingfisher Club and Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti

11:15-12:15pm- Carol Tilley, Author of "Seducing the Innocent: Fredric Wertham and the Falsifications That Helped Condemn Comics" and a Will Eisner Comics Industry Awards Judge

12:15-2:00pm- Lunch and Wonder Woman Record Breaking Event (at the Eastman Garden)

2:00-3:00pm- Laura Siegel, Daughter of Jerry Siegel, co-creator of Superman. A former correspondent for CNN, she has won over 100 awards including 13 Emmys and 8 New York Festival Awards

3:15-4:15pm- Peter Coogan, Director of the Institute for Comics Studies and author of Superhero: The Secret Origin of a Genre and co-editor of What is a Superhero?

4:30-5:00pm- Audience Q&A with Christie Marston, granddaughter of William Moulton Marston, creator of Wonder Woman

5:00-5:45pm- Roundtable Discussion with Presenters

6:00-6:45pm- Meet and Greet with Presenters

In the News:

• Wonder Woman's role in feminist movement explored at Kent State symposium, Akron Beacon Journal
• Fifteen new things to do in Northeast Ohio through Sept. 22, Crain's Cleveland Business
• Harley Quinn, Just the Nice, Fun-Loving Psycho Next Door, The New York Times
• Wonder Woman to be honored in Cleveland Public Library symposium, Cleveland.com
• Unassuming Barber Shop: Who Is The Real Wonder Woman?, The Beat (comics blog)
• July 28, 2016: Jerry Siegel’s Daughter to Speak at Cleveland Symposium, Superman Homepage

Questions?

Please contact the organizers at wonderwomansymposium@gmail.com 

Project Director: Professor Vera J. Camden

Project Coordinator: Valentino Zullo

Project Partners:

• Amy Dawson, Literature Department and Ohio Center for the Book Manager, Cleveland Public Library
• Jean Collins, Librarian, Literature Department and Ohio Center for the Book, Cleveland Public Library