YAHOO!!!! San Diego Comic-Con 2015

San Diego's International Comic Convention - or "Comic-con" is taking place a bit earlier than usual. In two weeks, hundreds of thousand of pop-culture, television, movie, comic, and super hero fans will descend for swag, glimpses of the upcoming studio events, cosplay, and more.

What's different this year?

• There will be a free day on Thursday, July 9th at the San Diego Central Library where graphic novel creators, authors, illustrators, librarians and educators will spend the afternoon talking about reading, writing, and using graphic novels in the classroom.
• There will be a free day on Saturday, July 11th at the San Diego Central Library where publishers will have panels open to the public.
•  While a handful of powerhouse Hollywood studios (including Marvel Studios and Paramount) will not be on the convention floor, there will be a larger presence for Warner Brothers and its unveiling of its DC Cinematic Universe, Hunger Games: MockingJay Part 2, Scooby-Doo, Justice League: Gods and Monsters (to name a few), as well as sneak peaks for a host of new television series.

If you're there, come check out my five panels (the two on Thursday at the library are open admission):

THURSDAY, JULY 9TH

Content Literacy: Teaching History and Social Studies with Graphic Novels: From the Revolutionary War to current events, graphic novels pull readers into history. Comics have been shown to improve reader engagement while enhancing both comprehension and retention. And with the new emphasis on reading nonfiction, academic vocabulary, and reading in the subject areas, comics are more relevant than ever. Creators Nathan Hale (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales) and Jonathan Hennessey (The United States Constitution: A Graphic Adaptation), educator Meryl Jaffe (CBLDF Using Graphic Novels in Education; Raising a Reader! How Comics and Graphic Novels Can Help Your Kids Learn to Read), and moderator Tracy Edmunds (Reading With Pictures) discuss the best in comics and graphic novels for teaching history and social studies, including recommended titles and lesson ideas. Thursday July 9, 2015 2:00pm - 3:00pm Shiley Special Events, San Diego Central Library

Comics Make Kids Smarter: Exploring Data-Driven Success in the Comics Classroom:Research shows that comics and graphic novels are motivating, support struggling readers, enrich the skills of accomplished readers and are a highly effective tool for teaching challenging material in a more efficient way. Educators Meryl Jaffe (CBLDF Using Graphic Novels in Education; Raising a Reader! How Comics and Graphic Novels Can Help Your Kids Learn to Read), Ronell Whitaker (Dwight D. Eisenhower High School, Blue Island, IL), Eric Kallenborn (Alan B. Shepard High School Palos Heights, IL), and Tracy Edmunds (Reading With Pictures), creator John Green (Teen Boat), and moderator Tom Racine (host of Tall Tale Radio) will explore and explain the research behind the comics in the classroom movement and what it could mean for the future of the medium in the classroom. Thursday July 9, 2015 3:00pm - 4:00pm Shiley Special Events, San Diego Central Library

FRIDAY, JULY 10TH:

CBLDF: Comics and The Real World: Using Graphic Novels as Tools of Tolerance:Jimmy Gownley (The Dumbest Idea Ever, Amelia Rules!), Jonathan Hennessey (The United States Constitution, Gettysburg), Aron Steinke (The Zoo Box), Cecil Castellucci (Odd Duck, The Plain Janes), Eric Kallenborn (Alan B. Shepard High School Palos Heights, IL), Betsy Gomez (CBLDF), Tracy Edmunds (Reading With Pictures), and moderator Meryl Jaffe, Ph.D. (Raising a Reader! How Comics and Graphic Novels Can Help Your Kids Learn to Read) demonstrate how graphic novels can be used to teach and empower students to feel, access and comprehend historical and cultural events, as well as more fully understand diverse figures in history and fiction and even grasp concepts in science and math. There will be lesson and reading suggestion handouts and time for Q and A. Friday July 10, 2015 1:00pm - 2:00pm Convention Center Room 30CDE

SATURDAY, JULY 11TH:

Kids' Graphic Novel Burgeoning Frontier: Kids with Disabilities Cece Bell (El Deafo), Doug TenNapel (Nnewts; Cardboard), Dave Elliott (A is for Autism; A1), John Shableski (Udon Entertainment), Talia Hurwich (Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth), and moderator Meryl Jaffe (CBLDF Using Graphic Novels in Education) discuss the real-life heroes comics still need to embrace: kids with disabilities. They'll evaluate how graphic novels are beginning to tell stories about kids with disabilities, illness and handicaps, and how others with great stories can be heard.Saturday July 11, 2015 10:00am - 11:00am Convention Center Room 28DE

CBLDF: Comics in the Classroom: Real-World Ideas for Engaging Your Students with Comics  Comics are more than just great entertainment, they're an incredible tool for learning. Creators Cecil Castellucci (Odd Duck, The Plain Janes), Nathan Hale (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales), Matthew Holm (Babymouse, Squish), Matt Phelan (The Storm in the Barn, Bluffton), and Dave Roman (Astronaut Academy, Jax Epoch and the Quicken Forbidden) and educators Rose Brock and Dr. Meryl Jaffe discuss how comics can be used to engage students in the classroom. Get real-world suggestions for ways to integrate comics in the classroom, to expand on lessons with comic-based activities, and to encourage student participation. They'll also have lesson and reading suggestion handouts and time for Q&A. Moderated by CBLDF editorial director Betsy Gomez.Saturday July 11, 2015 12:00pm - 1:00pm  Convention Center Room 30CDE

As always, thanks for your visit.  Please leave reactions or just say "Hi!" in the comments below.