Enjoy recent author events, interviews, and bookseller series. Visit our website to learn more: www.skylightbooks.com
Episodes
Friday Oct 25, 2019
AJ Dungo, "IN WAVES" w/ Jamie Brisick
Friday Oct 25, 2019
Friday Oct 25, 2019
In this visually arresting graphic novel, surfer and illustrator AJ Dungo remembers his late partner, her battle with cancer, and their shared love of surfing that brought them strength throughout their time together. With his passion for surfing uniting many narratives, he intertwines his own story with those of some of the great heroes of surf in a rare work of nonfiction that is as moving as it is fascinating.
Dungo is in conversation with Jamie Brisick, author of Becoming Westerly.
Monday Sep 16, 2019
Emma Steinkellner, "THE OKAY WITCH" w/ Barbra Dillon
Monday Sep 16, 2019
Monday Sep 16, 2019
Thirteen-year-old Moth Hush loves all things witchy. But she’s about to discover that witches aren’t just the stuff of movies, books, and spooky stories. When some eighth-grade bullies try to ruin her Halloween, something really strange happens. It turns out that Founder’s Bluff, Massachusetts, has a centuries-old history of witch drama. And, surprise: Moth’s family is at the center of it all! When Moth’s new powers show up, things get totally out-of-control. She meets a talking cat, falls into an enchanted diary, and unlocks a hidden witch world. With that revelation, Moth’s adventure truly begins – an adventure that spans centuries, generations, and even worlds – as she unravels the legacy at the heart of her life.
The Okay Witch author Emma Steinkellner is in conversation with Barbra Dillon, the co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of Fanbase Press, an award-winning publishing company that seeks to produce new and distinctive works that give voice to the themes, ideals, and people that make “geekdom” so exceptional.
Tuesday Aug 27, 2019
Simon Hanselmann, "BAD GATEWAY"
Tuesday Aug 27, 2019
Tuesday Aug 27, 2019
Perpetually drunk and high, lovable degenerates Megg and Mogg have drifted through a life full of raucous antics and free of consequences. But their heavy drug use, once a gateway to adventure, has begun to take a grim psychological toll. As her unstable lifestyle finally catches up to her, Megg must turn to her past to uncover the roots of her self-destructive habits that have led her down this dark path.
Simon Hanselmann was born in 1981 in Launceston, Tasmania. His New York Times best-selling Megg & Mogg series has been translated into thirteen languages, nominated for multiple Ignatz and Eisner awards, and won “Best Series” at the Angoulême International Comics Festival in 2018. He currently lives in Seattle, WA, with his wife and a rotating cast of small animals.
Friday Aug 16, 2019
Ed Brubaker, "BAD WEEKEND" w/ Paul Scheer and Nicholas Winding Refn
Friday Aug 16, 2019
Friday Aug 16, 2019
Comics won't just break your heart. Comics will just kill you.
Hal Crane should know, he's been around since practically the beginning. Stuck at an out-of-town convention, waiting to receive a lifetime achievement award, Hal's weekend takes us on a dark ride through the secret history of a medium that's always been haunted by crooks, swindlers, and desperate dreamers. BAD WEEKEND-the story some are already calling the comic of the year from its serialization in CRIMINAL #2 and #3-has been expanded, with several new scenes added and remastered into a hardcover graphic novel, in the same format as ED BRUBAKER and PHILLIPS' ( KILL OR BE KILLED, FATALE, CRIMINAL) bestselling MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN JUNKIES. This gorgeous package is a must-have, an evergreen graphic novel every true comics fan will want to own.
Brubaker is in conversation with actor/comedian Paul Scheer and film director Nicholas Winding Refn.
Wednesday Jun 12, 2019
Malaka Gharib, "I WAS THEIR AMERICAN DREAM" w/ Michael Nailat
Wednesday Jun 12, 2019
Wednesday Jun 12, 2019
One part Mari Andrew, one part Marjane Satrapi, I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir is a triumphant tale of self-discovery, a celebration of a family's rich heritage, and a love letter to American immigrant freedom. Malaka Gharib's illustrations come alive with teenage antics and earnest questions about identity and culture, while providing thoughtful insight into the lives of modern immigrants and the generation of millennial children they raised.
Malaka's upbringing will look familiar to anyone who grew up in the pre-internet era, but her particular story is a heartfelt tribute to the American immigrants who have invested their future in the promise of the American dream. The daughter of parents with unfulfilled dream s themselves, Malaka navigates her childhood chasing her parents' ideals, learning to code-switch between her family's Filipino and Egyptian customs, adapting to white culture to fit in, crushing on skater boys, and trying to understand the tension between holding onto cultural values and trying to be an all-American kid.
Gharib is in conversation with Michael Nairat, aka Producer Mike, aka DJ waxstyles, who has zero formal training in DJing or producing, but is somehow still allowed to do both.
Monday May 27, 2019
Seth, "CLYDE FANS" w/ Scott Timberg
Monday May 27, 2019
Monday May 27, 2019
Join acclaimed cartoonist Seth for a discussion and book signing to launch Clyde Fans, his highly-anticipated masterpiece. Clyde Fans follows Abe and Simon Matchcard, two brothers whose lives are defined by their doomed family business, selling oscillating fans in a world switching to air conditioning. Seth’s incisive storytelling and gorgeous urban landscapes are showcased in this epic yet intimate time capsule of the mid-century capitalist dream.
Seth is in conversation with Scott Timberg, a Los Angeles-based arts and culture journalist who has written for the Los Angeles Times, Salon, The New York Times and The Guardian.
Friday May 17, 2019
Jaime Hernandez, "IS THIS HOW YOU SEE ME?" w/ Nina Gregory
Friday May 17, 2019
Friday May 17, 2019
In Love and Rockets, Jaime Hernandez has followed the lives of his queer, Chicano cast of characters for over 30 years of romance, heartbreak, and the self-awareness that comes with age. Is This How You See Me? hones in on Jaime’s two most beloved characters, Maggie and Hopey, flashing backward and forward in time to reveal how the passage of time has molded these young LA punks into complex, middle-aged women. An intimate look at how people change and drift apart, yet remain deeply affected by their formative years, this graphic novel brings Hernandez’s L&R series full circle.
Hernandez is in conversation with Nina Gregory, senior editor for NPR's Arts Desk.
Monday Apr 29, 2019
Michael DeForge, "LEAVING RICHARD'S VALLEY"
Monday Apr 29, 2019
Monday Apr 29, 2019
When a group of outcasts have to leave the valley, how will they survive the toxicity of the big city?
Richard is a benevolent but tough leader. He oversees everything that happens in the valley, and everyone loves him for it. When Lyle the Raccoon becomes sick, his friends—Omar the Spider, Neville the Dog, and Ellie Squirrel—take matters into their own hands, breaking Richard’s strict rules. Caroline Frog rats them out to Richard and they are immediately exiled from the only world they’ve ever known.
Michael DeForge’s Leaving Richard’s Valley expands from a bizarre hero’s quest into something more. As this ragtag group makes their way out of the valley, and then out of the park and into the big city, we see them coming to terms with different kinds of community: noise-rockers, gentrification protesters, squatters, and more. DeForge is idiosyncratically funny but also deeply insightful about community, cults of personality, and the condo-ization of cities. These eye-catching and sometimes absurd comics coalesce into a book that questions who our cities are for and how we make community in a capitalist society.
Thursday Mar 28, 2019
Christopher Cantwell, "SHE COULD FLY" w/ Nick Dazé
Thursday Mar 28, 2019
Thursday Mar 28, 2019
No one knows who she was, how she flew, or why.
An unknown woman flying at fantastic speeds and spectacular heights suddenly explodes mid-air. Luna Brewster, a disturbed 15-year-old girl becomes obsessed with learning everything about her while rumors and conspiracy theories roil. But will cracking the secrets of the Flying Woman’s inner life lead to the liberation from her own troubled mind—or will it take her to the point of no return?
Author Christopher Cantwell discusses his graphic novel She Could Fly with author, technologist, and entrepreneur Nick Dazé.
Thursday Feb 28, 2019
Rachelle Cruz, "EXPERIENCING COMICS" w/ Nilah Magruder and Yumi Sakugawa
Thursday Feb 28, 2019
Thursday Feb 28, 2019
Experiencing Comics: An Introduction to Reading, Discussing, and Creating Comics shows students how to critically examine the craft and storytelling elements found inside a graphic novel or comic and spotlights groundbreaking work by comics creators and scholars from underrepresented and diverse backgrounds.
This accessible, introductory guide to comics discusses how a comic is made and introduces students to the unique form and structure of comics, demonstrating how panels, splash pages, and word balloons are used to tell a story. It encourages students to apply literary theory and social politics to the world of comics to encourage discussions of comics within a larger cultural context. Rachelle Cruz introduces students to significant movements and moments in comics history in the United States. Users are provided with comic-making activities so they can practice the craft and storytelling elements discussed throughout the book. Students will gain first-hand insight from comics professionals and practitioners through interviews with creators, artists, writers, anthology editors, scholars, and comics enthusiasts.
Cruz is in conversation with comic artsits Nilah Magruder and Yumi Sakugawa.
Wednesday Nov 21, 2018
Ezra Claytan Daniels and Ben Passmore
Wednesday Nov 21, 2018
Wednesday Nov 21, 2018
For their 45th anniversary, Hank and Molly Nonnar decide to undergo an experimental rejuvenation procedure, but their hopes for youth are dashed when the couple is faced with the results: severely disfigured yet intellectually and physically superior duplicates of themselves. Can the original Hank and Molly coexist in the same world as their clones? In Upgrade Soul, McDuffie Award-winning creator Ezra Claytan Daniels asks probing questions about what shapes our identity. Is it the capability of our minds or the physicality of our bodies? Is a newer, better version of yourself still you? This pageturning graphic novel follows Hank and Molly as they discover the harsh truth that only one version of themselves is fated to survive.
In Your Black Friend and Other Strangers, Ben Passmore masterfully tackles comics about race, gentrification, the prison system, online dating, gross punks, bad street art, kung fu movie references, beating up God, and lots of other grown-up stuff with refreshing doses of humor and lived relatability. The title comic earned Passmore an Eisner nomination, Ignatz Award for “Outstanding Comic”, and a coveted spot on NPR’s 100 Favorite Graphic Novelists. The comics in this 120 page collection include works previously published by The Nib, VICE, and the As You Were anthology, along with brand new and unreleased material.These comics are essential, humorous, and accessible, told through Passmore’s surreal lens in the vibrant full color hues of New Orleans.
Wednesday Sep 26, 2018
Aminder Dhaliwal, "WOMAN WORLD" W/ Megan Nicole Dong
Wednesday Sep 26, 2018
Wednesday Sep 26, 2018
Join internet sensation and Disney TV animator Aminder Dhaliwal as she launches her debut graphic novel Woman World. The book, first serialized on Instagram to an audience of over 150,000, is a delightful imagining of a world where men have gone extinct. With incomparable wit, Woman World is an entertaining read for people of all genders and one of 2018’s most anticipated releases.
Dhaliwal is joined in conversation by Megan Nicole Dong, known for her Sketchshark comics.
Saturday Sep 08, 2018
Adam Cayton-Holland, "TRAGEDY PLUS TIME"
Saturday Sep 08, 2018
Saturday Sep 08, 2018
From Adam Cayton-Holland, one of Variety’s “10 Comics to Watch,” comes a “heartfelt and brilliant” (Patton Oswalt) memoir—Tragedy Plus Time: A Tragi-Comic Memoir about the author’s beautiful, funny, and heartbreaking relationship with his younger sister and the depression that took her life.
Both a moving tribute to a lost sibling and an inspiring meditation on mental illness, grief, and recovery, Tragedy Plus Time is an unsentimental, unexpectedly funny, and incredibly honest love letter to every family that has ever felt messy, complicated, or (even momentarily) magnificent. In the tradition of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and Truth & Beauty, this memoir offers a tender look at the bonds that hold a family together and the difficult truth that you can’t always save the person you love.
Wednesday Sep 05, 2018
Lisa Hannawalt, "COYOTE DOGGIRL" w/ Molly Lambert
Wednesday Sep 05, 2018
Wednesday Sep 05, 2018
BoJack Horseman producer / production designer and award-winning cartoonist Lisa Hanawalt presents Coyote Doggirl. The graphic novel is a playful homage to and send-up of classic Westerns, presenting the story of the goofy, dramatic, and fiercely independent Coyote as she journeys through the desert on horseback. With Coyote Doggirl, Hanawalt documents the harsh realities of sexism, her insatiable admiration of horses, and the indispensability of a good crop top. Hanawalt will be in conversation with journalist Molly Lambert.
Hanawalt is in conversation with Molly Lambert, a writer in and from LA who has worked for websites like Grantland and MTV News.
Tuesday Aug 21, 2018
Jim Pascoe and Heidi Arnhold, "COTTONS" w/ Cecil Castellucci
Tuesday Aug 21, 2018
Tuesday Aug 21, 2018
To her neighbors in the Vale of Industry, Bridgebelle is an ordinary rabbit. All day long, she toils at the carrot factory. After a hard day, she returns home to care for her ailing auntie. And whenever she's out, she's watchful of the murderous foxes who prey on her kind.
But Bridgebelle is not ordinary—she's a rabbit with talents beyond her own understanding. Using cha, the mysterious fuel that powers her world, she can change everyday objects into thokchas—magical, transforming works of art. Bridgebelle makes thokchas because they're beautiful. But there are those in her world who want to harness her powers and turn her art into a weapon.
Cottons authors Jim Pascoe and Heidi Arnhold are joined in conversation by Cecil Castellucci, author of Boy Proof, The Plain Janes, The Year of the Beasts, Tin Star, and the Eisner nominated Odd Duck.