cecilhall

[cecilhall]

This fall, I'm making edits to my debut graphic novel, Timid (Scholastic/Graphix Spring 2024). I’m also speaking and teaching at school visits and after-school enrichment classes. Here is a description of my 2022-23 school visits:

School Visits by Scholastic Graphic Novelist Jonathan Todd

My debut graphic novel Timid is about an African-American tween in the 1980s who must overcome shyness to discover the value of being part of a black community in a predominantly white middle school in a Boston suburb. And that’s in addition to learning to stand up to his peers and father in using his talent in cartooning for projects and a hopeful career.

Here is an early draft of a scene: https://cecilhall.tumblr.com/post/137924429595/this-is-an-excerpt-of-a-graphic-novel-im-working)

Prior to Timid’s publication, I have been teaching workshops in which third through eighth graders learn to write and draw fictitious and autobiographical comics. Being in the final stage of my book project also gives me a chance to demystify the creation of a graphic novel.  Before The Covid-19 pandemic, I shared these thoughts about my creative journey at the Charles River Creative Arts Program: https://vimeo.com/284191142

My school visits cost $1,000 per day (in-person or virtually) and include four 45-minute to 1-hour auditorium or classroom sessions (customized to the school’s schedule). Schools may choose from the following sessions:

1)    From Kid Cartoonist to Graphic Novelist and Q&A: I share my creative journey in a slide show that explains how I discovered cartooning as an 8-year-old and the types of comics and cartoons I drew in elementary, middle and high school. I also discuss how I transformed myself from a political cartoonist to a graphic novelist. This session is ideal for an auditorium presentation.

2)    How to Make a Graphic Novel and Q&A: In this session, I explain each step of the process of creating my debut graphic novel, Timid: 1) Writing the first draft, 2) Revising the story about 10 times 3) Working with two editors and revising the book more 4) Thumbnailing the entire book and revising the blueprint for the book two times 5) Drawing the 261-page book in pencil 6) Drawing and lettering the book in ink 7) Scanning the book and cleaning up the digital files for the colorist

3)    Autobiographical Comics Workshop: Graphic memoirs are huge among middle-grade and tween readers. I share my approach to creating graphic narratives rooted in personal experiences, asking students to reflect upon meaningful moments in their lives and think of precise ways to express these memories—and their significance—in comics form.

4)    Create a Graphic Novel Page Workshop: I explain the elements of a story, panel planning/creating thumbnail sketches, penciling and inking a graphic novel, and I coach students through creating their own graphic novel page.

5)    Build Your Own Session: I can design a session around a topic related to a school area of study: e.g. writing story plots, exploring cultural differences in stories, creating a sense of place in stories

Schools can choose any combination of the sessions described above, including doing four sessions of the same session to cover multiple classrooms.

Here are highlights from one of my Create a Graphic Novel Page workshops: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mb-U45sdS8o  

Please email Jonathan at cartoonistonfire (at) gmail.com to schedule a school visit--or enrichment classes--for the fall, winter, or spring.

[cecilhall]

I love listening to inspiring authors while I work

I’m in the stage of the process of my graphic novel in which I have to clean specs of scanned pencil from the digitalized images and lettering. It can be boring, but I’ve learned from my book designer that it’s a crucial step. So, while I’ve worked this week, I’ve been blessed with hearing some inspirational, recorded talks by authors, such as Katherine Paterson (Bridge to Terabithia) and Min Jin Lee (Panchinko). Below are a documentary about Paterson and a more than hour-long talk with Lee from the Virtual Festival of Faith & Writing hosted by Michigan’s Calvin University:

 Min Jin Lee interview

 Katherine Paterson documentary

[cecilhall]

I’m horrible thinking on my feet, but Greg Anderson Elysée, the creator of the Is’nana: The Were-Spider comic book series, had a great answer to the question of “How do you create a surprise villain character?” The question was posed by an audience member of the 2021 Boston Comics in Color Festival. Elysée, cartoonist Micheline Hess, and I were panelists on the Writing for Comics session. The panel was moderated by Arielle Gray, who covers art and culture for WBUR. I promised to share my response in my next blog post, so here it is:

To create a surprise villain, I would have the unrevealed villainous character help the protagonist achieve a long-term goal or satisfy a yearning. But because the protagonist is so elated to be achieving his dream, he is blinded to whatever motive the villain is actually loyal to. In this scenario, the protagonist and the reader may know just fragments of the villain’s past: the source of his true loyalty. 

I’d love to hear how other writers would approach this challenge. If you email me at “cecilhall (at) yahoo.com,” I’ll add your advice to this post!

BTW-You can catch a recording of Day 1 of the April 2021 virtual sessions of the Boston Comics in Color Festival here: https://www.facebook.com/ComicsInColor/videos/596373044932691/  (The Writing for Comics session starts at the 16:00 mark.)

Organizers of the Boston Comics in Color Festival, thank you for having me as a guest!

[cecilhall]

Grateful for the embrace

Earlier this month, I was humbled by an invitation to update the Boston-based Comics in Color organization on my work since I was a 2019 guest at their monthly meetup. In addition to sharing my work, I got to learn about the work of other cartoonists of color. You can watch the presentations here. I start speaking at the 1:15 mark.

As a black graphic novelist who draws comics for kids, I get to be part of overlapping creative communities, including the kids lit community, the alternative comics community, the black lit community, the general literary community and the cartoonists of color community. I am super lucky to draw upon the support of souls in all of these rich communities. As I work on the final leg of my 261-page debut graphic novel, Timid (Graphix/Scholastic Spring 2023), I  want to thank the folks below for making me feel like a welcome part of their communities:

• My editor Cassandra Pelham Fulton, for acquiring my manuscript, helping me to keep it real and expand the family aspect of my book

• My friends and agents Denis Kitchen and John Lind for polishing me up and sealing the deal to get my book published!

• Tom Angleberger, for the feedback on several drafts and inviting me to help with his video series Tom Can’t Draw!

• Cece Bell, for showing me that introspective graphic novels for kids are welcome in the marketplace and telling me about your editor Susan Van Metre

• Susan Van Metre, for saying “yes” to seeing my graphic novel manuscript, giving me career-changing feedback, and just being awesome

• Jacqueline Woodson and my Solstice MFA in Creative Writing Program family for teaching me how to write long stories for young people and supporting me and my work 

• Jarrett J. Krosoczka, for being a generous role model and talking me up to influential people 

• Lauren Tarshis, for being an incredible encourager, promoter and friend from the beginning of my quest to publish a graphic novel for kids

I have many more to thank, but another group I’m indebted to are my librarian friends! Below are resources for the young cartoonists who attend my comics-making workshops at Massachusetts libraries and after-school programs.

Cartooning Resources

1) Cartooning the Head and Figure by Jack Hamm

2) Art Panels, BAM! Speech Bubbles, POW!  by Trisha Speed Shaskan and Stephen Shaskan

3) Books by Scott McCloud, including Understanding Comics and Making Comics 

4) Cartooning: Philosophy and Practice by Ivan Brunetti 

Upcoming Events

March 23 - I’m scheduled to be a guest on the podcast Down Time with Cranston Public Library, which is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, March 23 at noon. I plan to discuss kid lit, writing and publishing comics with another guest. 

BTW-I can be reached by email at “cecilhall (at) yahoo.com” and through Twitter @jonathanjtodd.

[cecilhall]

Give to the Boston Kids Comics Fest and promote literacy, creativity and entrepreneurship!

A generous photographer captured some nice shots of one of my recent kids comics workshops this winter. The classroom photos are courtesy of Dorothy Dolan! The Boston Kids Comics Fest flyer is by cartoonist L.J. Baptiste!

Writing, drawing and selling comics promotes literacy, creativity and  entrepreneurship within children, and giving kids a space to do that is my favorite aspect of the annual Boston Kids Comics Fest, which is a free kids comics and graphic novels book fair and festival on Saturday, April 25, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center in Boston. Kids who draw comics can sign up to sell their work here: https://bostonkidscomicsfest.org/kids-comics-fest-table/ 

At the 2020 Fest, we’re welcoming famous, brilliant cartoonists, including Victoria Jamieson, one of the first graphic novelists to win a Newbery Honor for her work, Frank Cammuso, creator of the Knights of Lunch Table (Scholastic/Graphix) and The Misadventures of Salem Hyde (Abrams) series, and The Witch Boy (Scholastic/Graphix) creator Molly Ostertag! These cartoonists and dozens of others will inspire young—and young-at-heart—readers and cartoonists—to embrace reading, writing and drawing. Your financial support will support the imagination of children: https://bostonkidscomicsfest.org/sponsor-us/ 

And please come to the 2020 Boston Kids Comics Fest! I hope to coordinate a panel there on cool and educational activities that teachers, librarians, and kids are doing with comics in schools and libraries. In addition to the Boston Kids Comics Fest, here are other things I hope to be up to this winter and spring (in addition to drawing my graphic novel):

March 4: Teaching a How to Create a Graphic Novel Page workshop at the Weston, Mass. library  

March 12: Teaching an Autobiographical Comics workshop at the Southborough, Mass. library 

April 4: Tabling at the Boston Comics In Color Festival  

April 25: Trying to be useful at the 2020 Boston Kids Comics Fest  

[cecilhall]

Inking and teaching

Hey, Yaw’ll,

I’m in intense inking mode for my graphic novel, Timid. That means I’m trying to graphically solidify—in India ink—all of the adventures of my protagonist, 12-year-old Cecil Hall, in the more than 250 pages of his story about growing up on the East Coast in the1980s. If you’re curious about my work, I’m participating in a reading in the hip city of Somerville, Massachusetts, on Sunday, November 17, at 3 p.m. at the Arts at the Armory Café, 190 Highland Ave. The Writers Helping Writers Reading & Raffle is a benefit to raise scholarship money for writers striving to earn Master of Fine Arts degrees. I’m including a copy of the flyer in this blog post.

And the other big news is that my friends and I are planning the next Boston Kids Comics Fest, which is scheduled for Saturday, April 25, 2020. Check out the website for blossoming details, and if you’re a cartoonist who draws work for kids, please consider exhibiting! It’ll be at a huge Salvation Army community center in Boston that looks like a resort; the Kroc Center was financed by a bequest of Joan Kroc, the wife of McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc. The Boston Kids Comics Fest strives to raise awareness about graphic novels and comics that are designed for kids, in addition to encouraging children to write, draw, and sell their own comics. Please support both the Boston Kids Comics Fest and the Writers Helping Writers fund!

Okay, so in addition to inking, here’s what else I’m up to reading and teaching-wise for the next few months:

November 11/12 - Teaching children’s workshop on drawing graphic novel pages at the Morse Institute Library at 14 E. Central Street in Natick, MA

11/17- Writers Helping Writers Reading & Raffle at the Arts at the Armory Café, 190 Highland Ave. Somerville, MA, on Sunday from 3 to 5 p.m.

December 12/30 - Teaching children’s workshop on drawing graphic novel pages at the Wellesley Free Library, 530 Washington St. Wellesley, MA

February 2/18 - Teaching children and teen workshop on drawing autobiographical comics at the Mattapan Branch of the Boston Public Library, 1350 Blue Hill Avenue, Mattapan, MA

2/20 - Teaching children’s workshop on drawing comic-book pages at the Milton Public Library, 476 Canton Ave, Milton, MA

March 3/12- Teaching children’s workshop on drawing autobiographical comics at the Southborough Public Library, 25 Main St, Southborough, MA

[cecilhall]

From Kwanzaa to Thumbnails

Over the holidays, my 10-year-old son Wesley lobbied for our family to celebrate Kwanzaa. Historically, I had been skeptical to celebrate Kwanzaa as a younger Jonathan since it was invented by one person: Maulana Karenga in the 1960s. But I couldn’t not celebrate a holiday that would help my son connect with our African-American heritage. Here’s what I liked about celebrating Kwanzaa: 1) We spent money at small black businesses—from a Kenyan woman in Cambridge, Mass. who imported goods from Africa to a great bookstore in Boston called Frugal Bookstore: https://frugalbookstore.net. 2) We had quality family time. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it’s all about getting together and eating vs. running around and buying gifts on deadline and the production that Christmas is. Kwanzaa had that laid-back feel too. Every day I’d read about one of the seven, communal-based principles of Kwanzaa and reflect upon what it meant with my wife and the kids. For instance, in one discussion Tamarra and I got to tell our kids about the Black American anthem: “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which is such a powerful song: https://youtu.be/ya7Bn7kPkLo.

All fall and part of winter I re-thumbnailed my graphic novel. I’m so blessed to be working with my editor Cassandra Pelham Fulton, who is a rock star, heart-of-gold editor at Scholastic/Graphix. She is helping improve this book!

In my few weeks between book edits, I got to be interviewed by a kind writer and fellow graduate of the Solstice MFA in creative writing program, Faye Rapoport DesPres: http://fayerapoportdespres.com/?p=4299

And, this summer I was invited to speak at the Charles River Creative Arts Program, a camp in Dover, Mass.:

Noontime Show 8/9/2018 from CRCAP on Vimeo.

Hey, and don’t miss the second Boston Kids Comics Fest, Saturday, April 27, at Pine Manor College!: https://bostonkidscomicsfest.wordpress.com

[cecilhall]

Learn to create a comic page at Egleston Square branch of Boston Public Library

I’m very honored to be teaching a comic-book page workshop for kids at the Egleston Square Branch of the Boston Public Library on Wednesday, May 9, at 5:45 p.m.: http://www.bpl.org/branches/eg_calendar.htm  The library is located at 2044 Columbus Avenue in Roxbury. To register, visit the library or call 617-445-4340.

We’ll cover story creation, planning a page, lettering a page, and inking a page in this 2-hr workshop. Here is a video to give you a taste of what we’ll cover:

[cecilhall]

Children, families and teachers invited to kid-friendly comics festival Saturday, April 28, in Jamaica Plain

BOSTON – Children, caregivers and educators are invited to discover great comics and graphic novels for kids Saturday, April 28, at the Boston Kids Comics Fest in Jamaica Plain.

More than 20 cartoonists, educators, parents and librarians will discuss how comics promotes literacy and is worthy of literary study at the free festival. The fest, which runs from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., will feature a book fair, cartooning workshops for kids, panels about graphic novels and how to use comics in the classroom, and a superhero-themed costume contest. The festival will be held at the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church at 40 Walk Hill Street in Jamaica Plain.

Planners organized the event to provide a comic-arts festival that strived to be completely kid-friendly.

“Oftentimes when you go to indie comics festivals and comic-book conventions, there is a lot of material that is inappropriate for children,” said West Roxbury cartoonist Jonathan Todd, one of the Boston Kids Comics Fest planners.

Todd mentioned his idea for a kid-centered festival to Harvard Square comic-book store owner Tony Davis, and Davis, who owns The Million Year Picnic comic-book shop, offered to help organize the event. Todd also asked Medfield Library Director Meena Jain to help plan the festival after seeing her success organizing multiple fundraising campaigns at another Boston-area library.

“As a librarian, I know how important it is to reach kids where they are to promote a lifelong love of reading,” Jain said. “Comics are a great way to engage readers of all ages and interests.”

There will be more than 20 artists, writers and comic-artist collectives at the festival, including the following special guests:

• Syndicated cartoonist Mark Parisi, creator of Off the Mark and author/illustrator of the Marty Pants series (HarperCollins) • Massachusetts Book Award Honor winner Marika McCoola, author of New York Times Bestselling Baba Yaga’s Assistant (Candlewick Press) • Joel Christian Gill, author/illustrator of Tales of the Talented Tenth graphic novel series • Eisner Award winners Shelli Paroline and Braden Lamb, illustrators of Adventure Time comics • Maris Wicks, writer and illustrator of science comics, such as New York Times Bestselling Primates written by Jim Ottaviani

In addition to the grown-up cartoonists, there will be a Young Artists Table where cartoonists aged seven to 17 will sell comic books they created. There also will be a Black Panther/superhero costume contest for five to 12-year-old children. The winner will receive a $50 gift certificate to The Million Year Picnic comic-book shop.

The Boston Public Library’s Bibliocycle, a pedal-powered bookmobile, which is a trailer pulled by a bicycle,  is also scheduled to be at the festival. The Bibliocycle enables the public to sign-up for a library card and check out comics and graphic novels.

About the Boston Kids Comics Fest The Boston Kids Comics Fest is a community-based arts and book festival that promotes comics and graphic novels designed for children. It is organized by author/illustrator Jonathan Todd, Medfield Library Director Meena Jain, and The Million Year Picnic comic-book shop owner Tony Davis. The 2018 festival is sponsored by Hub Comics, Anomia Press, Candlewick Press, The Waldwin Group (Dunkin’ Donuts stores), Bethel A.M.E. Church, RE/MAX New England agent Dan Gorfinkle, and The Million Year Picnic. For more information visit https://bostonkidscomicsfest.wordpress.com. ###

[cecilhall]

Help kids discover kid-friendly comics

Dear Comics Fan,

If you want to encourage children to read and use their imaginations, consider supporting the first annual Boston Kids Comics Fest. The Fest is a daylong event that invites children, caregivers, educators, and librarians to discover and explore kid-friendly comics, graphic novels and hybrid books. There are many “comic-cons” that cater to an older audience, but we believe that younger readers need more venues to discover comics and graphic novels designed for their age group. This festival is geared exclusively for younger readers and their families.

The 2018 festival will include free cartooning workshops, a book fair, and live talks about the intersection of children’s literature and comics.

Saturday, April 28, 2018  The Fest will be held on Saturday, April 28, 2018, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, at 84 Wachusett St. in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston. The success of the Fest depends on sponsors to cover the cost of the talent, refreshments, art supplies, space rental and getting the word out. The Fest is asking that you, your group or business help offset these costs. Your early commitment will enable our planning team to organize the best first annual Boston Kids Comics Fest! 

Co-sponsorship is available for a cash donation of $500 or more. With this contribution, your business/group will be recognized as a co-sponsor on any publicity for the Fest. Other cash and in-kind donations will be acknowledged in the event program. To contribute in any amount, please send a check payable to “BOSTON COMIC ARTS FOUNDATION LIMITED” along with the form below. Contributions are tax-deductible.

BOSTON COMIC ARTS FOUNDATION LIMITED PO Box 8154 Salem, MA 01970

If you would like to join us as a vendor, space is provided for $25 per 3-foot table space. We would be happy to discuss tabling at the Fest further with you! If you have questions, please call us at 508.479.2601 or email bkcfest@gmail.com. Thank you in advance for your commitment to support the Boston Kids Comics Fest. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Levels of Sponsorship:

Superman/Wonder Woman (co-sponsor): $1,000+

Iron Man/Moon Girl (co-sponsor): $500 - $999

Professor Xavier/Storm: $100 - $499

Indispensable Sidekick: $50 - $99

Contact Name: _________________________________________________ Phone: _______________________________________________________ Company/Group:________________________________________________ Email: _______________________________________________________ Address: ______________________________________________________  City/State/Zip: ______________________________________________________

□     I want to support the Boston Kids Comics Fest. Enclosed is a check indicating the level of sponsorship. □     I also wish to participate in the vendor showcase. Please contact me with details.

[cecilhall]

I’m teaching comics this fall

I will be leading 2-hour comics-making workshops for kids and teens this academic year. Below are the first scheduled workshops. Please contact the libraries to register. I will cover the basics of story writing, comic-book page planning/thumb-nailing, lettering, penciling and inking. If your school or organization would like to schedule a workshop, or if your child is interested in being coached privately, email me at jonathan (dot) j (dot) todd @ gmail.com.

Scheduled 2017-2018 workshops

Sept. 27 @ Morse Institute Library Children’s Dept.

Jan. 10 @ Wellesley Free Library 

Feb. 20 @ Morse institute Library (for teens)

[cecilhall]

Here’s the beginning of a scene from later in the book.

[cecilhall]

Hey, Yaw’ll! Thank you for the recent love. I’ll be at the MoCCA Arts Fest https://www.societyillustrators.org/mocca-arts-festival on Saturday and Sunday, April 1 and 2, helping to represent my alma mater, the Solstice MFA in creative writing program, which has a new concentration in Comics & Graphic Narratives. Stop by table A 104 and learn about the program and buy books by our faculty. I’ll also be hawking my new mini (excerpt in this post!)

[cecilhall]

Excerpt for Cecil #2

[cecilhall]

Excerpt from Cecil #2! Visit the Solstice MFA table at the Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (MICE) on Oct. 29-30 to buy your copy! http://micexpo.tumblr.com

[cecilhall]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Writer to Speak at Pine Manor College in Boston Area

Just wanted to let you know that my alma mater, the Solstice MFA in Creative Writing Program, is inviting writers, illustrators and cartoonists to attend several, free classes July 8-17 at Pine Manor College in the Boston area. If you would like to attend one, email Tanya Whiton (whitontanya@pmc.edu) by Friday, July 1, and she’ll send you details. To read more about these and other MFA classes visit here: http://www.pmc.edu/mfa-classes-for-audit

Graphic Narratives 101 - Wednesday, July 13, 1:15–3:15 p.m., faculty member Josh Neufeld will teach a class on Graphic Narrative Storytelling, in which he’ll discuss the building blocks of visual storytelling and structure.

Children’s Book Illustrators Panel - Thursday, July 14, 1 – 2:30 p.m., a panel of children’s book illustrators, Priscilla Alpaugh, Wayne Geehan, Ed Shems, and Toby —whose work is currently on view in Pine Manor College’s Hess Gallery in the library— will give a lively tour of their show, “Drawing Stories,” and discuss their own processes, which are varied (cut paper, acrylic, watercolor, and digital).

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Writer Shares Inside Stories - Friday, July 15, 1–3 p.m., guest faculty member Steve Murphy will discuss the pleasures and challenges of writing and drawing comics for children. 

[cecilhall]

I’m sure the Cambridge Community Comic Arts Fair at the main branch of the Cambridge Public Library next Saturday, 5/7, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. will be a ton of fun! http://bostoncomics.com/cccaf/

Father and son Jonathan and Wesley Todd will both be showing work at CCCAF on Saturday May 7th. Find more information here.

Jonathan Todd is a Massachusetts-based author/illustrator who creates comics for kids that explore friendship, racial identity, bullying and getting along with parents. He is a graduate of the MFA in creative writing program at Pine Manor College and has served as the graphic novelist-in-residence at libraries in Massachusetts.

Wesley Todd is an eight-year-old author and cartoonist whose first comic, Super Egg, premiered at the Maine Comics Arts Festival in 2015. In his latest work, he uses classic fairy tale characters to tell new prose and comic stories.