Miami, Nov. 9, 2022 – Miami Dade College’s (MDC) Learning Resources Department has been awarded a national 2022 Will Eisner Graphic Novel Growth Grant for Libraries, which provides support to libraries that would like to expand their existing graphic novel services and programs.
This grant will help fund “Mirror, Mirror: Seeing Ourselves in Graphic Novels,” a project developed by Erick Dominicis, Victor Calderin, Teresa Cusidor, Isabel Duque, Dennis Edelen, Adrian Legaspi, Christina Machado-Dillon, Jenny Saxton and the MDC Graphic Novel Group, a college-wide ensemble of faculty, administrators and staff dedicated to promoting graphic literature and supporting its use for interdisciplinary teaching, social awareness and personal enrichment.
“Mirror, Mirror: Seeing Ourselves in Graphic Novels” focuses on the idea that discussing and creating sequential art with a focus on body image may help the College’s diverse population of students cope with racism, sexism, ableism, and other societal pressures. The project includes plans for a series of events that encourage students to share their own stories in graphic novel form during the 2023 spring term.
The award includes $2,000 for the purchase of graphic novels for MDC’s Libraries, $1,000 to support a series of graphic novel-themed events, and $1,000 for a representative from MDC Learning Resources to attend the grand reception at the American Library Association Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. In addition, the MDC Libraries will receive approximately 175 books valued at $3,000, which include a selection by and about Will Eisner, and a collection of winning titles from this year’s Will Eisner Awards at Comic-Con International.
Sponsored by the Will and Ann Eisner Family Foundation and administered by the American Library Association’s Graphic Novels & Comics Round Table, the Will Eisner Graphic Novel Grant for Libraries encourages public awareness of the rise and importance of graphic literature, sequential art, and comics as a literary medium. Will Eisner (1917-2005) is considered one of the most influential creators of comics and graphic novels and is best known for his comic series The Spirit.
For more information about the Graphic Novel Group, the Graphic Novel Book Club, or the Will Eisner Graphic Novel Grant for Libraries, please contact MDC Kendall Campus faculty librarian Jenny Saxton at 305-237-2075, or jsaxton@mdc.edu.
About The Will and Ann Eisner Family Foundation
The Will and Ann Eisner Family Foundation foster innovation and creativity in graphic literature, sequential art, and comics. It encourages others to continue and build upon the legacy of Will Eisner, who broke new ground in the development of visual narrative and the language of comics. Will Eisner is best known for being the creator of The Spirit comic, for developing comics for education and training, and for writing the first modern graphic novel. For more information about Will Eisner visit www.willeisner.com.
About the Graphic Novels and Comics Round Table
The Graphic Novels and Comics Round Table of the American Library Association is dedicated to supporting library staff in all aspects of engaging with graphic novels and comics, including collection development, programming, and advocacy. For more information connect with GNCRT on Facebook: ALA Graphic Novels & Comics Round Table; Twitter: @libcomix; Instagram: @libcomix; or the GNCRT ALA Connect page.