MeCAF Twitter account

We now have a Twitter account for the Festival. We will be using it for updates on the 2010 festival. Follow us here:
https://twitter.com/MEComicArtsFest

Thank you Baltimore!

Thanks to all of the creators that I spoke with at the Baltimore Comic Con this past weekend. I hope that many of you will be able to join us at MeCAF in 2010.

Good luck at SPX!

We wish all of the creators attending SPX this weekend great success! Please spread the word about MeCAF to your fellow SPX'ers. We have some big plans for 2010. Thanks!

MeCAF 2010

Hello,
We are already planning for MeCAF 2010. Current plans are for the weekend of May 22-23, 2010 again at Ocean Gateway. That would put it after graduations at many schools (specifically the Center for Cartoon Studies) but before Memorial Day. We have surveyed this year's exhibitors and are studying the results.

Exhibitors who purchased a table in 2009 will have the option to attend in 2010. After that we will open up the registrations for others. This will probably happen in January 2010.

We should be posting some great video interviews from this year's festival sometime this weekend. Please let us know if you have any questions. Thanks!

Festival Recap Part 3

More photos, more blogs...keep them coming!!! http://www.jamiepeeps.blogspot.com/

http://www.metrokitty.com/index.php?id=342

This set of photos is fun because it starts with the empty room and progresses to the show itself: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2022362&id=1482575586&ref=mf

http://swinsea.com/blog/

Maine Comics Arts Festival Recap Part Two

Still more blogs and photos about the festival. We still have our own photos and videos to upload so there will be a part three.

http://thephoenix.com/Portland/News/83756-Bringing-the-big-comic-book-guns-to-town/

http://shelligator.blogspot.com/2009/05/mcafs-meow.html

http://comixtalk.com/mecaf_2009_con_report

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30739225@N06/sets/72157618208473381/

http://music-slut.livejournal.com/291250.html

http://www.happyblogtime.com/2009/05/maine-comics-arts-festival-maine-ia.html

http://www.examiner.com/x-10620-Providence-Comic-Books-Examiner~y2009m5d20-Maine-Comics-Art-Festival-a-success

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28262172@N02/sets/72157618294798473/

http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/random_comics_news_story_round_up052009/

http://ayarothwell.blogspot.com/2009/05/portland-maine-comics-festival.html

WOW! What a weekend! Festival recap part one

It was an amazing weekend. Below you find some of the links that we have found so far with photos or stories from the festival. If you have any others please feel free to send them along and We will post them in part two.

We would like to thank the many creators who took time out of their schedules to join us. They are an amazingly talented group of cartoonists/creators.

We would like to thank our terrific sponsors The Inn on Peaks Island, Shipyard Brewing Company, The Portland Phoenix, Capt'n Eli's Soda, Coffee by Design and the Center for Cartoon Studies.

Thanks to Diamond Comics, DC Comics and Adhouse Comics for the donations for our giveaways. Sound and AV was provided by Tom Gordon at Portland AV. Our poster was designed by Matt Talbot and our program was designed by Colleen Frakes.

Than you to the City of Portland and the office of Ocean Gateway (Larry, Clare, Andy, Andrea and everyone else). They were all wonderful to work with.

Finally, a huge thanks to the staff of Casablanca Comics and the volunteers who helped this show run as smoothly as possible. Thank you Laura, Caitlin, Duncan, Dave, Jo, Bobzarro, Matt, Melanie, Justin, Ginny, Kirby, Melissa, Kirsten, Tami and the "crew". We could not have done this without you.

We will be back next year. Watch the blog for more details.

Rick Lowell
Casablanca Comics

Follow the links:

http://inkandthunder.blogspot.com/2009/05/forrest.html

http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/05/18/mecaf-report/

http://thedailycrosshatch.com/2009/05/18/the-maine-comics-arts-festival-portland-maine/

http://mikelynchcartoons.blogspot.com/2009/05/report-maine-comic-arts-festival-may-17.html

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1069120@N25/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnplatt/3539454413/in/set-72157618366672936/

http://www.marekbennett.com/blog/2009/05/hooray-mecaf-2009/

http://blog.portcitystudios.com/2009/05/17/finding-the-center-for-cartoon-studies-at-the-maine-comics-arts-festival/#more-973

http://www.wlbz2.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=104835

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/album.php?aid=23954&id=1067463425&ref=nf

http://artblog.net/?name=2009-05-18-14-05-maine

Jay Piscopo and the Festival on NBC Channel 6 tonight

Jay is interviewed and promotes the festival. If you do not live locally here is a link to the video.

http://www.wcsh6.com/life/programming/local/207/story.aspx?storyid=104725&catid=50

FREE PARKING AT OCEAN GATEWAY

The festival will have plenty of free parking at Ocean Gateway. There is a large parking lot on site and also parking on the street (free on Sundays).

More guest updates:

Morgan Pielli: "Why hullo there, gents and ladies. Let me here tell you about the miracle of MorganStories.com! Made from the rare brain-juice of the Morgan Pielli, just I say just a spoonful of this magnificent tincture will relieve all bodily ailments! Dun believe me? You sir, yes you, step lively now. You look to be plagued by gout and sorrow, am I correct suh? Indeed, just down a dollop of this wonder drug, and behold! I do believe he's a cured man! Saddle Sores! Black Lung! Shootist's Remorse! All can be elevated by the merest drops of MorganStories.com!"

Joe Quinones is a freelance comic artist living in Somerville, Massachusetts (with Maris Wicks!!!). He has been breaking into the mainstream scene doing covers for Devil's Due and Boom! studios, as well as recent work for DC comics' now defunct Teen Titans Go title. Also, he is collaborating with writer Kurt Busiek on a Green Lantern story for the forthcoming Wednesday Comics series, due out this summer. He very much enjoys peanut butter-banana-chocolate smoothies. They're DELICIOUS. Check out more of Joe's work at joequinones.blogspot.com

Maris Wicks lives in Somerville, Massachusetts (with Joe Quinones!!!) where she splits her time between drawing comics and teaching kids about marine invertebrates. She has had comics in the 2005 SPX Anthology, Project: Romantic and Superior Showcase #2 (both from Adhouse Books), and the upcoming Ghost Comics Anthology. Maris is currently working on a graphic novel (written by Jim Ottaviani) for First Second Books, as well as a collection of her autobiographical comics strips. See more of Maris' work at dotsforeyes.blogspot.com

Less than a week away.....

The title says it all......

Festival schedule

Doors open 10:00 am- 5:00 pm

Panels and workshops:

10:30 am-noon:
Peter Gutiérrez will present “Super-Powered Comics Reading: Building Literacy and Having Fun” (more details at the bottom of this page).

12:00-1:00 pm:
"I Stayed Up All Night Drawing Comics, And So Can YOU!"
24 Hour Comics: A Reading and Super-Fast Demo with Marek Bennett
Xeric-winning cartoonist and teacher Marek Bennett reads from his recent book of 24 hour comics, "HOUR 72!", and reflects on the role of creativity, inspiration, deadlines, surprise, and lack of sleep in both comics and education. Then, astound yourself with Marek's "24 Minute Comic" exercise!

1:00-2:00 pm:
"Surviving as a Print Cartoonist"- Three Syndicated cartoonists talk about what it takes to make it in today's shrinking market, including making the leap into cyberspace. Panelists include Corey Fakestar Pandolph ("Mad Magazine", "Barkeater Lake"), Lincoln Peirce ("Big Nate") and Norm Feuti ("Retail").

2:00-3:00 pm:
“Center for Cartoon Studies Presents: Self-Publishing 101"
From DIY printing techniques to digital and offset printing, this panel will overview a variety of approaches in self-publishing. The concept of design as content will be stressed, and experienced self-publishers will explain different ways to create carefully designed and fully realized comics. This panel consists of CCS faculty, students and alumni, including Robyn Chapman (Hey, 4-Eyes!), Jon Chad (Leo Geo And His Miraculous Journey Through The Center Of The Earth), Chuck Forsman (Snake Oil), Colleen Frakes (Tragic Relief) and Lucy Knisley (French Milk).”

3:00-4:00 pm:
Gabrielle Bell reads from her new book "Cecil and Jordan in New York Stories" accompanied by a slide show presentation of her work.

4:00-5:00 pm:
A discussion with Becky Cloonan, Chris Giarrusso, Gabrielle Bell and Kean Soo with questions and answers.

5:00 pm:
Festival closes

7:00-9:00 pm:
Live art event at North Star Music Cafe with art auction to benefit WMPG. North Star Music Cafe is located at 225 Congress Street in Portland.

http://www.northstarmusiccafe.com/

Free Graphic Novel Workshop for Educators and Librarians: Super-Powered Comics Reading at the Maine Comics Arts Festival

PORTLAND, MAINE – (May 4, 2009) – On Sunday, May 17, acclaimed national speaker Peter Gutiérrez will present “Super-Powered Comics Reading: Building Literacy and Having Fun” -- a special graphic novel workshop for educators and librarians at The Maine Comics Arts Festival. This free presentation will be held at the Ocean Gateway Terminal in Portland, Maine from 10:30am to Noon as part of the day-long Maine Comics Arts Festival. This is Gutiérrez’s first time presenting in Maine.

Gutiérrez will provide an overview of the ways graphic novels, comics and manga foster and enhance a love of reading. His tips and techniques work across all age levels and translate perfectly into librarian-led book circles and read-alouds. He will share kid-centered ways to leverage the unique strengths of the medium to read with expression, expand vocabulary, practice visual literacy, identify story elements and master comprehension strategies.

His hour-long workshop will lead into a half-hour session with award-winning Maine educator and technology integrationist Laura Richter. She will present her new curriculum for The Undersea Adventures of Capt’n Eli graphic novel series. The curriculum is available for free at www.captneli.com and complimentary copies of the graphic novel will be provided to workshop attendees. The Undersea Adventures of Capt’n Eli is written and illustrated by Jay Piscopo of Portland, Maine.

Richter will demonstrate how teachers can integrate these interactive and engaging lesson plans to expand their curriculum to an interdisciplinary experience where students learn language arts skills, geography mapping, scientific research techniques, ancient mythology, world history, and art. Authentic assessment strategies, technology integration, 21st century skills, and real life learning are all integral to the learning process embedded in these lessons.

More about the presenters:

Peter Gutiérrez specializes in graphic novel professional development programs for librarians and educators throughout the United States. A member of the Commission on Media of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), Peter writes for ForeWord Magazine, School Library Journal, BookShelf, and Graphic Novel Reporter. His book on scriptwriting (including comics) will be published by Scholastic in 2010. Recent graphic novel workshops include: New York City School Library Conference, Massachusetts Library and School Library Annual Conference, New York Comic Con, Kids Comic Con, Fordham University’s Graphica in Education Conference. This November, he will be a featured speaker at NCTE’s New Media Gallery in Philadelphia.

Laura Richter is an award-winning educator and technology integrationist at Skowhegan Area Middle School in Skowhegan, Maine where she has taught for the past 24 years. Laura trains middle and high school teachers in creative and effective ways to integrate technology into their curriculum. She has been a Maine Public Broadcasting Network (MPBN) NTTI Master Teacher, MPBN Teacher of the Year, Apple Distinguished Educator, and a finalist for the ACTEM Technology Leadership Award. This summer, she will present workshops at Summer Tech 2009 in Belfast on the many ways to integrate technology into the classroom, including: how to empower learners with Noteshare, motivate students with Garage Band, engage learners with iPhoto, integrate Comic Life, and applications for Wiki.

Panel- 24 Hour Comics: A Reading and Super-Fast Demo with Marek Bennett

"I Stayed Up All Night Drawing Comics, And So Can YOU!"
24 Hour Comics: A Reading and Super-Fast Demo with Marek Bennett

Xeric-winning cartoonist and teacher Marek Bennett reads from his recent book of 24 hour comics, "HOUR 72!", and reflects on the role of creativity, inspiration, deadlines, surprise, and lack of sleep in both comics and education. Then, astound yourself with Marek's "24 Minute Comic" exercise!

Alphabetical list of guests to date

Here is an alphabetical list (by first name) of guests at the festival to date. There will probably be a few more to add in the coming week as we still need some bios from a few people.

If you are a creator who is attending and you do not see your name on the list please e-mail me asap so that we can be sure we have your information. Also, please check your listing for spelling. Thanks!

Alex Irvine
Alexander Danner
Anne Sibley-O'Brien
Austin English
Aya Rothwell
Barry Corbett
Becky Cloonan
Ben Bishop
Brian Codagnone
Cathy Leamy
Chris Beckett
Chris Giarrusso
Christine Siravo
Christopher Mills
Chuck Forsman
Colleen Frakes
Corey Pandolph
Dan Flemming
Dane Martin
Daniel Mazur
Dave Naybor
David Jacobson
Franklin Einspruch
Gabrielle Bell
Greg Moutafis
Gynn Stella Silva
Hector Rodriguez
Hugh Tims
Jaime Garmendia
Jay Piscopo
Jeff Pert
Jeffrey Lok
Jennifer G Vaughn
Jennifer Ormand
Joe Haley
Joe Quinones
Joe Staton
Joel Rivers
Jon Chad
Joseph Lambert
Julia Wertz
Kean Soo
Kubby
Lincoln Peirce
Lucy Knisley
Marek Bennett
Maris Wicks
Mark Gonyea
Mark Ricketts
Matt Ryan
Matthew Talbot
Melissa Mendes
Michael Connor
Mike Lynch
Nate Doyle
Norm Feuti
Rick Silva
Robyn Chapman
Ron LeBrasseur
Sam Costello
Sam Gaskin
Sarah Glidden
Sarah Searle
Steve Kanaras
Steve Kuster
Susan Soares
TJ Dort
Zack Giallongo

Panel discussion- Surviving as a Print Cartoonist

"Surviving as a Print Cartoonist"- Three Syndicated cartoonists talk about what it takes to make it in today's shrinking market, including making the leap into cyberspace. Panelists include Corey Fakestar Pandolph ("Mad Magazine", "Barkeater Lake"), Lincoln Peirce ("Big Nate") and Norm Feuti ("Retail").

Sponsor Spotlight- Portland Phoenix

The Phoenix is very excited to sponsor the Maine Comics Arts Festival – a HUGE shout out to Casablanca Comics for putting it together! Don’t forget to check out comic writing super-star (and former Phoenix staff writer) Alex Irvine’s table at the show!

Since its first issue hit the streets in September of 1999, the Portland Phoenix has combined the best arts-and- entertainment listings and local news and arts coverage available in the Great State of Maine with the experience and nationally recognized critical expertise of its parent paper, the Boston Phoenix. Each week the Phoenix offers readers a unique editorial perspective not found in daily newspapers. Phoenix writers take the headlines one step further, not delivering just facts but looking behind the story and asking why. The Portland Phoenix is an indispensable resource for entertainment coverage, local news analysis, and complete and comprehensive listings of arts and entertainment events happening from Portsmouth to Bangor.

Panel discussion with The Center for Cartoon Studies

Here is the description of another panel that will be held at the festival. This one will be by the Center for Cartoon Studies (http://cartoonstudies.org/).

“CCS Presents: Self-Publishing 101"
From DIY printing techniques to digital and offset printing, this panel will overview a variety of approaches in self-publishing. The concept of design as content will be stressed, and experienced self-publishers will explain different ways to create carefully designed and fully realized comics. This panel consists of CCS faculty, students and alumni, including Robyn Chapman (Hey, 4-Eyes!), Jon Chad (Leo Geo And His Miraculous Journey Through The Center Of The Earth), Chuck Forsman (Snake Oil), Colleen Frakes (Tragic Relief) and Lucy Knisley (French Milk).”

So where is Ocean Gateway?

The question that we seem to get asked the most is "where is Ocean Gateway"? The short answer is that it is on the waterfront. Turn left onto Commercial Street from Franklin Street (at Casco Bay Ferry Terminal) and drive 2/10 of a mile and you will see it.

Driving North
Take the Maine Turnpike (Interstate 95) toward Portland to Exit 44, I-295. Proceed on I-295 North to exit 7, the Franklin St. exit, and continue straight on Franklin Arterial Street until it ends at Commercial Street. Turn left on Commercial St. (Commercial St. becomes Thames St.). Ocean Gateway will be on Thames Street, on the right, just past India Street.

Driving South
Take exit 103 off the Maine Turnpike (Interstate 95), which will take you to I-295. Head south. Proceed on I-295 South to exit 7, the Franklin St. exit, and continue straight on Franklin Arterial Street until it ends at Commercial Street. Turn left on Commercial St. (Commercial St. becomes Thames St.). Ocean Gateway will be on the right, just past India Street.

From the Portland Airport
Turn right at the Jetport exit onto Congress Street (Rt 22). Stay on Congress Street 1.8 miles and turn onto the ramp to South Portland/ I-295. Keep left at the fork to pick up Fore River Pkwy. Continue straight through intersection with Valley Street, proceeding onto West Commercial Street. Remain on Commercial Street for 2 miles, following the waterfront. Commercial Street becomes Thames Street. Ocean Gateway will be on your right, just past India Street.

Educators workshop at the festival

Free Graphic Novel Workshop for Educators and Librarians: Super-Powered Comics Reading at the Maine Comics Arts Festival

PORTLAND, MAINE – (May 4, 2009) – On Sunday, May 17, acclaimed national speaker Peter Gutiérrez will present “Super-Powered Comics Reading: Building Literacy and Having Fun” -- a special graphic novel workshop for educators and librarians at The Maine Comics Arts Festival. This free presentation will be held at the Ocean Gateway Terminal in Portland, Maine from 10:30am to Noon as part of the day-long Maine Comics Arts Festival. This is Gutiérrez’s first time presenting in Maine.

Gutiérrez will provide an overview of the ways graphic novels, comics and manga foster and enhance a love of reading. His tips and techniques work across all age levels and translate perfectly into librarian-led book circles and read-alouds. He will share kid-centered ways to leverage the unique strengths of the medium to read with expression, expand vocabulary, practice visual literacy, identify story elements and master comprehension strategies.

His hour-long workshop will lead into a half-hour session with award-winning Maine educator and technology integrationist Laura Richter. She will present her new curriculum for The Undersea Adventures of Capt’n Eli graphic novel series. The curriculum is available for free at www.captneli.com and complimentary copies of the graphic novel will be provided to workshop attendees. The Undersea Adventures of Capt’n Eli is written and illustrated by Jay Piscopo of Portland, Maine.

Richter will demonstrate how teachers can integrate these interactive and engaging lesson plans to expand their curriculum to an interdisciplinary experience where students learn language arts skills, geography mapping, scientific research techniques, ancient mythology, world history, and art. Authentic assessment strategies, technology integration, 21^st century skills, and real life learning are all integral to the learning process embedded in these lessons.

More about the Maine Comics Arts Festival:

Presented by Casablanca Comics, this first-year festival was created to celebrate the wonderful world of comic books, comic strips, graphic novels, and web comics. The festival will be held Sunday, May 17 from 10:00am – 5:00pm in the Ocean Gateway Terminal on Thames Street on the waterfront in Portland, Maine and will feature writers, artists and publishers from the field of comics. Admission is $5 and kids 12 and under are free. www.mainecomicsfestival.com

More about the presenters:

Peter Gutiérrez specializes in graphic novel professional development programs for librarians and educators throughout the United States. A member of the Commission on Media of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), Peter writes for ForeWord Magazine, School Library Journal, BookShelf, and Graphic Novel Reporter. His book on scriptwriting (including comics) will be published by Scholastic in 2010. Recent graphic novel workshops include: New York City School Library Conference, Massachusetts Library and School Library Annual Conference, New York Comic Con, Kids Comic Con, Fordham University’s Graphica in Education Conference. This November, he will be a featured speaker at NCTE’s New Media Gallery in Philadelphia.

Laura Richter is an award-winning educator and technology integrationist at Skowhegan Area Middle School in Skowhegan, Maine where she has taught for the past 24 years. Laura trains middle and high school teachers in creative and effective ways to integrate technology into their curriculum. She has been a Maine Public Broadcasting Network (MPBN) NTTI Master Teacher, MPBN Teacher of the Year, Apple Distinguished Educator, and a finalist for the ACTEM Technology Leadership Award. This summer, she will present workshops at Summer Tech 2009 in Belfast on the many ways to integrate technology into the classroom, including: how to empower learners with Noteshare, motivate students with Garage Band, engage learners with iPhoto, integrate Comic Life, and applications for Wiki.

WHAT:

Special graphic novel workshops for librarians and educators by Peter Gutiérrez (Super-Powered Comics Reading: Building Literacy and Having Fun) and Laura Richter (The Undersea Adventures of Capt’n Eli).

WHEN:

Sunday, May 17

10:30am – Noon

WHERE:

Ocean Gateway Terminal

Portland Waterfront

Thames St.

Portland, Maine

(Follow Commercial St. to Thames St.)

COST:

Registration is not required and admission to the presentation is free.

Festival T-Shirts!

Click here to see the t-shirt design! They will be available at the festival and if any are left over online after the show.

Guest updates from the Center for Cartoon Studies

Since receiving her BFA in Sequential Art, Robyn Chapman has been independently producing, publishing and printing her own comics and zines. In 2000 she received a Xeric Grant for her first comic, Theater of the Meek. Robyn's work has been featured in several anthologies and publications, including Scheherazade, Stuck in the Middle, and the NY Metro. In 2004 Robyn was a featured cartoonist in the Comics Journal's young cartoonist issue. In 2005 Robyn became CCS’s first fellow, in 2008 they awarded her with an MFA. In addition to CCS, Robyn has taught cartooning in after-school programs, workshops, and at the New School in New York City.


Jon Chad graduated from the Sequential Art program at the Savannah College of Art and Design in May 2008. He has been producing handmade minicomics and zines since 2006. He has illustrated children's books published by Mascot Books. His comics Leo Geo Acquires Ancient Knowledge and Shortstack were both nominated for the Kukoc Award for Comics Inspiration in 2008. He now lives in White River Junction where he works at The Center for Cartoon Studies.

Exhibitors...check your e-mail.

This is directed to the exhibitors and guests of the festival. We just sent out an important e-mail tonight with lots of details specific to the people who will be setting up at the show. Please read the e-mail and reply to the questions...it will make things a lot easier for planning purposes.

If you believe that you should have gotten an e-mail but did not receive one please e-mail me at comics@casablancacomics.com and I will resend it to you. Thanks!

FAQ's

I just wanted to cover some of the FAQ's we have had about the festival. If anyone has other questions please feel free to e-mail them to me.

What can I expect from the festival?
The festival is really a showcase for the creators. We will have over 70 comic writers and artists on hand for this event. There will be everyone from mini comics publishers to seasoned professionals. There will be comic book writers and artists, gag cartoonists, newspaper cartoonists, web comics creators and more. The guests will have their own work available for sale. Some people will be doing sketches and selling original artwork. Others will have t-shirts, buttons and posters. All of them have one thing in common... a love of comics.

What are the panel discussions?
We will be holding panel discussions every hour. This will feature various guest creators who will be discussing a specific topic. A full schedule will be posted this week. The topics include how to create your own comics and mini-comics, web-comics and much more.

How much does it cost?
Admission is only $5.00. Children 12 and under get in free. There is also no charge for educators and librarians attending our educator workshop.

What is the schedule?
The festival opens to the public at 10:00 am and closes at 5:00 pm. You may leave and re-enter the festival as many times as you like. There are lots of places to eat and shop close to the festival site.

Will there be dealers at this show?
There will not be any dealers in the traditional sense. There will not be any tables with long boxes of back-issues for sale. There will be plenty of books available for sale, but all of the books will be produced and sold by the guests that we have on hand. If you are looking for lots of Marvel and DC comic back-issues this may not be the show for you. Still give it a try though....I think you will be able to find some pretty cool comics in the room.

If you are looking for a more traditional show, I recommend the Granite State Comic-Con on May 31 in Manchester, NH. In Massachusetts check out the fine shows from Larry's Comics.

Two Weeks!!!!!

Two weeks from today! Time flies....

We will be posting LOTS of info this week so please follow the blog. Spent today recovering from Free Comic Book Day yesterday. Thanks!

More guest updates...

Alex Irvine is the writer of the Marvel Comics series Hellstorm: Son of Satan and Daredevil Noir. He is also the writer of award-winning original novels (Buyout, The Narrows, The Life of Riley, One King, One Soldier, A Scattering of Jades), short stories (collected in Unintended Consequences and Pictures from an Expedition), and several tie-in and media-related books (The Vertigo Encyclopedia, Batman:Inferno, The Ultimates: Against All Enemies, The Supernatural Book of Monsters, Demons, Spirits, and Ghouls, Supernatural: John Winchester's Journal). He has also worked as a reporter for the Portland Phoenix, and was part of the writing team on the groundbreaking ARGs known as The Beast and I Love Bees. He lives in Maine, where he teaches at the University of Maine in Orono.

Lincoln Peirce writes and draws the comic strip "Big Nate". Peirce's comic strip, Big Nate, is featured as an island on the famous children's website, Poptropica. Big Nate appears as the first cartoon on The Maine Sunday Telegram in the comics section.

Sponsor Spotlight- Shipyard Brewing Company

Thanks to our sponsor Shipyard Brewing Company. The brewery itself is about 100 yards away from the festival site at Ocean Gateway. Shipyard's products are available at most area stores.

http://www.shipyard.com

Shipyard is committed to brewing the freshest, most flavorful, full-bodied ales available. We use only the finest ingredients, including top fermenting multi-strain yeast from Ringwood Brewery. All our beer is handcrafted with pride at our brewery on the historic waterfront in Portland, Maine.

Shipyard first began in 1992 at Federal Jack's Restaurant and Brew Pub in Kennebunk, which is one of Maine's original brew pubs and working breweries. Within two years, demand for Shipyard beer outpaced the small operation and, in April 1994, founders Fred Forsley and Alan Pugsley opened the Shipyard Brewing Company in Portland. Stop by and visit us when you're in Maine and see first hand why Shipyard is excellence in brewing.

Jellaby 2 in stores NOW!!!

The new Jellaby has arrived, and just in time for the festival!!! Kean Soo is one of our featured guests and we are thrilled to have his new book in the store NOW! We will also have copies available at the festival.

Sponsor spotlight- Inn on Peaks Island

The festival is very fortunate to have some very generous sponsors for our event.

The first one is The Inn on Peaks Island.

http://www.innonpeaks.com

Discover The Inn on Peaks Island - in the heart of Portland's Casco Bay! Just 15 minutes by boat, it's the perfect spot to take in an evening sunset or escape for the weekend, or a week. The Inn's 6 Maine cottage-style luxury rooms feature: Jacuzzi tubs, private decks, and skyline views of Portland. The Pub features fresh Maine seafood, crisp salads, and creative pub fare. Serving lunch and dinner daily. Proudly serving hand-crafted beer from Shipyard Brewing Company.

CR Review: Cecil and Jordan in New York: Stories by Gabrielle Bell

There is a nice review of Gabrielle Bell's new book on the Comics Reporter. Read the review here.

Gabrielle is just one of over 70 guests appearing at the festival. It is just four weeks away!!!!

Posters are here!

The posters have arrived! Thanks to Matt Talbot for the for the great design. You can see more of Matt's work at www.mattrobot.com . If you would like to help distribute posters please let us know.

Exhibitor info e-mails

I have sent an e-mail to everyone who will be exhibiting at the show. If you are a creator or publisher who will be at the festival and you did not receive an e-mail entitled "Maine Comics Arts Festival updates", please contact me so that I can confirm your address. Also, please check your spam filters. Thanks!

More guest bios

Corey “Fake Rockstar” Pandolph has been trying to be funny for 25 years. After several failed attempts at many different comedic genres, he found comfort and success in the tedious and deadline riddled world of comics and comic strips.

In 2001, Corey’s comic “Barkeater Lake” was picked up for syndication development by United Media. After 4 years of unsuccessfully trying to break the feature into the world of newspapers, he decided to leave UM and launch “Barkeater Lake” on the web, where it resides to this very day, sporadically updated to wide acclaimed.

In 2007, Corey got his syndication wish via Universal Press Syndicate, where he took over artistic duties for the comic “The Elderberries” by an ailing Phil Frank. Sadly, in September of that same year, Mr. Frank passed on and Corey took over both the writing and drawing of the strip permanently. The Elderberries is syndicated in over 100 papers worldwide.

Finally, in an effort to completely eliminate any extra time in his day, Corey created the strip “TOBY, Robot Satan” for the Boston and NYC metro. TOBY’s mechanical malevolence runs five days a week and is now featured in The Bollard and on the humor site, Drink at Work.com, as well.

In addition, Mr. Pandolph contributes to the pages of Mad Magazine, writes regularly for the afore-mentioned Drink at Work.com (for which he and his fellow bloggers were nominated for a ECNY award in 2009), As well as contributing to the pages of The Bollard and The Bollard.com of Portland, Maine.

The many websites of the Fake Rockstar universe:

http://www.fakerockstar.com
http://www.tobyrobotsatan.com
http://www.barkeaterlake.com

Corey, his wife Kristen and their three dogs split their time between Gritty McDuff’s in Portland, the mountains of the Adirondacks and the streets of NYC.

Norm Feuti is a syndicated cartoonist and author living in Plainville, Massachusetts. He is also the lucky husband of a beautiful wife, and a proud stay-at-home dad for his two wonderful children.

His syndicated comic strip, Retail , presents a humorous look at the retail industry by chronicling the daily events at the fictitious Grumbel’s department store. The humor of Retail plays out through the day-to-day trials and triumphs of four main Grumbel’s department store employees (Marla, Cooper, Val, and Stuart) and the customers they encounter. Retail is distributed worldwide by King Features and appears in about 70 newspapers throughout the US and Canada.

His first book, Pretending You Care: The Retail Employee Handbook , is a parody guidebook for retail employees that includes over 200 Retail comic strips. Pretending You Care is published by Hyperion. It can be purchased on Amazon.com and at fine booksellers everywhere.

His web comic, Gill , is a fresh and edgy new strip that takes a humorous look at the life of an 8-year-old boy who lives under less than ideal circumstances. His parents are divorced. His mother struggles to maintain their meager existence. His estranged father floats in and out of his life to offer crude and confusing advice. Gill is an exploration of childhood and an imperfect American family in all its dysfunctional glory. You can read Gill 5 days a week at www.gillcomic.com .

Guest list additions

More guests are being added to the festival. Here are some of the latest:

Anne Sibley O'Brien is the creator of the award-winning graphic novel, The Legend of Hong Kil Dong: The Robin Hood of Korea. Raised in Korea, Anne always wanted to bring the classic Korean hero legend to US audiences. Awarded "Booklist’s Top 10 Graphic Novels for Youth" the book has an extensive website http://www.KoreanRobinHood.com, that pulls readers deeper into the world of 17th Century Korea.

JOHN KLOSSNER
John Klossner is a Maine-based cartoonist and illustrator whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, TIME magazine, Down East, Computerworld, and a variety of other print and electronic publications. Hs comic strip "Mason Darrow, non-profit lawyer" ran in the Boston Metro for several years at the turn of the century. John's website is http://www.jklossner.com/

John can often be found in his barn, separating the #1 plastic recyclables from the #2's.

JUANA MEDINA
Juana was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia. She is a student at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). In 2008 she received the first Jay Kennedy Memorial Scholarship, awarded by the National Cartoonists Society and was the recipient of a NEA Challenge Grant awarded through RISD.

She is currently finishing a BFA in Graphic Design. Collaborating in some projects with different artists in the US and contributing work to publications in Latin America.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juana_medina/

More creator updates

There are more bios still to post. Here are some of the most recent:

Melissa Mendes is a student at the Center for Cartoon Studies. Someday she wants to start an artist-mentoring program for high school kids, while still making her own comics, and maybe children's books. You can see more of her work at www.tropist.com/mezilla.

Joseph Lambert graduated from The Center For Cartoon Studies in May 2008. He is the creator of several mini-comics, one of them, “Turtle, Keep It Steady,” was published in Houghton Mifflin’s The Best American Comics 2008, for which he also designed the endpapers. Look for more of Joseph’s work at www.submarinesubmarine.com.

The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS) offers a two-year course of study that centers on the creation and dissemination of comics, graphic novels and other manifestations of the visual narrative. Experienced and internationally recognized cartoonists, writers, and designers teach classes. The school is located in historic downtown village of White River Junction, Vermont, in the old Colodny Surprise Department Store.

Hotel updates-Hilton Garden Hotel

If you are planning on attending the festival and staying at one of our host hotels, please be aware that the room rates are only guaranteed until April 15, 2009. After that the blocks are released to general booking and the group rate will not apply.

The third hotel that we have is the Hilton Garden Hotel.

Below is a link for reserving a room:

http://hiltongardeninn.hilton.com/en/gi/groups/personalized/PWMDHGI-MCA-20090515/index.jhtml

The Hilton is within walking distance of the festival and right across from the ferry terminal. It is the most convenient of the three hotels. NOTE: The "water view" rooms are more but the city view is OK too. You will have a water view all day at the festival. The rate they have offered is a significant savings from the regular rate.

If people are on more of a budget and have questions about anywhere else to stay just let me know.

More guests and updates

Here we are with some more guest updates:

Gabrielle Bell!!!

Gabrielle Bell was born in England and raised in California. In 1998 She began to collect her "Book of" miniseries (Book of Sleep, Book of Insomnia, Book of Black, etc), which resulted in When I'm Old and Other Stories, published by Alternative Comics. In 2001 she moved to New York and released her autobiographical series Lucky, published by Drawn and Quarterly. Bell has contributed to many acclaimed anthologies including Mome, Kramers Ergot and The Drawn and Quarterly Showcase. Her work has been selected for the 2007 and 2009 Best American Comics and the Yale Anthology of Graphic Fiction. Bell's comic "Cecil and Jordan in New York" has been adapted for the film anthology Tokyo! by Michel Gondry, to be released in March 2009. Her latest collection, also titled Cecil and Jordan in New York, will be published at the same time. She lives in Brooklyn, New York and is working on a second volume of Lucky.

American Stronghold: "Your Tomorrows Today." http://americanstronghold.blogspot.com


Faux-Pas Industries (Sam Gaskin and Dane Martin):
Sam Gaskin rides the magic bus.
http://www.samgascan.blogspot.com
Dane Martin lives in the land of laffs.
http://www.danemartin.blogspot.com


Chuck Forsman: Chuck is a recent graduate of the Center for Cartoon Studies and is the self-publisher of Snake Oil, which won two Ignatz Awards in 2008 (Best Series and Best Single Issue).
http://www.chuckmcbuck.com


On the Fly Publications( Dan Fleming and Chris Beckett): Fans of the early '80's British anthology, Warrior, Dan Fleming and Chris Beckett created their own black and white comics/ prose anthology Warrior 27. A home for EC-style short stories, interviews with comics notables like Chris Staros andgary Groth, Dan's tongue-in-cheek rant "I Hate Brian Micheal Bendis" and whatever else can fit, these two Maine creators are looking forward to issue #4, coming in Fall 2009.
http://warrior27.com


Stephanie Piro is a cartoonist, illustrator and designer. She is one of King Features’ team of women cartoonists, “Six Chix” (she is the Saturday chick!). She also does the daily comic “Fair Game” that appears on her website and in magazines, books, calendars and cards. Her latest cartoon collection “My Cat Loves Me Naked” is available all over the place. Plus, she designs t-shirts, jewelry and lots of other stuff for her business the Strip T’s Design Company. She’ll have a variety of these things including her new mini comics at the festival.
Visit her website: www.stephaniepiro.com
Contact her at: stephaniepiro@gmail.com
Check out the Chix blog at: www.thesixchix.com

Guest announcement: Mini Marvels creator Chris Giarrusso!

We are very pleased to announce that Chris Giarrusso will be joining us for the festival. Chris is the creator of the very popular Mini Marvels series for Marvel Comics and the upcoming G-Man Learning to Fly trade paperback from Image Comics.

Visit Chris' (extremely fun) website for more!

http://www.chrisgcomics.com/

More guest updates: Part 3

Yes, there are more guests not yet listed but I need to finish the bios for them. Look for an even larger list in the next few days. Thanks!

More guest updates: Part 2

Nate Doyle: The cartoonist behind the much praised mini comics Crooked Teeth and the Archer. He lives in a punk rock house in Brooklyn like it's 1977. his blog is here http://ndcrookedteeth.blogspot.com/

Austin English is the cartoonist behind the books Christina and Charles, and the creator of Windy Corner Magazine, both published by Sparkplug Books. He lives in a crazy apartment in Brooklyn with about 10 other people and once claimed he wanted to have a baby and raise it in the sink.
http://windycornermag-austin.blogspot.com/

Colleen Frakes: Colleen Frakes is a Xeric Award winning cartoonist and graduate of the Center for Cartoon Studies. Her Tragic Relief comics appear monthly in Bash! Magazine (www.bashmagazine.com) and she is a member of the "I KNOW JOE KIMPEL" collective (www.iknowjoekimpel.com).
http://www.tragicrelief.blogspot.com .

Free Lunch Comics: Under the direction of Matt Ryan as President, Steve Kanaras as Publisher and Steve Kuster as Creative Director, Free Lunch Comics (www.freelunchcomics.com) has been publishing quality books for over 10 years. Their flagship title is Bigger, the story of Willie Rison. They have recently expanded their line of creator-owned titles, including a comedy entitled Pork N' Beans, the horror anthology Only in Whispers, gothic horror masterpiece Am I Immortal, the high-flying adventure Sky Pirates of Valendor and most recently the collection of comic strip art in The Original Nutty Funsters: A List of Grievances. The most recent property to be released is The Blood Rider, a western horror comic adaptation of the novel by the same name. Free Lunch Comics has expanded in order to diversify their offerings and provide entertaining books for readers of all interests.
Zack Giallongo:

THE BIO MADE TO SOUND LIKE IT WAS WRITTEN BY SOMEONE OTHER THAN ME
by Zack Giallongo

Zack Giallongo was born in the snowy month of December in 1979. He was educated at the Francis J. Burke Elementary School in Medway, Massachusetts, as well as other higher levels of education. Zack currently lives in Rhode Island - the home of coffee milk and quahogs - where he draws pictures and writes words.

Known for "The Tenth Life of Pishio te Cat" (his brief foray into webcomics) and co-founding "Life Meter" (a videogame art tribute site), he is currently working on his graphic novel, "Broxo" (about a boy barbarian) for First Second.

His greatest ambition is to become a minor-enough celebrity to be on either NPR's "Wait, Wait… Don't Tell Me" show, or one of VH1's decade-reminiscience shows so that he can say "Aw, yeah! I remember He-Man!"

http://www.zackgiallongo.com
Sarah Glidden is the cartoonist behind the multiple award winning comic How To Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less which is being published by Vertigo in 2010. She lives in a pretty normal Brooklyn apartment which is really kind of weird.
http://www.smallnoises.com/

David Jacobson, originally from New York, has been a cartoonist and illustrator for over 25 years, and his humorous work has appeared in magazines and newspapers around the country, including The Washington Post, The New York Times, USA Today magazine and The New Yorker. For 18 years, he drew a daily Lifestyles cartoon for the Gannett Newspapers in Westchester, New York, and had a nationally syndicated sports cartoon, “Offsides,” with United Media. He's illustrated children's books for Harper/Collins and Viking/Penguin. Here in Maine, David’s work can be seen regularly in DownEast magazine and every Monday in the Business section of the Bangor Daily News.

Mike Lynch: Mike Lynch is a magazine cartoonist. His clients include Reader's Digest, Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, McGraw Hill books, and many others. He is the National Cartoonist Society's National Representative. He lives in New Hampshire with his wife and three cats. In addition to his Web Site, www.heykidscomics.com, Mike writes the popular Mike Lynch Cartoons blog on the business of cartooning.

Jeff Pert: The work of Maine cartoonist Jeff Pert appears on merchandise in the
United States, Canada and the Caribbean. Over the past 27 years he has
drawn and sold single panel gag cartoons, comic strips, editorial
cartoons, greeting cards, comic books and humorous illustrations. His
lobster and moose cartoon calendars are perennial best sellers
throughout New England. Occasionally he actually gets a chance to draw
just for the fun of it.

Mark Ricketts: Mark is a comics writer/ cartoonist located in Bangor, Maine. He has created comics for Marvel, Dark Horse, Image, Moonstone and McGraw Hill. He was the winner of the 2000 Klasky Csupo (Rugrats, Duckman) Screenwriting Award. He has created illustrations for Playboy and Nickelodeon. He has a regular feature in Bangor Metro Magazine, and has a webcomic- moosemountaincomics.com .

Trees and Hills Comics Group: Trees and Hills is a comics organization for creators in Vermont, New Hampshire and western Massachusetts. They produce and sell regional comics.
http://www.treesandhills.org

Julia Wertz is the cartoonist behind The Fart Party volumes 1 and 2 published by Atomic Books and the editor of I Saw You...an anthology of comics inspired by missed connection ads published by Three Rivers Press. She lives in a dumpster in Brooklyn.
http://www.fartparty.org/

More guest updates: Part 1

Michael Connor: Michael is the Portland based creator of many whimsical comics including Coelacanthus.

Marek Bennett: Marek is the Xeric Award winning creator of Mimi's Donuts.
http://www.marekbennett.com

Boston Comics Roundtable:

The Boston Comics Roundtable was founded in October 2006 by David Kender, to foster community for comics creators in the Boston Area. Since then the group has grown from three members to nearly fifty, meeting weekly in Harvard Square and sending contingents to conventions around the country. In 2007, the BCR begain publishing “Inbound,” an anthology of local comics, currently on its third issue.

For more info: www.bostoncomicsroundtable.com


Dan Mazur lives in Cambridge, MA and is part of the Boston Comics Roundtable crew. He has created the print and web comics, “Palindrams” and “Lummox,” among others. His comics have appeared in the anthologies “Inbound” and “I Saw You: Missed Connections,” and his strip “Canyon Comix,” ran for five years in the Topanga Messenger of Topanga Canyon California. He;s also taught comics at the Art Institute of Boston, Brookline Arts Center, and the Calmont School.

Some of his stuff’s at www.webcomicsnation.com/danmazur.


Aya Rothwell grew up reading books and catching insects. She went to film school, worked in NYC for a bit on movie sets, then came back to Boston to draw comics. She makes stories about birds, cats, ghosts, time travel, aliens, potatoes and other things that snare her interest. Her films have been screened at film festivals, her animation won an award on Newgrounds.com, and she is creating work for upcoming Boston Comic anthologies.

You can find Aya's work at www.AyaRothwell.com and her blog at ayarothwell.blogspot.com


Franklin Einspruch draws, paints, writes, and cajoles computers into
doing things for him as his wife and a houseful of various
domesticated animals look on in alternating awe and bewilderment. His
comics appear at The Moon Fell On Me and have also been featured at
Top Shelf 2.0. Franklin has exhibited his paintings at galleries in
Miami, San Diego, and Scottsdale, AZ, and he has served as artist in
residence at programs in Greece in Taiwan. His art criticism has
appeared in the Boston Globe, the Miami New Times, the Sun Post, NYFAA
Interactive, and on Artblog.net, which he has produced since 2003. He
lives in Boston. Link: http://themoonfellonme.com


Alexander Danner's current projects include the online series
"Gingerbread Houses," illustrated by Edward J. Grug III and
"Uncertainty," illustrated by Tym Godek. His comics have appeared on
ModernTales.com and in the Boston comics anthology "Inbound," and two
of his stories, "The Discovery of Spoons" and "Five Ways to Love a
Cockroach," have received Webcartoonist Choice Awards. He is
co-author of the book "Character Design for Graphic Novels," and
teaches Writing the Graphic Novel at Emerson College.

Cathy Leamy is a Boston-based cartoonist. She's the creator of the autobio/humor
minicomic *Geraniums and Bacon* and the artist for the webcomic *Planet Wifey*.
She is also a member of the comics collective Boston Comics Roundtable and has
published work in the group's anthology, *Inbound*.

Sponsors, promotion and updates

I hope to have some updates later this week. We have more creators bios to post, and some scheduling things to list. Here is what I have for tonight:

SPONSORS: We would like to thank our sponsors:

Inn on Peaks Island

Shipyard Brewing Company

Capt'n Eli's Soda

The Portland Phoenix

The Inn on Peaks Island will be hosting our opening reception for creators. More details on that soon. Shipyard and Capt'n Eli's will be providing beverages and lots of other support. Our thanks to them.

The festival will be promoted regionally with 4 full page ads in the Portland Phoenix. They have covered the comics scene here in Portland for many years.

Also, we have been scheduled tentatively as the cover story for the Portland Press Herald "GO" section the Thursday before the festival.

There are lots of other things in the works. Posters and cards are coming soon.

Thanks!

SOLD OUT!!!!

Tables for the festival have sold out. There is a waiting list in case of cancellations but the room is completely full. Thanks to all of the creators who registered and will be joining us. Look for more guest updates soon. Thanks!

Table registrations are on hold

Hello,
Due to the number of registrations that arrived today we are approaching a sell out of the room. At this time we have decided to put registrations on hold until we can set the final floor plan. We do not want to oversell the room.

We will be meeting at Ocean Gateway on Tuesday to measure again and figure out the exact number of tables available. Once we have done that we will determine whether or not we will be able to accept any more exhibitors.

If you think that you would like to exhibit but have not yet reserved a table please e-mail us to be put on the waiting list. Thanks!

Rick Lowell
Casablanca Comics
Maine Comics Arts Festival

Special Guest update: Becky Cloonan!

We are pleased to announce that Becky Cloonan will be a guest at the festival. Becky's work includes "Demo" (with Brian Wood), "American Virgin" from Vertigo, "East Coast Rising" from Tokyopop and more. Full details soon, and watch for even more guest updates.

Special Guest update: Kean Soo, creator of "Jellaby"

We are very pleased to announce that Kean Soo will be among our special guests for the Maine Comics Arts Festival. Kean is the creator of "Jellaby" which is one of our favorite books at Casablanca Comics. He also is an assistant editor of the popular "Flight" anthologies from Ballantine Books.

You can read all about Jellaby at the Secret Friends Society:
http://www.secretfriendsociety.com/index.php

Visit Kean Soo's website:
http://www.keaner.net/

"Jellaby Volume 2" will be out just in time for the festival. We can't wait!

Guest list update

Here is the beginning of our guest list. Check back for more updates.

Atomic Pulp: Christopher Mills is the writer of Femme Noir from Ape Entertainment and Kolchak from Moonstone Books.

Joe Staton is a veteran comics artist whose credits include virtually every major character from DC and Marvel Comics.
http://www.atomicpulp.com

Marek Bennett: Marek is the Xeric Award winning creator of Mimi's Donuts.
http://www.marekbennett.com

Ben Bishop: Ben is the creator of the graphic novel Nathan the Caveman.
http://bishart.net/

Boston Comics Roundtable: A collective of comics creators from the Boston area. Their members published Inbound, an anthology of original comics. Their Spring '09 Love and Romance issue will be out in time for the festival.
http://www.bostoncomicsroundtable.com

Corbett Features: Barry Corbett and Brian Codagnone are equal partners at Corbett Featurs. Barry is a panel cartoonist and the creator of the comic strip Ginger & Shadow. Brian Produces two comic strips, Misfits and S1019 and writes a humor cloumn. They have published 3 trade paperbacks; Hey America! It's Misfits Time by Brian, Embrace the Pun!, a collection of pun-based panel cartoons by Barry, and Kitty Nirvana, a collection of Barry's comic strips. Nirvana won a Silver Medal at the 2008 Ippy Awards.
http://www.corbettfeatures.com

Sam Costello: Sam Costello is a writer based in Providence, Rhode Island. He writes the webcomic Split Lip, which the Horror Blog called "the predominant original horror comic work on the internet". His comics have also appeared in Cthulhu Tales and Negative Burn.
http://www.splitlipcomic.com

Dandelion Studios:Gynn Stella Silva

Originally from New Hampshire, Gynn received her degree from Massachusetts College of Art with a major in filmmaking. She currently lives and works on Cape Cod with her husband, Rick Silva. Together they make up Dandelion Studios, a small press comic book company. Gynn does all of the artwork for their comic Zephyr & Reginald: Minions for Hire as well as for her minicomics and her upcoming graphic novel, Knifeclaw Company. Her artwork has appeared in Space & Time magazine, and she was selected to be published in the 2005 24-Hour Comics Day anthology. In addition to doing her artwork, Gynn is involved in animal rescue. She is a volunteer at the Cape Wildlife Center, and has adopted two special-needs cats.

Rick Silva

Rick Silva has been involved in small press publishing since his college days. He published and edited Kinships magazine. Along with his wife Gynn, Rick is a partner in Dandelion Studios, a small press comic book company. Rick co-writes the Dandelion Studios comics Zephyr & Reginald: Minions for Hire and Perils of Picorna. He publishes his own zine, Caravan, and he is one of the featured contributors for the fiction webzine The Edge of Propinquity. Rick Silva grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, attended Cornell University, and currently teaches chemistry at a high school on Cape Cod, where he resides with his wife and two cats.
http://www.dandelionstudios.com

Zack Giallongo:
http://www.zackgiallongo.com

Mark Gonyea:
http://www.mroblivious.com

Lucy Knisley: Lucy Knisley is the author of the drawn travel journal "French Milk" from Simon and Schuster. She went to the Center for Cartoon Studies, and lives in Chicago. She is 24.
http://www.lucyknisley.com

Dave Naybor: Dave is the creator of Walking Christendom.

Jennifer Omand: Jennifer is the creator of Squarecat Comics, an online diary comic that has run daily since 2003. It has been collected into two (so far) volumes.
http://squarecatcomics.com

Jay Piscopo: Jay is the creator of The Undersea Adventures of Capt'n Eli from Nemo Publishing.
http://www.captneli.com

Joel Rivers: Joel is the creator of the Xeric Award winning comic series Along the Canadian.
http://www.obioncomics.com

Sarah Searle: Sarah has been making comics for five years in the Portland area and has recently begun self-publishing again. Check out her newest work at:
http://www.swinsea.com

Christina Siravo:
http://www.zazzle.com/csiravo

Matt Talbot: Matt is the co-creator of the indy comic Johnny Raygun.
http://mattrobot.com

The Underburbs: Joe Haley and T.J. Dort are both graduates of Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, MA where they majored in illustration. The Underburbs, a tale of Halloween, montser worlds, and world domination, is their first comic series.
http://underburbs.deviantart.com

Jen Vaughn: Jen Vaughn is proud to attend the first Maine Comics Arts festival. As a transplanted Texan, she is enjoying her time at the Center for Cartoon Studies in Vermont. Stop by for a sketch or a copy of Supergrrrl Adventure Comix or her newest tiltle, 321.
http://www.the vaughncurse.com

More guests coming soon....

Groundhog update.....

Hello,
It has only been two weeks since we opened exhibitor registrations and already half of our tables are committed. We should be able to make some special guest announcements soon. I expect that once that happens the remaining tables will sell quickly.

If you are going to be at the New York Comic Con please be sure to stop by and talk with some of our Portland area creators who will be there. They include Jay Piscopo ( Nemo Publishing "The Undersea Adventures of Capt'n Eli" ), Ben Bishop ("Nathan the Caveman") and Joel Rivers ("Along the Canadian", a Xeric winner).

Watch for further updates. Thanks!

Hotels in Portland part II- The Holiday Inn by the Bay

We have reserved a block of twenty rooms at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland for Saturday, May 16- Sunday, May 17 2009. The room rate is $119 per night. The Holiday Inn is located downtown in the Arts District. There will be a shuttle available to bring people to and from the festival or anywhere else in Portland.

http://www.innbythebay.com/

The rooms feature two beds per room and are for single or double occupancy. Reservations must be made by calling the hotel's local reservation department at 1-800-345-5050. Attendees must ask specifically for a room from the Maine Comics Arts Festival block to ensure you get the proper rate and availability. Reservations must be made by April 15, 2009. After that any remaining rooms will be released from the block for general public resale.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

Website up/ registrations open

The festival website has been published. It may take a day or so to work its way across the internet so don't be surprised if you don't find it immediately.

http://mainecomicsfestival.com/

If you can't wait to register as an exhibitor you can download the registration form here:

http://casablancacomics.com/mecaf/mecafcon.pdf .

Some things to keep in mind. There are not a huge number of tables available. Some tables are committed to invited guests. We are still waiting to get a final table count but hope to measure things this week. If the first offering of tables sell out we will start a waiting list in case more tables should become available. Please feel free to e-mail us with any questions. Thanks!

Hotels in Portland- The Portland Regency

We have three hotels that we are working with in Portland. The first one is the Portland Regency.

http://theregency3-px.trvlclick.com/default.htm

This fine hotel is right in the heart of Portland's Old Port. This is where we usually reserve rooms for guests who are appearing at our store. It is approximately a 30 second walk from the hotel to our store.

They have set aside a block of rooms for people attending the festival for the dates of May 16 and 17. The room rate is $149 a night (savings of $20 per night). Reservations must be made by phone to their reservation department and you must mention that you are attending the Maine Comics Arts Festival.

Reservations & Information: USA: 1-(888) 636-8311 or 1-888-893-4606.

Of the three hotels we are working with, this hotel is the most convenient to shopping, restaurants and bars.

We will be listing the information for the other two hotels next week. We need to finalize the contracts and have codes assigned to the reservations. Please e-mail us with any questions. Thanks!

Updates/ website/ registration

Hello,
The website and registration forms are finished. I am having some people review them for errors and then everything should go live this week.

We have some cool sponsorships that we should be able to announce later this week. More should follow. Thanks!

Vendor table registrations

We should be opening vendor table registrations within the week. We need to visit the event site one more time to get an exact table count so that we do not oversell the room. If we do not have a chance to do that, we may open most of the tables but hold a few back to be safe. A few tables have already been committed to invited guests.

Planning on attending? Please feel free to post in the comments section. Thanks!