The Virtual Authors Festival: Visual Storytelling is this year’s celebration of story that is presented annually by the Octavia Fellin Public Library. The festival typically brings in 1500 participants for presentations and workshops from artists, filmmakers, poets, and authors to get your summer rolling with storytelling and creativity during the entire month of May. All events are free and virtual.

We’re excited to partner with 7000 BC, a local organization for independent comics in New Mexico, to present a panel on translating a written story into a visual language. Join our panel of designers, illustrators, and comic creators as we discuss their experiences translating stories into visual mediums.

To watch our panel, simply tune in at 3pm on the Octavia Fellin Public Library’s Facebook page for their live broadcast and see it archived on their YouTube channel.

PANELISTS

(right to left): Vanessa Bowen, Eric Glover, Chris Philpot, Michael Ellis, Jeff Benham

Vanessa Bowen

Vanessa Bowen is a Diné (Navajo) multi-faceted artist, graphic designer, UX designer, and entrepreneur. Her work gravitates toward the intersection of design and social equity. In 2016, she became well-known for producing “Make America Native Again” hats as a way of starting a conversation about the problematic history behind Donald Trump’s presidential campaign slogan — “Make America Great Again” — and to raise awareness for marginalized indigenous peoples in the U.S. Read her illustrated feature on Eater. See her portfolio at bowencreative.co

Eric Anthony Glover

A feature writer, TV writer, and graphic novelist, Eric studied screenwriting at Sarah Lawrence College. After his sci-fi feature script earned him a fellowship through Final Draft, Inc., Eric went on to write his first drama pilot, which earned him representation. Additionally, Eric was selected for the 2020 Humanitas Prize New Voices award, NBC’s Writers on the Verge 2020-21 fellowship, and the 2021 Sony Pictures Television Diverse Writers Program. As a writer for the arts and entertainment company Meow Wolf, Eric developed storylines and wrote scripts for immersive science fiction exhibits across the country. His graphic novel, BLACK STAR, was just published as a title in Abrams ComicArts’ imprint, Megascope.

Chris Philpot

Chris Philpot is an illustrator, designer and animator. His clients include The Atlantic, Car and Driver, Esquire, Facebook, National Geographic Kids, The New York Times, Outside, Penguin Random House, and Wired among many others. In addition to print, his work often appears in motion in the form of animated information graphics, explainer videos, and book trailers. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with his wife, three kids, and unreasonably large dog. See his portfolio at chrisphilpot.com

Michael Ellis

Multimedia artist, illustrator, and comic artist. Previously an at SUVA and long-time member of 7000 BC. See his portfolio at michaelellisart.com

Jeff Benham

Jeff Benham has spent more than thirty-five years telling stories through word and image, in a broad range of media and style, most often through comics, handmade books, and live theatre. As Education Coordinator for New Mexican non-profit 7000 BC, he is especially interested in bridging between the arts and other disciplines. He has an Olympic Gold Medal in Art, which sounds absurd but is true and really fun to say.