Words and Pictures

  Ryan Alexander-Tanner is a comics artist and illustrator who’s led comics workshops for kids and adults, and worked with writers and non-profit organizations for projects that he calls “illustrated narratives.”  He's collaborated with professor and activist Bill Ayers on... Read more

  As Syria struggles to emerge from decades of conflict, we revisit our November 2018 conversation with Drawn to Berlin author Ali Fitgerald. Drawn to Berlin follows Ali's encounters with Syrian youth, as she teaches comics workshops at a makeshift refugee center in German... Read more

  Over half a century ago, the UPA animation studio was a haven for misfit geniuses struggling to create relevant cartoon films in the face of political and cultural repression.  Gambling the future of the company on an hourlong television special featuring their most popu... Read more

  In the runup to the second presidential term of Donald Trump, we revisit our June 2023 conversation with the creative team behind 1/6: The Graphic Novel, a speculative spin on the real events of January 6, 2021. Writers Gan Golan (The Adventures of Unemployed Man) and Al... Read more

  Dave Cooper is a comics artist, animator, and oil painter whose graphic novels and monographs have included admiring introductions from the likes of comedian David Cross and filmmakers Guillermo del Toro and David Cronenberg. His paintings and drawings have found homes ... Read more

  In the leadup to the 2024 Portland Book Festival, we revisit our January 2011 conversation with comics artist and animator Vera Brosgol. Vera drew on her own immigrant childhood for inspiration in creating the character of Anya, the haunted teenager at the heart of her d... Read more

  Tessa Hulls' debut as an author is the sprawling graphic memoir Feeding Ghosts, a story of her own family, of survival and madness and love, seen through the lens of three generations of women and covering nearly a century of Chinese history. Tessa is an illustrator, pa... Read more

  Ed Wood Jr made low-budget B-movies that tested the limits of 1950's American sensibilities, with such outre features as Bride of the Monster, Plan 9 From Outer Space, and Glen or Glenda.  Portrayed by Johnny Depp in the 1994 Tim Burton bio-pic, Ed is now recognized as a... Read more

  Revolutions Per Movie host Chris Slusarenko calls his weekly podcast “your deep dive into our life-long obsessions where music and film collide." Chris invites musicians, actors, and filmmakers to choose a favorite music documentary, video, or musical, and tease apart th... Read more