DiasporaCon: Ink to Action

DiasporaCon is a one-day conference experience focusing on opportunities in the graphic novel industry for folks of the African Diaspora. The 2024 theme is Ink to Action exploring the bridge between graphic novels and the film industry. Taking off at Southern Connecticut State University, DiasporaCon will be a full day of panels, workshops, interactive activities, and a diverse vendor marketplace. Admission is free! Pay what you can donations are greatly appreciated.

This year's keynote speaker is Dr. Sheena C. Howard! Sheena is an award- winning author, filmmaker and scholar. In 2014 Sheena became the first Black woman to win an Eisner Award for her first book, Black Comics: Politics of Race and Representation (2013). The Eisner Awards are considered the ‘Oscars of Comics’. She is also the author of several critically acclaimed books and comics books. In 2017, Sheena published the Encyclopedia of Black Comics, which is the first book of its kind, profiling over 100 Black people in the comics industry.

*Panel Topics:  Indie Creators Panel, Publishing Your Project, Building Your Universe, Keynote Presentation

*Workshops: Screenwriting: Adapting Comics to Film, Drawing Black Characters,  Imagination Recharge

Special Activities: Cosplay Contest & Runway Trivia with AnUrbanNerd  

All Day Activities: Vendor Market, Gaming Lounge, The Screening Room  

*Panel and workshops subject to change until schedule is finalized