Graphic Novel Author Jay Piscopo booking school and library visits for Spring / Summer 2011

Maine comic book artist Jay Piscopo is now booking school and library visits for Spring and Summer 2011.

DRAW ON YOUR CREATIVITY: In this interactive drawing workshop, comic book artist Jay Piscopo uses simple geometric shapes to teach kids how to build anatomy and perspective to create art that tells a story. Check out Jay in the CLASSROOM. Go behind the scenes in JAY'S STUDIO where he creates The Undersea Adventures of Capt'n Eli graphic novel series.

Contact Tami Kennedy at tami@maine.rr.com or 207-838-0816 to book.

Spring appearances include:

April 27
JMG Career Development Conference -- Augusta, ME

May 3
Orono Middle School - Orono, ME

May - Date TBD
King's Highway Elementary - Westport, CT

May 21 - 22
Maine Comics Arts Festival - Portland, ME

June 23
4:30 - 7:00
Wenham Museum - Wenham, MA
Outer-Space Saturday
Space explorers celebrate the opening of the Blast Off! Space Toys exhibit with a moon bounce, games and sundaes that are out of this world! Get a free sketch from comic book artist Jay Piscopo, creator of the heroic Golden Age space traveler, Commander X. Tour the galleries during extended Museum hours.

June-September
Artwork featured in Blast Off! Space Toys exhibit at the Wenham Museum.

Jay Piscopo draws a crowd at Maine Festival of the Book

View photos at this link.

On Saturday, April 10, 2010 comic book artist Jay Piscopo presented his interactive cartooning workshop to a standing room only crowd at the 4^th annual Maine Festival of the Book. Using simple geometric shapes, Jay demonstrated how anyone can learn to draw and create comics.

Portland, Maine-based Piscopo is the author and illustrator of The Undersea Adventures of Capt’n Eli all-ages graphic novel series. He also co-created The Scrap City Pack Rats, art directed the award-winning Fizz and Martina Math Adventures, and was an animator for ABC TV’s Squigglevision.

Earlier in the week, Piscopo also presented the festival’s youth outreach component with a program for students in the Jobs for Maine’s Graduates' annual Urban Adventure program.

Jay Piscopo: Free program at Maine Festival of the Book

Free young adult, children's programs part of Maine Festival of the Book

Download a Maine Festival of the Book brochure HERE.

Programs designed for all ages and interests will be presented at the Maine Festival of the Book on Saturday, April 10 at the Abromson Center at the University of Southern Maine, Portland. The programs are free and open to the public.

Presented by Maine Reads, the festival offers more than 30 readings, signings, performances, and panel discussions. With the exception of Opening Night on the evening of April 9, a benefit for Maine Reads featuring bestselling authors Tess Gerritsen and Anita Shreve, programs are free. (Tickets for Opening Night are available through www.mainereads.org.)

On Saturday, April 10, young adult and children’s authors will be on hand to sign books and chat with their fans at a special book signing presented by Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance, from noon to 2 pm at the Abromson Center at USM.

Just prior to the book signing session, at 11 am on Saturday, comic book artist Jay Piscopo will present a cartooning workshop for children ages 7-12 at the Abromson Center as part of the Maine Festival of the Book. The workshop is free and open to the public on a first-come, first-serve, basis.

Using simple geometric shapes, Jay will demonstrate how anyone can learn to draw and create comics. While sharing cartooning tips, he will teach perspective and figure drawing to create art that tells a story. Art supplies will be provided.

Portland artist Jay Piscopo is the author and illustrator of The Undersea Adventures of Capt’n Eli, an all-ages graphic novel series. He also co-created The Scrap City Pack Rats, art directed the award-winning Fizz and Martina Math Adventures, and was an animator for ABC TV’s Squigglevision.

Piscopo will also donate his time as part of the festival’s outreach efforts and will present a program for students in the Jobs for Maine’s Graduates program that week.

The festival will also include free readings and discussions for the adult audience starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 10 at the Abromson Center at USM. Programs will run concurrently for approximately an hour each, giving attendees the opportunity to spend a day immersed in new literature and meeting some of their favorite authors while moving from programs ranging from biography, to writing novels, to gardening and historic preservation.

The Maine Festival of the Book is produced by Maine Reads in collaboration with organizations statewide.

Dedicated to the fight for a more literate Maine, Maine Reads provides meaningful programs that celebrate Maine’s rich literacy heritage and encourage literacy and collaboration.

In addition to the Maine Festival of the Book, Maine Reads presents Read With ME., which distributes books to kindergartners statewide, and the Maine Reads Community Literacy Project, which supports libraries statewide.

Jay Piscopo: April Appearance Schedule

In April, graphic novel artist Jay Piscopo will present his interactive Draw on Your Creativity workshop at the following schools and libraries.

These appearances include presenting the keynote address at the Maine Student Book Awards in Blue Hill and Career Day in Yarmouth.

View his full appearance schedule at this link.

To schedule an appearance, contact Tami Kennedy at tami@maine.rr.com


Jay is the author and illustrator of The Undersea Adventures of Capt'n Eli graphic novel series.

April 1
Maine Student Book Awards
Keynote and Workshops
Blue Hill Consolidated School
Blue Hill, ME

April 6, 16, and 29
Comics Drawing Workshop
The PORT Teen Center
Freeport, ME

April 8
11:00 - 12:15
Maine Recreation and Parks Association
Annual Conference
Camden, ME

April 9
11:30 - Noon
UNUM Corporate Offices
Maine Reads -- Maine Festival of the Book
Special kick off for JMG's Urban Adventure

April 10
11:00
Maine Festival of the Book -- Portland, ME

April 13
7:45 - 10:50
Keynote - Career Day at Frank Harrison Middle School
Yarmouth, ME

April 28
JMG - Career Development Conference
Augusta, ME

January Appearance Schedule

View my full appearance schedule at this link.

January 20

12:15pm
Veazie Community School -- Veazie, ME

6:00pm
Bookgroup: Guys read, too!
Orono Public Library -- Orono, ME

I am the author and illustrator of The Undersea Adventures of Capt'n Eli all ages graphic novel series. In my interactive Draw on Your Creativity drawing workshop, I use simple geometric shapes to teach kids how to build anatomy and perspective to create art that tells a story. Check out photos from my workshop at this link. The Undersea Adventures of Capt'n Eli is the perfect way to Make a Splash @ Your Library in Summer 2010! For more information and to book me to visit your school or library visit this link or contact Tami Kennedy at tami@maine.rr.com

Jay Piscopo: January Appearance Schedule

View Jay Piscopo's full appearance schedule at this link.

January 20

12:15pm
Veazie Community School -- Veazie, ME

6:00pm
Bookgroup: Guys read, too!
Orono Public Library -- Orono, ME

Jay Piscopo is the author and illustrator of The Undersea Adventures of Capt'n Eli all ages graphic novel series. In his interactive Draw on Your Creativity drawing workshop, comic book artist Jay Piscopo uses simple geometric shapes to teach kids how to build anatomy and perspective to create art that tells a story. Check out photos from his workshop at this link. The Undersea Adventures of Capt'n Eli is the perfect way to Make a Splash @ Your Library in Summer 2010! For more information and to book Jay to visit your school or library visit this link or contact Tami Kennedy at tami@maine.rr.com

Jay Piscopo: September Appearance Schedule

View Jay Piscopo's full appearance schedule at this link.

September 9
State Street School -- Brewer, ME

September 10
Orono Middle School -- Orono, ME

Sunday, September 20 only
BangPop! -- Bangor, ME

September 24
6:30
Gilford Public Library -- Gilford, NH

Through September 13:
Wenham Museum -- Wenham, MA
Exhibit -- Colorful Characters: Storytelling Through Comics

Jay Piscopo is the author and illustrator of The Undersea Adventures of Capt'n Eli all ages graphic novel series. In his interactive Draw on Your Creativity drawing workshop, comic book artist Jay Piscopo uses simple geometric shapes to teach kids how to build anatomy and perspective to create art that tells a story. Check out photos from his workshop at this link.

For more information and to book Jay to visit your school or library contact Tami Kennedy at tami@maine.rr.com

Jay Piscopo - June Appearance Schedule

June TBD
King Middle School -- Portland, ME
Special workshop for Final Frontier: Building a Colony in Space

June 3
1:30
Converse Middle School - 7th Grade Assembly - Palmer, MA

June 5
12:30 - 2:00
Brewer High School -- Brewer, ME

June 9 - September 13
Wenham Museum -- Wenham, MA
Exhibit -- Colorful Characters: Storytelling Through Comics

June 16
4:30 - 5:30
Summer Reading Program Kick-off
Free sketches, comic books, collectible card games & Capt'n Eli's Soda. Prince Memorial Library - Cumberland, ME

June 18
2:00
Jay-Niles Memorial Library -- Jay, ME

June 22 - 26
Summer Techology Institute -- Belfast, ME
Laura Richter

June 24
2:00
Stewart Free Library -- Corinna, ME

June 27
4:00 - 7:00pm
Wenham Museum -- Wenham, MA
Dress up as your favorite superhero, chat with local comic book artists, fly in the bouncy house, watch Jay Piscopo -- author/illustrator of The Undersea Adventures of Capt'n Eli -- draw your favorite superhero and top the day off with super ice cream sundaes!

June 30
11:00 & 1:00
Curtis Memorial Library -- Brunswick, ME

Jay Piscopo is the author/illustrator of The Undersea Adventures of Capt'n Eli graphic novel series. In his interactive drawing workshop - Draw on Your Creativity -- Jay invites students to try their hand at cartoon art and demonstrates how anyone can learn to draw and create comics. Using simple geometric shapes, Jay teaches kids how to build anatomy and perspective to create art that tells a story. Stand by for adventure with this interactive workshop!

Maine Comic Book Artist Jay Piscopo to be Featured at the Wenham Museum

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nemo Publishing

Contact:
Tami Kennedy
207-838-0816
tami@maine.rr.com

Maine Comic Book Artist Jay Piscopo to be Featured at the Wenham Museum Colorful Characters: Storytelling Through Comics Exhibit

PORTLAND, MAINE – (May 30, 2009) – Portland, Maine comic book artist Jay Piscopo’s artwork will be featured at the Wenham Museum, 132 Main St., in Wenham, Massachusetts as part of its Colorful Characters: Storytelling Through Comics exhibit. This family-friendly exhibit will run from June 9 – September 13, 2009 and focus on one of the most popular ways authors and artists get their stories out to the world: comic books and graphic novels.

Piscopo is the author and illustrator of The Undersea Adventures of Capt’n Eli graphic novel series and his artwork was selected for the exhibit poster. Original sketches from Volume 1 will be on display as well as a limited edition Commander X Mego-style action figure. There will also be an installation of Piscopo’s An Artist at Work and Draw on Your Creativity videos which take viewers behind the scenes for a look at the creative process of creating comic books.

In addition to Piscopo’s work, the exhibit will feature original artwork created by a diverse group, including: Paul Ryan, who draws the daily comic strip The Phantom; Curtis Lawson, author of The Sleeping King; and Jarrett Krosoczka, whose brand new graphic novel series, The Lunch Lady, will be available in July. In addition, dozens of vintage comic books will be on display and there will also be interactive displays including Superman’s phone booth, Batman’s Batmobile, and a create your own comic art room.

On Saturday, June 27 from 4:00-7:00pm, Piscopo will be at the museum drawing free superhero sketches for fans as part of the Superhero Saturday kick off event. Attendees are encouraged to come in costume as their favorite superhero and there will be activities for families all day. This event is free with museum admission.

On Thursday, July 23 from 1:00-3:00pm, Piscopo will present a special drawing workshop for aspiring young artists. Pre-registration is required and the cost is $25 for non-members and $20 for members. For more information, contact the Wenham Museum at 978-468-2377. This workshop will be followed by a book signing.

Volumes 1 and 2 of The Undersea Adventures of Capt’n Eli are available now and Volume 3 is scheduled for release in 2009. Capt'n Eli's origins are quite unique. He’s the namesake of real-life World War II veteran Eli Forsley who was also the inspiration for a line of hand-crafted sodas from Portland, Maine. Read the story behind the story at: http://www.captneli.com/gnseries/storybehind.html

Free curriculum for this series is available at http://www.captneli.com/lessons

www.wenhammuseum.org
www.captneli.com

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Jay Piscopo - May Appearance Schedule

May 2
10:00 - 4:00
Jetpack Comics – Free Comic Book Day – Rochester, NH

May 4, 5, 6
King Middle School -- Portland, ME
Special workshop for Final Frontier: Building a Colony in Space

May 14
9:30
Jordan Acres School -- Brunswick, ME

May 17
Maine Comics Arts Festival -- Portland, ME

May 20
Converse Middle Scool, 7th Grade School Assembly -- Palmer, MA

May 30
11:00
DiBacco Films -- Pre-production -- South Portland, ME

Jay Piscopo is the author/illustrator of The Undersea Adventures of Capt'n Eli graphic novel series. In his interactive drawing workshop - Draw on Your Creativity -- Jay invites students to try their hand at cartoon art and demonstrates how anyone can learn to draw and create comics. Using simple geometric shapes, Jay teaches kids how to build anatomy and perspective to create art that tells a story. Stand by for adventure with this interactive workshop! Watch a short video clip HERE.