As part of the Edwin H. Simmons Creative Minds Series, Bowling Green State University will welcome graphic novelist, filmmaker and tattoo artist James Spooner for a public presentation at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 3, in the Donnell Theatre at the Wolfe Center for the Arts.
Spooner’s free presentation at BGSU titled, “The Ripple Effect is Wild,” will highlight how small projects can have large, unexpected impacts on all aspects of life.
An award-winning novelist, Spooner’s debut graphic novel, “The High Desert,” was named Best of 2022 by Publishers Weekly, The Washington Post and The New York Public Library. His novel was also awarded the 2023 American Library Association’s Alex Award and Cartoonist Studio Prize. His second memoir is set for publication in 2025.
Spooner also co-edited an anthology of Black punk writers and comic creators titled “Black Punk Now.” The book was named in the top 10 Music Books of 2023 by Pitchfork, the top five Music Books from the Guardian and received a Kirkus star.
Traveling around the world giving talks on punk, comics and Black identity, Spooner often screens the original documentary “Afro-Punk,” which he directed. The documentary premiered at national and international film festivals, including Toronto International and The American Black Film Festival.
Spooner’s work has been recounted by NPR, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, The New Yorker, MTV, NBC News and Variety. He was a recipient of the ReNew Media Rockefeller Grant, is an ongoing guest curator for the Broad Museum in Los Angeles and previously programmed for the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
The first 100 attendees at the BGSU event will receive a copy of Spooner’s novel, “The High Desert,” with a book signing immediately following his presentation.
The Edwin H. Simmons Creative Minds Series highlights the importance of the arts at BGSU and beyond and is made possible by a generous donation from the late Mary Cranker in honor of her father.
For more information, visit BGSU.edu/Arts.
