Recent faculty books from the 91探花 include those from linguistics, Slavic languages and literature and French. 91探花News spoke with the authors of four publications to learn more about their work.

Scrutinizing and confronting AI hype

, 91探花professor of linguistics, co-authored 鈥溾�� with Alex Hanna, the director of research at the Distributed AI Research Institute.

The book looks at the the drawbacks of technologies sold under the banner of artificial intelligence. Bender and Hanna offer a resounding no to pressing questions: Is AI going to take over the world? Have big tech scientists created an artificial lifeform that can think on its own?

This kind of thinking is a symptom of a phenomenon known as AI hype, they write, which twists words and helps the rich get richer by justifying data theft and motivating surveillance capitalism. In 鈥淭he AI Con,鈥� Bender and Hanna explain how to spot AI hype, deconstruct it and expose the power grabs it aims to hide.

The book grew out of podcast co-hosted by Bender and Hanna called 鈥�.鈥�

鈥淭he podcast uses ridicule as praxis to cope with and deflate the hype around AI,鈥� Bender said. 鈥淥ur goal with both the podcast and book is to both take on the current hype cycle and empower our audience to deploy the same strategies with the hype they are encountering. The book is an interdisciplinary project, blending Alex’s expertise in sociology with mine in linguistics, to look at why certain language technologies in particular pose risks and how the use of these technologies can do damage in various contexts.鈥�

For more information, contact Bender at ebender@uw.edu.

Two recent books explore translation, Russia in the 1990s

, professor of Slavic languages and literature, published two novels in March: 鈥溾�� and 鈥�.鈥�

鈥淭ales of Bart鈥� follows the exploits of 鈥渆vil鈥� translator Fruitvale Bart as the setting shifts from Republic-era Texas to 19th-century Czarist Russia to far-future Atalanta to 1990s Los Angeles.

Each of the vignettes was purportedly translated by Bart himself. But, the book asks, what is translation: subservience to a pre-existing text or a creative act? Both? Neither? 鈥淭ales of Bart鈥� explores these questions as well as the nature of art, the legacies of colonialist violence, the alienation of postmodern life and the horrors of the self.

鈥淚 was intrigued with the position of the translator, the tremendous power they have to shape communication between cultures,鈥� Alaniz said. 鈥淎nd the ways translation is therefore about power, which one can use for good or evil ends.鈥�

The second book, 鈥淢oscow 93,鈥� takes place in 1990s Russia, where 20-something Chicano journalist Jos茅 Alonzo is looking to make a name for himself. But things are never what they seem in this new post-Soviet country striving for freedom and democracy 鈥� and falling short. At the opening of a New York-style night club on Red Square, partygoers will have a life-or-death national crisis erupt in their faces.

鈥淢oscow 93鈥� is an auto-fictional account of Alaniz鈥檚 experiences before, during and after the 1993 , when a violent revolt against President Boris Yeltsin erupted in the capital. By the time it ended, army tanks shelled the parliament building. The book blends horror and farce, presenting Russia in the first decade after communism through the lens of a sordid expat scene.

鈥淭he mini-civil war that erupted in Moscow in fall of 1993, which I experienced as a journalist, seemed to be a good lens through which to view the whole of early post-Soviet Russia,鈥� Alaniz said. 鈥淚 decided to write an auto-fictional account of that era, which plays fast and loose with some of the facts but nonetheless delivers an incisive portrait of what it was like to live and work there then as an ex-pat.鈥�

For more information, contact Alaniz at jos23@uw.edu.

Following the journey of 鈥楴e me quitte pas鈥�

, 91探花professor of French, published 鈥溾�� in February. The book follows the long and varied journey of the classic song, 鈥淣e me quitte pas.鈥�

Brel, a Belgian singer-songwriter, debuted the song in 1959 as a haunting plea for his lover to return.听In the mid 1990s, Nina Simone鈥檚听1965听cover so captivated a teenage听Smith听that it inspired her future profession. In her book,听Smith听shows how the song travels across languages, geographies, genres and generations while accumulating shifting artistic and cultural significance.

Smith听said the book emerged from听鈥淩eclaiming Venus,鈥�听a memoir she wrote about Alvenia Bridges, a woman who worked behind the scenes in the music industry.

鈥淲hen this project was accepted, I realized I needed to hone my musical analysis skills,鈥澨齋mith听said. 鈥淚 decided to take songwriting courses through Berklee College of Music online so I could do the close reading of the song justice. Because of UW’s RRF and Simpson Center’s Society of Scholars, I had the resources and feedback necessary to write what has turned out to be my favorite book project so far.鈥�

For more information, contact Smith at mayaas@uw.edu.

Three new faculty books from the 91探花 cover wide-ranging topics: life in the Rio Grande Valley, fossils of Washington state and the colonial roots of contemporary intersex medicine. 91探花News talked with the authors to learn more.

Collection highlights life in Rio Grande Valley

鈥溾�� is a collection of short stories and comics from , professor of Slavic languages and literature at the UW. The works are mostly set in the Rio Grande Valley along the Texas-Mexico border, where Alaniz grew up as a second-generation Mexican American.

鈥淚 wanted to come up with a collection that would speak to that area,鈥� Alaniz said. 鈥淭here is Chicano literature, and there鈥檚 even literature from the valley, but it鈥檚 just not very well known. I really wanted to highlight that part of my life and material that鈥檚 been influenced by it.鈥�

Some of the collection is autobiographical, while other pieces are fiction. Alaniz also combined stories he created years ago with newer works.

鈥淚t runs the gamut in terms of genre,鈥� Alaniz said. 鈥淲hat I鈥檓 trying to do is create a sort of hybrid text where some of the same stories get repeated in the prose section and the comic section. They speak to each other. It destabalizes what we mean by memory.鈥�

A story told in comic form is typically perceived as funny or irreverent, Alaniz said. The same story told through text is often taken more seriously, even if the narrative hasn鈥檛 changed.

鈥淧uro Pinche True Fictions,鈥� published in September by Flowersong Press, opens with 鈥淕enoveva,鈥� which features Alaniz鈥檚 paternal grandfather. Much of the text was taken from interviews that Alaniz conducted with him.

鈥淎 lot of what he says is in the kind of Spanish that was spoken on the border by people from his generation that weren鈥檛 educated,鈥� Alaniz said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 translate much of it, partly to honor what made him, him. To translate him would alter that. Hopefully, people from the valley or people who speak that kind of Spanish will feel seen and heard.鈥�

Another story, 鈥淭amales,鈥� is a science fiction piece about a migrant family traveling to Mars for work in the year 2063. Their rocket ship crash lands and many of the migrants are killed. The piece is a nod to science fiction author Ray Bradbury, who often wrote about Mars. But it also tells the story of Alaniz鈥檚 maternal grandparents crossing the border and their relationship with their son, Alaniz鈥檚 uncle. Much of the dialogue is taken verbatim from Alaniz鈥檚 grandparents, whom he recorded before they died.

鈥淭his collection is a gift for the people of the Rio Grande Valley,鈥� Alaniz said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a gift that they will always like, because it鈥檚 not a romanticized version. There鈥檚 trauma. It鈥檚 not all roses. But I hope they recognize a voice that comes from that place, which still means a lot to me. I like to think I haven鈥檛 forgotten where I came from.鈥�

鈥淧uro Pinche True Fictions鈥� is Alaniz鈥檚 second publication this year. In March, he released 鈥�.鈥� Alaniz first published the comic strip 鈥淢oscow Calling鈥� in the 1990s while working in Russia as a journalist. It was featured in the English-language newspaper The Moscow Tribune. The new collection completes the strip鈥檚 storyline as a graphic novella and adds new material, including a short story about the war in Ukraine.

For more information, contact Alaniz at jos23@uw.edu.

Uncovering the fossils of Washington state

Washington state is home to more than half-billion years of natural history. In 鈥�,鈥� 鈥痑nd鈥疍avid B. Williams dive into this rich history to tell the stories of 24 fossils found in the state.

鈥淚’ve been a paleontologist for a very long time. I started working at the 91探花 in 1992, and through all these years I have met so many people,鈥� said Nesbitt, former curator of paleontology at the Burke Museum. 鈥淭hey were all very interested in fossils from Washington. Many of them asked if they could read more and there is no book. So, I realized I had to write a book.鈥�

Nesbitt collaborated with Williams, an independent science writer, for four years to bring these stories to the public.

鈥淗e鈥檚 published a number of really exciting books, and I love the way he writes,鈥� Nesbitt said. 鈥淲hen I started writing my book, I realized it was a bit boring. Although the topics were great, I’m just not a general science writer. I write academic papers, and so I asked David if he was interested in collaborating and bringing the book to life. He was, and I was thrilled with that.鈥�

The book doesn鈥檛 just tell the story of fossils in the state. It鈥檚 also about the field of paleontology and those who work behind the scenes to bring fossils to light.

鈥淚t is about Washington, but it is not all the fossils in Washington. This is a selection of the ones that I found people were interested in, the ones that have interesting stories behind them,鈥� Nesbitt said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also a book about the people who found the fossils and the people who worked on the fossils.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a book about how paleontology has changed and how the science has changed in the last 50 years. It鈥檚 become much more technological, much more comparative and much more integrated into the other science fields. Hopefully I’ve got all of that into the book.鈥�

For more information, contact Nesbitt at nesbittlizanne@gmail.com.

Examining colonial roots of intersex medicine

In 鈥�,鈥� recently published by Duke University Press,听听examines how colonialism and scientific racism are inherent to contemporary intersex medicine.

Swarr听developed the book from research she started as a graduate student in the 1990s when she first came across the claim that intersex was more common among Black people than white people. As she investigated the falsity,听Swarr听met Sally Gross, the founder of Intersex South Africa, the first intersex organization on the African continent. When Gross died in 2014,听Swarr听set out to finish the book as a tribute to the work of Gross and other activists.

While听Swarr听initially thought the false claim stemmed from 1970s literature, she soon discovered the roots stretched back to the 1600s when colonizers arrived in what is now known as South Africa.

鈥淚 found echoes and traces of this claim throughout history,鈥� said Swarr, associate professor of gender, women and sexuality studies. 鈥淭he ways that intersex was racialized was striking to me. I think it鈥檚 manifested in a lot of ways, over time and in how race and gender manifest in bodies that are pathologized. You see this in museum representations and in film. There is strong historical resonance.鈥�

The topic is currently most often discussed through the treatment of intersex athletes.听Swarr听opens the book by writing about听, a South African middle-distance runner who has won two Olympic gold medals and three world championships in the 800-meter event. Semenya faces continual allegations that her body is 鈥渢oo masculine鈥� for women鈥檚 sports.

Semenya was subjected to examinations of her reproductive organs and evaluations of her chromosomes and hormones. The International Olympic Organizing Committee has prohibited her from competing unless she has surgery or pharmaceutically alters her natural testosterone levels, a decision she continues to fight.

鈥淢y book offers a perspective on the ways that racism and discrimination against those in the听听are an integral part of the conversation,鈥澨齋warr听said. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 talk about contemporary sex testing without talking about colonialism and racism.鈥�

The book also highlights the growth of the African intersex social movement, particularly with the expansion of social media.听Swarr听said there is now more of an opportunity to create community and rally for intersex justice with and for intersex people who might have otherwise been isolated.

鈥淭hey鈥檝e created educational online videos and hashtag campaigns to support folks who鈥檝e been targeted, like Caster Semenya and others who have experienced violence,鈥澨齋warr听said. 鈥淭heir ability to share their strategies and reach out to change the hearts and minds of everyday people and to influence legislation and doctors鈥� protocols has been impressive. It helps to disrupt the idea that social movements are more advanced in the Global North.鈥�

Swarr听is donating all author royalties from the book to听. The book can also be accessed听.

For more information, contact听Swarr听at听aswarr@uw.edu.

Who gets to be a superhero? What about a villain? It depends on where you look. In the 1940s, comic book villains were often distinguished from heroes through physical disability. That changed in the 1960s and 70s, when it became more common for heroes 鈥� think and 鈥� to be built around disability. In this episode, he analyzes the physical depictions of superheroes and villains through the decades.

, professor of Slavic languages and literatures at the 91探花, studies comic books and culture.

His work is centered in disability studies, which focuses on the perspectives and experiences of people with disabilities.

This is the fifth of eight episodes of 鈥淲ays of Knowing,鈥� a podcast highlighting how studies of the humanities can reflect everyday life. Through a partnership between The World According to Sound and the 91探花, each episode features a faculty member from the 91探花College of Arts & Sciences, the work that inspires them, and suggested resources for learning more about the topic.

Next | Episode 6: Visual Literacy

Stroum Center’s Smadar Ben-Natan receives $40,000 grant for Israel-Palestine incarceration research

, a postdoctoral fellow in Israel studies in the Stroum Center for Jewish Studies, has received a grant of $40,000 from the to support her research on incarceration in the context of the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

Ben-Natan’s research project is titled “The Carceral State in Conflict: Between Reconciliation and Radicalization.” She will examine how incarceration policies regarding Palestinian political prisoners in Israel since 1967 have affected reconciliation and peacebuilding versus radicalization and escalation of conflict in the region.

The foundation named Ben-Natan one of its 2020 cohort of HFG Distinguished Scholars. “In selecting awardees, highest priority was given to research that addresses urgent, present-day problems of violence 鈥� what produces it, how it operates, and what prevents or reduces it,” the foundation stated.

The grant will support two months of research and field work in Israel and Palestine, and may be renewed for another year in 2022. Ben-Natan is the 2020-2022 Benaroya Postdoctoral Fellow in Israel Studies. The Stroum Center is part of the Jackson School of International Studies.

Read an on the Stroum Center website.

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Play by School of Drama’s Holly Arsenault to stream March 8-21 via Seattle Public Theater

A reading of “,” a full-length play by Holly Arsenault, director of engagement for the 91探花School of Drama, will stream March 8-21 as part of Seattle Public Theater’s series. .

The play is set in the American West of 2050 following a second civil war. “It’s set in a time where our past history has been whitewashed and perverted,” Arsenault in 2018, when the play was produced by the Annex Theatre. “I imagined what would happen if everything went as badly as it could possibly go.”

Read a 2019 Whole U of Arsenault.

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Jos茅 Alaniz cartoon remembers uncle lost to COVID

The Museum of South Texas History is gathering memories of people in the Rio Grande Valley lost to COVID-19 in an ongoing project called .

, 91探花professor of Slavic languages and literatures, is a lifelong cartoonist who grew up in South Texas. He submitted a of his uncle, Cruz Huijon, who died due to COVID in August.

Alaniz published “The Phantom Zone and Other Stories,” a book of comics and prose, in 2020. He also is affiliated with cinema studies and disability studies at the UW.

An astronomer tells tales of stargazing and pursuing the universe’s big questions, a grandparent shares wisdom for happy living, a jazz drummer lays down a cool new album 鈥�

But behold, yet more! An engineer pens STEM biographies for children, a cartoonist draws stories from his life, researchers ponder the future of river and wildlife conservation, and faculty masters bring out new classical recordings on guitar and piano.

Though 2020 was a holy humbug of a year, 91探花 talents persevered, and published. Here’s a quick look at some giftworthy books and music created by 91探花faculty and staff, and a reminder of some recent favorites.

Stargazing stories: , associate professor of astronomy, published the anecdote-filled “” in August. “These are stories astronomers tell each other when all of us are hanging out at meetings,” Levesque said. Kirkus Reviews called them “entertaining, ardent tales from an era of stargazing that may not last much longer.”

‘Grand’ wisdom: , professor emeritus of English, has written novels, short stories and more, but takes a personal turn in “.” He offers his grandson, and readers, “what I hope are 10 fertile and essential ideas for the art of living.” It’s all presented “tentatively and with great humility,” Johnson says, as “grandfatherly advice is as plentiful as blackberries.”

Drums, duets: , assistant professor of music, released the album “” in March. Poor told 91探花News the music “is a celebration of space 鈥� space for drums to resonate and convey a feeling, and for the melody to dance around and push that feeling. It is primarily a collection of duets with saxophonist听 and the sound of the record is focused on drums and sax throughout.”

STEM stories: , professor of civil and environmental engineering, published two books for young readers this fall: “The Secret Lives of Scientists, Engineers, and Doctors,” volumes and . The volumes showcase “the struggle, growth and success” of 12 professionals in STEM fields, including a geneticist, a biologist, a cancer researcher and a scientist at the National Institutes of Health. More books are .

Life drawings: , professor of Slavic languages and literatures and comparative literature, published “,” a eclectic collection of drawings and essays, highlighting his different styles through the years, “from tragedy to tragicomedy to documentary to black humor,” he said.

Guitar works: School of Music faculty guitarist released his 10^th album in March. “” features classical guitar works written for him by composers and

Sheppard plays Brahms: , internationally known professor and pianist, put out a digital release of 107 early Brahms works in October, titled “.” The work joins Sheppard’s lengthy from a decades-long career.

Ecological restoration: How has climate change affected regional ecological restoration? , a research scientist in human centered design and engineering, looks for answers in “,” from 91探花Press.

River history: Seattle was born from the banks of the Duwamish River, writes BJ Cummings of the 91探花Superfund Research Program, but the river鈥檚 story, and that of its people, has not fully been told. Cummings seeks to remedy that with 鈥�,鈥� published by 91探花Press.

Coexisting: Agriculture and wildlife can coexist, says , professor of environmental and forest sciences, in his book “.” But only “if farmers are justly rewarded for conservation, if future technological advancements increase food production and reduce food waste, and if consumers cut back on meat consumption.”

And here are some favorites from 2019:

O鈥橫ara鈥檚 鈥楥ode鈥�: History professor provides a sweeping history of California鈥檚 computer industry titans in “ The New York Times called it an “accessible yet sophisticated chronicle.”

Mindful travel: of the English Department and the Comparative History of Ideas program discusses how travelers can respectfully explore cultures with lower incomes, different cultural patterns and fewer luxuries in “.”

Kingdome man: , associate professor of architecture, studies the life and work of Jack Christiansen, designer of the Kingdome and other structures, in “,” published by 91探花Press.

Powerful silence: “,” a documentary directed by English professor about NFL star Marshawn Lynch’s use of silence as a form of protest, is available for rent or purchase on several platforms.

Seattle stories: 91探花Press republished English professor ‘s well-loved 1976 reflections on his city, “.” Sale, who taught at the 91探花for decades, died in 2017.

• Joanne De Pue, School of Music communications director, assisted with this story.

says that comics 鈥� especially superhero tales 鈥� hooked him and “rewired” his brain at an early age. They also got him drawing his own comics, chronicling his life and the things he observes.

Now Alaniz, a 91探花 professor of Slavic languages and literature, and of comparative literature, has published a collection of his own drawings and essays. “,” which borrows its name from the Superman world, was published earlier this year by Amatl Comix.

Alaniz grew up the son of Mexican-American farmworkers. “I got from comics something I could not obtain in any other way. Not even from television and movies,” he said. “A world of my own, private, portable, accessible and extendable with the flip of a page.”

91探花Notebook, a longtime fan of cartooning, caught up with Alaniz with a few questions about his work and the new book.

You grew up loving comics. How and when did you begin cartooning? Who were your influences?听

Jos茅 Alaniz: Maybe it sounds odd, but the very first comics I ever received 鈥� my mother probably got them for me at a convenience store 鈥� have had the deepest and most enduring impact on my own art style. “The Defenders #15” and “Marvel Two-In-One #5” (September, 1974) were both drawn by , Marvel’s most reliable and prolific artist of that era. Some think he followed the conventions of the Marvel house style too slavishly, though the dynamism and predictability of his line served as the perfect introduction for a child into the wild and wacky imaginative world of superhero comics. (Who can say, but I don鈥檛 know that I would have responded the same way to the art of or , two more highly-regarded artists at the time, had I encountered them first.)

Later, in 1975, Buscema took over the art on The Incredible Hulk, a character to which I have a near-life-long devotion and whose adventures I followed fanatically every month until my mid-30s. I basically formed as a person reading Hulk comics drawn by Buscema. To this day my art owes a debt to him. A later artist, (famous especially for his work on The in the 1980s) also played a role.

How would you briefly describe the collection, spanning your career as a cartoonist so far? Who is its audience?

J.A.: I feel gratified that some of the early responses to the book have borne this out: The collection has a lot of range in art style and tone, from tragedy to tragicomedy to documentary to black humor. I thought it important to highlight the different approaches to comics I鈥檝e undertaken over the years. As Cleveland comics writer once said, “You can do anything with words and pictures.”

As for audience, I hope anyone who likes comics will pick it up.听

Longtime readers can see subtle changes in a cartoonist鈥檚 work over many years 鈥� the look of Snoopy’s nose in “Peanuts,” say, or Michael Doonesbury’s hair. How has your work changed over the years in ways only you and close readers would see?

J.A.: This collection is comprised of strips I did in college all the way up to work I鈥檝e done over the last few years, when I picked up cartooning again. That happened because of my participation in , the monthly comics-making meet-up at Caf茅 Racer.

I think I’ve gotten better at using a brush, rather than just pen and ink, which I used exclusively in the early days. It did feel odd and wonderful to draw Chip, the main character of the Phantom Zone trilogy, again after about 20 years. (I started this story in the early ’90s and dropped it in the late ’90s.)

Overall, though, I’d say I’m a stronger writer than artist. I hope so, anyway.

There is a scrapbook-like quality to some of the material. One layout, “Planet of the Zooters,” consists of photos of a costumed couple with what looks like a musical score beneath. Could you explain that a little?听

J.A.: You can do anything with words and pictures, and those words can be missing and those pictures don鈥檛 have to be drawn. Comics can tell any story and come from any source of inspiration. “Planet of the Zooters” started as a total goof. My future wife Kristin and I, back on Halloween, 2015, were taking pictures of ourselves in our costumes in front of the famous Gum Wall by Pike Place Market. We conscripted a passerby to take our photos together. (Thank you, whoever you are.) Looking at those photos later, I saw the basics of a plot about an astronaut stranded on a planet of zoot-suiters. With the critical assistance of my technical advisor Valerie Niemeyer 鈥� a much better artist than me, by the way 鈥� I put the story together in Photoshop.

I knew I wanted to go wordless, with a “musical accompaniment”: the notes to Lalo Guerrero’s 1949 song “ from the height of the zooter era, so I had 30 seconds of the song professionally rendered into musical notes. For the comics’ look, I mashed together a zine aesthetic with that of a Mexican fotonovela by printing out the pictures and photocopying them over and over at high contrast, until the texture looked right. Then I added a starry background and planets because, you know: sci-fi. It鈥檚 all so insufferably conceptualist. 听听

There is cartooning as journalism here as well 鈥� scenes you observe in daily life or, in one case, stories of people visiting a free clinic. What are the challenges and rewards of this kind of on-the-scene work?听

J.A.: I have a lot of experience as a journalist. I think it was Truman Capote who said that a journalism career is like getting a free public education in many subjects.

I like artists like and , who practice a form of comics journalism that鈥檚 more observational and personal, right on that line where memoir meets reportage. ‘s “Not a Place To Visit” is another good example, as is a new anthology I contributed to, “,” on the immigration issue.

I’m embracing that approach more in my current comics project, tentatively titled “Fronteras de Fierro: Life on the Border in the Age of Walls.” I’m using interviews, on-the-scene reporting and my own memories of growing up in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas to convey a sense of how the border wall has impacted the culture and environment there, especially since the 1990s.

Among other things, I narrate and illustrate the struggles of people who own land on the river, whose property is under threat of being cut off by the new wall construction; plus the history of environmentalist activism in the valley and the effect of the wall on Native American and U.S. veterans鈥� cemeteries.

Comics are a versatile medium; unlike video or photography, you can tailor the artwork so that your reader is guided to a particular point you鈥檙e trying to make; you can eliminate what鈥檚 extraneous. Of course, that puts a lot of responsibility on the artist to choose what鈥檚 important.

Cartooning is a world of diversity beyond that represented in daily newspaper comics. Who are a few cartoonists from under-represented populations whose work you particularly like?听

J.A.: You can鈥檛 really talk about US alternative comics without mentioning the (Mario, Beto and Jaime) and their seminal ongoing series .

That they’re Mexican-Americans from southern California both matters and doesn鈥檛 matter for appreciating their brilliant work. Way before “Planet of the Zooters,” they were bringing together myriad influences from Chicanx culture, sci-fi, pop, punk, comics and so much more.

Others I admire include the disabled British artist ; Mexican-American pioneer comic strip artist ; the Mexican conceptualist artist , author of the extraordinary graphic novel , who has Latinx heritage; Seattle artist , a fellow 茅migr茅 to Seattle from Texas鈥� Rio Grande Valley; and Seattle鈥檚 own , whose work in intersectional, queer and disabled representation in comics has no serious rival.

For more information, contact Alaniz at jos23@uw.edu.

Comics and graphic can be serious business. Scholars, critics, historians, teachers, curators of comic art and graphic publications will gather at the 91探花 and locations in Seattle Nov. 2-4 for the 2017 .

The forum is an annual academic conference whose stated mission is to promote “the scholarly study and appreciation of comic art, including comic strips, comic books, comics albums and graphic novels, magazine and newspaper cartooning, caricature, and comics in electronic media.” All conference events are open to the public.

Started in 1995 at Georgetown University, the forum has become one of the leading conferences for those who study comic and graphic art. Chairing the conference executive committee is , 91探花associate professor in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literature, who has an in the Department of Comparative Literature, Cinema, and Media.

Alaniz answered a few questions about the conference, and the world of comic and graphic art, for 91探花Today.

How can comic art reflect, or be on the edge of, social trends?

J.A.: The work of keynote speaker of the University of Wisconsin speaks directly to that question. His 2016 book, “,” deals at length with post-war superheroes and their dynamic, utopian reimagining of political reality during the Cold War.

More than that, it gets at what for many of us who discovered superhero comics in childhood or adolescence represents a central aspect of their power: They show you new and unthought-of ways to behave, new personality types to try on, new powers to unlock, at a time when your own identity is still very much in flux or coming into being.

And all in the realm of fantasy. Although, as Fawaz and others have pointed out, fantasy has very real power to shape the “real world”: Women鈥檚 suffrage, civil rights movements, gay liberation 鈥� all were fueled by aspirations and dreams for a better world, which many (perhaps the majority) of people in those eras would have dismissed as impossible, “mere” fantasy.

Posthumanism, the public/private sides of managing identity, problems associated with masculinity and whiteness, the fight against fascism 鈥� all form a big part of our national discourse now, but superheroes have been grappling with these questions since the genre emerged in the 1930s, and certainly since the 1960s, which Fawaz examines in depth.

In his ICAF keynote, Fawaz will talk about the Legion of Superheroes, a futuristic DC series which amounts to a sort of super-Starfleet made up of diverse super-powered humans and aliens living (mostly) in peace. I can think of no better example of what Fawaz calls a 鈥渃omic book cosmopolitics.鈥�

The conference will feature sessions on topics from comics in history to their use as political tools. What can a gathering like this achieve?

J.A.: Events like ICAF demonstrate the viability and academic rigor of Comics Studies, as well as the long-standing, central place comic art has in various cultures. We bring together a diverse, international group of scholars, at many career stages, to present and discuss their work in a supportive, intensely interdisciplinary, highly specialized but accessible setting. We also recognize up-and-coming scholars through the prestigious John A. Lent Scholarship and lecture, which highlights student research.

Speaking more specifically about our event: The stringent blind review process we use insures a very high quality of academic papers and panels, while our industry/artist guests鈥� presence and interactions make ICAF much more than a solely academic event. We think all parties benefit from this format: Our attendees get access to world-class comics scholarship and artists, while those artists get to respond to questions they will not hear at a regular festival or comic con, questions by leading specialists in the history and sociocultural significance of comic art 鈥� as well as fans.

We are also excited to have on our stage two stellar international figures. , a renowned comics journalist from Peru, will present a solo talk as well as take part in a roundtable on comics journalism with and Sarah Glidden, which sounds like such a dream team! Then we have , a living legend of Japanese manga, coming from Japan to give a talk. Either of those events would be more than worth the price of admission 鈥� if we charged it!

Finally, this year we are thrilled to be collaborating on programming with Seattle鈥檚 (taking place November 4) and, for the second conference in a row, with the Comics Studies Society, the first dues-paying professional organization for comics scholars.

What is “comics theory,” and how might it be defined for the non-academic?

J.A.: Comics Theory simply refers to the study of how comics communicate in unique ways, chiefly through juxtaposed sequential images 鈥� i.e. pictures in sequence 鈥� which map time onto space. In other words, when you read comics you are traversing time (each panel represents a loosely-defined moment in the story) as well as space (your eye goes from panel to panel down the page).

The comics medium also often combines different symbolic registers such as text and images 鈥� though comics don鈥檛 need words, as seen in much of the work of Seattle cartoonist . But really, that鈥檚 just scratching the surface. Notice too I said nothing about superheroes or funny animals. Comics have no limits on their content, no more than any other art form. And some version of comics exists in every culture across the globe.

A review of Fawaz’s book said it “will go a long way toward making comics an acceptable medium of study in academia.” How has academia reacted to the study of comics?

J.A.: The days when studying comics in college made for controversy seem pretty far behind us now. Important graphic memoirs such as 鈥溾�� by Art Spiegelman, 鈥溾�� by Marjane Satrapi and 鈥溾�� by Alison Bechdel have demonstrated that comics represent not only a very rich part of our cultural patrimony and contemporary culture, they can address even the most difficult personal/historical topics (the Holocaust, the Iranian revolution, coming out as gay) in nuanced and unique ways.

The adoption of comics in college courses dealing with history, gender, mass communications, war, disability and Islam attest to comic art鈥檚 worthiness as a subject of study. (I myself am teaching courses on Wonder Woman and animals in graphic narrative this quarter.)

It鈥檚 taken decades, but we have reached Comics Studies critical mass, with an array of dedicated conferences (including Comics and Medicine, whose 2017 iteration I also helped organize in Seattle) and topic areas of conferences (such as the Modern Language Association, the Popular Culture Association and the American Library Association); and several new journals. We at ICAF are proud of the role we鈥檝e played in making possible the acceptance and unrepentant advancement of comics as a legitimate art form and comics studies as a field characterized by its interdisciplinarity.

What brings this conference to the UW?

J.A.: The ICAF represents the most important annual gathering of comics scholars in North America. Since my own association with it starting in the late ’90s, though, it always seemed to me a very East Coast phenomenon. (You can read more about our history .)

We had started moving away from that region by the late-2000s, but when the ICAF Executive Committee elected me chair in 2011, I knew I wanted to do all I could to take the conference to parts of the country it had never gone. So, in 2013, we brought ICAF to the University of Oregon. And it was wonderful. Since then, every conference under my tenure as chair has taken place in a new location for us.

You have written books on听听and on analyzing听through the lens of . What鈥檚 next for you in this field?

J.A.: I have lots of projects cooking, including a follow-up to my first book, tentatively titled 鈥淩esurrection: Comics in Post-Soviet Russia,鈥� which deals with the enormous changes in the Russian comics scene since the collapse of communism, and especially in the Putin era. Also in progress: 鈥淏eautiful Monsters: Disability in Alternative Comics鈥� and a monograph on the representation of history in Czech graphic narrative.

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For more information, contact Alaniz at 206-543-7580 or jos23@uw.edu.

• Read a feature story about Alaniz by Matthew Leib of The Whole U.

91探花presenters at the 2017 ICAF:

Friday, Nov. 3

• History doctoral student will discuss 鈥淩esistance by Design: Kim Songwhan鈥檚 鈥楳r. Kobau鈥� and the Rise of the Editorial Cartoonists in South Korea” in a session on New Perspectives on Asian Comics.

Saturday, Nov. 4

• Communication doctoral student will discuss “The AmBIGuous Penny Rolle from ‘Bitch Planet‘“ in a session on The Comics of Kelly Sue DeConnick.
• Rachel Kunert-Graf, an English Ph.D. now with Shoreline Community College, will discuss “History Returns: Comics Designed for the Classroom” in a session titled History, Ephemerality and Memory moderated by Alaniz.
• , a lecturer in the Comparative History of Ideas Program, will discuss “A Place for Every Woman and Every Woman in Her Place: ‘Bitch Planet’ as a Forum for Geek Feminism” in a session titled Genre Comics and Social Justice.
• , a graduate student in the Department of Comparative Literature, Cinema, and Media, will discuss “Inventing the Lonely Machine: Jules Feiffer and Hugh Hefner’s Collaboration in the Pages of Playboy” in a session titled Comics and the Culture Wars moderated by Alaniz.