No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics is a feature-length documentary film-in-progress chronicling the birth and development of LGBTQ comics through the eyes of several of its pioneers. The film was inspired by the Lambda award-winning book of the same name, and dives deeper into the personal stories at the heart of this unique underground artistic scene. Featuring Alison Bechdel (Fun Home), the recently departed Howard Cruse (Stuck Rubber Baby, Gay Comix), and others, this film aims to show how DIY queer cartoonists have represented, poked fun at, and celebrated LGBTQ lives and experiences in challenging, humorous, and profound ways. Join moderator Justin Hall (CCA professor, No Straight Lines producer) and panelists Emeric Kennard (CCA alum, cartoonist), Vivian Kleiman (No Straight Lines director/producer), Ajuan Mance (Mills College professor, cartoonist), and Mary Wings (creator of the first lesbian comic book), for clips from the upcoming documentary and an in-depth discussion of the history and legacy of queer comics, as well as how that story can be captured on film.

Ajuan Mance is a Professor of African American literature at Mills College and a lifelong artist and writer. Her comics use humor, history, and bright and audacious color to explore the relationship between race, gender, and representation. Her work has been featured in a variety of media sources, including The San Francisco Chronicle, NPR.org, The New York Times, Buzzfeed, and KPIX.

Emeric L. Kennard is an award-winning visual and literary storyteller speaking through comics, illustration, and fine art. Their work centers on issues of identity, environment, and survival, informed by their experiences as a queer and transgender multiracial person. They exhibit locally and nationally and have been recognized by the Society of Illustrators. They live and work on Ohlone territory in Oakland, CA. elkillustrtion.com | @elkillustration

Justin Hall is the creator of True Travel Tales, Hard to Swallow, and Theater of Terror. He has work in Best American Comics, Best Erotic Comics, the SF Weekly, and edited No Straight Lines: Four Decades of Queer Comics. He is a Fulbright Scholar, CCA Associate Professor of Comics, and the Co-Organizer of the Queers & Comics Conference. www.justinhallawesomecomics.com

Mary Wings wrote the first lesbian comic book, Come Out Comix, in 1974. In the 80’s and 90’s she wrote six lesbian detective novels: She Came Too Late, She Came in a Flash, She Came by the Book, etc etc. She resides in San Francisco.

Vivian Kleiman is a Peabody Award and 2020 Eureka Fellowship recipient. Selected credits include: Executive Producer, Academy Award-nominated animated Last Day of Freedom; Producer/Director, Families Are Forever; Additional Cinematographer, Tongues Untied; Story Editor, Wu-Tang Clan.  She also was an instructor at Stanford’s Graduate Program in Documentary Film & Video Production. www.viviankleiman.com