VT Reads at Putney Library: Creating Diary Comics with Artist Dan Folgar

6:30pm-8pm

Comics are a versatile medium for storytelling. The VT Humanities Council’s VT Reads book selection for this year, The Most Costly Journey, is an anthology of comics that tell the stories of Vermont farm workers using their words and illustrations by artists. Come to the Putney Public Library on Wednesday, April 19th at 6:30pm and create a short autobiographical comic, with Putney School art teacher, Dan Folgar. We’ll use basic materials to create comics that are easy to reproduce and share.
Vermont Reads brings communities together around stories, ideas, and activities that are important to the life of towns of all sizes. As a recipient of VT Humanities Council’s Vermont Reads grant, Putney Public Library is circulating copies The Most Costly Journey to encourage as many people in the Putney community to read on the same topic. The Most Costly Journey is a non-fiction comics anthology presenting stories of survival and healing told by Latin American migrant farmworkers in Vermont, and drawn by New England cartoonists as part of the El Viaje Más Caro project – a health care outreach effort aimed at addressing the overlooked mental health needs of these vulnerable immigrants. Originally distributed to farm workers as individual Spanish language comic books, this collected edition brings the lives and voices – as well as the challenges and hardships – of these workers to an English-language audience, granting insight into the experiences and lives of the people vital to producing the food we eat. Stop by the library to pick up a copy!
Dan Folgar is a Venezuelan born artist and cartoonist who grew up in Miami, FL. He is the current Associate Director of The Putney School Summer Arts, and a member of the school’s evening arts faculty, leading workshops in Comics and Animation.