The evening of March 9th, community members gathered for a very special Author Event with internationally renowned graphic novel journalist, Joe Sacco. Mr. Sacco has written numerous acclaimed graphic novels, many of them recording his interactions and experiences learning about life in high-conflict zones like Bosnia and Gaza, as well as in places in the United States and Canada where communities are living with the aftermath of severe historical inequality.
Foundation Board member, David Edwards, interviewed Mr. Sacco, highlighting the journalist’s earliest career ambitions and works, and helping the audience see the development of Mr. Sacco’s drawing and storytelling over time. Mr. Sacco started out as Sunset High School newspaper editor, then attended journalism school at the University of Oregon, all the while honing his craft as a cartoonist. He was first published as a cartoon journalist in Seattle’s Fantagraphics with nine issues that were later compiled into his graphic novel, Palestine.
As his career developed, Mr. Sacco documented his interactions in Bosnia during the latter stages of the Bosnian War, and most recently he published a graphic novel entitled Paying the Land, in which he documents and recounts the history of the Dene people in the Northwest Territory of Canada. During the interview, Joe noted that for him, it is of the utmost importance to report only when there is trust first, and that it is his duty to honor the trust of those who have given him their stories.
The evening ended with a Q&A session as well as a book signing – all of the copies purchased for the event were sold out!
