Celebrate Amity Week with Author Talk and Cartoon Workshop by Award-winning Graphic Novelist Ira Marcks

The Vineyard Haven Library is pleased to celebrate Amity Week with a back-to-back author talk and cartoon workshop by award-winning graphic novelist Ira Marcks, author of the kid-friendly mystery Shark Summer. Set on Martha’s Vineyard in the summer of 1974, Shark Summer tells the story of aspiring documentarian Gayle Briar and her new friends, who set out to film a documentary about the island’s secret history just as a Hollywood film crew arrives to make history of its own. 

On Tuesday, June 24th at 6:00 PM, Ira will treat kids, adults, and JAWS fans to an evening of inspiration and humor as he shares the trials and tribulations of mixing local legends, cinematic history, and cartoon characters. This event will be held at the Katharine Cornell Theatre, located at 51 Spring Street in Vineyard Haven (above Tisbury Town Hall), with books for sale by Edgartown Books. Free and open to the public. No registration required.

On Wednesday, June 25th from 3:30-5:30 pm, Ira will lead a hands-on workshop for teens and tweens in designing expressive cartoon characters. Through a fun and engaging workshop, participants will learn an easy-to-follow process for designing a cartoon face and adapting the features to create emotional expressions for storytelling. This workshop will be held in the community room on the lower level of the Tisbury EMS Facility, located at 215 Spring Street in Vineyard Haven. No registration required, but attendance is limited.

Ira Marcks is the award-winning cartoonist behind the creepy kid mysteries Shark Summer, Spirit Week and the upcoming Snake School. His books have been recommended by The New York Times, appeared on ‘Best of the Year’ list for the American Library Association, received a Gold Selection from the Junior Library Guild, as well as Maryland’s student voted Black-Eyed Susan Award.

Ira’s creative interests in supernatural fiction and scientific research have led to an unlikely list of past collaborators, including a White House Fellowship Scientist, the European Research Council, and the Hugo Award-winning magazine Weird Tales. When he isn’t making comics and visiting schools Ira is teaching on the creative learning platform Skillshare where he has earned Top Teacher status by inspiring over 100,000 students.

For more information, please contact the library at (508) 696-4211 or vhpl_programs@clamsnet.org, or consult the library website: https://www.vhlibrary.org.