¾«¶«´«Ã½

CHICAGO —The Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) and the REFORMA—The National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking—provide a new look at a growing area of the publishing world—graphic novels.

“Beyond Books: Graphic Novels and Magazines of Color,” from 10:30-noon on Sunday June 24, 2012, at the Anaheim (Calif.) Convention Center Room 207D, at the 2012 ¾«¶«´«Ã½Annual Conference, will focus on the importance and future of graphic novels, comics and magazines written primarily for and by Asian, Latino, and African-American authors and the evolution of Latino, Asian and African-American comic book characters. The discussion will also explore the heart-wrenching writing and artwork created by incarcerated youth, most of whom are Latino and African-American, and the revolutionary nature of their works.

Scheduled speakers include David Inocencio, co-founder of "The Beat Within - A Weekly Publication of Writing and Art From the Inside"; Keith Knight, award-winning artist, author and publisher of "The Weekly K Chronicles," "(th)ink" and art contributor to publications such as Salon.com, ESPN Magazine, MAD Magazine and others; Rebecca Marrall, diversity resident librarian at Western Libraries in Bellingham, Wash.; and Jason Shiga, author of “Empire State,” “Double Happiness” and “Bookhunter.”

For more information on the ¾«¶«´«Ã½Annual Conference, and to register, please visit .

An affiliate of the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ (ALA), the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) was founded in 1980 by librarians of diverse Asian/Pacific ancestries committed to working together toward a common goal: to create an organization that would address the needs of Asian/Pacific American librarians and those who serve Asian/Pacific American communities. For more information about APALA, visit .

Established in 1971 as an affiliate of the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ (ALA), REFORMA has actively sought to promote the development of library collections to include Spanish-language and Latino oriented materials; the recruitment of more bilingual and bicultural library professionals and support staff; the development of library services and programs that meet the needs of the Latino community; the establishment of a national information and support network among individuals who share our goals; the education of the U.S. Latino population with regard to the availability and types of library services; and lobbying efforts to preserve existing library resource centers serving the interests of Latinos. Nationally, there are 26 REFORMA chapters. For more information on REFORMA, please visit .