The Midtown Scholar Bookstore is honored to welcome award-winning comic artists Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki in Harrisburg for an in-person conversation and signing on her their their new gaphic novel, ROAMING. Dr. Kerry Sherin Wright will moderate. This event is free and open to the public. Books must be purchased through the Midtown Scholar Bookstore to enter the signing line.
Spring Break, 2009: Five days, three friends, and one big city. Roaming marks a triumphant return to the graphic novel and a deft foray into new adult fiction for Caldecott Medal authors Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki.
Over the course of a much-anticipated trip to New York, an unexpected fling blossoms between casual acquaintances and throws a long-term friendship off-balance. Emotional tensions vibrate wildly against the resplendently illustrated backdrop of the city, capturing a spontaneous queer romance in all of its fledgling glory. Slick attention to the details of a bustling, intimidating metropolis are softened with a palette of muted pastels, as though seen through the eyes of first-time travelers. The awe, wonder, and occasional stumble along the way come to life with stunning accuracy.
Roaming is the third collaboration from the critically acclaimed team behind Skim and Governor General’s Literary Award winner This One Summer. Moody, atmospheric, and teeming with life, the magic of this comics duo leaks through the pages with lush and exquisite pen work. The Tamakis’ singular, elegant vision of an urban paradise slowly revealing its imperfections to the tune of its visitors’ rhythms is a masterpiece―a future classic for generations to come.
Once again, these authors bring their “empathetic, riveting, and authentic” (Laura Dave, New York Times bestselling author) storytelling to an unforgettable novel that revolves around provocative and timely questions about race, class, and motherhood. Is being a mother a right, an obligation, or a privilege? Who gets to be a mother? And to whom? And what are we willing to sacrifice for the sake of marriage, friendship, and our dreams?
About the Authors:
Jillian Tamaki is an illustrator and comics artist. She is the co-creator of Skim and This One Summer, and the author of SuperMutant Magic Academy and Boundless (2017). She has taught comics and illustration in New York City at SVA and The New School. She lives in Toronto.
Mariko Tamaki is a New York Times bestselling Canadian writer of comics and prose. She is the co-creator of This One Summer, with Jillian Tamaki, and Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me, with Rosemary Valero-O'Connell, both of which received Eisner Awards and Printz Honors. She also writes superhero stories Marvel and DC Comics. Mariko lives in Oakland.
Dr. Kerry Sherin Wright is the founding director of the Philadelphia Alumni Writers House and a Senior Teaching Professor in the English department. Her research areas include contemporary poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction, creative writing, and graphic literature.
