Tag Archives: reading with pictures

Support the CBLDF, Reading With Pictures, and the Hero Initiative this #GivingTuesday

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giving-tuesdayThe holiday season us upon us and the end of the year is coming soon, and that means it’s #GivingTuesday, a day which highlights charities and the need to support them through donations (which often are tax-deductible).

Graphic Policy is asking you to support three worthy causes, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF), Reading With Pictures, and the Hero Initiative.

The CBLDF receives more than a quarter of their annual budget in the year-end gifts from supporters like you. If you are still finalizing your charitable giving plans, we ask you to please consider their worthy efforts. Donations to CBLDF are fully tax-deductible in the year they are given.  Please help CBLDF continue their important work by making a donation today, either by giving a holiday gift of a signed graphic novel, becoming a member, or making a tax-deductible cash contribution. You can read their 2016 annual report now and see why they’re important.

All year round, the CBLDF works hard to protect the right to read. Their efforts combat the rising tide of censorship facing students, educators, and libraries, and we continue to provide a valuable safety net for creators and retailers.

cafe_patch_1024x1024Donors supporting the organization on #GivingTuesday will receive exclusive Comics Are For Everybody merchandise created by Jordie Bellaire (@woahjordie) and Steven Finch (@fonografiks). Comics should be an art form that welcomes and encourages all voices and viewpoints. CBLDF’s efforts to protect the First Amendment are essential in creating a climate ensuring that remains the case. Your #GivingTuesday contribution proudly declares Comics Are For Everybody and helps CBLDF continue to provide legal action and education protecting the comics medium in 2017.

There’s a whole bunch of cool incentives based on your giving level. You can find out more about what the CBLDF has done this past year and make a contribution today.

Reading With Pictures has become a major player in the field of visual literacy. This year they have:

  • Expanded Comics Uniting Nations, a global initiative that has already reached thousands around the world
  • Rang the bell for NASDAQ!
  • Spread the word of comic book literacy to teachers and children around the world
  • Presented at San Diego Comic Con, New York Comic Con, and many more!

You can contribute to Reading With Pictures here.

The Hero Initiative helps comic creators in need. Formed in 2000, the organization is a safety net for comic creators in need. The organization became a not-for-profit in 2001 and has since granted over $700,000 to over 50 comic book veterans who helped build the industry in to what it is today. Their own website sums it up the best.

Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays’ creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It’s a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment.

You can help them out and contribute today, and if you can’t give money, there’s affiliate links on their website which they will receive a portion.

Please donate so these three worthy organizations can continue their good works. If you have more suggestions of comic related non-profits that people can donate to, sound off in the comments below.

Support the CBLDF, Reading With Pictures, and the Hero Initiative this #GivingTuesday

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giving-tuesdayThe holiday season us upon us and the end of the year is coming soon, and that means it’s the second year of #GivingTuesday, highlighting charities and the need to support them through donations (which often are tax-deductible). December is usually the most important fundraising month for charities. Graphic Policy is asking you to support three worthy causes, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF), Reading With Pictures, and the Hero Initiative.

The CBLDF receives more than a quarter of their annual budget in the year-end gifts from supporters like you. If you are still finalizing your charitable giving plans, we ask you to please consider their worthy efforts. Donations to CBLDF are fully tax-deductible in the year they are given.  Please help CBLDF continue their important work by making a donation today, either by giving a holiday gift of a signed graphic novel, becoming a member, or making a tax-deductible cash contribution.

All year round, the CBLDF works hard to protect the right to read. Their efforts combat the rising tide of censorship facing students, educators, and libraries, and we continue to provide a valuable safety net for creators and retailers.

Donate any amount, and receive a special #GivingTuesday edition of CBLDF’s podcast featuring a vintage 1980s interview between Neil Gaiman and Alan Moore, discussing creativity, free expression, and the power of comics! All donors who contribute by 12:00 a.m. PST today will receive this very special item!

There’s a whole bunch of cool incentives based on your giving level. You can find out more about what the CBLDF has done this past year and make a contribution today.

Reading With Pictures has become a major player in the field of visual literacy. This year they have:

  • Launch Comics Uniting Nations, a global initative that has already reached thousands around the world
  • Spread the word of comic book literacy to teachers and children around the world
  • Joined the Literacenter, Chicago’s dedicated space for literacy
  • Presented at San Diego Comic Con, New York Comic Con, and many more!

You can contribute to Reading With Pictures here.

The Hero Initiative helps comic creators in need. Formed in 2000, the organization is a safety net for comic creators in need. The organization became a not-for-profit in 2001 and has since granted over $700,000 to over 50 comic book veterans who helped build the industry in to what it is today. Their own website sums it up the best.

Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays’ creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It’s a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment.

You can help them out and contribute today, and if you can’t give money, there’s affiliate links on their website which they will receive a portion.

Please donate so these three worthy organizations can continue their good works. If you have more suggestions of comic related non-profits that people can donate to, sound off in the comments below.

Support the CBLDF and Reading With Pictures this #GivingTuesday

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giving-tuesdayThe holiday season us upon us and the end of the year is coming soon, and that means it’s the second year of #GivingTuesday, highlighting charities and the need to support them through donations (which often are tax-deductible). December is usually the most important fundraising month for charities. Graphic Policy is asking you to support two worthy causes, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) and Reading With Pictures.

The CBLDF receives more than a quarter of their annual budget in the year-end gifts from supporters like you. If you are still finalizing your charitable giving plans, we ask you to please consider their worthy efforts. Donations to CBLDF are fully tax-deductible in the year they are given.  Please help CBLDF continue their important work by making a donation today, either by giving a holiday gift of a signed graphic novel, becoming a member, or making a tax-deductible cash contribution.

All year round, the CBLDF works hard to protect the right to read. Their efforts combat the rising tide of censorship facing students, educators, and libraries, and we continue to provide a valuable safety net for creators and retailers.

If you give today, they’ll thank you with their #GivingTuesday edition of Defend Comics, a 54-page all-star anthology featuring stories by Neil Gaiman and Jim Lee, Jason Aaron and Moritat, Andy Diggle and Ben Templesmith, Terry Moore, Sergio Aragones and Mark Evanier, Evan Dorkin, Amy Chu and Shannon Wheeler, and many more! This anthology is only available on #GivingTuesday, December 2, until 12:00 a.m. PT.

You can find out more about what the CBLDF has done this past year and make a contribution today.

Reading With Pictures has become a major player in the field of visual literacy. Since their inception, they have:

  • Provided hundreds of professional development seminars in schools and at comic conferences around the country. These delivered practical advice and material assistance to educators and curriculum developers in their efforts to bring comics into the classroom.
  • Developed programming tracks for dozens of academic, educational and library conferences, comic conventions and literary festivals including the American Library Association, C2E2 and NYCC.
  • Gave numerous lectures in schools, universities and important professional conferences such as the International Reading Association.
  • Garnered major media attention from the Chicago Tribune company, G4 TV, Time Out Chicago, School Library Journal, Publisher’s Weekly and Wired.com.
  • Built a 2000+ person network of educators, academics, cartoonists and librarians that we interact with on a regular basis through our website, mailing list, Facebook and Twitter.
  • Published Reading With Pictures: An Educational Comics Anthology, a proof-­‐of-­‐ concept book designed to demonstrate how comics can bridge the gap between entertainment and education. Nominated for two Harvey Awards for Best Anthology and Best Children’s Book, The Anthology was produced entirely through volunteer efforts and financed via donations secured through the crowdfunding website http://www.kickstarter.com.

You can contribute to Reading With Pictures here.

Please donate so these two worthy organizations can continue their good works.

Support the CBLDF and Reading With Pictures this #GivingTuesday

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giving-tuesdayThe holiday season us upon us and the end of the year is coming soon, and that means it’s the second year of #GivingTuesday, highlighting charities and the need to support them through donations (which often are tax-deductible). December is usually the most important fundraising month for charities. Graphic Policy is asking you to support two worthy causes, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) and Reading With Pictures.

The CBLDF receives more than a quarter of their annual budget in the year-end gifts from supporters like you. If you are still finalizing your charitable giving plans, we ask you to please consider our worthy efforts. Donations to CBLDF are fully tax-deductible in the year they are given.  Please help CBLDF continue our important work by making a donation today, either by giving a holiday gift of a signed graphic novel, becoming a member, or making a tax-deductible cash contribution.

In 2013, the CBLDF successfully stood up to every First Amendment emergency they faced.  They also made serious contributions to education with publications, articles, lectures, and appearances that reached communities around the world.  Read the full Annual Report to learn what CBLDF has done to protect your freedom to read comics this year!

The CBLDF is participating in the first ever #GivingTuesday and Mashable Google+ Hangout-a-thon on Tuesday, December 3. This 12-hour live Hangout on Air will take place from 9am – 9pm ET, with CBLDF going live at 5:30 pm ET.

Their segment will feature Bone creator and CBLDF Board Member Jeff Smith alongside American Born Chinese author Gene Luen Yang  in conversation with CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein and PEN American Center’s Freedom to Write Fellow Deji Olukotun about the censorship comics authors face, and how you can make a difference.  Viewers will have the opportunity to interact with the conversation and to donate directly to CBLDF directly from the hangout.

Last year after the tragedy of Sandy Hook, Reading With Pictures launched an emergency comic book drive to donate family friendly comic books to the families of that community.  They were able to coordinate over 500 unique donations toward this drive.

This year, they are building upon that success while also joining in #GivingTuesday.  Today, the organization is accepting donations for their holiday comic book drive that will be donated to the children at Comer Children’s Hospital in Chicago, IL. The drive runs through January 3.

Please donate so these two worthy organizations can continue their good works.

Comics Out Loud! – Coming April 24, 2013

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Reading With PicturesReading With Pictures, an organization dedicated to increasing literacy through comic books and graphic novels, has announced Comics Out Loud!, an exciting event for teachers, librarians, and other educators on April 24, 2013. The idea is for teachers, librarians, and other educators to incorporate comic books into their daily activities on April 24, 2013. Reading with Pictures will be supplying electronic formats for colorful posters and curriculum friendly materials that give helpful suggestions to incorporate comics into the classroom!

Everyone who believes that comics are an amazing educational resource can participate by planning at least one activity involving comic books on Comics Out Loud! day.

For individuals interesting in getting involved with the event, you can click sign up by filling out a short participation form. Reading With Pictures will email all participants free materials in early April to help plan their events. The first ten folks to register will get a FREE copy of the Reading With Pictures Anthology!

You can also help spread the word. Tell your co-workers, fellow educators, and friends that April 24, 2013 is a day to celebrate Comics Out Loud!  Use the Twitter hashtag #ComicsOutLoud or post to Facebook that you’ll be teaching Comics Out Loud! on April 24.

Changing Classrooms One Comic at a Time

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Changing Classrooms One Comic at a Time

Reading With Pictures begins fundraising push for The Graphic Textbook

(Chicago, IL- April 19, 2012) Reading with Pictures, a 501(c)3 nonprofit charity, announced today the official launch of their fundraising campaign to create The GraphicCvr Textbook. This groundbreaking project will enable educators to take comics beyond supplementary reading and into the core curricula.

The Graphic Textbook brings together some of the finest creative talents in the comics industry – including Fred Van Lente, Ryan Dunlavey, Janet Lee, Amy Reeder, Katie Cook and Roger Langridge – with the leading experts in visual literacy and comics-based curriculum – including Dr. Katie Monnin and Dr. James Bucky Carter – to create a gamechanging educational tool for the classroom and beyond that’s tied to a revolutionary impact study overseen by Dr. David Rapp of the Learning Sciences Department of Northwestern University.

Aimed at grades 3-6, The Graphic Textbook features a dozen short stories (both fiction and non-fiction) that address topics drawn from the list of Common Core Standards. The accompanying Teacher’s Guide will include Standards-correlated lesson plans customized to each story, research-based justifications for using comics in the classroom, a guide to establishing best classroom practices and a comprehensive listing of additional educational resources, both in print and online.

Josh Elder, President and Founder of Reading with Pictures, explains “This project has been years in the making, and it’s been developed with input from hundreds of educators, academics and students nationwide. With their help, we’re going to create a comic that teachers will actually want to use and a textbook that students will actually want to read. And we’ve done it while respecting our contributor’s rights and keeping our product price below the gong market rate. We know that there’s a need for this product, now we just need your help to prove it.”

The Graphic Textbook will be financed entirely through a Kickstarter campaign set to launch on April 13 and run through May 17. The finished product is set for a spring 2013 release in both print and digital formats.

Back us on Kickstarter at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/readingwithpictures/the-graphic-textbook

Visit our website at www.readingwithpictures.org

Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ReadingWithPictures

Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/ReadingWithPix

One week left to pre-order the Reading With Pictures anthology

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Official Press Release Reading With PicturesReading With Pictures has entered the final week of their pledge drive and anthology pre-order campaign on Kickstarter.com, and they’ve already raised $13,000 to help revolutionize the role of comics in the classroom!  But they’re not done yet. With your help they hope to raise an additional $2,000 by the time the Kickstarter campaign ends at midnight this Saturday.

  • PLEDGE $5 and get the digital edition of the inaugural Reading With Pictures anthology: 192 pages of full-color awesomeness appropriate for ages 7 and up. With a painted cover by Jill Thompson, it features stories by more than 50 brilliant cartoonists including Jim Gownley, Fred Van Lente, Ryan Dunlavey, Raina Telgemeier, Jeffrey Brown, Chris Giarrusso, Bill Barnes, Gene Ambaum and many more.
  • PLEDGE $15 and get a signed copy of the RWP anthology in softcover.
  • PLEDGE $20 and get a signed copy of the RWP anthology in hardcover.
  • PLEDGE $50 and get an RWP logo t-shirt PLUS a signed copy of the RWP anthology in hardcover.
  • PLEDGE $75 and get a limited edition signed print by anthology cover artist Jill Thompson PLUS an RWP logo t-shirt AND a signed copy of the RWP anthology in hardcover.
  • PLEDGE $150 and get the your name (or that of your business/organization) and face (or logo) drawn into the book’s Honor Roll section PLUS the limited edition Jill Thompson print, the t-shirt AND the signed hardcover.

And here’s a preview of the cover:

Reading With Pictures anthology cover

All-Ages Comic Anthology Featuring Jill Thompson and Fred Van Lente Raises Money to Bring Comics into the Classroom

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Official Press Release
Reading With PicturesChicago, IL February, 2010—Beginning February 22 and running through May 22, the educational non-profit Reading With Pictures will be taking orders for its all-ages comic anthology on Kickstarter.com (http://kck.st/a2LVJy). The full-color, 192-page anthology features a cover by Jill Thompson (The Sandman) and all-new stories by more than 50 cartoonists including Fred Van Lente (Amazing Spider-Man), Jeffrey Brown (Sulk), Jim Gownley (Amelia Rules), Raina Telgemeier (The Baby-Sitter’s Club), Chris Giarrusso (Mini-Marvels), Eric Wight (Frankie Pickle), the Fillbach Brothers (Star Wars: The Clone Wars) and RWP Executive Director Josh Elder (Mail Order Ninja).

In addition to selling signed softcover and limited-edition hardcover editions of the anthology, Reading With Pictures is offering several unique opportunities for high-level donors to live the dream and become comic book characters by being drawn into the anthology by their favorite artists. Other incentive packages include digital downloads and bulk-rate discounts for teachers and librarians.

“I believe in bringing comics into the classroom because comics were my ‘secret weapons’ in school,” says Executive Director Josh Elder. “All the creators involved in this anthology volunteered their time and considerable talents because they believe it too. Comics made us all better students, better citizens and better people, and we know they can do the same for everyone.”

The anthology centers around the theme of education, and each story contains engaging and entertaining educational content. Trevor Mueller and Gabriel Bautista tell the story of alien exchange student and his human classmates traveling back in time to learn about dinosaurs firsthand. In Kevin Pyle’s “The Order of the Secret Pencil,” a boy learns to read and write through the use of comics. The sciences are also represented along with the humanities when Chris Eliopoulos, an animation director for Yo Gabba Gabba! on Nick Jr., explains the unique biology of the electric eel.

Money raised from sales of the anthology will pay for the printing of the anthology itself and provide the majority of funding for Reading With Pictures during its critical startup period. That funding will allow Reading With Pictures to forge ahead with its ambitious slate of groundbreaking projects to revolutionize the use of comics in the classroom. These include a partnering with Northwestern University to conduct the most comprehensive research study in U.S. history on comics as educational tools, creating a searchable, interactive database of comic-centric curriculum and providing recommended reading lists for all ages, interests and subjects.

Reading With Pictures’ Executive Director Josh Elder and all anthology creators are available for interview. High-resolution images from the anthology will also be made available upon request. For more information, please contact Media Director Michael Moreci or visit our Kickstarter site (http://kck.st/a2LVJy) for all the latest news, previews, and updates.

WHO WE ARE

Reading With Pictures was founded in 2009 by award-winning graphic novelist and nationally syndicated cartoonist Josh Elder in order to revolutionize the role of comics in education. The organization has since grown to comprise eight board members drawn from publishing and academia, including John Shableski, Sales Manager for Diamond Book Distributors, and David Rapp, an Associate Professor of Learning Sciences and Cognitive Psychology at Northwestern University. We also engage the talents of more than 60 active volunteers from all over the world in various capacities.

At Reading With Pictures, we believe that comics have the potential to be more engaging, more efficient and more effective educational tools than traditional classroom materials. We believe it because we’ve experienced it in our own lives. Comics made us better students, better citizens and better people. Now we hope to share those experiences with pupils in every city, in every school and in every classroom.

OUR PLANNED PROJECTS

  • Partnering with Northwestern University and other academic institutions to oversee the largest and most comprehensive research study in U.S. history on the role of comics in education
  • Building an interactive database of research papers, lesson plans and comic-centric curriculum
  • Providing educational consultation services to schools and publishers
  • Working with cartoonists to produce top-quality educational comics
  • Helping universities design courses in the burgeoning field of Comics Studies
  • Creating a Speakers Bureau to get cartoonists into schools and libraries
  • Aggregating graphic novel reviews from various accredited sources and generating recommended reading lists for every age group and subject matter

OUR MISSION

Reading With Pictures is a nonprofit organization that advocates the use of comics in the classroom to promote literacy and improve educational outcomes for all students. We work with academics to cultivate groundbreaking research into the proper role of comics in education. We collaborate with cartoonists to produce exceptional graphic novel content for scholastic use. Most importantly, we partner with educators to develop a system of best practices for integrating comics into their curriculum. At Reading With Pictures, we get comics into schools and get schools into comics.

Website www.readingwithpictures.org

Email info@readingwithpictures.org

Facebook www.facebook.com/ReadingWithPictures

Twitter www.twitter.com/ReadingWithPix

Reading With Pictures

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Reading With Pictures


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Comicvine turned us on to the charity Reading With Pictures, a relatively new charity involved in using comic books in an academic sense.  From their website:

Reading With Pictures is a nonprofit organization that advocates the use of comics in the classroom to promote literacy and improve educational outcomes for all students. We work with academics to cultivate groundbreaking research into the proper role of comics in education. We collaborate with cartoonists to produce exceptional graphic novel content for scholastic use. Most importantly, we partner with educators to develop a system of best practices for integrating comics into their curriculum. At Reading With Pictures, we get comics into schools and get schools into comics.

The charity was founded in 2009 by cartoonist Josh Elder and comprises of 8 board members and currently 60 volunteers.  Current projects include working with universities on a study of the use of comic books in education, an interactive database of research papers on the subject, consulting with schools, helping to design courses in comic stories, helping with a speakers bureau and putting together a list of graphic novel reviews based on appropriate age level.

There are numerous ways to get involved now.  From their website.

-We are looking for talented web designers to help us create a new website!

-We are currently preparing our 501(c)(3) paperwork to become a tax-exempt non-profit, and we are seeking attorneys or accountants who have experience preparing Form 1023.

-We plan to create a clearinghouse for comic-based curriculum, and we will soon be looking for someone with experience building and maintaining databases.

-We are putting together graphic novel starter kits for school libraries, and we are looking for publishers who are interested in donating books.

-We have a number of fundraising plans in place, including an online art auction in late 2009 and the creation of a benefit anthology in early 2010. If you would like to contribute original artwork for the auction or a short comic for the benefit book, please read our press release or contact us for more information!

-Reading With Pictures does accept donations. If you are interested in contributing seed money to help our organization obtain tax-exempt status and begin our projects, please contact us directly. Donations will be retroactively tax-exempt once we have received 501(c)(3) status.

Even with a pretty sparse website you can become a fan of the organization on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.