Write-up: Graphic Medicine Virtual Social

Posted by Sarah Levin-Lederer on June 16th, 2022 Posted in: Communities of Interest, Graphic Medicine
Tags: Community of Interest, graphic medicine

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The Region 7 Graphic Medicine COI welcomed 24 colleagues from across the Network for a Graphic Medicine Virtual Social on May 25. Attendees got the chance to network through facilitated conversations and participating in drawing and storytelling games.

Although the majority of attendees were from R7, we welcomed folks from all but one NNLM region and even within R7, we saw some new faces.

Not only were participants able to share across the Network, but they also brought a range of experience with graphic medicine with over half being new and they were able to connect with more experienced peers.

Sessions

Book Talk

Participants had the chance to talk up their favorite work of graphic medicine, recommend new books and also discuss resources for finding titles.

Books discussed included works for kids, such as El Deafo, Melting Down: a Comic for Kids with Asperger’s Disorder, Ghosts, works in French, such as Comment comprendre mon copain autiste, Ted, drôle de coco, Paroles de Sourds, The Third Person and First Year Out on trans* experiences, and books about mental health such as, Marbles, Rx: A Graphic Memoir, and Trauma is Really Strange.

Other titles discussed included:

• A Thousand Coloured Castles (macular degeneration)
• Twister (quadriplegia)
• Dancing after TEN (Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis and blindness)
• Chlorine Gardens (MS)
• The Infinite Wait and Other Stories (lupus)
• Threadbare: Clothes, Sex and Trafficking
• Epileptic
• About Betty’s Boob (cancer)
• When I Returned and A Whole Lifetime of Firsts (veteran’s health)
• Inside Out (Eating Disorder)

And Coming soon: Smile! You’re a Caregiver, a resource for caregivers of people with Parkinson’s Disease.

Attendees also recommended the GMIC Award short list, Essential GM list, the graphic medicine collection at Countway, and the libguide from Rocky Vista University, Graphic Novels and Humanity of Mental Illness: An Annotated Bibliography as resources for finding titles.

Programming Talk

Folks recommended the resources from Graphic Medicine: Ill-Conceived and Well-Drawn, the NLM’s graphic medicine exhibit, that has lesson plans for students including university modules.​

Get Involved

If you’re in R7, consider joining the Graphic Medicine COI to network and plan future events. For anyone in any region, we’d love to hear ideas for future webinars, events or projects. To get involved or to tell us about what you’d like to see next, email Sarah Levin-Lederer.

More Graphic Medicine from R7

Learn more about R7’s graphic medicine work and:

• Request a graphic medicine book club kit today
• Find new discussion guides and how to videos from UK Alternative Spring Break students
• Sign-up for the R7 graphic medicine listserv to learn about new research and upcoming events
• And more!