Who am I?
My name is Devin Whitlock. I’m originally from the East Coast of the United States, just outside New York, which is my way of trying to avoid saying I’m from New Jersey. I live in Chicago now and can’t imagine being anywhere else. I’ve done a lot of everything in between.
All I’ve ever really wanted to do in life is write. I used to write about gay comic books on the internet. I found a modicum of success as a storyteller and podcaster, though as I told a friend recently, I’m more of a writer than a performer. I’ve tried my hand at sitcom pilots, screenplays, and short fiction. I have a couple of novel manuscripts lying around. Lately, I’ve been focusing on comics.
I’m tempted to say comics was my first love, but I can remember writing short stories about the Candyland characters before I’d even entered Kindergarten. I read my first comic in 5th grade, and have wanted to be a part of that art form ever since. It’s still maligned as an art form, but presents so many unique storytelling opportunities! I really love comics.
How did Comics Book Club start?
Funny story. It sort of started by accident. Back when I lived in a different neighborhood, I noticed that a book club at my local library branch was meeting to discuss My Favorite Thing Is Monsters by Emil Ferris. This is one of my favorite comics of all time, so I made sure to get up early on my day off to be part of this discussion. There were about six of us in a small room in the back of the library, but I was so excited!
We talked about the art style, the incredible circumstances surrounding the book’s publication, the Chicago history presented in the book, the autobiography of Emil Ferris, and many other topics. It was very fun and I had a great time. It turned out that everyone else did, too! For some of them, this was their first comic because that book club normally met to discuss novels.
A couple of weeks later, I was picking up a book I’d had on hold at that branch and the librarian asked me if I’d like to start another book club, this time centered around comics. I was nervous at first, but I didn’t want to turn down an opportunity to talk about one of my favorite art forms. After a couple of planning sessions, the Chicago Public Library Adult Graphic Novel Discussion Group had its first meeting in the back of a bar on July 18, 2018. We've been meeting regularly ever since.
What will I be writing about?
The Chicago Public Library’s Comics Book Club meets on the third Wednesday of every month, so you can expect me to post something on the fourth or fifth Friday or Saturday of every month (or the first Friday or Saturday of the following month if the weeks are a little uneven). I may post once or twice more per month about comic conventions or surveys on what we’re going to read next.
Every newsletter edition of Devin’s Chicago Comic Book Club Digest will provide news about the Chicago Public Library’s Comics Book Club, personal news and reflections, and a hodgepodge of top comics or comics-related news stories that I collect during the month. I’ll open each newsletter with a brief recap of the previous meeting (“How did it go? How was the book received?”) for anyone interested in the book club or who may not have been able to attend. From there, each newsletter will be divided into four main sections of varying length.
What We’re Reading
This will list what comics have been selected to be read for the coming months. The only criteria are that the Chicago Public Library has to have at least ten physical copies so people can check it out and it has to be available digitally on hoopla in case all the physical copies are unavailable. If you’d like to see what we’ve read previously, please read the pinned Welcome! message. If you have suggestions for future selections, feel free to leave a comment!
Shameless Self-Promotion
This will include information on any projects I’m working on or writing I’m getting done.
NEWS
In addition to news stories about comics or the comics industry that have caught my eye in the preceding weeks, I’ll post about ancillary material related to the previous Comics Book Club selection. Interviews, retrospectives, awards, etc. Feel free to leave a comment if you think I’ve overlooked something or would like to know more!
Some Thoughts on _____
I plan to include a brief personal essay on something related to the preceding content, maybe one of the stories in the NEWS section, or something related to the comic itself.
Join the Community
I’m hoping to foster a positive community of people who share interest in comics and writing. I’m not going to ask for paid subscriptions for now. I look forward to helping people start their own book clubs if they’re interested in doing that and sharing my own journey as a writer. Thanks again for everything!
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