“Cartoonists in Conversation: Malaka Gharib + Athena Naylor” and Opening Reception

THURSDAY, NOV. 21, 4:00PM
Fenwick Library Reading Room (2001)

Join cartoonists Malaka Gharib and Athena Naylor for a discussion of autobiography and personal storytelling in comics. Moderated by Christopher Kardambikis (Asst. Professor, Printmaking), this conversation is presented as part of the exhibition D(C)MV Comics, currently on view in Fenwick Gallery, and will be recorded for the podcast series Paper Cuts.

A light opening reception will follow in Fenwick Gallery from 5:00-7:00 P.M.  Learn more about this exhibition and related events at https://fenwickgallery.gmu.edu/exhibits/dcmv-comics. 

About the artists

Malaka Gharib is an artist and writer based in Washington, D.C. She is the author of I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir, about being first generation Filipino Egyptian American. She is a journalist on NPR’s science desk, covering global health and development. Malaka is the founder of the D.C. Art Book Fair and a food zine called The Runcible Spoon. In her free time, she likes drawing comics and making zines, and her work has been featured in The Nib, Catapult, The New York Times, The Washington Post and The New York Times Style Magazine. 

Athena Naylor is a cartoonist and illustrator based in Washington, D.C, originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She specializes in autobiographical comics and illustration. She also specializes in being a giant nerd. Athena received a Master’s in Art History from The George Washington University in 2017 and, unsurprisingly, wrote her thesis on comics.