SUNDERLAND — For many young readers, comics are a gateway into storytelling. From Monday, June 22, to Friday, June 26, the Sunderland Public Library is helping children take the next step from reading comics to creating their own.
Through a week of comics programming organized in partnership with the Boston Comics Arts Foundation (BCAF), local students will learn directly from professional cartoonists while exploring the fundamentals of visual storytelling. The program features award-winning graphic novelists Jarrett J. Krosoczka and Mike Curato, who will share their experiences as creators and encourage young artists to develop their own voices.
According to Deanna Soukiasian, cartoonist and education coordinator for the Boston Comics Arts Foundation’s Mass Makes Comics initiative, the program grew from a desire to make comics education accessible to more communities.
“In the community, there’s a growing desire for kids to learn visual literacy,” Soukiasian said. “Comics are for everybody, and learning is for everybody.”
Mass Makes Comics focuses on bringing educational opportunities to underfunded communities throughout Massachusetts. By partnering with libraries, artists and families, the organization works to ensure that students who are interested in comics have access to professional instruction regardless of their background.
Soukiasian said libraries are uniquely positioned to host that kind of programming because they serve as community spaces where creativity and learning can flourish side by side.
“The library is a place that is accessible to everyone,” she said. “Everybody belongs there.”
The program arrives at a moment when many young people are rediscovering hands-on creative hobbies. Soukiasian believes comics provide an opportunity for students to unplug from screens, connect with peers and explore new forms of self-expression.
“I think there’s an uprise in wanting to go back to analog activities,” she noted. “People are getting really burnt out by technology.”
According to Krosoczka, whose best-selling works include the “Lunch Lady” series and the graphic memoir “Hey, Kiddo,” encouraging creativity has become a central part of his career.
“I always knew I wanted to do something with visual storytelling,” Krosoczka shared. “Growing up, I’d make my own animations, my own comics, my own little books. What I do now is a direct extension of a lifelong obsession.”
When speaking to young artists, Krosoczka emphasizes that creativity is a process rather than a destination. His presentation at the Sunderland Public Library, set for Monday, June 22, at 2 p.m., will trace his own path to publication, including the many rejections he received before finding success.
“I feel very lucky that I get to be published,” he said. “But it’s always incredibly special for me to meet my readers one-on-one and meet them in person.”
Graphic novels continue to grow in popularity among young readers, a trend both featured artists have witnessed firsthand. Krosoczka believes part of their appeal lies in their accessibility.
“They’re fun,” he said. “They’re very visually engaging. A page of prose can be very daunting, it can be very intimidating, and when we get kids onto pages of comics, we introduce them to an entire vocabulary that they wouldn’t otherwise be exposed to.”
Curato, author and illustrator of acclaimed graphic novels and picture books, including “Little Elliot, Big City,” credits comics with helping him become a reader in the first place.
“I was what an educator might call a reluctant reader,” Curato shared. “After I aged out of picture books and was required to read longer texts, I really missed the pictures. Comic books kind of had it all. They had story, action and excitement.”
That experience shaped his belief that comics are an important literary medium, particularly for young readers who may struggle with traditional text-heavy books.
“Storytelling is storytelling,” Curato said. “Graphic novels are books with a special flair.”
He also hopes the program at the Sunderland Public Library helps participants understand the creative possibilities within comics. One common misconception, he believes, is that all comics revolve around superheroes.
“That’s just a part of what comics can be,” Curato shared. “If you strip a comic down to its essentials, it’s really just a sequence that tells a story. Beyond that, it could be anything you want it to be.”
Curato is leading “Sunderland Makes Comics,” a four-day intensive drawing workshop series for ages 10 to 18, from Tuesday, June 23, through Friday, June 26, from 2 to 5 p.m. each day. Curato will cover character design, setting, dialogue, visual storytelling and the process of developing a comics project from idea to finished work. Because participants will be working on a week-long project, attendance at all four workshop sessions is required.
Both artists encourage young creators to focus on enjoyment and persistence as opposed to perfection.
“I think everyone’s just so naturally creative when they’re kids,” Curato said. “I would tell my younger self to continue to make things that make me smile.”
Krosoczka echoed that sentiment, describing creativity as an essential form of self-expression.
“The joy for me has been the joy of creating,” he said. “Spending some time with your thoughts and pen and paper or pencil and paper is just so important to our mental health.”
The library setting itself holds special significance for the artists. Curato described libraries as safe, welcoming places that provided free access to books while he was growing up. Today, he sees them as increasingly important hubs for comics and creative programming.
Soukiasian hopes programs like Sunderland’s become common throughout Massachusetts.
“My goal is for every library to do this,” she said. “That’s how I got started as a cartoonist myself, going to the library for a free workshop with a cartoonist.”
The events at the Sunderland Public Library are free, though registration is required. To learn more or to register, visit bostoncomicarts.org/events or contact the library at 413-665-2642.
As young participants spend the week drawing, writing and developing their own stories, organizers hope they leave with more than technical skills. The ultimate goal is confidence: the belief that their ideas are worth sharing.
For students wondering where to begin, both artists offered the same advice: read widely, create often and keep going.
“Nothing comes immediately,” Curato advised. “You just keep coming back to the drawing table.”
