One of the country’s foremost African American comics artists, Ebony Flowers, will discuss creative storytelling during a public talk at the University of South Carolina. Flowers, renowned for her award-winning graphic novel Hot Comb, will spend a week on campus as part of the McCausland Visiting Scholar Series. 

Flowers' seminar, "The Art of Remembering in Creative Practice," will take place on Monday, October 21, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Lumpkin Auditorium in Close-Hipp. The event will include a Q&A session, book signing and reception. Free and open to the public, the talk will explore the role of comics as a medium for storytelling, research and social commentary. 

“Ebony Flowers is an innovative storyteller who uses comics to explore the daily lives and aspirations of Black women and girls,” says Qiana Whitted, a professor of English and African American studies, who specializes in American comics and graphic novels. “Her first graphic novel, Hot Comb, deserves to be taught alongside other critically acclaimed comics like Art Spiegelman’s Maus, Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home, and John Lewis’ March in revealing the complexities of real life through image and text.” 

In addition to the public talk, Flowers will lead a workshop titled "Making Comics for Research" on Friday, October 25, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Gambrell 429). This workshop, open to College of Arts and Sciences faculty and graduate students, will focus on how comics can be used as a tool for academic research and bridging the arts and sciences. Register for the workshop here. 

“My hope is that Dr. Flowers’ visit to USC will remind readers and researchers that there are more than superheroes among the thousands of comic books in our own library’s special collections. Those who attend her events will have the chance to learn more about how she creates through comics and inspires others to do the same,” Whitted says.