Comicon – Kids Need to Read
San Diego Comic-Con
First I admit to being aware that the official title should be typed as “Comic-Con” but I prefer my shortened version. Admit it, you knew what I meant, didn’t you?
Today was a day of firsts. This was my first Comicon, and to get there (since I had no desire to spend 3 hours trying to find parking in downtown San Diego) I took my first trolley ride.
That last first is a bit ironic. When the city started trolley service I was a security supervisor for the service yard. I saw the trolleys inside and out, I just never rode in one, until today.
Even though I collected comic books as a kid (and sold my collection in the 80s), I was never a fanatic. I read mostly DC comics but never had a particular favorite. I didn’t attend past Comicons because I was under the false impression it was a convention for buyers and sellers of comic book and related merchandise. There was certainly a lot of that going on, but it wasn’t the sole activity.
I enjoyed the booths and schwag. I attended eight years of Sam Goody conventions as a store manager and with the movie and music studios offering freebies at every meeting, I’ve become adept at collecting schwag.
But most of all I enjoyed the panels. I missed seeing perhaps my favorite group, Joss Whedon and the cast of Firefly/Serenity. But I was consoled by being able to attend the Browncoat’s panel. Felicia Day, one of the leads in the recent web phenomena Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-Long Blog showed up to read a fairy tale in support of Kids Need to Read (www.kidsneedtoread.org).
Felicia Day
I’m a writer, and most writers I know, both novice and professional, are also avid readers. Writing would have little value if there were no readers.
What better venue than a convention dedicated to the printed form to encourage reading among kids.
From the Kids Need to Read handout:
Kids Need to Read holds weekly auctions of items generously donated by its supporters. They (the auctions) have proven very popular among fans of Firefly/Serenity and science fiction, as well as literacy advocates.
Auctions have included signed sci-fi memorabilia, book packages, and even character-inspired jewelry.
http://community.kidsneedto read.org
Kids Need to Read distributes books to schools and libraries that might otherwise not be able to afford them. It was established by PJ Haarsma, the author of the Softwire series, and Nathan Fillion, star of both the Dr. Horrible production and Firefly/Serenity.
Support Kids Need to Read, donate your carefully read books to your local school or library. Read to your kids. Do whatever you can to ensure we won’t produce a generation of illiterates. Reading is fundamental to thinking, and thinking adds value to our lives. Give children the gift of reading comprehension. It’s a gift that will continue to reward them throughout their lives.
So begins 7th Son, the chart-topping, genre-bending audiobook thriller trilogy by J.C. Hutchins. Called “the best thriller you’ve never read,” the series is renowned for its plot twists, everyman characters and cliffhangers. The series has nearly 40,000 listeners worldwide, and was featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post and on the cover of Blogger & Podcaster magazine.
