FARMINGTON, ME  (February 10, 2022)—Due to unforeseen circumstances, the keynote speaker previously announced for the upcoming “Persepolis” events has been changed. We are happy to announce the new keynote presenter will be Vermont-based cartoonist Rachel Lindsay.

The new keynote and workshop events featuring Lindsay are scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 23, replacing the previously scheduled events on Wednesday, Feb. 16. All events are free and open to the public. According to UMF Covid protocol, masks are required in all campus indoor spaces. Attendees are asked to sign in at all events for contact tracing.

Updated keynote events:

Keynote: Persepolis & the Graphic Memoir
February 23, 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Emery Community Arts Center

Vermont-based cartoonist Rachel Lindsay examines why comics are a powerful narrative tool, and where Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel, fits into the medium. Rachel Lindsay's book, “RX: A Graphic Memoir (2018),” was the featured book for US National Network of Libraries of Medicine's mental health month 2019, and was included on the American Association of Medical Colleges' top ten summer reads list 2019.

Make Your Own Comic Book!
February 23, 5-8:00 p.m., UMF North Dining Hall in the Olsen Student Center

Writer and comic artist Rachel Lindsay will teach you how to create simple cartoon illustrations, which you will use to write and draw your own mini-comic memoir (and we do mean mini.) All skill levels welcome.

Rachel Lindsay is the author of RX: A Graphic Memoir (Grand Central Publishing, 2018) about her experience working in psychopharmaceutical advertising and subsequent hospitalization for bipolar mania. Her comic strip, “Rachel Lives Here Now,” appears weekly in Vermont’s alternative newspaper Seven Days and has gained acclaim for its humorous take on Vermont-centric themes. She was named “a cartoonist to watch” by the Comics Reporter in 2017.

More on Persepolis

“Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapi, is the new featured topic in the University of Maine at Farmington’s New Commons project.

Persepolis is Satrapi’s poignant, autobiographical coming-of-age story of growing up in Iran during the tumultuous political climate of the 1970s and 80s. It follows her life of heartache and survival through pre- and post-revolutionary Iran. Satrapi first told her story as an adult, autobiographical graphic novel in 2000. The film adaptation premiered at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival and won the Jury Prize.

The New Commons Project is a public humanities initiative of the University of Maine at Farmington, Maine’s public liberal arts college, in partnership with the Maine Humanities Council. It is made possible by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

To learn more about the New Commons Project, and to view many of the events for the first 12 topics, visit the website at: https://newcommonsproject.org/

More on University of Maine at Farmington

A nationally-recognized liberal arts college known for its commitment to student success, UMF provides a challenging yet supportive environment to prepare students for both careers and further study. Rooted in a tradition of teacher preparation, UMF offers top quality programs in the arts and sciences, teacher preparation, and pre-professional studies. Located in the heart of Maine’s four-season outdoor recreational region, UMF is a welcoming, close-knit academic community that prepares students for engaged citizenship, enriching professional careers and an enduring love of learning.