ReggieCon will once again be hosting virtual panels during the 2022-2023 academic year. The first panel, Darkroom: A Memoir in Black and White will be from 7-8:30 p.m. September 21 via Zoom.

There is no cost to attend. Those interested can join the Zoom webinar at the ReggieCon website.

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the panel will focus on the autobiographical graphic novel Darkroom:  A Memoir in Black and White, which tells the story of the immigration of author Lila Quintero Weaver.

Panelists include Dr. Scott Jordan, chair of the Department of Psychology at Illinois State University; Victor Dandridge, founder of Vantage InHouse Productions; Dr. Vanessa Hintz, licensed clinical psychologist and diversity, equity and inclusion professional; and Dr. Eric Wesselmann, associate professor of psychology at Illinois State.

Guest panelists for September will include Weaver, the author and illustrator of Darkroom and Illinois State doctoral student Edcel J. Cintron-Gonzalez. Weaver was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, but grew up in Alabama. Her other work incudes My Year in the Middle. Cintron-Gonzalez is earning a Ph.D. in children’s and young adult literature.

Sponsored by the Office of Enrollment Management and Academic Services ReggieCon is entering its third year as a series of virtual panels which will be held throughout the fall 2022 and spring 2023 semesters. Each panel consists of a panel of experts in comic and popular media and focuses on issues of race and diversity. Panel topics align with national recognition months such as Hispanic Heritage, LGBTQ History, Black History and Asian Pacific Heritage Months.

Upcoming panels include:

The Magic Fish
October 19
LGBTQ History Month

Echo
November 16
Native American Heritage Month

Uncanny X-Men 161:  Gold Rush
December 7
Universal Human Rights Month

After the Rain
February 16
Black History Month

Jessica Jones:  Return of the Purple Man
March 15
Women’s History Month

Habibti Pada
April 12
Arab American Heritage Month

The Wind Rises
May 3
Asian Pacific Heritage Month