We're hosting author Christine Barker as she celebrates her memoir, THIRD GIRL FROM THE LEFT! Amanda will be joined in conversation by author, screenwriter, and New York Times bestselling comic book writer, Amanda Deibert.

About the book:

As a middle child in a large military family, Christine just wants to dance. Her parents support her dreams, even if they seem beyond their comprehension. At 20, determined and talented, Christine heads across the country from Santa Fe to New York City and, in a made for-Hollywood story, is chosen for the London cast of A Chorus Line.

While unwilling to fully cut ties with the traditional life her parents envision for her, she finds a new family with the dancers and more fluid, open characters that fill the theater world in London, and later New York, in the ‘70s & ‘80s. Christine learns that one member of her family is equally at home in her new world: Laughlin, her older brother—divorced, a father, ex-military and a corporate lawyer—also makes his way to New York City, where he meets, and begins to build a life, with rising fashion star Perry Ellis. The two men enjoy a partnership and a financial success that Christine both admires. and envies.

She spends much of her free time in their Upper West Side brownstone and Water Island retreat. Soon everyone is talking about a mysterious new disease. As deaths of dancers, theater folk, and eventually friends start to mount, Christine realizes she’s in the middle of an epidemic that neither her traditional family nor the public at large is ready to reckon with. As the AIDS crisis cuts closer and closer, eventually impacting those she loves most, Christine does what she has always done: she strikes her own path.

This memoir is an emotional, honest examination of what it takes to succeed in the competitive world of New York theater, how hard-won dreams can be quickly lost, what it means to redefine family, and the devastating toll AIDS exacted on a generation of artists.

About the authors:

Christine Barker was raised in a military family and spent her childhood moving across Europe and the United States. By the time she started high school, her father had retired from the US Navy and the family returned to Santa Fe, New Mexico, a place they have called home since the 1880s. She devoted herself to the study of dance and at 20 made the brave decision to move to New York City to pursue a career in dance and theater. She appeared in the productions of Promises, Promises, Seesaw, and No, No Nanette before being cast in the London production of the Tony-award-winning A Chorus Line, which opened at the Royal Drury Lane Theater in 1976. She eventually joined the Broadway cast in New York City. Her theatrical life was shaped by Alvin Ailey, Tommy Tune, and finally Michael Bennett. She was working on Broadway when the AIDS epidemic hit and witnessed the tragedy unfold in the theater wings, fashion houses and finally in the hospitals of New York City. In addition to her theater credits, Christine has appeared in numerous national television commercials. She holds an MFA in Writing from Sarah Lawrence College and currently lives in Connecticut.

Amanda's guided gratitude journal, You Already Have the Answers, is based on uplifting questions from her frequently viral Twitter feed. Her comic book writing includes Star Wars Hyperspace Stories (Lucasfilm), Darkwing Duck (Disney/Dynamite) DC Super Hero Girls, Teen Titans Go!, Wonder Woman ’77, Batman and Scooby Doo!, Love is Love (NYT #1 Bestseller) and more for DC Comics, John Carpenter’s Tales for A HalloweeNight volumes 2-8 (Storm King Comics), and more. Her television work includes He-Man and the Masters of the Universe for Netflix and four years as writer for former Vice President Al Gore’s international climate broadcast, 24 Hours of Reality. She lives in Los Angeles with her wife Cat Staggs and their young daughter, Vivienne.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/author-event-christine-barker-with-amanda-deibert-tickets-617311815257

Amanda Deibert will be with her wife, illustrator Cat Staggs at Lake Como Comic Art festival May 12-14

Lake Como Comic Art Festival

For more information visit www.wgfoundation.org/events/all/2022/8/3/graphic-novels-panel

Join Business of Creating in a partnership with the WGF for a dynamic interactive panel and Q&A with seasoned entertainment professionals to discuss Graphic Novels: Creating, Selling, and Cross-Platforming Intellectual Property (IP). 

This includes:
• A brief overview of IP

• How does one create a graphic novel? What are the roles (e.g. Writer, Artist, Colorist, Letterer)?

• How do you pitch a comic to publishers?

• Why and When would you want to do this?

• How to cross-platform: taking your existing live-action script and creating Graphic novel IP and vice-versa; how does one translate the story from one format to another?

Panelists:

• David Booher - Writer; Author of Canto, Killer Queens, Joe Hill’s Rain, Firefly

• Amanda Deibert - TV Writer, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe; Comic Book Writer, DC Super Hero Girls, Serving Up Justice featuring Serena Williams

• Michael Fisk - Studio Marketing Exec. and Owner of InterMark Strategy & Consulting

• Dinesh Shamdasani - Co-CEO & Co-Chief Creative Officer at BAD IDEA

Moderated by Jennifer Mangan, Writer/Producer, Beautiful Day Productions

Panel starts at 4:00pm Pacific time.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to reach out to us at events@wgfoundation.org.

For anyone who was unable to RSVP for the panel, we will record and post it at a later date.

This year’s Tales For A HalloweeNight book signing is virtual. You can pre-order here to get a signed book and a special virtual Q & A panel with creators John & Sandy Carpenter and several book contributors including ME, Amanda Deibert and my wife Cat Staggs.  (creator list to come closer to the event) on Saturday October 31st at 1pm Pacific Standard Time. Invites will be sent by October 31st by 12pm directly to the email you use to pre-order your book & virtual line pass and cannot be forwarded or shared. You can have a extra people watch the virtual call, but only on one device per book ordered.

Saturday, October 19th! Come see us at Golden Apple Comics!

Golden Apple Comics hosts their 7th annual Halloween event with John Carpenter and Sandy King Carpenter on Saturday, October 19, 2019 from 1 PM – 3 PM to celebrate the release of their newest anthology: Tales for a Halloween Night Volume 5. As always, we will have a limited edition cover by artist Tim Bradstreet, limited to only 200 copies. The list so far….

John Carpenter
Sandy King Carpenter
Tim Bradstreet
Cat Staggs
Amanda Deibert
Steve Niles
David J. Schow
Duane Swierczynski

RSVP on Facebook!

Golden Apple Comics
7018 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90038
323-658-6047