PANELS AND WORKSHOPS

Pride in Panels is proud to host a dynamic series of panels and workshops at the SF Public Library during the festival on February 15th, 2026! Here's the schedule so far:

Spotlight Panels

1:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. / Spotlight on Rupert Kinnard
San Francisco Public Library Main Branch, African American Center (3rd Floor)

Rupert Kinnard created the first continuing queer, Black characters in comics with his groundbreaking Cathartic Comics, begun in 1977. The recipient of the 2013 World Art Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Cartoon Crossroad’s 2024 Transformative Work Award, and featured in the award-winning documentary No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics, Kinnard has been a profound inspiration for generations of cartoonists. 

Rupert will be interviewed by William O. Tyler (Theater of Terror: Revenge of the Queers, Tannis Comix)

3:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. / Spotlight on Lee Lai
San Francisco Public Library Main Branch, Chinese Center (3rd Floor)

Lee Lai is one of the rising stars of queer and trans comics. In 2021, she was selected as one of the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 for her debut graphic novel, Stone Fruit, which went on to win several awards, including the Lambda Literary Award for Graphic Novel, the Cartoonist Studio Prize, the Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize, and two Ignatz Awards. Her comics have appeared in the New Yorker, McSweeney’s, The New York Times, and the Museum of Modern Art Magazine. Her highly anticipated new graphic novel, Cannon, a powerful story featuring queer Asians in Montreal, has just hit the shelves!

Lee will be interviewed by Laura Gao (Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American, Kirby’s Lessons for Falling (in Love)

Panel Schedule

1:00 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. / Drawing From Life: Queer Memoir Comics
San Francisco Public Library Main Branch, Koret Auditorium (Basement)

Dig deep into the urges, processes, boundaries and ethics surrounding LGBTQIA+ graphic memoir. Artists accomplished in baring their souls and oversharing about their lives will discuss the importance of working in memoir during these challenging times, and how the personal as political can serve a larger purpose and tell a great story at the same time.

Join moderator Justin Hall (No Straight Lines) and panelists Nicole Georges (Fetch: How a Bad Dog Brought Me Home), Maia Kobabe (Gender Queer), Ajuan Mance (Gender Studies), and Mara Ramirez (Flea) for a lively conversation.

2:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. / Up From the Underground: Queer Comics Pioneers
San Francisco Public Library Main Branch, Koret Auditorium (Basement)

This fabulous festival of queer comics wouldn’t have been possible without the work of courageous, talented and stubborn pioneers who worked hard to carve out spaces for queer comics decades ago, and who still remain in the fight for a brighter, gayer future. A panel of groundbreaking artists will discuss what the early days of queer comics were like and where they imagine the future will lead us.

Join moderator and queer comics historian Maggie Dahlstrom and panelists Robyn Adams (Homozone 5), Dylan Edwards (Transposes), Leslie Ewing (It Gets Bitter), and Lee Marrs (Pudge, Girl Blimp) for a rollicking discussion.

3:00 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. / Gay Goblins and Non-Binary Robots: Queer Sci-fi and Fantasy
San Francisco Public Library Main Branch, Koret Auditorium (Basement)

Speculative fiction has long been a playground for storytellers to poke at the boundaries and limitations of our own world. This panel brings together comic creators who use fantasy and sci-fi for explorations of queer sexualities and gender identities through everything from robots that dismantle gender binaries to magical creatures who are light in the loafers.

Join moderator Mel Gillman (Other Ever Afters) and panelists Eddy Atoms (Pinky & Pepper Forever), Blue Delliquanti (O Human Star, Across a Field of Starlight), Meredith McClaren (Black Cloak, Meat Eaters), and William O. Tyler (Theater of Terror: Revenge of the Queers) for a conversation that’s out of this world.

4:00 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. / From BL to Bara: Queer Manga
San Francisco Public Library Main Branch, Koret Auditorium (Basement)

Queerness abounds in manga, where artists from Japan and beyond create diverse stories tackling gender and sexuality. Queer manga pros will explore the worlds of Boys’ Love/yaoi, geikomi, yuri, and trans manga in both doujinshi and professional manga, as well as discuss the creation of a global audience for queer manga and its influence on contemporary LGBTQIA+ culture.

Join moderator Layia Bolden (Lovelorn) and panelists Karla Clark (Viz Media editor, writer for Black Girl Nerds, TheGamer, FANDOM), Jack Carrillo Concordia (Viz Media editor, Anime Trending consulting editor), Jennifer LeBlanc (Viz Media executive editor, SuBLime Manga), and Tikklil (Drifting into Summer, Sky Full of Stars) for an enlightening discussion.


WORKSHOPS

1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. / Mini-Comics Extravaganza!
San Francisco Public Library Main Branch, Hormel Center (3rd Floor)

Queer comics have a profound history of DIY production. Punk zines and mini-comics are made with photocopy machines and staplers and enable artists to get their work into the world without gatekeepers and censors. This workshop run by Sarah Maloney (Queer Ecology) will show you the basics of making your own mini-comic and empower you in the same way as generations of underground artists have been before you!

3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. / Making Queer Mini-Comics: Using the Library as Reference
San Francisco Public Library Main Branch, Hormel Center (3rd Floor)

Ever wanted to make a queer comic but not sure where to start? Come and create your own comic inspired by magazines, archival photos, and/or digital media from the library’s collection. This workshop run by Queer Ancestors Project: Komix Workshop alum Cloud Lu (UNICOMIX, How to Touch Grass) will show you how you can create a full comic from a single image and share comic storytelling techniques to add to your toolkit.