Keynote abstracts! Dylan Horrocks

Dylan will provide two keynote spots, bookending conference. His keynote topics are:


Keynote on Sunday 2 November:
The rise and rise of the graphic novel: comics as a literary form. 50 years ago, librarians were prominent among those calling for a ban on comics. Today, they are among their most enthusiastic promoters. This talk will ask how a much-maligned social problem became a cutting-edge literary form - and an extremely popular category on library shelves. And for those who still can't see what all the fuss is about, maybe.

Keynote on Wednesday 5 November:
Stealing, sharing or borrowing? Art, literature and piracy in the online age. Like many other media, comics are going online. The internet offers cartoonists a chance to reach potentially limitless audiences; however, it also exposes authors and artists to the risk of so-called "piracy" - the unauthorised copying and distribution of media. While some struggle to find technological solutions to protecting their work, others - especially younger artists - are embracing the idea of free distribution and sharing and are experimenting with new ways of earning money from their work. But there's no question that the internet changes everything - just as did printing, industrialisation and other technological developments in the past. More importantly, the internet has raised important questions about how we conceive of ownership, distribution and access of art and literary works. In this talk, I will explore my personal perspective on these issues, as author and audience, producer and consumer, professional and citizen.