Arlington Public Library To Host Art Spiegelman, Alison Bechdel For Author Series

ARLINGTON, VA — Art Spiegelman and Alison Bechdel are headlining Arlington Public Library’s new Arlington Reads program that focuses on authors of graphic novels.

Spiegelman, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel “Maus,” will be the featured author at a Sept. 21 event in Arlington. In “Maus,” Spiegelman blends the stories of the author's relationship with his aging father and a horrifying tale of Auschwitz, as seen through his father's eyes.

Details about the Arlington Reads event with Spiegelman have yet to be released.

In 2022, a Tennessee school district banned “Maus” from its classrooms because it contained swear words.

On Thursday, March 9, Arlington Public Library Director Diane Kresh will interview Alison Bechdel, author of the graphic memoir "Fun Home: A Family Tragiccomic." Bechdel will share insights about her long career as a cartoonist.

Bechdel’s book "Fun Home" has been the target of multiple banning attempts. The book is about Bechdel's relationship with her father, including her discovering he was gay after her own coming-out and a few weeks before his death.

The event with Bechdel will take place at the Barbara M. Donnellan Auditorium at Arlington Central Library on Thursday from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Registration is required for the event. The public can visit the Arlington Public Library’s website to RSVP.

Other events in Arlington Public Library’s “Get Graphic” series include Jerry Craft at Central Library on April 27; Gene Luen Yang at Central Library on May 4; and Liana Finck on Oct. 19.

Graphic novels will be available for purchase during each event, courtesy of One More Page Books. The conversations will be followed by an audience Q&A and book signings. The free events will be livestreamed and available as a recording for 30 days on Arlington County's YouTube channel.