Starting on August 19, stop by Falk Library to view the traveling exhibit, Graphic Medicine: Ill-Conceived and Well-Drawn! The National Library of Medicine exhibit features six panels that explore how comics can uniquely depict personal illness narratives and health information. Exhibit visitors can also peruse popular graphic medicine books, or stop by a creativity station to try their hand at drawing a medical symptom.
The National Library of Medicine describes graphic medicine as “the use of comics to tell personal stories of illness and health. The combined language of words and pictures that is the comic medium gives approachability and emotional impact to these personal stories, and even to the clinical data they sometimes include.” Visit the exhibit to learn more, which will be free and open to the public during the library’s regular hours through September 30. For more details, visit the exhibit event page, which also includes updates on exhibit-related events.
In addition to exploring the exhibit in-person, listed below are a few websites where you can learn more about graphic medicine and incorporating comics into health and wellness learning environments!
- Graphic Medicine: Ill-Conceived and Well-Drawn!
The National Library of Medicine homepage for the exhibition features links to books referenced in the exhibit and lesson plans, including a university module on using comics for health and medicine. - GraphicMedicine.org
Graphic Medicine is a site that explores the interaction between the medium of comics and the discourse of healthcare. This website is home to a community of academics, health professionals, authors, artists, and fans of comics and medicine. A Spanish language sister website, medicina gráfica, is also available. - National Network of Libraries of Medicine, New England Region’s (NNLM NER) Graphic Medicine Initiative
The NNLM NER Graphic Medicine initiative seeks to provide training and tools to inform and encourage growth in the use of comics in libraries and health care settings. Check out this resource for book lists, webinar recordings, and book club programming information.
~Michael Balkenhol and Julia Reese