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Local and regional makers of comics, zines, and more will be at the 2025 Nashville Comic Arts Festival hosted by Vanderbilt University on Saturday, Oct. 4. This free event, which is open to the public, will be from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the fourth-floor main lobby of Central Library. The festival is presented by Vanderbilt’s Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries, the Nashville Public Library and Wakeup Comics.
Now in its second year, the Nashville Comic Arts Festival gives local independent comics creators a chance to showcase their work and share it with a wider audience. Attendees will have the opportunity to interact with more than 60 exhibitors—including Joseph Christy, Hyena Hell, Janet K. Lee and Scout Underhill—who represent the small-press comics and publishing communities in Nashville and across the South. The event will feature talks, readings, panel discussions, workshops and the following special guests:
Kay Davault is an illustrator and comic artist who spends her time creating stories about cute characters in vibrant worlds, which may or may not contain a monster or two. Her debut graphic novel, Star Knights, was selected as an Indie Next book, included on the 2022 Indies Introduce list, and featured on the American Library Association’s 2022 Best Graphic Novels for Children list. Misfit Mansion was chosen as a 2023 Indie Next book, an ALA Round Table Best Graphic Novel for Kids, and a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection book.
Kayla E. is a Texas-born award-winning artist of Mexican American descent. She works as creative director at Fantagraphics and is a recipient of a 2023–24 Princeton Hodder Fellowship. She is the co-founder and former president of Nat. Brut Inc., a nonprofit that produces an art and literary magazine, of which she was the editor-in-chief for nine years. She earned her B.A. in visual and environmental studies from Harvard University, where she served as art director for the Harvard Lampoon. Precious Rubbish, her graphic novel debut, is a work of trauma recollection told in the style of post-war children’s comics.
Ben Sears is a cartoonist and musician from Kentucky. His work can be seen in books from Koyama Press, Fantagraphics and Toon Books, as well as a handful of self-published comics, and on TV shows like Midnight Gospel and Battle Kitty.
The poster for this year’s festival was created by Nashville-based artist Anika Orrock, an award-winning illustrator, writer, cartoonist, storyteller, short filmmaker and comedy dabbler. She has authored and/or illustrated numerous books, essays and stories, and her work has been featured in national outlets including The Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, The New York Times and NPR, as well as included in the Society of Illustrators annual exhibition.
“We are absolutely thrilled to return after last year’s successful inaugural festival. The amount of enthusiasm and support we received from the comics community reminds us that locals are not only hungry for comics but invested in cultivating a community of creators,” said Ryan King, librarian for English, Theatre, and Culture, Advocacy and Leadership for the Heard Libraries. “These days, sitting behind a smart phone and sharing art from the comfort of one’s home is easy but also extremely isolating. NCAF offers the opportunity for creators to come together, share their passion for comics, and develop personal relationships, ultimately bettering the future of comic arts.”
This year’s festival is supported by a Vanderbilt Arts, Discovery and Innovation Fund grant. The ADI Fund supports faculty- and/or staff-driven collaborations with local and global arts organizations to foster innovative programming.
As part of the festival, the Heard Libraries will partner with Vanderbilt’s International Lens film series for a screening of No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics at Sarratt Cinema on Thursday, Oct. 2. Those who attend the 2025 festival also will have a chance to view the Heard Libraries exhibit Alive with Pride: LGBTQ Existence and Resistance in Middle Tennessee, on display in Central Library, before it closes on Oct. 5.
For more information about the Nashville Comic Arts Festival, visit nashcomicsfest.org, follow @nashvillecomicartsfestival on Instagram, or email nashvillecomicartsfestival@gmail.com.