This event is co-presented by The Ohio State University Humanities Institute and English Department. It is free to the public, thanks to a generous sponsor.

ABOUT THE BOOK: BIBLIOPHOBIA

Books can seduce you. They can, Sarah Chihaya believes, annihilate, reveal, and provoke you. And anyone incurably obsessed with books understands this kind of unsettling literary encounter. Sarah calls books that have this effect “Life Ruiners.”

Her Life Ruiner, Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, became a talisman for her in high school when its electrifying treatment of race exposed Sarah’s deepest feelings about being Japanese American in a predominantly white suburb of Cleveland. But Sarah had always lived through her books, seeking escape, self-definition, and rules for living. She built her life around reading, wrote criticism, and taught literature at an Ivy League University. Then she was hospitalized for a nervous breakdown, and the world became an unreadable blank page. In the aftermath, she was faced with a question. Could we ever truly rewrite the stories that govern our lives?

Bibliophobia is an alternately searing and darkly humorous story of breakdown and survival told through books. Delving into texts such as Anne of Green Gables, Possession, A Tale for the Time Being, and The Last Samurai, Sarah interrogates her cultural identity, her relationship with depression, and the intoxicating, sometimes painful, ways books push back on those who love them.

You will have the opportunity to ask the speaker questions after the event, purchase books, and get your books signed.

This program is presented in partnership with The Ohio State University’s Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum and Cartoon Crossroads Columbus (CXC).

EVENT — 6:30-7:15 PM
AND TO THINK WE STARTED AS A BOOK CLUB…

What can Leonardo DiCaprio, Bernie Sanders, Greta Thunberg, and Elon Musk all agree on? That Tom Toro's cartoons belong in their social media feeds. Now, with this debut collection by one of The New Yorker's contemporary stars, everybody can enjoy the timeless witticism and thigh-slapping wisecracks of Toro's cartoons without needing to go online.

In Tom Toro's hilarious world, the Grim Reaper binges television while Superman shops for health insurance. The collection features original chapter art that sets the perfect tone for these brilliant cartoons and what they reveal about the absurdity of modern life, all drawn in the author's wry and winsome style.

Showcasing hundreds of Toro's greatest hits from his fifteen-year career at The New Yorker, as well as previously unpublished cartoons that we shouldn't shy from calling "undiscovered masterpieces," this book is sure to delight readers—if not outright corrupt them.

BOOK SIGNING — 7:15-7:45 PM

From 7:15-7:45 pm, you will have the opportunity to get your book signed by Tom Toro.

WORKSHOP — 7:45-8:45 PM
CARTOONING WITH TORO

After the event, join Tom for a 60-minute cartoon workshop that’s suitable for beginners and experienced artists alike. You'll explore what goes into the making of a New Yorker-style cartoon, from composition to caption, and then create your very own. By looking closely at some of the greatest cartoons that have appeared in the magazine over the past century, we'll learn what makes them work, take inspiration from their humor and artistry, and apply those elements to our brand-new ideas. The workshop concludes with optional group sharing and feedback. This workshop is open to adults and teens ages 15+.