Joe Sacco Speaks for Columbia Writers Series
Students and staff gather to hear from renowned comic journalist, Joe Sacco, about his recent works on Palestine
Pictured (L to R): Student Paula Blower, Professor Dawn Knopf, Professor Alexis Nelson, author Joe Sacco, author Sarah Shay Mirk
On the sunny morning of Feb. 5, community members, staff, and students flooded the room where Joe Sacco was set to be interviewed. As the author of Palestine and Footnotes in Gaza (published in 1993 and 2009 respectively), many students were eager to learn about his writing process, life experiences, and mission through his artwork.
Local comic artist, Sarah Shay Mirk, led the interview with Sacco, asking questions about his writing process. Shay began the conversation by mentioning that Sacco’s early work about Palestine inspired them to begin writing their own political comics.
Sacco spoke about his experience visiting the West Bank early in his career as a comic artist. With a small budget and no established plan, he began to piece together stories of the locals he met. Seeing glimpses of the lives of Palestinians sprouted a journalistic project that would evolve over many years.
One of Sacco’s goals as a writer and artist is to encourage self-reflection. “What is your role?” he asked. He encourages reflection on how your country plays into international events, especially when they involve war or genocide.
What is Sacco's writing process?
When writing a journalistic graphic novel, Sacco often begins with interviews, research, and outlines. He said that journalistic work requires an extra level of precise planning that satirical work doesn’t—the need to depict information accurately is most important.
The outline is formed into a script, and then the visual planning begins. Sacco specified that he plans where text is aligned on a page before he decides the composition of the artwork, as it’s the text that leads the reader. From there, all of Sacco’s artwork is drawn in ink—no digital drawing. If he makes a mistake, he cuts it out and pastes another drawing over it. The final artwork with these glued elements is scanned for the final copy.
How can you make a difference as an artist?
As the interview began to wrap up, audience members were encouraged to write questions on notecards that were handed out. When asked about how to go about creating political artwork, Sacco said, “Images translate across humanity regardless of language.” Even though his artwork may not directly help the people in Palestine, it helps spread awareness and solidify accurate historical information about the people being affected.
Many students asked for advice about how to act on these ideas. “Look for things that are accessible,” said Sacco. He explained that it might be too much to start your own project with such heavy topics as genocide—start with topics close to you. Whether it’s a topic that is personal to you or something that affects your local community, building your way up to a larger, heavier topic is an effective way to work.
The interview closed out with many audience members lining up to purchase Sacco’s books, provided by local bookstore, White Oak Books. Many of the copies sold out while Sacco signed copies and spoke to each audience member. Eager conversations filled the room as aspiring artists were inspired to create works that make a difference.
Ways to get involved
The Iceberg is a collection of student and alumni-created comics published annually by Clark College. See their artwork on their social media or, if you’re a Clark student or alumnus wanting to share your art, submit your own comic by May 3, 2026, for the chance to have it published in this year’s edition!
The Columbia Writers Series hosts free events for writers to speak at the Clark College Campus. Some of the next events include:
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- Emma Pattee, May 12, 2026, in PUB 258 B-C from 10 to 11 a.m.
- Camille Dungy, May 14, 2026, in PUB 258 B-C from 1 to 2 p.m.
Photos: Clark College/Carly Rae Zent
Story by Masha Yaremenko, Digital Media Student Intern, Communications and Marketing