Newberry Library

Earlier this month, the winners of the inaugural Newberry Medieval Minicomic Book Prize, Audrey Avril (not pictured) and Eli Estrella Pérez (left), appeared at Chicago Alternative Comics Expo (CAKE) held at the Irish American Heritage Center. The artists engaged in a comic reading and a conversation with the Newberry's Chris Fletcher and cartoonist Marnie Galloway (right)!

After winning last year's Minicomic Prize, Avril and Pérez were commissioned by the Newberry's Center for Renaissance Studies to develop comics that incorporated medieval artistic elements. The artists discussed this experience and how comics can create new opportunities for contemporary audiences to understand and engage with the art, ideas, and culture of the Middle Ages.

This year at the Newberry Library, we are celebrating 100 years of Route 66– America’s “Mother Road” that connects Chicago to Santa Monica. The Newberry’s James R. Powell Route 66 Postcard Collection contains more than 4,000 postcards depicting the motels, diners, tourist attractions, and natural wonders of the highway’s golden age.

Fun fact: The American Meteorite Museum closed in 1953, but many of the original meteorite specimens can be found at Arizona State University.

Tag your friends, comment which iconic Route 66 landmark matches your vibe, and dive deeper into the highway’s visual history in person at the Newberry!