Forum Network

Earl Dax is a student organizer for Media Tank.

Norman Brosterman sells outsider art, historical architectural drawings, vintage science fiction art, and Japanese Ikebana baskets. He also carves large mahogany bas-relief sculptures, writes books, and curates exhibitions on art history. Brosterman enjoys collecting artifacts of the original kindergarten system.

Jennifer Camper is a cartoonist and graphic artist living in Brooklyn, New York. Her art examines gender, race, sexuality and politics, especially from the viewpoint of a Lebanese-American gay woman. Her books include *Rude Girls and Dangerous Women*, a collection of her cartoons that mix humor with political commentary, and *subGURLZ*, a graphic novel following the adventures of three women living in abandoned subway tunnels. Camper is also the editor of, and a contributor to, *Juicy Mother*, a comix anthology focusing on the work of women, people of color and queers. Her comics and illustrations have appeared in magazines, newspapers, comic books and anthologies, and her art has been exhibited in the US and Europe.

Howard Cruse's comic strips and humorous illustrations have appeared in *Playboy*, *The Village Voice*, *Artforum International*, *Harpoon*, *Heavy Metal*, *The Advocate*, *Starlog*, and numerous other national magazines. Five books have been published compiling Cruse's own comic strips and stories from underground comic books and elsewhere: *Wendel* (1986); *Dancin' Nekkid With The Angels* (1987); *Wendel on the Rebound* (1989); *Early Barefootz* (1990); and *Wendel All Together* (2001). Cruse's critically acclaimed graphic novel *Stuck Rubber Baby* was published in 1995 by Paradox Press, a division of DC Comics. *Stuck Rubber Baby* was the winner of Eisner and Harvey Awards as well as a United Kingdom Comic Art Award and a British Comics Creators Guild Award. Andreas Knigge's translation won a Luchs literary award in Germany and Jean-Paul Jennequin's French translation won the 2002 Prix de la Critique at the Angouleme International Comics Festival. Cruse's seventh book, *The Swimmer With a Rope In His Teeth*, a collaboration with Jeanne E. Shaffer, was published by Prometheus Books in April 2004. For two years during the early seventies Cruse drew a daily newspaper comic strip, *Tops & Button*, for the *Birmingham Post-Herald*, while earning his living as art director for a Birmingham television station. In 1972, he began gaining a national readership with *Barefootz* stories drawn for underground comic books published by Kitchen Sink Comics. Moving to New York in 1977, Cruse art directed *Starlog* magazine until a fulltime cartooning career became practical in 1978. In 1983 Cruse introduced his comic strip *Wendel* to the pages of *The Advocate*, where it appeared regularly until 1989.

Joan attended Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design, then returned briefly to the San Francisco Bay Area, where she became a founding contributor to the legendary *Girljock Magazine*. She also contributed to *Wimmin's Comix*, *Gay Comix*, and *Real Girl*. She also drew a full-page feature, "Last Call", for *The Advocate*. Joan's work has appeared in the *Village Voice*, *Ms. Magazine*, *Women's Review of Books*, and *On the Issues Magazine*, among others. Joan is the creator of the comic strip "Bitter Girl" and is also an editor at *DC Comics*.

Dr. Alonso Aguirre is Senior Vice President for Conservation Medicine at Wildlife Trust, New York. He is cofounder and executive committee member of the Consortium for Conservation Medicine. He also serves as Clinical Assistant Professor at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine and is Research Professor at Columbia University. Dr. Aguirre's research has been instrumental in revealing the impact of emerging diseases of marine wildlife populations. His international experience brings applied solutions to field practitioners of conservation medicine accomplished through transdisciplinary teams, innovative research, scientific excellence, and long-term monitoring of sentinel species. Dr. Aguirre currently is Chairman of the World Association of Wildlife Veterinarians. He has been technical advisor to governments of several countries in the Americas, Southeast Asia and Western Europe. Dr. Aguirre has briefed the Mexican and US Congress, Administration, and federal agency leaders. He authored the book Conservation Medicine: Ecological Health in Practice, has published over 160 professional papers in peer-reviewed journals and is co-editor of the new Springer journal EcoHealth. He is a winner of the Harry Jalanka Memorial Medal from Finland, the most prestigious award in zoological and wildlife medicine for his contributions to the field.