Author Archives: Alex Simmons Says

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About Alex Simmons Says

Alex Simmons is an award-winning freelance writer, comic book creator, playwright, teaching artist, and educational consultant. He’s written for Disney Books, Penguin Press, Simon and Schuster, Marvel, DC, and Archie Comics. Simmons is the creator of the acclaimed adventure comic book series, Blackjack. As a teaching artist, Simmons has created and taught creative arts workshops for students and educators in the US, Europe, West Indies, and Africa. Simmons has served on panels and delivered lectures on children’s entertainment mediums, as well as empowering young people through the arts. Simmons founded the annual family event, Kids Comic Con, as well as three comic arts exhibits, which have traveled abroad. He is currently developing a comics and creative arts program for children all over the world. During the past 35 years, Simmons has participated as a member of arts and education boards for several New York State nonprofit organizations, as well as one in Nigeria. As a teaching artist Simmons has worked with youth through the Bronx Community College, the Christopher Barron Live Life Foundation, Apollo Theater In-School Arts Program, Henkel McCoy, Upward Bound, New York Council on the Arts, Children’s Art Carnival, Wings Academy, and NYU Creative Arts Team, to name a few. He has been a panelist at many literacy and arts events, and he has been a guest speaker at numerous colleges and educational institutions here and abroad.

Tell The Damn Story Episode #83: From Russia to the U.S. And Back. Telling The Story Through Comics

They came to the U.S. to see how we tell stories about social justice through comics. In this episode Alex and Chris interview several artists (Anastasia, Alexey, and Mitia) from Russia.  For a little over a week they toured the … Continue reading

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Tell The Damn Story: What’s Behind 13 Years of Producing the Kids Comic Con?

Movies based on comics are a billion dollar business. Comics are a million dollar business, especially with racy adult material. And many comic conventions bring in thousands of dollars, catering to a pop culture fan base. So how does a … Continue reading

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Tell The Damn Story: From “What if” to 13 Years: Getting to “Yes” with You Creative Endeavors

Alex Simmons and Chris Ryan discuss how to keep going when there are roadblocks thrown in front of your creativity. They speak of pop culture phenomena and their own projects, from brand new ideas to works in progress to 13 … Continue reading

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Tell The Damn Story #80: What Do Avenger: Endgame and Kids Comic Con Have In Common? Marketing!

Comparing a multi-billion dollar property (with a multi-million dollar promotion budget), with a grassroots kids comic convention in the Bronx?! Yes. Alex Simmons and Chris Ryan discuss both and more in this episode of Tell The Damn Story. Click here … Continue reading

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Tell The Damn Story-Unplugged #79: How Do You Face Creative Depression?

Alex and Chris discuss numerous aspects of creative depression from “The Mean Editor” interior voice to worrying about aging, to time, to dealing with collaborators and publishers who do not share your vision. And they suggest ways to deal with … Continue reading

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Tell The Damn Story-Unplugged #78: How Hard Is It To Give Credit Where Credit Is Due?

Being a freelance artists (writer, illustrator, dancer, etc.) can be a hard road to travel. It’s not just about the quality of your craft. It’s also about the level of your business skills, and the ethics of the business world. … Continue reading

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Tell The Damn Story-Unplugged #77: Choosing To Write Outside Life Experience (Race, Religion, and More)

In this episode Alex and Chris verbally cruise the choppy waters of the right to write debate.  Should writers tell stories about life experiences (race, religion, etc.) that they haven’t lived.  If so, what are their responsibilities? What harm can … Continue reading

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Tell The Damn Story-Unplugged #76: Chris Ryan Interviews Mystery Author & Ex-Journalist, R.G. Belsky

A little while back, Chris attended the Deadly Ink Writer’s Conference in central New Jersey. There he met and interviewed several other talented authors to get a glimpse of their process for telling the damn story. So listen up as … Continue reading

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Tell The Damn Story-Unplugged #75: An Interview With Black Lightening Creator, Tony Isabella

In this episode, Alex has to roll solo as he sits down with one of the comic industries best talents, writer/creator Tony Isabella. Tony worked for both Marvel and DC Comics starting back in the seventies, and is best known … Continue reading

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Tell The Damn Story-Unplugged #74: Meet Don McGregor, Writer of The Black Panther & 200 Other Tales

Co Hosts Alex and Chris thought they were prepared to interview storyteller extraordinaire DON McGREGOR.   Alex had known him since the 70s.  Chris had read this books almost as long, and researched like crazy for the interview.  They thought … Continue reading

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