Author: kelly

Short Run Comics Festival Apprenticeship Program

Five paid apprenticeships are available, beginning in September and running through October (7 Saturday afternoon sessions, exact dates listed in the application). Students will learn about the history of the comics medium, practice drawing and writing through prompts and exercises, spend time on comics fundamentals, and then produce their own mini-comic. Students will have work time in the studio, but will also need to do some work at home. Students will display & sell their comics together at the festival taking place on Saturday, Nov. 1st, at the Seattle Design Center in Georgetown.

We’ll be accepting applications August 1- 25th, and all applicants will be notified by August 30th. Students under age 18 will need parental/guardian permission. More information will be available in the application, check back for the link!

This program is generously sponsored by foundry10.

Exhibitor Applications now open!

Exhibitor applications will be accepted June 1 – July 31 via this Google Form link. Please take your time and read through the application thoroughly. Show your books in their best light, we want to see the outside and inside of your books. Ok to include a pic of how you would set up your table, or how you have in the past. You will be emailed a copy of your application responses. We have a new venue this year; much more information will be forthcoming. Make sure you are on our mailing list (click on image in the left sidebar.)

SHOW UP artist talks – 2025 schedule

SHOW UP – a series of show and tell with comic artists building IRL community

We want artists to get to know each other better, through their work and processes, and to invest in each other more fully as a year round community. Artists will stand up and stand by their work, and present it to other people, instead of working mostly in isolation with no feedback or support. What does being part of a community mean? That we all live in a geographical area, or that we are invested in the progress and success of our peers? Let’s inspire each other! Read more…

Posted on by kelly
Categories: News

New location

Seattle Design Center! Nov. 1, 2025. Located in Georgetown, Seattle’s oldest neighborhood. Located between 4th Ave. S and 6th Ave. S at Orcas (near the post office). Free parking in lot and on street. Accessible by bus via 4th Ave. If taking light rail, get off at SODO station and take the 131/132 which drops you across the street from the back of the venue. There will be plenty of helpful directional signage.

Posted on by kelly
Categories: News

Trailer Blaze 2024

Our 8th Trailer Blaze comics residency concluded on April 19th. We had an incredible week on the coast! We drew in our trailers and rooms and at picnic tables in the sun, spent many hours in the sauna, took long walks on the beach (and one plunge! A wave took Madeline’s glasses!), were visited often by Mr. Big (the tiniest dog) and Meatball (the campus cat).  Alex harvested velella velella from the beach and roasted them with salt as an appetizer. We had delectable group dinners on the top floor and balcony, and Julia built a fire for us in the outdoor fireplace. There were side trips to the Antique Mall and Cape Disappointment, but for the most part, work happened: comic pages of many sizes on many kinds of paper, ideas organized on Post-It notes, outlines typed up, and breakthroughs were made. Read more…

Trailer Blaze 2023

Another wonderful week at The Sou’Wester Lodge for our 7th annual Trailer Blaze Comics Residency, with 13 artists from all over – Seattle, Philadelphia, Hiroshima, Norfolk, Portland, Omaha, Haida Gwaii, Osoyoos! Read more…

DASH GRANT recipient 2022 – Julia Wald

Local artist and illustrator Julia Wald is this year’s DASH GRANT recipient! We were really excited about her story synapsis and hyper-color drawing style of her upcoming comic, Uncle Scam’s Army Navy Surplus, an autobiography of their first job out of school in Buffalo, working at an army navy surplus store where they sold military gear to doomsday preppers, zombie cosplayers, and neo Nazis. This first part of a much longer story will premiere at Short Run on Nov. 5th. Read more…

Trailer Blaze 2022

Trailer Blaze 2022 really, truly happened after a 2 year postponement, and it made the experience even more special. 

This year we welcomed new residents Veronika Muchitsch (UK), Melanie Stevens (OR), Krusty Wheatfield (CA), Lenora Yerkes (DC), Janna Morton (MD), Rachel Scheer (Seattle); invited artists Lydia Fu (IL), Katie Fricas (NY); alumni, local mentors Mita Mahato, E.T. Russian, Lauren Armstrong, Megan Kelso, and Kelly Froh.  Read more…

Dash Grant winner 2019 Rumi Hara

We’re so thrilled that our Dash Grant winner Rumi Hara was able to come to Seattle a few days early and screen print her covers for her gorgeous new mini-comic, The Peanut Butter Sisters. She had this to say, “I had a wonderful time in Seattle! It was amazing being part of the Short Run community, meeting new friends through comics and being inspired to keep making more books. I’m so grateful for the time and space and all the encouragement I was given to make the new comic.”

Read more…

Katie Kelso Travel Grant

Two $200 grants will be awarded this year to traveling exhibitors who express financial need. Short Run had the honor of knowing Katie Kelso, a true adventurer and lover of books, who passed away in 2017. Her gift helps artists with travel expenses getting to Seattle for Short Run. We will never forget her!

Exhibitors – this is not a separate application, simply mark that you are in need of financial assistance in the exhibitor app. No explanation needed.