Optimist Con 2025 was a huge hit!

One June 7th, we held Optimist Con, our first annual convention featuring the work of over 100 students from around the city! What makes our convention unique is that our artist alley is solely dedicated to our students. This is a family friendly space to have fun, build community and gain access to literacy resources but above all, it's a place to celebrate the literary accomplishments of young people.

We published and printed 3 comic anthologies, 3 artbooks, 3 mini comics and 31 original art prints for this event. All of this work was produced in 2025 by students in our school-based program (Comics in the Classroom) or our community-based program (OC Academy). Seeing my students from Owen Elementary literally jumping up and down with excitement about their book sales (while getting to keep the profits) made all the work that went into this last year of programming worth it.

Principal Owens shopping with her students on the show floor (photo by Anahi Gasse)

One thing I love about the work we do is that it's interconnected with the efforts of other activists, educators and organizations around the city. The blueprint for the event actually came from the youth I was working with OLAAI (One Lawndale Arts Activism Incubator). We brought young people together from North and South Lawndale (two completely different, historically segregated communities) to build a roadmap for racial healing and institutional change. It was those young folks that told me the thing they missed the most about growing up was having block parties and 3rd spaces to have fun and be creative. So that became the design philosophy for Optimist Con.

Here are some of the things that we made sure were present at our convention, that you might not find at your typical con.

• Basketball court

• Bounce house

• Video game lounge

• Live art station

• On-site BBQ

• Live DJ

• Arts and literacy workshops

  
  

Award-winning artist, BJ Galvin working the table. (Photo by Anahi Gasse)

We were able to conclude the convention with an awards ceremony and a panel discussion with industry professionals with varied experience. Daimon Hampton is an independent comic artist with an incredible track record. Jyoti Chand is an author, influencer, and mental health advocate whose debut graphic novel Fitting Indian was available for free to students in attendance. And Sage the 64th wonder is the publisher of Onsol go (Chicago's first Shonen Jump style monthly manga magazine) and a cartoonist in his own right. There was a wealth of knowledge on display for students and parents alike!

Professional comic author Jyoti Chand picking up some comic anthologies from our students!

This is just the beginning y'all. We've got a long way to go because the goal is to create a long-lasting creative infrastructure to support the literacy acquisition and literary accomplishments of Chicago's youth.

Photos taken by Amanda at Alt_ Chicago