Kodansha Presents Kamome Shirahama @ Toronto Comic Arts Festival 2024!
Kamome Shirahama Comes to TCAF 2024 for a special panel & signings!
Kodansha returns to the Toronto Comic Arts Festival with a special guest—the Eisner & Harvey Award-winning mangaka of Witch Hat Atelier, Kamome Shirahama! Join us at the Toronto Reference Library and at the Japan Foundation Toronto on Saturday, May 11 and Sunday, May 12 for special in-person appearances and signings.
But before we jump into the schedule there are some important requests we have for fans attending any Shirahama-sensei appearance as outlined by TCAF:
1. For all of Shirahama's public appearances, she will be wearing a self-made mask to protect her privacy.
2. Similarly, none of Shirahama's events will allow for recording of any type or photography.
3. Unlike most TCAF signings, we will require a purchase at the time of signing. The TCAF 2024 poster By Shirahama will be available for $10 CAD, along with a selection of the sensei's work.
See below for details on how you can catch Kodansha and Shirahama-sensei at TCAF 2024!
KAMOME SHIRAHAMA IN PERSON EVENTS
Saturday, May 11, 2024
Live Drawing with Kamome Shirahama
When: 10:00AM - 11:00AM EST
Where: Novella Room, Toronto Reference Library
What: See the magic of manga creation before your very eyes as Kamome Shirahama shows off her artistic skills in a live drawing session with Q&A! Doors to attend this special event open at 9am EST and will be first-come-first-served.
Saturday Autograph Signing Session
When: 1:00 - 2:30PM EST
Where: TCAF Basement Signing Area
IMPORTANT INFO: Due to high demand and in the interest of ensuring equitable distribution of signing spots, tickets for Kamome Shirahama signings will be done by lottery:
• 11:00AM - 12:00PM EST— TCAF offers lottery tickets for the Saturday signing session @ TCAF Basement Signing Area of the Toronto Reference Library
• 12:00PM - 1:00PM EST— TCAF holds a drawing and announces signing session winners. If you have a ticket you will need to be present to win.
• 1:00PM EST — Signing begins
• Remember: Only items purchased at the time of signing including the Shirahama TCAF Poster ($10CAD) and/or a selection of manga volumes from the creator, will be eligible for signing.
Sunday, May 12, 2024
Japan Foundation Toronto Q&A with Kamome Shirahama
When: 1:30 - 2:30PM EST
Where: The Japan Foundation, Toronto Event Hall (Suite 300, 2 Bloor Street East, Toronto M4W 1A8)
What: This is a ticketed event hosted by The Japan Foundation, Toronto. RSVP is now full and closed [LINK]
Sunday Autograph Signing Session
When: Immediately following the Japan Foundation Q&A
Where: The Japan Foundation, Toronto Event Hall (Suite 300, 2 Bloor Street East, Toronto M4W 1A8)
IMPORTANT INFO: Due to high demand and in the interest of ensuring equitable distribution of signing spots, tickets for Kamome Shirahama signings will be done by lottery:
• 11:00AM - 12:00PM EST— TCAF offers lottery tickets for the Saturday signing session @ TCAF Basement Signing Area, Toronto Reference Library
• 12:00PM - 1:00PM EST— TCAF holds a drawing and announces signing session winners. If you have a ticket you will need to be present to win.
• 2:30PM EST — Signing begins at The Japan Foundation, Toronto Event Hall
• Remember: Only items purchased at the time of signing including the Shirahama TCAF Poster ($10CAD) and/or a selection of manga volumes from the creator, will be eligible for signing.
MANGA BY (AND INSPIRED BY) KAMOME SHIRAHAMA
Witch Hat Atelier
By Kamome Shirahama
In a world where everyone takes wonders like magic spells and dragons for granted, Coco is a girl with a simple dream: She wants to be a witch. But everybody knows magicians are born, not made, and Coco was not born with a gift for magic. Resigned to her un-magical life, Coco is about to give up on her dream to become a witch…until the day she meets Qifrey, a mysterious, traveling magician. After secretly seeing Qifrey perform magic in a way she’s never seen before, Coco soon learns what everybody “knows” might not be the truth, and discovers that her magical dream may not be as far away as it may seem…
Rated: 10+
Read a FREE preview of Witch Hat Atelier
Witch Hat Atelier Kitchen
By Hiromi Sato and Kamome Shirahama
Witch Hat Atelier is back in this culinary spinoff that lets readers try their hand at recreating a variety of sumptuous recipes. This time, the magic is in the kitchen as Qifrey and the gang whip up everything from sizzling stews to crackling croquettes. Ideal for both existing fans of the main series and newcomers looking for an easily “disgestible” introduction to the world of Witch Hat. Evening falls on Qifrey’s atelier, and Coco and her fellow witches-in-training take to their beds. In the quiet of midnight, Qifrey and Olruggio are finally free to pursue their culinary experiments. The kitchen comes alive as they whip up puddings, stews, parfaits, and jellies, and when the sun rises, Coco and the gang are there to savor every bite!
Rated: 10+
Read a FREE preview of Witch Hat Atelier Kitchen
About Kamome Shirahama:
Kamome Shirahama is the author of the fan-favorite and critically acclaimed manga series Witch Hat Atelier, serialized beginning in 2016 and published in English and Japanese by Kodansha. Witch Hat Atelier won the 2020 Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia, and in 2020, the series won the Harvey Award for the Best Manga category . A food-focused spin-off series, Witch Hat Atelier Kitchen, by Hiromi Sato and created by Kamome Shirahama began English-language publication in 2023. A graduate of the design department of the Tokyo University of the Arts, Shirahama lives in Tokyo, Japan. As a freelance illustrator, Shirahama has created numerous cover illustrations for DC Comics and Marvel Comics, including Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Batgirl and the Birds of Prey.