On Tuesday, March 22, the Latin American Writers Institute (LAWI) presented “Vengeful Goddesses, Warrior Queens, and Other Monsters,” a comic writing workshop with Bronx-based cartoonist Ivan Velez, Jr. Professor Inmaculada Lara Bonilla moderated the interactive creative event and set the tone with a quote from Velez.
 
“It's time to create new legends and archetypes that are fair, fun and profound by touching upon social issues and real-world flavors; and using the powers of cartooning and Manga to make the world a better place,” she quoted.
 
Velez presented an overview of the history women’s representation in comics and led participants through writing and drawing exercises, encouraging them to draw and write comics of their own featuring diverse, heroic women. Additionally, participants were encouraged to continue working on drafts of their stories and enter them into two contests: The Hostos Community College Latina/Latino Latin America, and Caribbean Student Club’s contest, open to students who participated in the workshop, and the international Dismantle Patriarchy contest. The deadlines are March 31 and May 5, respectively.