Beaucoup des BD A welcome visit from French cartoonist Lisa Mandel, who is passing through Phnom Penh to discuss printing plans for a comics workshop at Battambang's Phare Art school. If you're one of the tiny handful of people who read this blog regularly, you'll remember Lisa was one of the artists from 'Sept Mois au Cambodge' (Seven Months in Cambodia). She and her friend Saneesh (hope I spelled that right) are thinking of a side trip to Kracheh. But first we've got to figure out the cost and sizing of the comic, and make a few much overdue Phnom Penh connections. I finally get to introduce her to the French Cultural Centre folks, they are a very suppportive crowd. She is full of plans and ideas. I'm happy to oblige with local comics and info about what's happening locally. Here's Lisa uploading a story for her publisher in France. Lots of discussion about French comics, Khmer comics, Anglophone comics and the gaps between. It's great to chat comics practice and theory with someone equally (if not more) enthused. We do a bit of searching around - maps, translators, language books. It's great that I can understand a little French, Lisa and Saneesh don't feel obliged to speak English all the time. ( Lisa's Khmer is starting to come back. Cool!) I'm still terrible at spoken French but one must continue, step by step. Lisa suggests I visit France for some proper practice. I'm game, I'll just have to figure out a good excuse to visit. Strasbourg, Angouleme, Marseilles - oh yeah. With luck we may be able to have her visit the Cambodia Book Federation's 'Special Interest Group' on comics, more to follow!

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