While scores of comic fans will dress as their favorite fictional characters and flock to the San Diego Convention Center, UC San Diego is holding a badge-free series of comic and science-inspired events in tandem through The Science of Story.
Science lovers, comic readers and writers can choose from topics in health, culture, tech and music to attend events from July 21-26 at the La Jolla campus and the Park & Market downtown, near the convention center.
The Science of Story series is happening for the third time this year with a six-day event, connecting fans with a variety of artists through engaging exhibits, panels and masterclasses that explore storytelling in modern topics like chronic health and cultural formats. Fans can learn about the process of creating a story through the words of experts.
UC San Diego partners with performing arts organization ArtPower, UCSD School of Public Health project Indigenous Futures Institute and MAVERiC production studio to provide these immersive events for fans, complementing the university’s renowned medical program at The Science of Story.
“Whether you’re a writer, filmmaker, gamer, or just a fan of gripping storytelling, The Science of Story delivers events that give you the chance to deeply engage with the very idea of story, helping you discover the connective tissue of narrative experiences,” said Colleen Kollar Smith, executive artistic director of campus performances and events at ArtPower.
The following are three events perfect for artists and science fiction lovers:
Comics of Care: Healing Through Graphic Medicine Exhibit: June 29 to Sept. 13
At UC San Diego School of Medicine’s Sally T. Wong Avery Library Breezeway, the university’s librarians, Zemirah Ngow, Karen Heskett and Jeffery Loo, have curated a collection of comic books, graphic novels and memoirs in an exhibit of graphic medicine works that intersect comics and health care.
The exhibit is open from June to September and includes thoughtful stories about health care, patient perspectives and diagnosis in an effort to foster empathy and understanding between patients and providers through art.
“It’s a way for members of our community to learn about health conditions, learn from other people’s experiences going through health challenges and how they get through it,” said Loo, who helps build library collections to support STEM learning.
One of the works on display will be the graphic novel, “Past Tense: Facing Family Secrets and Finding Myself in Therapy,” by Sacha Mardou, which tells the story of a woman understanding her anxiety through the lens of therapy. Loo said works like this can be understood by many going through similar journeys within mental health care.
The graphic medicine pieces work to make complex topics like mental health, grief and chronic illness more approachable.
Despite its coinage in the 2000s, graphic medicine and the educational role it plays in the medical field are only recently being researched.
Individuals interested in reading the works of graphic medicine can check them out from the university if they are students or can request a copy to be sent to a public library with a San Diego County Library account through San Diego Circuit, an online delivery service.
The displayed works are available for visitation anytime during the open hours of Sally T. Wong Avery Library.
Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers’ Masterclass | Tuesday, July 21 | 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
On July 21, a free exploration of speculative fiction will be held at The Loft performance lounge on the second floor of UC San Diego’s Price Center, led by faculty and alumni of the workshop: Abbey Mei Otis, T.K. Rex and Maya Beck.
The Clarion workshop began in 1968 as a space for writers to learn new approaches to science fiction and fantasy writing. Each summer, UC San Diego hosts several applicant writers from around the world to develop six stories over the span of six weeks for critique and practice.
Jaclyn Jemc is a professor of literature at UC San Diego and oversees the Clarion workshop each year as faculty director.
“Truth and reality are at the core of these stories,” Jemc said.
This is Clarion’s third year going public for a day of storytelling, consisting of three different speaker-led sessions for writers and sci-fi fans to learn successful techniques.
This year’s keynote speaker, Mei Otis, authored “Alien Virus Love Disaster,” a collection of short, speculative fiction stories focusing on themes such as class, power and oppression through the lives of aliens on Earth.
Mei Otis will touch on her process of writing stories that reveal truth through fiction.
“Speculative fiction is adding imagination on top of that to stretch what we understand to be possible or real,” Jemc said.
Indigi-Con | Thursday, July 23 | 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Indigenous culture, which is known for its powerful storytelling, will come together at Indigi-Con, an event created for Native artists to share their stories.
A free event in its second year, Indigi-Con will feature Indigenous comic book creators from tribes across the nation who will talk about Native futurism and ancestral storytelling at Park & Market downtown.
Chag Lowry, executive director of the Indigenous Futures Institute and a comic book creator from the Kumeyaay Tribe of San Diego County, worked with Kumeyaay artist Johnny Bear Contreras and Indigenous Futures Institute Faculty Director Kathryn Walkiewicz to bring the Indigenous Comic-Con event into its own day of celebration through Indigi-Con, which held its first successful event in 2025 and was the first event of its kind in California.
“Growing up, my people’s culture and perspectives and true histories were not present in any of the comic books that I read,” Lowry said.
Lowry said it’s important for Native comic book artists and writers to be present at educational institutions.
Bit by bit, Lowry hopes his efforts with the Indigenous Futures Institute will help heal the historically tense relationship between Indigenous people and academic institutions, as unethical boarding schools were created to assimilate Indigenous cultures throughout the United States from the late 1800s to the 1970s.
For the first time this year, Native tribes are helping partner and sponsor the event, some of whom donate directly to the university to fund Native artists’ expenses.
Natives and non-Natives are encouraged to attend the event to learn about the original voices of San Diego County through panels of around 10 different youth artists.
“There is still a need for us to be together in our own space, to network and encourage each other and uplift each other,” Lowry said.
The event starts promptly at 3 p.m. and will open with Native American bird singers, an ancient tradition of vocally mimicking animal sounds.
And other exciting events to choose from during the week:
- Shredding the Multiverse: Music from Cobra Kai, The Penguin, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, and More – Tuesday, July 21, 7:30 p.m. | Epstein Family Amphitheater | $30–45
- Up Close: A Conversation with Brad Bird and Michael Giacchino – Wednesday, July 22, 7:30 p.m. | Epstein Family Amphitheater | $35-$80
- MAVERiC Studio Night Market: The Year of the Game Master – Friday, July 24, 5 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. | Park & Market | Free
“It’s just a little bit of a different approach that’s intended to meet people where they are and where their interests may lie,” Kollar Smith said, describing The Science of Story as an “umbrella” for different topics.
Because most of the events are free for the public, Kollar Smith said the real question is: Why not attend?
