This year’s ALA Annual Conference once again featured Artist Alley in the conference exhibition hall. In its second year, the Alley was bigger and better and attendees had the chance to meet the artists and illustrators who create or illustrate comics, games, graphic novels, and books.

Check out the interviews below to hear the artists talk about what inspires their work and their involvement with libraries.

Artist Alley: Cecil Castellucci: Universal Outsider Girls

Caption: YA and graphic novel Author Cecil Castellucci talks with Jessica Lee about her work and how outsider and artsy girls are truly universal characters, how she began writing graphic novels after starting her career writing YA novels, her work with libraries, and some of her favorite authors.

Artist Alley: Chris Giarrusso: G-Man for All Ages

Caption: Chris Giarrusso, author of the G-Man series and a participant in Artist Alley at the 2012 ALA Annual Conference, talks to Jack Baur about writing for all ages, how he got his start writing comic books, how libraries have received his work, and their role in creating comic book readers.

Artist Alley: Nathan Hale

Caption: Jessica Lee interviews Nathan Hale at the ALA Annual Conference about the difference between collaborating and producing complete works on his own, his current series on American history, and his great library memories, and great graphic novels for kids.

Artist Alley: Christina Strain

Caption: Kat Kan interviews Christina Strain at the 2012 ALA Annual Conference about her start in graphic novels as a colorist for Marvel and how she got started writing, how libraries gave her a start in reading, comics she recommends, and what libraries can do for graphic novels.

Click here for more interviews.