Over the next few weeks, we’ll be featuring cartoonists who will exhibit at the Minneapolis Indie Xpo, an independent comic book festival happening on November 5-6, 2011, at The Soap Factory. This event is free and open to the public on both days from 10am-5pm. MIX features web cartoonists, self-published cartoonists, boutique publishers, and large publishing houses. Learn more about MIX exhibitors and programs.

Anna Bongiovanni is a cartoonist, illustrator, and a pretty swell person. Originally from Fairbanks, Alaska, Anna studied comic art at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. She now has a BFA and puts it to use everyday working in a restaurant. She’s currently working on her own personal comics (you can see some on her blog Soft and Fleshy) and her newest comic, The Offering, will be for sale at MIX.

What book(s) are you currently reading?
Lit by Mary Karr and the “Game of Thrones” series.

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character? Who?
Oh yes, I’m pretty much in love with Scarlett O’Hara from Gone with the Wind. I’ve never seen the movie, but in the book she’s such a strong, cunning, vain character and I was instantly smitten with her.

If your favorite author came to Minnesota, who would it be and what bar would you take him/her to?
It’d be Jeanette Winterson, and I’d love to take her to some quiet, dark, and cozy bar where we can swap secrets and stories.

What was your first favorite book?
The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch and illustrated by Michael Martchenko.

Let’s say Fahrenheit 451 comes to life, which book would you become in order to save it from annihilation?
Anais Nin’s Little Birds and Delta of Venus. I’d be the most popular storyteller around the campfire.

What is one book you haven’t read but want to read before you die?
The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan.