The collection of legal artistry documenting many of America’s most high profile trial dramas over the past half century has earned a spot on the Best Indie Books list compiled by Kirkus Reviews. Elizabeth Williams and Sue Russell’s book, The Illustrated Courtroom: 50 Years of Court Art, has been named one of the Best Edifying Indie Books in 2014. “This on top of the Times Literary Supplement Book of the Year are great honors,” Williams said. “Especially for an illustrated nonfiction book.”

The role of courtroom artists in American journalism and law will be the subject of a panel discussion on Nov. 19 at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism.

Titled “The Illustrated Courtroom: 50 Years of Journalism, Law and Art,” the discussion will focus on court art and its unique blend of law, journalism and art. The panel will be moderated by renowned attorney Gary Naftalis and will encompass the ever-present tension between the public’s right to know and a defendant’s right to a fair trial through the eyes of two prolific courtroom artists. The panelists include U.S. District Judge Richard Berman, investigative reporter Diane Dimond and courtroom artists Elizabeth Williams and Aggie Kenny, who are featured in our book The Illustrated Courtroom, the first over-sized, full-color art book featuring more than 150 illustrations from some of the most iconic trials of the last half century.

The Arab Spring was not only about political revolution; it heralded a revolution in news gathering, too. The use of social media in war-torn cities in the Middle East is an extension of the new era described in Andy Carvin’s book Distant Witness, which chronicles unprecedented coverage of breaking news in wake of the Arab Spring. Then the social media strategist for the National Public Radio (NPR), Carvin has been hailed “the man who tweets revolutions,” and his book describes — in the manner of a thriller — breathtaking, eyewitness accounts of civilians risking their lives to show the world intense conflicts via social media. If you want to know more about what’s happening now, read about how it all started in 2011.

Kirkus Reviews touts The Illustrated Courtroom as “a new approach to understanding the criminal justice system through the eyes of courtroom artists.” Writer Sue Russell and five acclaimed courtroom sketch artists, led by Elizabeth Williams, document 50 years of the most historic trial dramas that “reveals one fascinating aspect of the legal system, informing the reader while demonstrating the value of artistic interpretation.” Read the full review here.