Comics to the Rescue: Comic Artists and Writers Save Literature

Congenitally ornithophobic, Angela Szczepaniak is neckdeep in a doctoral dissertation on innovative poetry, dysfunctional detective fiction, and comic books. In addition to publishing poetry and critical essays, and working as a poetry editor for Redwood Coast Press, she participated in LOCCAL’s first hygiene themed poetry-art project—traces of her visual poetry may still be found on placards in some of the finest public restrooms in Seattle. Her work has since surfaced in places as various as Mad Hatters’ Review, In Posse Review, and some knockdown stunning Belgian art galleries. At the moment, she lives in Toronto, where she increasingly thinks about being ravaged by time’s withered claw. Her first book is a novel-in-poems, called Unisex Love Poems(DC Books).

Dave Lapp teaches art to children at the AGO, Avenue Road Art school and Artheart in Regent Park. His first book, Drop-In, a collection of his Window mini-comics, was be published in 2008 by Conundrum and was nominated for a Doug Wright Award. His slice-o’-life comic strip, People Around Here, can be seen in Taddle Creek Magazine and the Annex Gleaner. Dave's next book is a collection of his Children of the Atom cartoon strips which will be published by Conundrum in spring 2010!

Evan Munday is an illustrator whose work has appeared in a variety of books and magazines. He is the publicist of Coach House Books, and the illustrator of Stripmalling, a novel by Jon Paul Fiorentino. He's currently at work on a graphic novel, Quarter-Life Crisis, set in a post-apocalyptic Toronto in which everyone but the twenty-five-year-olds have died.

Hope Larson is the author of several graphic novels, including Gray Horses (Oni Press), Chiggers (ginee seo books/Aladdin MIX), and the forthcoming Mercury (Atheneum Books for Young Readers). Her short stories have been featured in the New York Times and several anthologies, notably the Flight series and Image Comics' Tori Amos-inspired Comic Book Tattoo.

Larson has been nominated for awards in the US, Canada and Europe, and is the recipient of a 2006 Ignatz Award and a 2007 Eisner Award. She holds a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and currently lives with her husband in Asheville, North Carolina.

Born and raised on a farm in Essex County, Canada, Jeff Lemire’s Essex County Trilogy of graphic novels (Tales From The Farm, Ghost Stories, The Country Nurse) published by Top Shelf Productions have been nominated for multiple Eisner and Harvey Awards.

In 2008 Jeff won the Schuster Award for Best Canadian Cartoonist, and The Doug Wright Award for Best Emerging Talent. He also won the American Library Association’s prestigious Alex Award, recognizing books for adults with specific teen appeal.

Recently named one of Wizard magazines 25 “rising stars” Jeff has just completed a new graphic novel called The Nobody for DC Comics/ Vertigo, and is currently hard at work on a new monthly series, Sweet Tooth, also for Vertigo, and a new graphic novel for Top Shelf.

He currently lives and works in Toronto with his wife, son and three cats.

Kate Beaton is a cartoonist who was born in Nova Scotia, took a history degree in New Brunswick, paid it off in Alberta, worked in a museum in British Columbia, then came to Ontario to draw pictures. Her comics often poke fun at historical figures, which would make them really angry with her, if they were still alive.

Mariko Tamaki is a writer, performer, and journalist whose published works include graphic novels (Skim, Emiko Superstar), fiction (Cover Me), and non-fiction (True Lies: The Book of Bad Advice and Fake ID). Mariko lives, works, and teaches in Toronto, Ontario. She has two cats and three fish and is currently working on a novel about Freshman year.

Matt Forsythe is an illustrator and comic book artist. His comic book, Ojingogo, was published by Drawn & Quarterly and selected as a 2008 Book of the Year by Salon.com and Quill & Quire and won a Doug Wright Award for Canadian Cartooning. Matt blogs about illustration at Drawn.ca and works at the National Film Board of Canada. He lives in Montreal.

stef lenk is an artist and illustrator from Toronto, presently in Berlin. She is presently at work on an illustrated book with author Ibi Kaslik, as well as a ten-part graphic novel called The Details, the first five chapters of which are completed and out in the world. For more info check out steflenk.com.

Willow Dawson is an illustrator and writer whose books have received funding from the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts. Her latest graphic novel, No Girls Allowed with Susan Hughes (Kids Can Press) has been nominated for a Joe Shuster Comics for Kids Award. Willow is currently in development of a new graphic novel for Kids Can Press and is hard at work on more memoirs for 100 Mile House, her webcomic published online by Top Shelf Comics. In her spare time, Willow teaches comics to kids, travels to comicons and plays the saw in the band Pink Moth (myspace.com/pinkmothmusic).

willowdawson.com