When Making A Graphic Memoir: Learn from The Experts

In the last few months, the Graphic Memoir Intensive Working Group has had the chance to learn from several visiting guest speakers.

Leslie Stein: Leslie's books and comics are so wonderful and her watercolor and cartooning style is utterly unique. “Bright and friendly,” she calls it, but it lets her examine all the corners of her life.  Her newest book, I Know You Rider is a meditation on friendship, choice, and love as a single, childless woman in New York City.

Carol Tyler: Carol is undoubtedly one of America's greatest living autobiographical cartoonists. She talked to the workshop folks for about an hour, most of which was generous Q and A. Carol’s work is almost entirely autobiographical. She's a master of many media, black white, color (and she built the studio in the drawing below).

Carol's tenacity, and powering through of everything crumbling around her (she's got stories) to make masterpiece after masterpiece is astounding. 

Brendan Burford: Banjo enthusiast, record collector, cartoonist and King Features Editor, Brendan Burford talked with the workshop about the comics industry, history, business, aesthetics and craft. Brendan's got a lot of opinions and a lot of good advice.

Robyn Chapman: Robyn Chapman is an editor at First Second and has been a comics publisher, artist and editor for 20 years. We were honored to have Robyn talk about publishing in the graphic novel market, making a pitch package, and more!

Nothing beats knowledge and inspiration from a variety of experts in the field when you are working hard on your own comics!