Joel Christian Gill (born 15 January 1975 in

Roanoke, Virginia Roanoke ( ) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 100,011, making it the 8th most populous city in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the largest city in Virginia west of Richmond. It is lo ...

) is an American cartoonist, educator, and author of a number of

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

s from Fulcrum Publishing: ''Strange Fruit Vol I : Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History'', ''Bass Reeves: Tales of the Talented Tenth No.1'', and ''Bessie Stringfield: Tales of the Talented Tenth, No. 2'', ''Strange Fruit Vol II: More Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History'', a picture book "Fast Enough: Bessie Stringfield's First Ride" from Lion Forge and ''Fights: One Boys Triumph Over Violence'' a memoir about how children deal with trauma and abuse from Oni Press. He has taught studio art, Illustration and comics while serving as Chair of the Comic Arts and Foundations programs at the

New Hampshire Institute of Art The New Hampshire Institute of Art (NHIA) was a private art school in Manchester, New Hampshire. It was accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) a ...

. In the Fall of 2019 he accepted an appointment as Associate Professor of Illustration at

Massachusetts College of Art and Design Massachusetts College of Art and Design, branded as MassArt, is a public college of visual and applied art in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1873, it is one of the nation’s oldest art schools, the only publicly funded independent art school ...

. In 2020 he began work on an adaptation of Dr. Ibram X Kendi's ''Stamped from the Beginning a Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America'' for Ten Speed Press.

Early life

Gill earned a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

Art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

from

Roanoke College Roanoke College is a private liberal arts college in Salem, Virginia. It has approximately 2,000 students who represent approximately 40 states and 30 countries. The college offers 35 majors, 57 minors and concentrations, and pre-professional pr ...

and a

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...

Painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

in 2004.

Career

Owing to the success of his ongoing series of graphic novels highlighting little known and uncelebrated historical

African-Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

and the contributions they made to American history, Gill is frequently profiled in print and interviewed on television and radio. He is also asked to speak at comic arts conventions and college campuses across the U.S. He has also contributed to the ''Huffington Post'' advocating for the end to

Black History Month Black History Month is an annual observance originating in the United States, where it is also known as African-American History Month. It has received official recognition from governments in the United States and Canada, and more recently ...

and for the incorporation of the achievements of African-Americans into the larger narrative of American history. Gill is also a member of the Boston Comics Roundtable.

Awards and honors

In 2016, Gill was honored with a Distinguished Alumni Award from

Publications

Standalone books

* Fast Enough: Bessie Stringfield's First Ride (2019) * ''Fights: One Boy's Triumph Over Violence'' (2020) * '' Stamped from the Beginning: A Graphic History of Racist Ideas in America'' (2023)

''Strange Fruit'' duology

# ''Strange Fruit, Volume I: Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History'' (2014) # ''Strange Fruit, Volume II: More Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History'' (2018)

Tales of the Talented Tenth trilogy

* ''Bass Reeves'' (2014) * ''Bessie Stringfield'' (2016) * ''Robert Smalls'' (2021)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gill, Joel Christian Artists from New Hampshire American graphic novelists African-American comics creators Roanoke College alumni Boston University College of Fine Arts alumni Living people 1975 births African-American novelists 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people