Ngozi Ukazu is an American cartoonist and

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 ...

ist. In 2013, she created the

webcomic Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on a website or mobile app. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or comic books. Webcomics can be c ...

''Check, Please!'', which later became a ''New York Times''-bestselling graphic novel.

Early life and education

Ukazu grew up in Houston, Texas. She attended Bellaire High School, where she contributed to the school’s newspaper, ''The Three Penny Press'', as the comics editor. She is the daughter of

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

parents. She studied computer science, obtaining a degree in Computing and The Arts from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

in 2013 and earned a masters degree in Sequential Art from the

Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is a private nonprofit art school with locations in Savannah, Georgia; Atlanta, Georgia; and Lacoste, France. Founded in 1978 to provide degrees in programs not yet offered in the southeast of the Uni ...

in 2015.

Career

Ukazu launched '' Check, Please!'' as a webcomic in 2013 after writing a screenplay about Eric "Bitty" Bittle, a gay college freshman and champion figure skater who joins a hockey team. Ukazu created a Kickstarter campaign in 2015 to print the first volume of the comic; the campaign resulted in the highest-funded comics project in Kickstarter's history. In 2018, the first installment, ''Check, Please!: #Hockey'', was published by

First Second Books First Second Books is an American publisher of graphic novels. An imprint of Roaring Brook Press, part of Holtzbrinck Publishers, First Second publishes fiction, biographies, personal memoirs, history, visual essays, and comics journalism. It al ...

. The sequel, ''Check, Please!: Sticks & Scones,'' was a

New York Times bestseller ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...

in May 2020.

Publications

* 2018: ''Check, Please!: #Hockey'' * 2020: ''Check, Please!: Sticks & Scones''

Awards and honors

* 2019

Ignatz Award The Ignatz Awards recognize outstanding achievements in comics and cartooning by small press creators or creator-owned projects published by larger publishers. They have been awarded each year at the Small Press Expo since 1997, only skipping ...

- Winner, Outstanding Comic * 2019

Harvey Award The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be the successor to the Kirby Awards that we ...

- Winner, Digital Book of the Year * 2019 YALSA - Finalist , William C. Morris Award * 2018 ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' - Best YA of 2018 * 2018 '' Kirkus Reviews'' - Best Young Adult Books of 2018 That Explore Family and Self * 2018 New York Public Library’s Best Books - Top Ten Books For Teens * 2018 Best of Austin - Arts & Entertainment Critics Pick * 2018 Harvey Awards - Nominee, Digital Book of the Year * 2017 National Cartoonists Society - Winner, Best Online Comic: Long Form * 2017

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

- 100 Favorite Comics And Graphic Novels

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ukazu, Ngozi Living people American women cartoonists American webcomic creators Savannah College of Art and Design alumni Yale University alumni Bellaire High School (Bellaire, Texas) alumni People from Houston American people of Nigerian descent African-American comics creators African-American women artists Ignatz Award winners American graphic novelists Harvey Award winners 21st-century American novelists Year of birth missing (living people) American women novelists American cartoonists The New Yorker people 21st-century American women writers African-American novelists