Raina Diane Telgemeier (/'ɹeɪna 'tɛlgə'maɪəɹ/, born May 26, 1977) is an American
cartoonist
A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and ...
. Her works include the
autobiographical
An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life.
It is a form of biography.
Definition
The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...
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 co ...
''
Smile
A smile is a facial expression formed primarily by flexing the muscles at the sides of the mouth. Some smiles include a contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, an action known as a Duchenne smile.
Among humans, a smile expresses ...
'', which was published as a full-color
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 ...
in February 2010, and the follow-up
''Sisters'' and the fiction graphic novel ''
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...
'', all of which have been on
''The New York Times'' Best Seller lists. She has also written and illustrated the graphic novels ''
Ghosts'' and ''
Guts
The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The GI tract contains all the major organs of the digestive system, in humans and ...
'' as well as four graphic novels adapted from ''
The Baby-Sitters Club
''The Baby-Sitters Club'' (also known as BSC) is a series of novels written by Ann M. Martin and published by Scholastic between 1986 and 2000, that sold 176 million copies. Martin wrote the first 35 novels in the series, but the subsequent nove ...
'' stories by
Ann M. Martin.
Telgemeier was born on May 26, 1977 in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
and grew up there.
She has two younger siblings, Amara and William.
According to Telgemeier, she knocked out two front teeth while in
sixth grade
Sixth grade (or grade six in some regions) is the sixth year of schooling. Students are typically 11–12 years old, depending on when their birthday occurs. Different terms and numbers are used in other parts of the world. It is commonly the firs ...
and needed braces and multiple surgeries as a result. Also according to Telgemeier, she attended
Lowell High School in San Francisco.
Telgemeier studied illustration at New York's
School of Visual Arts
The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design.
History
This school was started by ...
;
according to Telgemeier, she graduated in 2002.
Career
After graduating from the
School of Visual Arts
The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design.
History
This school was started by ...
, Telgemeier began attending small-press festivals such as the
MoCCA Festival
The MoCCA Arts Festival, or MoCCA Fest, is an independent comics showcase that typically includes artist booths, slide shows, and educational panels. It was created by the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art in 2002 by bringing together over 2,000 a ...
, selling self-published autobiographical stories and vignettes from her life. She produced seven mini-comics issues in the ''Take-Out'' series between 2002 and 2005. Each was a twelve-page black-and-white comic.
Other early works include a short story in ''Bizarro World'' for
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
and a short story in Volume 4 of the ''
Flight
Flight or flying is the process by which an object moves through a space without contacting any planetary surface, either within an atmosphere (i.e. air flight or aviation) or through the vacuum of outer space (i.e. spaceflight). This can be a ...
'' anthology.
In 2004, Telgemeier joined
Girlamatic
Girlamatic (sometimes stylized as GirlAMatic or Girl-A-Matic) was a webcomic subscription service
The subscription business model is a business model in which a customer must pay a recurring price at regular intervals for access to a product ...
, a subscription-based webcomics site dedicated to female writers. Telgemeier has said that the disciplined structure and schedule of publishing a weekly webcomic encouraged her to develop the autobiographical story ''Smile''.
Her main breakthrough into published comics came from creating graphic novel adaptations of
''Baby-Sitters Club'' novels.
In a piece for
''Cosmopolitan'', Telgemeier said that she met an editor from
Scholastic at an art gallery party in 2004 who mentioned that Scholastic was thinking of setting up a graphic novel
imprint
Imprint or imprinting may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Imprint'' (TV series), Canadian television series
* "Imprint" (''Masters of Horror''), episode of TV show ''Masters of Horror''
* ''Imprint'' (film), a 2007 independent drama/thriller film
...
. At that year's
San Diego Comic-Con
San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is co ...
, Telgemeier met that editor's boss, who invited her to pitch an idea for Scholastic. After Telgemeier mentioned she had been a fan of
Ann M. Martin's ''The Baby-Sitters Club'' series, they asked her to work up a graphic novel adaptation.
Scholastic, though its imprint Graphix went on to publish four graphic novels in the series: ''Kristy's Great Idea'', ''The Truth About Stacey'', ''Mary Anne Saves the Day'', and ''Claudia and Mean Janine''. According to Telgemeier, the advances for the adaptations allowed Telgemeier to quit her full-time job and concentrate on her art, and she completed the fourth ''Baby-Sitters Club'' novel in 2008.
In 2009,
Del Rey Manga
Del Rey Manga was the manga-publishing imprint of Del Rey Books, a branch of Ballantine Books, which in turn is part of Random House, the publishing division of Bertelsmann.
History
Del Rey Manga was formed as part of a cross-publishing relation ...
released ''
X-Men: Misfits'', which Telgemeier co-authored with her then-husband,
Dave Roman
Dave Roman (born May 26, 1977) is an American writer and artist of webcomics and comics.
Career
Roman attended the School of Visual Arts in New York. He started working in comics as an intern at DC Comics, then got a full-time job at Nickelodeon M ...
. It spent at least five weeks on the ''New York Times'' bestseller list for Paperback Graphic Books.
In February 2010, Telgemeier released a print graphic novel version of her webcomic ''Smile''. ''Smile'' first featured on a ''New York Times'' bestseller list in 2011 and as of October 2020 it is still on the ''New York Times'' Bestseller List for Graphic Books and Manga.
Telgemeier followed ''Smile'' with several original graphic novels, all of which have made a ''New York Times'' Bestseller List:
* ''
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...
'', released in 2012, about a middle school stage crew and performers, was released. Although the novel was fictional, it drew on experiences from Telgemeier's experience in middle school and high school theater;
*
''Sisters'', released in 2014, about her life growing up with her younger sister;
* ''
Ghosts'', released in 2016, about a girl who can see ghosts, and adventures in a new town during
Day of the Dead
The Day of the Dead ( es, Día de Muertos or ''Día de los Muertos'') is a holiday traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2, though other days, such as October 31 or November 6, may be included depending on the locality. It is widely obser ...
;
* ''
Guts
The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The GI tract contains all the major organs of the digestive system, in humans and ...
'', released in 2019, about Telgemeier's stomach problems and her adventures in food, school, and changing friendships.
Telgemeier has continued to contribute to anthologies, including ''Nursery Rhyme Comics'' (2011, First Second), ''Fairy Tale Comics'' (2013, First Second); the ''Explorer'' graphic novel series (2012, 2013, Abrams/Amulet); and ''Comics Squad: Recess!'' (2014, Random House).
Of her work, Telgemeier said, "I'm more aware than ever of what I want to say to kids through my books
which is thatit's going to be O.K. That everybody, with just a little bit of talking and a little bit of empathy, can find out that they have a lot in common."
In 2021, Salt & Straw partnered with Scholastic Inc. and made a line of Comics themed ice creams. Telgemeier's ice cream flavor was called "Smile: Words & Pictures" which Salt & Straw said was "A pencil-inspired yellow and pink almond-infused sponge cake and Stracciatella “pencil shavings
'' are strewn about a notebook paper-esque canvas, in this case trusty vanilla ice cream."
Reception
As of 2019, Telgemeier's books collectively have more than 18 million copies in print.
According to David Saylor, publisher at Graphix, "Raina single-handedly created the market for middle-grade graphic memoir".
Telgemeier's work has won several awards and nominations, including five
Eisner Award
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...
s, and has been included on many lists of recommended books.
Awards
Recommendation lists and bestseller lists
All five of her original graphic novels have made a
''The New York Times'' Best Seller list, as has at least one of her ''Baby-Sitters Club'' adaptations and ''X-Men: Misfits''.
On May 10, 2015, the top four books on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list for paperback graphic books were all by Telgemeier: ''Drama'', ''Smile'', ''Sisters'', and ''Kristy's Great Idea''.
''Smile'' first featured on a ''New York Times'' bestseller list in 2011 and as of October 2020 it is still on the ''New York Times'' Bestseller List for Graphic Books and Manga.
In 2017, Telgemeier was named the "Most Important Comics Creator" by Comics Worth Reading who cited her bookscan numbers, copies sold, and influence on the modern comics market as reasons why.
Challenges and bans
According to the ALA, ''Drama'' was among the top ten most challenged book in libraries and schools in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. Reasons given for challenges and bans have included having LGBTQIA+ content and characters, sexually explicit content, an "offensive political viewpoint", being "confusing", and for concerns that it goes against “family values/morals”.
Personal life
Telgemeier was married to fellow cartoonist
Dave Roman
Dave Roman (born May 26, 1977) is an American writer and artist of webcomics and comics.
Career
Roman attended the School of Visual Arts in New York. He started working in comics as an intern at DC Comics, then got a full-time job at Nickelodeon M ...
;
they married in 2006 but they filed for divorce in 2015.
She currently lives in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
.
She has lived in
Astoria,
New York.
Bibliography
Author and illustrator
* ''Take Out'' (2002-2005)
*''
Smile
A smile is a facial expression formed primarily by flexing the muscles at the sides of the mouth. Some smiles include a contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, an action known as a Duchenne smile.
Among humans, a smile expresses ...
'' (Scholastic/Graphix, 2010)
*''
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...
'' (Scholastic/Graphix, 2012)
* ''
Sisters
A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to ...
'' (Scholastic/Graphix, 2014)
* ''
Ghosts'' (Scholastic/Graphix, 2016)
* ''
Guts
The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The GI tract contains all the major organs of the digestive system, in humans and ...
'' (Scholastic/Graphix, 2019)
Illustrator
''Babysitters Club'' graphic novels
* ''Kristy's Great Idea'' (2006)
* ''The Truth About Stacey'' (2006)
* ''Mary Anne Saves the Day'' (2007)
* ''Claudia and Mean Janine'' (2008)
Author
* ''X-Men: Misfits'' (2009), co-authored with Dave Roman
Contributions to anthologies
''Bizarro World HC'' (DC Comics, 2005)
''Flight, Vol. 4'' (2007)
''Nursery Rhyme Comics'' (First Second, 2011)
''Fairy Tale Comics'' (First Second, 2013)
The ''Explorer'' graphic novel series (Abrams/Amulet, 2012, 2013)
''Comics Squad: Recess!'' (Random House, 2014)
References
General references
* Hart, James (February 24, 2005). "Superheroes get bizarre treatment". ''The Kansas City Star'', Pg. G18.
* MacDonald, Heidi (April 18, 2005). "Young Cartoonists Look to the Book Market". ''Publishers Weekly'', Pg. 23.
* Schou, Solvej (April 18, 2006). "Not the 1980s anymore: popular Baby-sitter's Club books go graphic". ''The Canadian Press'', Entertainment and Culture.
Inline citations
External links
*
Telgemeier at LiveJournalInterview at The Daily Cross Hatch April 4, 2007
Marvel, Del Rey Join to Produce OEL Manga With X-Men & WolverineNewsarama, December 9, 2007
2010 Boston Globe-Horn Book AwardsThe Horn Book, June 8, 2010
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Telgemeier, Raina
1977 births
Living people
American women cartoonists
American graphic novelists
American webcomic creators
American female comics artists
Female comics writers
Artists from San Francisco
People from Astoria, Queens
School of Visual Arts alumni
21st-century American novelists
American women novelists
21st-century American women writers
Writers from San Francisco
Artists from New York City
Writers from Queens, New York
Novelists from New York (state)
The Baby-Sitters Club
Eisner Award winners for Best Writer/Artist
American cartoonists