The Center for
Cartoon Studies (CCS)
Students travel from across the U.S. and around the world to study comics at CCS in a diverse and vibrant community in Vermont.
Learn more about our Academic Programs and Admissions.
Do you have burning questions about CCS’s MFA and certificate programs but aren’t able to make it to one of our admissions events? Drop us a line at outreach@cartoonstudies.org and we can set up a 1-on-1 video chat session to answer any of your questions about the curriculum, the application process, student housing, financial aid, living in Vermont, or anything else you need to know about applying to CCS!
Congratulations to Tillie Walden ‘16 and Emil Wilson ’21 for making Publishers Weekly’s Best Graphic Novels of 2026 list! Tillie’s CHARITY & SYLVIA and Emil’s THE NIGHTINGALES claimed two of the coveted list’s five slots.
Published by Drawn & Quarterly, CHARITY & SYLVIA received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, and landed Book Riot’s Best of 2026 list and Vermont Reads Choice for 2026. This graphic historical biography is based on the extensive archives of these two women’s writings, and their incredible lives living as an openly lesbian couple in 19th-century Vermont. You can find more about CHARITY & SYLVIA here: https://drawnandquarterly.com/books/charity-and-sylvia
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CCS info session and free comics lecture, “How to Make a Graphic Novel”
Friday, November 13, 2026 from 4 – 6pm
At the Independent Publishing Resource Center (IPRC)
Do you live in Oregon and want to learn more about The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS)? Join CCS Director of Academic Outreach Alec Longstreth in Portland on November 13 for a CCS info session!
Longstreth will give a brief overview of CCS’s workshops, certificate and MFA programs, faculty, facilities, student life, and alum success stories. He will have free CCS materials on hand and can answer any questions that prospective students have about CCS programs.
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The New York Public Library (NYPL) just released its Best New Comics of 2026 list, and of the 50 titles selected by their comics committee, three are by CCS alumni!
They are…
CHARITY & SYLVIA by Tillie Walden ’16
A graphic historical biography published by Drawn & Quarterly that is based on the extensive archives of an openly lesbian couple in 19th-century Vermont. CHARITY & SYLVIA was also Vermont Reads Choice for 2026.
NAMES AND FACES by Leise Hook ’20
A collection of graphic autobiographical essays published by Henry Holt Books that explores coming of age, mixed-race identity, and family history.
THE NIGHTINGALES by Emil Wilson ’21
A graphic novel published by Simon & Schuster that began as part of Wilson’s CCS thesis project, it is a story of life-changing friendship that takes place during the height of the AIDS epidemic in the United States.
Congratulations Tillie, Leise, and Emil!
To see the incredible NYPL list, visit: nypl.org
The Nightingales by Emil Wilson ’21 releases in August 2026. The tender, surprising, and full of hope, The Nightingales is an unforgettable story about compassion, family, and the unexpected ways one person’s life can alter another’s. In 2020, Emil was nominated for a Broken Pencil (Canada) award and earned an Ignatz nomination for “Promising New Talent. The Nightingales is his debut graphic novel.
“Absolutely gorgeous, visually and emotionally.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“An achievement in visual storytelling.” —Booklist (starred review)
Purchase a copy of The Nightingales by Emil Wilson ’21 from your favorite bookstore, or online at Bookshop.org. We purchased ours from Norwich Bookstore, Still North Books and Bar, and Yankee Bookshop.
Congratulations Emil!
The 2026 Cornish-CCS Fellow is Michael Grover.
Mike is a cartoonist. His webcomic Deeply Dave was nominated for an Eisner Award and published as a graphic novel by Henry Holt (Macmillan) in 2025. His webcomic Jake Spooky was nominated for an Ignatz Award and is being published as a series of graphic novels by Toon Books (Astra / Penguin Random House). Grover studied animation at Brigham Young University, and was an animator on the Oscar-nominated short film Ninety-Five Senses. He lives with his wife and kids. He wants to make a lot of comics before he dies.
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Attention McSweeney’s fans: A 16-page, science-fiction, coming-of-age, water-color comic by Kevin Reilly ’18 is featured in the 83rd volume of its literary journal, Timothy McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern.
BIRTHPLACE OF THE SAINTS follows teenager Nestor Ben as he tends to the pilgrims who come to the Temple hoping to become saints by interacting with the sacred psychotropic plant Divinora, which requires lots of roller-skating.
BIRTHPLACE OF THE SAINTS first made its debut at CCS.
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As we celebrate 20 years, CCS is renovating the Historic Telegraph Building, which will join the Old Post Office building that CCS purchased and renovated 13 years ago. Together, these two historic sites will provide a permanent home for our programs, partnerships, and community connection and engagement.
This transformational Campus Renewal Project will culminate in a two- building historic campus that is fully accessible and climate-resilient, ensuring that CCS can continue to enrich the cultural and economic vitality of the region, serve as a cornerstone of Vermont’s arts ecosystem, and support a community of cartoonists whose work reaches audiences worldwide.
A free self-directed eCourse to improve your cartooning skills. Online, Start Anytime!
Click here to learn more and make an online donation now.
We hope Art & Courage, will help readers feel a little more prepared for whatever creative journey they embark upon. Click here to read a free digital edition or to order print copies. This 32-page comic is filled with
Cartooning In An Anxious Age (pdf) is a free comic by Cara Bean on the act of drawing, which focuses your attention and intimately connects you with the generative act of creation. It’s an inspiring read.
Created for middle and high school students, Let’s Talk About It: A Graphic Guide To Mental Health is a lively and educational comic book that destigmatizes the conversation around mental health.
Using the power of comics to teach teens about the way our government works This Is What Democracy Looks Like, A Graphic Guide To Governance is a 32-page comic book created by The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS). This short comic guide helps to bring democracy back to the hands of the people by explaining what democracy actually means and how the whole thing works. This guide will be a great jumping-off point to learn about our government.
Download a free copy of The World is Made of Cheese, The Applied Cartooning Manifesto.
© The Center for Cartoon Studies
PO BOX 125, White River Junction, Vermont 05001
info@cartoonstudies.org
802.295.3319
