September 24, 2019

Sixth Book to Release in September

MEDIA RELEASE
September 24, 2019

White River Junction, Vermont – The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS) and Hyperion Books for Children have renewed their partnership to produce Glynnis Fawkes’ Charlotte Brontë Before Jane Eyre, the sixth book in a young adult graphic novel series based on the lives of famous historical figures. 

Charlotte Brontë Before Jane Eyre releases September 24^th, includes an introduction by Vermont Cartoonist Laureate Alison Bechdel. This graphic biography presents Charlotte Brontë and her sisters as they struggle to make a name for themselves in an era where women were discouraged from pursuing a career.

The Center for Cartoon Studies faculty member Glynnis Fawkes has been awarded a Fulbright Fellowship and her comics have been nominated for numerous awards. Many of her comics have appeared in Daily Shouts on TheNewYorker.com.  Her books include Persephone’s Garden (Secret Acres) and Reign of Crumbs (Kilgore). She is a recipient of a 2019-20 Vermont Arts Council Creation Grant.

This CCS graphic novel series has won two Eisner awards. The first five books of the series are being reissued and include Thoreau at Walden by John Porcellino, Houdini The Handcuff King by Nick Bertozzi and CCS faculty member Jason Lutes, Satchel Paige Striking Out Jim Crow by Rich Tommaso and CCS director James Sturm, and Annie Sullivan and The Trials of Helen Keller by CCS graduate Joseph Lambert, and Amelia Earhart, This Broad Ocean by Ben Towle and CCS instructor Sarah Stewart Taylor. CCS director, James Sturm serves as the series editor.  

“Teachers know that graphic novels are a great classroom resource to engage their students and The Center for Cartoon Studies graphic novel series opens an exciting window into history.” Says CCS president Michelle Ollie. 

Hyperion is an imprint of Disney Children’s Book Group, LLC. The Center for Cartoon Studies is an MFA degree-granting college located in White River Junction, Vermont. The Center is educating the nation’s leading cartoonists including Tillie Walden’16 (On A Sunbeam, winner of the LA Times Book Prize 2019), Melanie Gillman ′12 (As The Crow Flies, winner of the American Library Association Stonewall Award of Excellence), and NYT bestelling author Lucy Knisley ′09 (Kid Gloves).

Advanced Praise for Charlotte Brontë Before Jane Eyre:

 “Fawkes deftly weaves narration from Charlotte’s writings into appropriate biographical scenes… Fawkes’ illustrations appear as black-and-white, shaded pencil drawings in a style that cartoonist Alison Bechdel aptly describes in the introduction as “crisp and engaging.” … A biography that goes beyond static history, inspiring respect for Charlotte and encouraging writers and artists to defend their work through adversity.”

–Kirkus Review

“One of the joys of Fawkes’s slender volume is that Charlotte does not suffer in noble silence; she is openly ambitious, even resenting what teaching steals from her creative life. Though some of the portrait’s strengths can be attributed to the subject herself—this book relies heavily on her letters and poems—Fawkes is a deft and economical editor. With sure-handed, irreverent illustrations, she captures life on the windswept moors and masters the art of Victorian side-eye. Her Charlotte Brontë is as smart, brooding, and rebellious as Jane Eyre, and her volume offers an accessible introduction to and an elaboration on the Brontës’ work.”

–Publisher’s Weekly

The graphic novels in this series will be on sale everywhere beginning September 26^th. For more information and links to titles and authors, visit cartoonstudies.org

Faculty members Glynnis  Fawkes and Jason Lutes will be at Phoenix Books on Thursday, September 26th in Burlington, Vermont for a conversation about telling the stories of Charlotte Brontë and Harry Houdini. For more information:  phoenixbooks.biz

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About The Center for Cartoon Studies

From all over the world students come to Vermont’s The Center for Cartoon Studies to learn from esteemed faculty and renowned visiting cartoonists. CCS’s fellowship programs allow cartoonists at the top of their game to develop projects during a mutually enriching extended stay. Their creativity, dedication, and vision inspire the entire CCS community. CCS programs include the Master of Fine Arts degree, a one-and-two year certificate program, and annual summer workshops.