Ellen Forney
Ellen Forney (born March 8, 1968) is an American cartoonist, educator, and wellness coach. She is known for her autobiographic comics which include I was Seven in '75; I Love Led Zepellin; and Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo and Me[1]. She teaches at the Cornish College of the Arts. Her work covers mental illness, political activism, drugs, and the riot girl movement.[2] Currently, she is based in Seattle, Washington.[3]
Ellen Forney | |
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Born | March 8, 1968 |
Occupation | Cartoonist, author |
Education | Wesleyan University, (BA) |
Notable works | I was Seven in '75; I Love Led Zepellin, Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo and Me, Rock Steady: Brilliant Advice From My Bipolar Life |
Website | |
ellenforney |
Career
Forney received a B.A. degree from Wesleyan University, where she majored in psychology.[4]
In the 1990s, she produced the autobiographical strip I Was Seven in '75, which ran in Seattle's alternative-weekly paper The Stranger.[5] She self-published a collection in 1997 with a Xeric Foundation grant.[6] A complete collection was published as Monkey Food by Fantagraphics in 1999.
In 2006 she published I Love Led Zeppelin, which collected comics she had done for various newspapers and magazines, and included collaborations with Margaret Cho, Kristin Gore, Camille Paglia, and Dan Savage.[4] It was nominated for an Eisner Award as Best Reality-Based Comic.[7][8] In 2007 she illustrated Sherman Alexie's young-adult novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which won the National Book Award.[9][10][11] In 2008 she published Lust which adapted personal ads from The Stranger into illustrated/comics form.[12]
Her graphic memoir Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me[13] addressed her experiences with bipolar disorder.[14] Specifically, the memoir deals with how Forney perceives her mental illness in relation to her art, as well as her fears about medication diminishing her creativity.[15] Forney also notes the role mental illness has played in other artists lives, referring to a list of artists and writers with depression as "Club Van Gogh."[16] It was published by Penguin Books' Gotham Books imprint in November 2012,[17][18] and it was a New York Times Bestseller.[19]Marbles featured prominently in a graphic medicine exhibit that Forney curated for the U.S. National Library of Medicine.[20]
Forney's 2018 book Rock Steady: Brilliant Advice from My Bipolar Life is a graphic self-help guide, published by Fantagraphics. In it, Forney promotes her personal acronym for self-care: SMEDMERTS, which stands for Sleep, Meds, Eat, Doctor, Mindfulness, Exercise, Routine, Tools, Support System.[2]
Other work
Ellen Forney is also the artist responsible for "Crossed Pinkies" and "Walking Fingers", two murals in the South Transit Capitol Hill light rail station at Seattle.[21] She also is open for commissions such as portraits, wedding invitations, and tattoo designs.[22] More recently, Forney started offering wellness coaching for those who suffer from bipolar disorder.[23] She also connects with audiences about graphic medicine, health, and comics in frequent speaking engagements.[24]
Personal life
Forney identifies herself as bisexual.[25] She was diagnosed with Bipolar 1 Disorder in 1998.[26]
Bibliography
- MONKEY FOOD: The Complete "I Was Seven in '75" Collection, Fantagraphic Books (1999).
- I Love Led Zeppelin: Panty-Dropping Comics, Fantagraphics Books (2006).
- Lust: Kinky Online Personal Ads from Seattle's The Stranger, Fantagraphics Books (2008).
- The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie, Art by Ellen Forney, Little Brown (2007).
- Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me: A Graphic Memoir, Gotham/Penguin Books (2012).
- Rock Steady: Brilliant Advice From My Bipolar Life, Fantagraphics (2018).
Awards
- 2013: Inkpot Award[27]
- 2013: National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis "Gradiva" winner in Art for Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me: A Graphic Memoir[28]
- 2012: Stranger Genius Award winner for Literature [29]
- 2007: National Book Award winner and New York Times Book of the Year for her art in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
References
- "Going 'Marbles': From Manic Highs To Oceanic Lows". NPR.org. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
- Lehoczky, Etelka. "In 'Rock Steady,' Ellen Forney Combines Mental Health Advice, Artistry and Wit". NPR.org. Retrieved 2019-03-22.
- "Ellen Forney - Bio". ellenforney.com. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
- Benedetti, Winda (August 7, 2006). "Seattle cartoonist Ellen Forney embraces our oddities". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
- "Comic creator: Ellen Forney | Lambiek Comiclopedia". Lambiek.net. 2007-02-16. Retrieved 2013-08-02.
- "Ellen Forney - "I'm Okay, You're Okay!" (vol III/iss 2/February 2000)". Sequential Tart. Retrieved 2013-08-02.
- The Comics Reporter
- Archived July 20, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- "Philly-linked artist adds life to award-winning book". Philly.com. 2010-10-26. Retrieved 2013-08-02.
- Hiskes, Jonathan (December 10, 2008). "Northwest Fiction Rooted in the Region". Crosscut. Seattle, WA. Retrieved 2011-08-20.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-04-07. Retrieved 2012-07-05.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Graves, Jen (February 13, 2008). "New in Books". The Stranger. Archived from the original on February 16, 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-29.
- "Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me: A Graphic Memoir: Ellen Forney: 9781592407323: Amazon.com: Books". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2013-08-02.
- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/18/bipolar-disorder-ellen-forney_n_5823138.html
- Wolk, Douglas (December 14, 2012). "At the Panel's Edge: 'Marbles,' by Ellen Forney, and More". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2019-03-22.
- "Memoir Traces How Cartoonist Lost Her 'Marbles'". NPR.org. NPR. November 26, 2012. Retrieved 2019-03-22.
- The Bipolar Cartoonist: Ellen Forney’s ‘Marbles’, Publishers Weekly. By Grace Bello. November 05, 2012. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
- David Low, Forney ’89 Writes Graphic Novel on Bipolar Disorder, The Wesleyan Connection (Wesleyan University), 2012-11-15. Accessed 2012-11-17.
- "Bestsellers: Paperback Graphic Books". The New York Times. November 18, 2012. Retrieved 2019-03-22.
- "Graphic Medicine: Ill-Conceived & Well-Drawn!". U.S. National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2019-03-22.
- "Ellen Forney - Public Art". www.ellenforney.com. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
- "Ellen Forney - Graphic Artist". ellenforney.com. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
- "Ellen Forney the Rock Steady Coach". www.rocksteadycoach.com. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
- "Ellen Forney - Public Art". ellenforney.com. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
- Bello, Grace (November 7, 2012). "Page Turner: Ellen Forney". Curve.
- Salkowitz, Rob. "Self-Described 'Crazy Artist' Ellen Forney Offers 'Rock Steady' Advice On Staying Balanced". Forbes. Forbes Media LLC. Retrieved 2019-03-22.
- list of Inkpot Award:Comic-Con
- National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis 2013 "Gradiva" Awards Archived 2014-03-05 at the Wayback Machine, naap.org. Accessed online 2014-03-04.
- The Stranger Genius Awards: The Event, thestranger.com. Accessed online 2012-11-21.
External links
- Official website
- Ellen Forney at Library of Congress Authorities, with 6 catalog records