Raina Telgemeier

Raina Telgemeier is a graphic novelist recognized for her contributions to middle-grade literature and comics. After earning a bachelor's degree in illustration from the School of Visual Arts in New York City, Telgemeier began her career drawing comics, distributing them through her website and at comic conventions. Her professional breakthrough occurred when she adapted Ann M. Martin's "The Baby-Sitters Club" series into graphic novels for Scholastic, establishing her presence in the graphic novel industry and influencing the development of middle-grade graphic memoirs.

Telgemeier's debut original graphic novel, "Smile," is based on her childhood experience with dental trauma and orthodontics. The book appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list for more than four years and received a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor and the Eisner Award for Best Publication for a Teen Audience. She followed with "Drama," a fictional story about middle school theater that earned an American Library Association Stonewall Honor, and "Sisters," a memoir that won the Eisner Award for Best Writer/Artist. Her graphic novel "Ghosts" received the Eisner Award for Best Publication for Kids, and her memoir "Guts," which addresses childhood anxiety and panic attacks, earned two additional Eisner Awards. Telgemeier has received a total of five Eisner Awards for her work in comics and graphic novels.

Telgemeier's books have sold more than 18 million copies, with all five of her original graphic novels reaching No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list. At one point, the top four books on the Times paperback graphic books list were "Drama," "Smile," "Sisters," and "Kristy's Great Idea." Her honors include a Stonewall Honor, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor, and recognition on numerous Best Of and Notable lists. Her work was featured in the "Facing Feelings: The Art of Raina Telgemeier" exhibition at Ohio State University's Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, which was later published as an exhibition catalogue.

Telgemeier continues to explore the graphic novel format, co-creating "The Cartoonists Club" with Scott McCloud, a middle-grade story that combines narrative storytelling with instructional comics. She received the Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers' Literature from the Tulsa City-County Library, reflecting her influence in children's and young adult literature. Telgemeier is known for her candid portrayals of anxiety, friendship, and the challenges of growing up, providing young readers with relatable stories in the graphic novel genre.