Applying to CCS? Have Questions? Register to Meet 1-on-1:

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!


Announcing the shortlist for the 2024 CARTOONIST STUDIO PRIZE AWARD

Each year, the Cartoonist Studio Prize will be awarded to work that exemplifies excellence in cartooning. The creators of two exceptional comics for this year will be awarded $1,000 each. The winners will be selected by The Beat and The Schulz Library staff at The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS).

This year, there are thirteen nominees in each the “long-form” category and the “short-form” category.

The nominees for Best Long-Form Comic are:

  • Anais Nin: A Sea of Lies by Léonie Bischoff
  • The Chromatic Fantasy by H.A.
  • The Cliff by Manon Debaye
  • Cuckoo by Joe Sparrow
  • Eden II by K. Wroten
  • Eric’s Sister by Kaitlin Chan
  • The Great Beyond by Léa Murawiec
(more…)

Alum Pepita Sandwich ’19 explores the superpower of crying in her latest book The Art of Crying: The Healing Power of Tears

Exciting news! You can now pre-order THE ART OF CRYING by CCS alum, visual artist, and educator, Pepita Sandwich ‘19, and Hatchette Books. 

“A book that I’ve been researching and working on for the past 3 years… I’m already crying tears of joy.”

The brilliantly researched and illustrated book officially hits bookstores on April 30, 2024. More from Hachette Books: “In The Art of Crying, Pepita Sandwich makes the case that crying is humanity’s most misunderstood and magical special effect. We are the only animals who shed tears as a result of the emotions we feel. But crying is not our weakness: it’s our superpower. Our tears are a path to growth and healing that leads to deeper and more fulfilling experiences.” 

(more…)

Alum Juniper Kim ‘23 Awarded a Fulbright Grant for research on her graphic novel project based in Seoul, Korea

Mirrors & Stones comic by Juniper Kim
Mirrors & Stones by Juniper Kim ’23

The CCS community is happy to announce recent graduate Juniper Kim ‘23, was awarded the prestigious Fulbright Award! Juniper will be pursuing a graphic novel project in Seoul, Korea, with her grant.

“While living in Seoul—a vibrant center of all kinds of arts and culture, and the place in which my family has roots—I will attempt to answer important questions about identity, art, and culture…” said Juniper.

The project’s current title is Gyopo’s Ballad. Juniper describes the work-in-progress as a “fictional graphic novel describing a Korean-born American-raised woman’s experience living in Korea for the first time since her emigration as a toddler. Sang,  who is researching the Korean folk music revival, arrives in Seoul eager to reconnect with her roots; however, she also struggles to feel at home in her ‘home country’ and define herself somewhere in between being Korean and being American.” 

(more…)

Alum Kit Anderson’s ’22 graphic novel SAFER SPACES explores the secrets and magic typically unseen in everyday life

Book cover for: 
Safer Spaces by Kit Anderson '22

Safer Spaces is a 208-page new collection of stories about isolation, memory, liminal spaces, and small magic from up-and-coming author Kit Anderson with Avery Hill Publishing. From road trips to doctors’ offices to the mysterious spaces under the house, Kit Anderson’s short stories explore the secrets and magic typically unseen in everyday life. A walk through the forest, a family move, a day in a normal life – Anderson’s depictions of these ordinary moments transform them with a double-take, revealing the strangeness, surreality, and transformation within. Order a copy!


A NEW GRAPHIC BIOGRAPHY OF WORLD-RENOWNED ARTIST RUTH ASAWA by alum Sam Nakahira ‘21

The much-awaited graphic biography of world-renowned artist Ruth Asawa by Sam Nakahira ‘21 who was bestowed the privilege of documenting and sharing the life of such an amazing human being. RUTH ASAWA: AN ARTIST TAKES SHAPE released on March 20 by Getty Publications and ABRAMS Kids!  

“This graphic biography by Sam Nakahira, developed in consultation with Asawa’s younger daughter, Addie Lanier, chronicles the genesis of Asawa as an artist—from the horror of Pearl Harbor to her transformative education at Black Mountain College to building her life in San Francisco, where she would further develop and refine her groundbreaking sculpture.” —Getty Publications

“Nakahira chronicles the young adult years of acclaimed Japanese American artist Ruth Asawa (1926–2013) in this illuminating graphic novel debut.” —Publishers Weekly 

(more…)

Summer Workshops Announced

Join us in Summer 2024 to brush up on your cartooning skills or learn new ones! Click here to check out the complete line-up and register today! In-person and online workshops, from beginner to advanced.


TENDER, A new psychological thriller Graphic Novel by alum Beth Hetland ‘11

“An incredibly paced horror story that’s equal parts sardonic, gruesome, and tender. A Jeanne Dielman for the Instagram generation.” —Katie Skelly

“Chicago cartoonist and educator Beth Hetland’s graphic novel debut is a brilliant psychological thriller that tears down the wall of a genre — body horror — so often identified with male creators. Heady and visceral, Tender uses horrific tropes to confront women’s societal expectations of self-sacrifice despite those traditional roles often coming at the expense of female sexuality and empowerment.” —Fantagraphics

Congratulations to Beth Hetland ‘11 on the release of her graphic psychological thriller debut, TENDER, by Fantagraphics!

(more…)