Ellen Forney Explained

Ellen Forney
Birth Date:8 March 1968
Education:Wesleyan University,
Occupation:Cartoonist, author
Notableworks:I was Seven in '75; I Love Led Zepellin,
Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo and Me,
Rock Steady: Brilliant Advice From My Bipolar Life

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 grrrl movement.[2] Currently, she is based in Seattle, Washington.[3]

Career

Forney received a B.A. degree from Wesleyan University, where she majored in psychology.

In the 1990s, she produced the autobiographical strip I Was Seven in '75, which ran in Seattle's alternative-weekly paper The Stranger.[4] She self-published a collection in 1997 with a Xeric Foundation grant.[5] 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.[6] 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 Sound 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

Awards

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Going 'Marbles': From Manic Highs To Oceanic Lows. NPR.org. 8 November 2012. en. 2019-11-19. Goldberg. Myla.
  2. News: Lehoczky . Etelka . In 'Rock Steady,' Ellen Forney Combines Mental Health Advice, Artistry and Wit . NPR.org . 17 May 2018 . 2019-03-22.
  3. Web site: Ellen Forney - Bio. ellenforney.com. 2019-11-19.
  4. Web site: Comic creator: Ellen Forney | Lambiek Comiclopedia . Lambiek.net . 2007-02-16 . 2013-08-02.
  5. Web site: Ellen Forney - "I'm Okay, You're Okay!" (vol III/iss 2/February 2000) . Sequential Tart . 2013-08-02.
  6. News: Seattle cartoonist Ellen Forney embraces our oddities . Seattle Post-Intelligencer . Winda . Benedetti . August 7, 2006.
  7. http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/your_2007_san_diego_con_update4/ The Comics Reporter
  8. http://public.vwc.edu/news-a-events/recent-news/1045-acclaimed-cartoonist-ellen-forney-speaks-about-words-and-pictures
  9. Web site: Philly-linked artist adds life to award-winning book . Philly.com . 2010-10-26 . 2013-08-02.
  10. News: Jonathan . Hiskes . Northwest Fiction Rooted in the Region . . Seattle, WA . December 10, 2008 . 2011-08-20 . 2012-07-07 . https://archive.today/20120707203424/http://crosscut.com/blog/crosscut/18709/ . dead .
  11. Web site: The Towerlight » Q&A with cartoonist Ellen Forney . 2012-07-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140407092653/http://www.thetowerlight.com/2011/10/qa-with-cartoonist-ellen-forney/ . 2014-04-07 . dead .
  12. News: Jen . Graves . New in Books . . February 13, 2008 . 2008-02-29 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080216024024/http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=511046 . February 16, 2008 .
  13. Book: Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me: A Graphic Memoir: Ellen Forney: 9781592407323: Amazon.com: Books . 978-1592407323 . Forney . Ellen . 2012 . Penguin .
  14. Klein, Sarah. "What Bipolar Disorder Really Feels Like," Huffpost (September 18, 2014).
  15. News: Wolk . Douglas . At the Panel's Edge: 'Marbles,' by Ellen Forney, and More . 2019-03-22 . The New York Times . December 14, 2012.
  16. News: Memoir Traces How Cartoonist Lost Her 'Marbles' . 2019-03-22 . NPR.org . NPR . November 26, 2012.
  17. http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/profiles/article/54604-the-bipolar-cartoonist-ellen-forney-s-marbles.html The Bipolar Cartoonist: Ellen Forney’s ‘Marbles’
  18. David Low, Forney ’89 Writes Graphic Novel on Bipolar Disorder, The Wesleyan Connection (Wesleyan University), 2012-11-15. Accessed 2012-11-17.
  19. News: Bestsellers: Paperback Graphic Books . 2019-03-22 . The New York Times . November 18, 2012.
  20. Web site: Graphic Medicine: Ill-Conceived & Well-Drawn! . U.S. National Library of Medicine . 2019-03-22.
  21. Web site: Ellen Forney - Public Art. www.ellenforney.com. 2019-11-19.
  22. Web site: Ellen Forney - Graphic Artist. ellenforney.com. 2019-11-07.
  23. Web site: Ellen Forney the Rock Steady Coach. www.rocksteadycoach.com. 2019-11-19.
  24. Web site: Ellen Forney - Public Art. ellenforney.com. 2019-11-19.
  25. Web site: Page Turner: Ellen Forney. Curve. November 7, 2012. Grace. Bello. February 22, 2018. May 24, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190524202355/http://www.curvemag.com/Curve-Magazine/Web-Articles-2012/Page-Turners-Ellen-Forney/. dead.
  26. Web site: Salkowitz . Rob . Self-Described 'Crazy Artist' Ellen Forney Offers 'Rock Steady' Advice On Staying Balanced . Forbes . 2019-03-22.
  27. https://www.comic-con.org/awards/inkpot list of Inkpot Award:Comic-Con
  28. http://www.naap.org/downloads/Gradiva%20Winners.pdf National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis 2013 "Gradiva" Awards
  29. http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Special/Genius?view=event The Stranger Genius Awards: The Event

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