What is autobiographix?
"Autobiographix" was, we’re pretty sure, coined by the alternative comics artist Mary Fleener in the introduction to Life of the Party. It may have been coined by someone else, or we might be mis-remembering, which is part of the fun of writing from memory. Autobiographical comics—or “autobiographix”—get to exploit these kind of gray areas, presenting truth, facts, reality, and everything in-between through a combination of text and image. From diary comics to comics journalism to graphic memoir, autobiographix encompasses the full range of nonfiction comics.
This newsletter is written by two lovers of autobiographix. Nora, who previously worked at comic publishers Devil's Due Publishing and interned at Drawn & Quarterly way back in the summer of 2005, brings her expertise in poetry and newspaper strips, showcased in publications like Hyperallergic, Guernica, DIAGRAM, Bennington Review, and more. She teaches about comics when she can, in her peripatetic life, and has done so at University of New Mexico (where Amaris and Nora co-taught a course on their much loved medium), Colorado State University, Columbus College of Art and Design, and more.
Amaris, on the other hand, finds her passion in drawing, creative nonfiction, and the occasional line break. Her graphic memoir, Unfiltered: A Cancer Year Diary, was published in 2023. Amaris teaches at the University of New Mexico; her courses regularly include the literary magazine Scribendi, graphic memoir, zines and handmade books, narrative journalism, and creative nonfiction.
We are excited to share our insights, reviews, and discoveries in this newsletter. We have written chapters and articles, including an exploration of Bianca Stone's poetry comics in Comics Studies Journal, and our book reviews have appeared in publications such as Solrad and The Rumpus. We have also had the privilege of presenting our research at conferences like Graphic Medicine, Exploring the In-Between: Comics in Flux Conference, and the Southwest Popular/American Culture Association Conference.
Curious who put the “x” in Autobiographix?
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What you’ll find here
Interviews with cartoonists, creators, and people thinking deeply about nonfiction comics.
Book Club posts: a short review + discussion questions + a comics prompt.
Also: craft notes, themed reading lists, drawing prompts, and comics-adjacent curiosities.
Start with these…
…if you’re looking for a great interview
We love how Ellen O’Grady created comics to answer each of our questions.
Tessa Hulls won the Pulitzer for Feeding Ghosts—read more about her creative journey here.
…if you want to join a book club without the pressure
If you are looking for a memoir, Teresa Wong takes us on a multigenerational family odyssey.
If you want to read something while eating Oreos and Kraft cheese, check out Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell’s graphic novel on food.
If you need some solid advice on sleeping better, Maureen Burdock’s work of graphic medicine has lots of recommendations.
…if you are looking for thoughts on craft
Amaris tackles drawing place in a series of three posts.
An exploration of Here the experimental graphic novel by Richard McGuire and the 2024 film adaptation.
Nora looks at a new transition through the lens of a comic masterpiece.
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Join us in celebrating the diverse voices and stories that make autobiographix so interesting. Subscribe to the newsletter to receive monthly interviews with comics creators and discussions of story, style, and craft. We share news and events, reviews, musings, comics exercises, and discussion questions for your next book club.
