Hope Larson

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Biography

Larson is of German and Swedish descent. She grew up in Asheville, North Carolina, and attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she graduated with a BFA in 2004. She then moved to Toronto with her husband, Canadian Bryan Lee O'Malley. In 2005, they moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia.

As of 2008, Larson and O'Malley are living in Asheville, NC. [cite web|url=http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=153858|title=Hope Larson on Chiggers and More|work=Newsarama|author=Zack Smith|accessdate=April 18|accessyear=2008]

Career

While Larson was still in college, Scott McCloud took an interest in her illustrations, encouraging her to create comics. Soon after, she was invited to the webcomics anthology site Girlamatic and produced her first professional comic, a web serial entitled "I Was There & Just Returned". [cite web|url=http://www.comicbookgalaxy.com/larson.html|title="The Hope Larson Interview"|work=Comic Book Galaxy|author=Gordon McAlpin|accessdate=September 20|accessyear=2006] Afterwards, Larson concentrated on a number of small, hand-made minicomics, combining her interests in comics, screenprinting, and bookmaking.

She contributed to comics anthologies "Flight", "True Porn 2", and "You Ain't No Dancer", while working on a web-serialized graphic novel, "Salamander Dream". This eventually became her first full-length book, published by AdHouse Books in September 2005; she moved to Oni Press for her second graphic novel, "Gray Horses" (released March 2006).

In 2006, Larson signed a two-book contract with New York publishing house Simon & Schuster. The first book under this deal, "Chiggers" (released June 18, 2008, under the Atheneum Books Ginee Seo imprint), is a graphic novel about "nerdy teenaged girls" who meet at summer camp. "Chiggers" is intended for a 9-12 year-old audience. [cite web|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6339176.html|title="Hope Larson Signs Two-book Deal with S&S"|work=Publishers Weekly|author=Heidi MacDonald|accessdate=September 20|accessyear=2006]

In addition to comics, Larson has worked as a freelance illustrator for various clients, including the New York Times.

She has also worked as a letterer on such books as Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly's "Local".

Publishing

In 2006, Larson launched her own publishing imprint, Tulip Tree Press. She has released several minicomics and prints through the Tulip Tree website [http://www.tuliptreepress.net] ; the only book released under the Tulip Tree name was House of Sugar, an award-winning collection of Rebecca Kraatz's comic strip, released 15 November, 2006. [cite web|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6343184.html|title="Fans Look for Books at MoCCA 2006"|work=Publishers Weekly|author=Douglas Wolk|accessdate=September 21|accessyear=2006]

Acclaim

Larson was nominated for the 2006 Kim Yale Award for Best New Female Talent, and won the 2006 Ignatz Award in the category Promising New Talent. [cite web|url=http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2006/10/15/2006-ignatz-award-winners/|title="2006 Ignatz Award Winners"|work=The Beat|author=Heidi MacDonald|accessdate=November 10|accessyear=2006] In 2007, Larson won the Eisner Award for Special Recognition (formerly known as "Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition"). [cite web|url=http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/07/28/2007-eisner-award-winners/|title="2007 Eisner Award Winners"|work=The Beat|author=Heidi MacDonald|accessdate=August 29|accessyear=2007]

Rebecca Kraatz's House of Sugar, Larson's first publishing venture, won the 2007 Doug Wright Award for Best Emerging Talent. [cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/arts/books/story/2007/08/18/wright-cartoon-winners.html|title="Artists honoured for comics hailing nostalgia, everyday life"|work=CBC.ca|accessdate=August 29|accessyear=2007]

Works

Graphic novels

*"Salamander Dream". AdHouse Books, 2005
*"Gray Horses". Oni Press, 2006
*"Chiggers". Atheneum Books, 2008

elected short stories and minicomics

* [http://www.hopelarson.com/sxrbw/ "Sex Rainbow,"] March 2004 (originally printed as a deck of cards)
* [http://www.hopelarson.com/compound-eye/ "Compound Eye,"] April 2004
* "Weather Vain," August 2004 (originally printed in "Flight Vol. 2")
* [http://www.hopelarson.com/mud/ "Mud,"] February 2005 (originally printed in "You Ain't No Dancer #1")
* [http://www.hopelarson.com/illo/nytcomic.gif"Little House in the Big Woods,"] August 2006 (originally printed in the New York Times)
* "When I Was A Slut," March 2006 (published in "Project: Romantic")
* [http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/07/25/opinion/20070725_OPART_1.html "Henry and Elizabeth,"] July 2007 (printed in the New York Times, and later expanded to a minicomic)

ee also

*Women in comics

References

External links

*Larson's website, [http://www.hopelarson.com hopelarson.com]
*Larson's [http://hopelarson.livejournal.com/ blog]
* [http://www.hopelarson.com/sfa/ She's From Away] , Larson's now-defunct webcomic
* [http://www.tuliptreepress.net/ Tulip Tree Press] , Larson's publishing imprint
* [http://exhib.hinah.com/larson/ Hope Larson] on hinah exhibitions