Raina Telgemeier will stop at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum Saturday as part of her “Facing Feelings: Inside the World of Raina Telgemeier” book tour. Credit: Courtesy of Meg Elison
Based on her 2023 exhibit at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, cartoonist Raina Telgemeier released her latest graphic novel, “Facing Feelings: Inside the World of Raina Telgemeier,” Oct. 21, which encompasses Telgemeier’s nearly 20-year-long career as an acclaimed cartoonist and how she got there, according to her website.
Telgemeier will be returning to the museum Saturday from 3 to 5 p.m. for a conversation with Anne Drozd, senior museum coordinator and cartoonist, on her career and creative process, according to the museum’s website.
“It’s going to be lovely to be back on campus,” Telgemeier said. “I get to be on stage with [Drozd] again and we’re looking forward to seeing everybody there again. I joke that I’ve been to Ohio more times than any other state, such that I should probably just rent an apartment there.”
Telgemeier’s graphic novels — most notably her memoirs, “Smile,” “Sisters” and “Guts” — are highly regarded for their transparent depictions of the struggles early teens face, ranging from middle school drama to more personal issues, such as emetophobia and anxiety.
Telgemeier said when writing, she had to think back to who she was at that age and the questions she had.
“I didn’t have someone there to be the omnipotent narrator saying ‘It’s going to be OK,” and that’s a real part of being 12,” Telgemeier said. “I can write that story now and sort of show you the full experience and how it ends. Hopefully that gives the reader a little bit of calmness.”
Telgemeier said it was important for her to tell these stories, no matter how humiliating they may feel.
“It’s just embarrassing, and I did and said a lot of things that I’m not proud of, but they’re so real that I think it’s valuable to share,” Telgemeier said. “The less embarrassed that I could be about sharing, the more powerful it is for a reader, because it’s just stripping away the shame of it all. It’s stripping away the veneer of, ‘Oh, we’re just all so perfect’ … I think there’s so much value in reality and in being yourself.”
Telgemeier said she first visited the cartoon museum in 2014 for the Exploring Calvin and Hobbes and Richard Thompson exhibit.
“I cried tears of joy, but also just overwhelm, at being able to see some of my favorite comic strips from childhood — lines I had memorized as a child, and then to be able to see the pencil underneath the ink lines,” Telgemeier said. “Something about that just brought me to an emotional state that I didn’t even know was inside of my brain.”
Upon deeper reflection, Telgemeier said she feels honored to have her work displayed on the same walls as her idols.
“I don’t think I’m anywhere near the level of Calvin and Hobbes, but somebody else thought that I deserved to be here,” Telgemeier said. “Nearly 10 years later, to have my own exhibit at the museum kind of felt full circle.”
Regarding the themes of Saturday’s conversation and her latest novel, Telgemeier said she has always been devoted to depicting emotion and the human experience through her illustrations.
“Faces are the thing I’ve always been drawn to in artwork,” Telgemeier said. “We see emotions in things that don’t have them, and we read emotions on other people’s faces while we’re talking to them. I love that about comics.”
Telgemeier said her emotions are a driving force in her life, as well as in the lives of her readers.
“I’ve tried to communicate a lot in my work without words, through character’s faces and through their emotions,” Telgemeier said. “In a lot of ways, emotion is the primary focus of my work … Maybe it’s a quiet thing, but to me, it’s very noisy.”
Telgemeier said despite the state of the world, people should continue to pursue the things they’re most passionate about.
“Just keep doing the things you love and centering the people in your life that bring meaning to it, and hopefully finding something to do with your days that brings meaning,” Telgemeier said. “It’s really tough right now … things look really different than they did 25 years ago when I was getting out of school, but I don’t know, human connection is more important than ever and there’s so much good that we can all do in the world.”
Tickets for the event can be purchased online for $10, which grants attendees access to the event and Q&A, or $30, which includes event admission, a pre-signed copy of “Facing Feelings: Inside the World of Raina Telgemeier” and a meet-and-greet with Telgemeier. For more information, visit the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum website.
