Poetry Comics: The Interview

And the eternal question, "What are you working on next?"

How did this project come about?

My children's book editor at Chronicle Books, Ariel Richardson, asked me if I had any graphic novel ideas for young readers. I remembered discovering illustrated poetry as a kid and feeling like a new world was opened for me. So I tried to recreate that feeling in a book that wouldn't look out of place on the graphic novel shelf.

What will readers find in its pages?

    words and pictures
    drawn in panels
    where time passes
    and feelings happen

Is poetry a more accessible tool for younger readers?

Simple language, strong imagery, playful structure, and plenty of imagination make poetry comics an ideal way for readers to get excited about poetry.

Young readers also don't have the anti-poetry bias that many older readers have acquired from tiresome "poetry analysis" in school - or by seeking to understand or unlock some hidden message in an unclear poem.

For new readers, poetry can be pure experience.

What was the work leading up to the book like? I'm referring to the research, documentation, and testing phases, and perhaps even sketches in a notebook...

Keeping a sketchbook is probably my most important art practice. (More on that here: https://incidentalcomics.substack.com/p/what-to-put-in-your-notebook)

Most of the images in the book were inspired by family experiences that I recorded in my sketchbooks: park outings, nature walks, strolls around the block. I kept a separate writing notebook where I wrote poetry with no pictures. Eventually these separate drawings and writings merged into poetry comics.

What would you say is characteristic of your illustrations for this book? What is new or different compared to your other work?

I often use a limited color palette in my work, but in this book I used the entire spectrum of colors! This was challenging but gave me access to a broader range of feelings. It was fun to draw new characters and explore how they look, move, and feel.

I want the reader to feel like they are inhabiting the world of the characters, moving with them from panel to panel as they explore and discover.

What techniques did you use?

All of the comics were drawn in pen on tracing paper and shaded with marker. Then I scanned the line art into Photoshop and added digital color. Occasionally I cut up scraps of paper or played with watercolor for different visual effects.

When I experiment with new materials I feel like a student in the elementary school art room: getting messy, messing up, and often making an artistic breakthrough.

Tell us a little more about the process of creating this book.

The book follows the seasons of the year. I love drawing and writing in spring and fall: the colors are rich, the weather is pleasant, and the scenery is always changing.

In winter and summer in Kansas, where I live, the temperature can be unpleasant - so those sections were a bigger challenge. Luckily, hours at the pool and snow days with my kids helped reacquaint me with the more extreme seasons.

What are you working on now? Any new projects?

I'm always working on a handful of new projects, switching off as my inspiration waxes and wanes—and as deadlines come and go! Here's what's on my drawing table:

1. THE YEAR I STOPPED DRAWING, an illustrated middle grade novel in verse about a boy experiencing personal turmoil and middle school struggles that cause him to doubt his artistic ability. Coming in August ‘26.

2. POETRY COMICS: INNER SPACE, the next book in my poetry comics series, with poems on all facets of the inner life. Coming in February ‘27.

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I did this interview for the publisher of the Spanish and Catalan edition of POETRY COMICS, Garbuix Books.

Here’s a peek into my recent poetry comics workshop at The Rabbit hOle in Kansas City. The Rabbit hOle is an interactive picture book museum that feels like stepping into the world of your favorite story. I particularly loved walking through the dark, eerie world of THE THREE ROBBERS by Tomi Ungerer.

If you’d like to host a Making Comics workshop at your school or library, visit my Authors Unbound page to request a visit!

You can purchase the hardcover and paperback editions of POETRY COMICS wherever books are sold, or find signed, personalized copies from my neighborhood bookshop, Watermark Books & Cafe.

Finally, some glowing words about the book:

Coming next month: my fourth annual Poetry Comics Month. I’ll share daily haiku comics in my Substack Notes. Time to start drawing…