Kit Anderson ’22 is an Ignatz and Nebula-nominated cartoonist from Boulder, Colorado. She has published two books with Avery Hill, Safer Places (2024) and Second Shift (2025), as well as numerous short comics, including Weeds with Parsifal Press. Kit received her MFA from The Center for Cartoon Studies in 2022 and enjoys walking in the woods and making comics about memory, nature, and, sometimes, wizards. She’ll be working on a medieval adaptation for an anthology, making short comics, and collaborating with her agent on several pitches. After spending the last five years abroad, Kit is thrilled to return to such a special community and looks forward to getting to know the current classes, learning from them, and helping out however she can.
The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS) Students travel from across the U.S. and around the world to study comics at CCS in a diverse and vibrant community in Vermont.
Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree w/low Residency Option
Do you have burning questions about CCS’s MFA and certificate programs but aren’t able to make it to one of our admissions events? Drop us a line at outreach@cartoonstudies.org and we can set up a 1-on-1 video chat session to answer any of your questions about the curriculum, the application process, student housing, financial aid, living in Vermont, or anything else you need to know about applying to CCS!
The Nightingales by Emil Wilson ’21 releases in August 2026. The tender, surprising, and full of hope, The Nightingales is an unforgettable story about compassion, family, and the unexpected ways one person’s life can alter another’s. In 2020, Emil was nominated for a Broken Pencil (Canada) award and earned an Ignatz nomination for “Promising New Talent. The Nightingales is his debut graphic novel.
“Absolutely gorgeous, visually and emotionally.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“An achievement in visual storytelling.” —Booklist (starred review)
“A painfully funny… narrative involving grief, identity and the frightening climate crisis… Every page sends up the terrible dissonance between our utter self-obsession and our anxiety (or not) at what’s happening out in the world before our very eyes.” —The Guardian
The much-awaited graphic comedy, DOGS ON DATES by Luke Healy ‘14, is out June 16th through Drawn & Quarterly. And just as the title suggests, it’s about dogs… on dates!
“Healy balances self-effacing humor with evenhanded introspection over pages of neat, efficient cartooning.” —Publishers Weekly
We are happy to announce the graphic historical biography CHARITY & SYLVIA by award-winning cartoonist and CCS faculty member Tillie Walden ‘16 is Vermont Reads Choice for 2026.
Since 2003, Vermont Humanities has invited residents across the state to read the same book and join in community activities related to the book’s themes.
Out in June by Drawn & Quarterly, CHARITY & SYLVIA documents the true story of an openly lesbian couple who lived in 19th-century Vermont. Preorder your copy from your favorite bookstore or at: drawnandquarterly.com/books/charity-and-sylvia/
Cartoonist and illustrator Leise Hook ‘20 is out with a new book, NAMES AND FACES (Henry Holt & Co.), a collection of graphic autobiographical essays.
“In the vein of Cathy Park Hong and Gene Luen Yang, Hook’s graphic memoir-in-essays rendered via her signature, award-winning style, explores what it means to come of age as a mixed-race woman, forging a singular identity in a world intent on putting her into ill-fitting boxes.” —Henry Holt & Co.
There are always precious objects to be found if you look, as the young child in this endearing, funny picture book knows. It’s a portrait of youthful enthusiasm and the beauty of the everyday, created by a beloved, New York Times bestselling graphic novelist.
“A young collector’s fierce devotion forms the bedrock of this slyly funny picture book.” —Publishers Weekly
“A gem to add to any collection.” —School Library Journal
Lucy Knisley ’09 is the critically acclaimed, award-winning, New York Times bestselling comics creator of Relish and Kid Gloves. She lives in Chicago with her partner and kiddo. She specializes in personal, confessional graphic novels and travelogues. The Peapod Farms books are Lucy’s first graphic novels for kids.
As we celebrate 20 years, CCS is renovating the Historic Telegraph Building, which will join the Old Post Office building that CCS purchased and renovated 13 years ago. Together, these two historic sites will provide a permanent home for our programs, partnerships, and community connection and engagement.
This transformational Campus Renewal Project will culminate in a two- building historic campus that is fully accessible and climate-resilient, ensuring that CCS can continue to enrich the cultural and economic vitality of the region, serve as a cornerstone of Vermont’s arts ecosystem, and support a community of cartoonists whose work reaches audiences worldwide.
Click here to learn more and make an online donation now.
FREE COMICS
ART & COURAGE: A GUIDE TO SUSTAINING A CREATIVE PATH
We hope Art & Courage, will help readers feel a little more prepared for whatever creative journey they embark upon. Click here to read a free digital edition or to order print copies. This 32-page comic is filled with
CARTOONING IN AN ANXIOUS AGE
Cartooning In An Anxious Age (pdf)is a free comic by Cara Bean on the act of drawing, which focuses your attention and intimately connects you with the generative act of creation. It’s an inspiring read.
Let's Talk About It: A Graphic Guide to Mental Health
Using the power of comics to teach teens about the way our government worksThis Is What Democracy Looks Like, A Graphic Guide To Governance is a 32-page comic book created by The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS). This short comic guide helps to bring democracy back to the hands of the people by explaining what democracy actually means and how the whole thing works. This guide will be a great jumping-off point to learn about our government.
THE APPLIED CARTOONING MANIFESTO
Download a free copy of The World is Made of Cheese, The Applied Cartooning Manifesto.
