Episode 13: "Joel Christian Gill" (February, 2022)

<p>We are proud to present the first episode in a short series of interviews with cartoonists who worked on the comics anthology <a href="https://www.vermontfolklifecenter.org/turner-family-stories" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><em>Turner Family Stories: From Enslavement in Virginia to Freedom in Vermont</em></a>. Edited by Jane Beck and Andy Kolovos, this anthology presents some stories from Daisy Turner, a black woman born in Vermont in 1883. Working with six New England cartoonists Turner Family Stories presents two of Daisy's accounts from the life of her father, Alec Turner, by <a href="https://marekbennett.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Marek Bennett</a> and Joel Christian Gill, and two stories from Daisy's own life by Francis Bordeleau and Lilllie Harris. The comics adapted from Daisy's interviews are linked together through a story by Grafton native Ezra Veitch, based on a childhood encounter he and a friend had with Daisy one afternoon. Center for Cartoon Studies graduate Robyn Smith drew the volume's cover. The book also features a Foreword by Gretchen Gerzina, Introduction by Graphic Possibilities' own Julian Chambliss (!) and a Preface by Jane Beck.</p> <p><strong>So, with that introduction, we’re excited to be speaking with Joel Christian Gill today!</strong></p> <p><a href="https://www.joelchristiangill.com/">Joel Christian Gill</a> is a cartoonist and historian who speaks nationally on the importance of sharing stories. He is the author of the acclaimed memoir <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Fights/Joel-Christian-Gill/9781549303357"><em>Fights: One Boy's Triumph Over Violence</em></a> cited as one of the best graphic novels of 2020 by The New York Times and for which he was awarded the 2021 Cartoonist Studio Prize. He wrote the words and drew the pictures for <em>Fast Enough: Bessie Stringfield’s First Ride</em> and the award-winning graphic novel series <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Strange-Fruit-Uncelebrated-Narratives-History/dp/1938486293"><em>Str