Do you have a story you want to tell but aren’t sure how to get started? This nonfiction comics class will focus on telling real-life stories about yourself and your family. We will aim to write and draw a 20-panel personal story, and participants will also create shorter comics and learn the craft of writing a comics script. I write and draw comics about my own life and as an editor at The Nib, I help artist create their own memoir comics.

This is a remote class offered via Zoom and is capped at 20 participants.

DATES: We’ll meet via Zoom on Tuesday nights from 5:30-7:30pm PST (8:30-10:30EST) from February 20 - April 9th. There are eight class sessions.

MORE DETAILS: It’s okay if you feel like you don’t know how to draw. Enthusiasm and a willingness to be brave are the only requirements for this class. This is not a drawing skills class, but a workshop on reading, writing, and telling nonfiction stories in comics. Students will read a diversity of comics and graphic novels to learn how comics work, from pacing to page design. Each week, students will work on writing and drawing assignments that help spur their creativity and confidence. Students will also be encouraged to publish their comics in various mediums. Students of all skill-levels are welcome, from current comics-creators to complete newbies.

Registration also comes with a free gift of stickers, zines, and postcards to help inspire your art-making, which will be sent via snail mail before the start of the class.

Scholarships

This class is $200, but I don’t want money to be a barrier for anyone who wants to make comics. If you’re low-income or in a financially precarious place, I offer two spots in this class for free. Just email me and I’ll let you know if the free spots are still available!

I offer a 20% discount to BIPOC participants. If you identify as BIPOC, just use the discount code welcome for 20% off the cost of the class.

Supplies

The only supplies you need are something to draw with (like a pen) and something to draw on (like a sketchbook). If you want to draw digitally, I recommend using the ProCreate app for iPad.

Age restriction
Some of the comics we read will have graphic content, such as nudity and depictions of violence, and discuss the traumas of being alive. I recommend this class for people ages 15+.

Class values

• Everyone can draw

• Participation is a form of respect

• Push yourself to try new and difficult things

• Make space for everyone’s voice

• Appreciate everyone’s effort

• Share what you know

About the teacher

Sarah Shay Mirk is a visual journalist and author. She is the author of Guantanamo Voices (Abrams, 2020), an illustrated oral history of Guantanamo Bay, and is a somewhat obsessive zine-maker. They were a contributing editor for the award-winning comics publication The Nib and is currently the Applied Cartooning Fellow at the Center for Cartoon Studies. Her comics have been published by The Nib, Bitch, The Washington Post, NPR, and The New Yorker. She identifies as white, nonbinary, and queer. You are welcome to follow her work on Instagram @mirkdrop and on Twitter @sarahmirk.