Cartoonist Tessa Brunton’s New YA Graphic Memoir Notes from a Sickbed Portrays Chronic Illness with Honesty and Humor


Minneapolis, Minnesota, Oct. 18, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Coming this November from Graphic Universe™, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, Notes from a Sickbed collects previously released and brand-new, unseen comics that recall author and artist Tessa Brunton’s experiences with a little-known chronic illness.

In 2009, Tessa Brunton experienced the first symptoms of myalgic encephalomyelitis (also known as chronic fatigue syndrome). She spent much of the next eight years unwell, in a medical holding pattern, housebound and often alone. In 2017, she found a strategy that helped reduce her symptoms, and soon began creating the first installments of a graphic memoir. Detailed black-and-white illustrations provide a singular perspective into Bruton’s inner life and daily experiences.

Notes from a Sickbed combines the popular genres of memoir and medicine within the comic format. Memorable and engaging, this new release draws readers of all backgrounds into Brunton’s story with sincerity, a pointed wit, and a lively visual imagination.

Advance Praise for Notes from a Sickbed:

"Being stuck at home on the couch with an endless illness should be an absolute nightmare, but somewhere between Tessa's unruly imagination and her dark sense of humor, she's created a surprisingly exciting, funny, and strangely uplifting world. A truly unique and wonderful book." —Julia Wertz, author-artist, Tenements, Towers & Trash: An Unconventional Illustrated History of New York City

"Tessa's intimate, surreal, and impeccably composed diary comics invite you in and wrap around you like a warm quilt. Her work is a soothing balm for the chronic frustrations of living in a human body." —Lisa Hanawalt, creator of Tuca & Bertie

"This book is a gorgeous and necessary addition to the canon of graphic medicine." —Nicole Georges, author-artist, Calling Dr. Laura: A Graphic Memoir

"Tessa Brunton generously shares with us not only her struggle of living with a chronic, little-understood disease, but also her go-to skills for coping: a sharp wit and a rich, fabulously intricate inner life. And her drawings are gorgeous!" —Rob Kirby, author-artist, Marry Me a Little

About the Author and Artist

Tessa Brunton is a cartoonist and author based in Santa Cruz, California. Her first comic book Passage was nominated for two Ignatz Awards: Outstanding Comic and Promising New Talent. Her mini-comic Second Banana is a Best American Comics 2014 notable comic. Her comics have appeared in Bitch MagazineMaisonneuve MagazineThe Comics Journal, and many anthologies.

About the Publisher

Graphic Universe™, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, creates high-interest and nonfiction titles through supreme graphic novel artwork and story lines created by industry veterans and up-and-coming talents.

Follow us online:

Blog: lernerbooks.blog

Twitter: @LernerBooks

Facebook: Lerner Publishing Group

Look inside at lernerbooks.com.

Notes from a Sickbed

November 2022

$29.32 Hardcover, Jacketed

$14.99 Paperback

eBook Also Available

Ages 14–18

HC: 978-1-7284-1948-0

PB:  978-1-7284-6293-6

152 Pages 6 x 9

Attachment

 
Notes from a Sickbed

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