UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — “Our Little Secret,” written by Emily Carrington and published by Drawn & Quarterly, has won the 2023 Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize. Penn State University Libraries sponsors this juried award and its administrator, the Pennsylvania Center for the Book.

“In this graphic memoir, Emily Carrington takes readers through her traumatic story of childhood abuse. While the novel begins with a warning, it only partially prepares the reader for the powerful narrative and emotional rollercoaster that they are about to be taken on," the judges said. "Throughout the journey, Carrington expertly uses the graphic novel format to set the tone and pace the narrative. The story is clear and engaging and invites readers to witness the author’s futile quest for redress through the courts. This cultivates empathy and performs a kind of grassroots justice without sacrificing literary and artistic excellence. Carrington’s visuals are confident and original. She uses metaphor beautifully, and seamlessly weaves surrealist threads throughout the narrative. ‘Our Little Secret’ is fluid, utterly engaging, and evokes empathy and compels action.”

Carrington will receive a $2,500 prize and “Lynd Ward: Six Novels in Woodcuts,” a two-volume boxed set published by Library of America, at a forthcoming event. Details of the event will be announced in the fall.

“Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands,” written by Kate Beaton and published by Drawn & Quarterly, was named a Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize honor book. Beaton will also receive “Lynd Ward: Six Novels in Woodcuts.”

“On the surface, the topic of this book may seem uncompelling, however, Beaton has created a work that is anything but. ‘Ducks’ is the story of its author's experiences in the Oil Sands, far from home, and in an environment where men vastly outnumber women," said the judges. "Beaton opens and closes doors, compartments, and boxes; she knows how to show ingenuity and resilience with a convincing display. The art ranges from beautiful landscapes to expressive faces to detailed looks at heavy machinery. While providing a look into a small slice of life, this book engages with a range of heavy topics such as environmentalism, sexism, and the high cost of education. In other places it is a quiet story of growing up, of leaving home, of growing confidence. Throughout, Beaton pulls the reader through with rich images and a personal but relatable touch.”

The Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize is presented annually to the best graphic novel, fiction or nonfiction, published in the previous calendar year by a living U.S. or Canadian citizen or resident. It honors Ward's influence in the development of the graphic novel and celebrates the gift of an extensive collection of Ward’s wood engravings, original book illustrations and other graphic art donated to Penn State’s University Libraries by his daughters Robin Ward Savage and the late Nanda Weedon Ward. Between 1929 and 1937, Ward published six groundbreaking wordless novels: "Gods' Man," "Madman’s Drum," "Wild Pilgrimage," "Prelude to a Million Years," "Song without Words" and "Vertigo."

The Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize selection jury includes representatives who have significant graphic novel expertise:

Teresa Slobuski (she/they), jury chair, is the head librarian for Penn State Brandywine’s Vairo Library where she manages the graphic novel collection with a focus on purchasing Black, Inidigenous and other authors of color. Their research interests include feminist analysis of leadership, LGBTQIA+ collections, and gaming in libraries.

Maureen Burdock is a graphic storyteller and independent scholar with a doctorate in cultural studies from UC Davis. She has published several essays about comics, memory, and transgenerational trauma, as well as various short comics that appear in graphic anthologies, including the Eisner Award-winning “Menopause: A Comic Treatment.” McFarland Books published her collection of comics in response to gender-based violence, “Feminist Fables for the Twenty-First Century,” in 2015. Graphic Mundi Press released Burdock's graphic memoir, “Queen of Snails,” in 2022. She is under contract with Graphic Mundi for her third nonfiction graphic narrative titled “Sleepless Planet: A Graphic Guide to Coping with Insomnia.”

Megan Dale is currently a junior earning a bachelor’s degree in graphic design at Penn State University. As a designer with chronic illness, Megan focuses on bringing inclusivity and accessibility into her work. She is currently working to illustrate a children's book for colorblind youth. 

Ben Drain is the head of patron services at Schlow Centre Region Library. A lifelong lover of word and image, Ben routinely witnesses the excitement his patrons experience in reading graphic novels. With the diversification and popularity of the form growing, Ben hopes everyone will find the works that inspire them like he was fortunate enough to be.

Nico Verdejo is an architectural historian, a doctoral candidate in architecture at Stuckeman School at Penn State University, and an illustrator and comic book artist. His research focuses on the relations between architecture, representation, and politics. During the last years, he has been merging all these topics through graphic works such as "A Powerful Enemy" and "My Beloved Room."

The Penn State University Libraries, the department of English, and the College of the Liberal Arts are co-sponsors of this award.

The Pennsylvania Center for the Book, an affiliate of the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress, promotes libraries and literacy, and encourages Pennsylvania's citizens and residents to read, study, and celebrate books. In addition to the Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize, it also administers the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award; Public Poetry Project; A Baker’s Dozen: The Best Children’s Books for Family Literacy; and the interactive Literary & Cultural Heritage Map of Pennsylvania.

For more information about the selection criteria and how to submit books to be considered for the 2024 Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize, contact Caroline Wermuth at cvw1@psu.edu.