This boggles my mind: SMILE just hit the two-year mark on the New York Times Graphic Books Bestseller list. Two years!!! Without a movie tie-in, without being part of a series, and while competing with books like Batman and The Walking Dead. This would not have happened without the support and enthusiasm of booksellers, librarians, teachers, bloggers, and most of all, readers. So thank you, readers! You've made my day/week/month/year! *****

I had a nice time at Book Expo America and Book Con this past week and weekend. It's exciting to see so much support for Sisters, before it's even published. Here are a couple of photos:

The enormous, lit-up Sisters banner at the Scholastic booth!

Signing books before my Book Con panel.

*****

So a couple of weeks ago, I got a neat surprise: Mark Tatulli, who is best known as the creator of the syndicated comic strips Lio and Heart of the City, decided to write a week's worth of HotC basically celebrating Smile and the awesomeness of graphic novels in general. Here are the strips:

To say I was flattered was a huge understatement!!

I got a chance to meet Mark at Book Expo, and he is just as nice as can be. Thanks again to Mark for this incredible shout-out! I hope some of my readers will check out his comics in return.

Bookseller friends: BEA is upon us! I'll be at or around the show pretty much every day. Here's where you can find me! Wednesday, May 28 3:45 – 4:30 PM SLJ Day of Dialogue Panel: “Storied Lives” Moderator: Paula Willey, Librarian Panelists: Lois Ehlert, Chris Raschka, Raina Telgemeier and Peter Sís (SLJ's Day of Dialogue is closed to the public, but if you're a ticketed attendee, I hope to see you at my panel!)

Thursday, May 29 4:00-5:00 PM The Best in Fall 2014 Graphic Novels Panel Javits: Uptown Stage Moderator: Calvin Reid Panelists: Michael Cho, Farel Dalyrymple, Raina Telgemeier and Jules Feiffer Join in with graphic novelists Michael Cho (Shoplifter), Farel Dalrymple (The Wrenchies), Jules Feiffer (Kill My Mother), and Raina Telgemeier (Sisters) discuss their upcoming graphic novel projects and the state of the graphic novel industry with Publishers Weekly’s Calvin Reid.

Friday, May 30 11:00 – 11:30 AM BEA signing—TABLE 2 I will be signing galleys of Sisters!

3:30 - 4:45 PM CBC Tea with Children’s Authors Location: Room 1E12/13

Saturday, May 31 (BEA Bookcon) 10:00-11:00 AM The Graphic Novel Today Room 1E16 Moderator: Calvin Reid Words and pictures: they were the perfect combination in books when we were kids! But today, books with pictures can be for everyone, young and old, when they’re combined as a graphic novel. Three experts, including Calista Brill, Karen Green and Raina Telgemeier, from around the graphic novel industry talk about visual literacy, audience and the broad appeal of the graphic novel today with Publisher Weekly’s Calvin Reid.

My upcoming graphic novel Sisters got a writeup in the Wall Street Journal! You can read the piece online here, including a couple of preview panels!

Sisters comes out on August 26th.

Hey, DC-area fans! I'll be at the Gaithersburg Book Festival in Gaithersburg, MD this Saturday, May 17! Come see me at the following presentation (with my husband Dave!!): Raina Telgemeier & Dave Roman in Conversation Location: Willa Cather Pavilion Start time: 1:15 pm 2:15 - 3:05pm: Signing in the Politics & Prose signing area!

Hope to see you there!

I'm back from the Toronto Comic Arts Festival, which is one of my favorite events of the year, and this year was particularly amazing for me!

The first thing I did was appear on a panel with my cartooning idol, Lynn Johnston, creator of For Better or For Worse! My good friend Scott Robins hosted a panel about library visits with the two of us, and it was a lot of fun! Lynn is a HAM!

Then later that night, *I* had the honor of interviewing Lynn and Kate Beaton, of Hark! A Vagrant fame. These women are two of Canada's guiding lights of cartooning, albeit from different generations...and I was given the challenge of finding their common ground, on stage, in front of 450 people!

Luckily, you could not ask for two more gracious, generous, and funny ladies to share a stage with. I was on cloud 9 all weekend, after this event! (Again: check out that hamminess!)

And then, TCAF itself! Two days of festival goodness. I met some wonderful fans and a lot of new friends this year.

Here's YA author extraordinaire Rainbow Rowell sitting at our table, pretending to be Dave while he was off on a panel--I got to know Rainbow this weekend, and she is awesome, and I can't wait til her graphic novel with Faith Erin Hicks comes out in a few years!

I also got to see a bunch of my amazing friends this year, who came from all corners of the world (Hawaii! Florida! the UK!) to go to TCAF. It's really one of the best international comics festivals I've ever been to. I know I have a lot of fans in Ontario, and I'm super grateful how many of you came out to see me this year! It's just a big sloppy love fest, and I always go home happy.

Monday after the show, Kazu Kibuishi (creator of the Amulet series) and I got to visit the Scholastic Canada offices and hang out with some of the excellent staff there! Kazu and I will be touring North America together later this year together in support of Sisters and Amulet 6, which both hit stores August 26th... Stay tuned for more details!

Thanks to the TCAF staff and everyone in Toronto who made our weekend a memorable one!

Photo credits: Jamie Coville, Dave Roman

I'm re-posting this because some of the info has changed! (And please read all the way to the bottom of this post to find out how to win a SISTERS advance preview copy!): The Toronto Comic Arts Festival!

TCAF is one of my favorite events, and I'll be there again this year with books and art and some swanky new bookmarks to promote SISTERS! And I'll be sharing my table with Dave, who will have the minicomic debut of his new project, StarBunny, Inc! I'll be at my table all times except during my programming events (listed below), and I'm happy to sign anything you bring.

TCAF is free to attend, so Canadians: I hope you'll drop by at some point during the weekend and say hello!

Toronto Comic Arts Festival May 10-11 Toronto Reference Library Bloor & Younge Toronto, ON

My table is on the first floor, B4--here's a floor map! Look for the Astronaut Academy banner to find my table.

Programming:

Friday, May 9

9:45am Librarian & Educator Day (registration required) Panel: Great Creator Visits! What makes an author or artist visit to your library awesome? What can you do to get the most out of the time comics creators spend with kids? Renowned cartoonists Raina Telgemeier and Lynn Johnston have been guests at dozens of libraries throughout their careers. Join them as they discuss the dos and don’ts of hosting comics creators in your school or library!

7:30pm Lynn Johnston and Kate Beaton in Conversation Guest Moderator: Raina Telgemeier The Bram & Bluma Appel Salon, Toronto Reference Library 789 Yonge Street, 2nd Floor Doors at 7pm. Presentation at 7:30pm. Rush line admittance at 7:20pm (event is sold out but standby tickets may be available) Two of Canada's most beloved strip cartoonists join together to discuss their careers and officially open the Toronto Comic Arts Festival 2014! Lynn Johnston and Kate Beaton have each garnered enormous followings with their unique voices and atypical cartooning beginnings. Moderated by cartoonist Raina Telgemeier.

Saturday, May 10

2:30pm Getting Real with Raina Telgemeier and Jimmy Gownley! St Pauls Church (offsite KidsDay program space--see map) 227 Bloor St E Join Raina and Jimmy for live performances from their real-life graphic novels, Smile and The Dumbest Idea Ever! Audience participation will be encouraged, so bring your best voice-acting talent! Signing to follow!

Sunday, May 11

11:30am-12:30pm Comics Quickfire! Toronto Reference Library, Beeton Auditorium, 1st Floor A fast-paced game show where volunteers are paired off with (or against) professional cartoonists in a series of fun-filled drawing challenges! Audience members will provide suggestions and add to the creation of totally improvised epic drawings! Featuring hosts Dave Roman (Astronaut Academy), Alec Longstreth (Phase 7), Jason Caffoe (Explorer: Lost Islands), John Green (Teen Boat!), Frank Cammuso (Misadventures of Salem Hyde) and Raina Telgemeier (Drama)! Great for all ages!

2:45pm-3:45pm Kids Fall GN Preview With Kazu Kibuishi, Raina Telgemeier, Britt Wilson, John Martz, Paul Pope, and moderator Scott Robins! This is your chance to win a rare advance preview copy of SISTERS!! You must be in the audience of this panel in order to qualify! Marriott Rm 400

Hey, Tennessee! I've never done an event in your state before but that's about to change...

Raina Telgemeier: Visiting Artist Lecture Austin Peay State University Clarksville, TN Sundquist 106a Wednesday, April 16 7pm The event is free and open to the public. All ages are welcome.

Please note that books will NOT be for sale, but I am happy to sign any books you bring, so plan ahead! See you soon, Volunteer State!

SVA Presents: STRONG FEMALE PROTAGONISTS: A Panel Discussion Featuring Women in Comics Tuesday, April 1, 2014 7:00PM 3rd Floor Amphitheatre 209 East 23rd Street, New York City

This event brings together a diverse group of internationally recognized creators and editors for a discussion of the history and dynamics of women working in American comics. Panelists include women creators and editors of different generations including Raina Telgemeier, creator of Smile and Drama; Diane Noomin, creator of Glitz-2-Go and editor of the Twisted Sisters anthologies; Shelly Bond, Executive Editor of Vertigo comics; Alitha Martinez, a penciller and inker who has worked on Marvel’s Iron Man, X-men, Black Son, Fantastic Four, and the Black Panther and currently WWE Superstars for Papercutz. They will discuss the role of women in comic narratives, career advice, and personal history, followed by Q&A.

Registration is required and space is limited. RSVP at http://womenincomics.eventbrite.com Questions? Contact cd@sva.edu or 212-592-2370.

...and I made you guys a little video preview!!

The book will be in stores on August 26!

If you're in or near Northampton, MA, this weekend, you should come see me at MELTDOWN Family Music & Book Fest!

Location: Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School 80 Locust St. Northampton, MA Saturday, March 29 10am – 4pm FREE!! I’m presenting at 2:40pm, followed immediately by a book singing!

We had a packed house last weekend at Bergen Street Comics for our DRAWING PARTY! Thanks to all the enthusiastic families who joined us Saturday afternoon, and to the much more relaxed (but amazing nonetheless) crowd at our grown-up party in the evening. It was a blast!

And now, a few upcoming events:

MELTDOWN Family Music & Book Fest Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School 80 Locust St. Northampton, MA Saturday, March 29 10am - 4pm FREE!! I'm presenting at 2:40pm, followed immediately by a book singing!

SVA Presents: STRONG FEMALE PROTAGONISTS: A Panel Discussion Featuring Women in Comics Tuesday, April 1, 2014 7:00PM 3rd Floor Amphitheatre 209 East 23rd Street, New York City

This event brings together a diverse group of internationally recognized creators and editors for a discussion of the history and dynamics of women working in American comics. Panelists include women creators and editors of different generations including Raina Telgemeier, creator of Smile and Drama; Diane Noomin, creator of Glitz-2-Go and editor of the Twisted Sisters anthologies; Shelly Bond, Executive Editor of Vertigo comics; Alitha Martinez, a penciller and inker who has worked on Marvel's Iron Man, X-men, Black Son, Fantastic Four, and the Black Panther and currently WWE Superstars for Papercutz. They will discuss the role of women in comic narratives, career advice, and personal history, followed by Q&A. Registration is required and space is limited. RSVP at http://womenincomics.eventbrite.com Questions? Contact cd@sva.edu or 212-592-2370.

An Evening with Raina Telgemeier Austin Peay State University Sundquist 106a Clarksville, TN Wednesday, April 16 7pm FREE!

Hope to see you there!

Event, event!

Join me, Dave Roman, and Laura Lee Gulledge for a DRAWING PARTY at Bergen Street Comics in Brooklyn, on Saturday, March 1! 3-5pm will be a drawing party for kids, and at 7pm we'll have a party for our adult friends (although kids can come to that too, if they want).

Looking forward to it, see you there!

Here it is! The cover of my upcoming graphic novel, SISTERS!!!

The companion to Raina Telgemeier's #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling and Eisner Award-winning graphic memoir, SMILE.

Raina can't wait to be a big sister. But once Amara is born, things aren't quite how she expected them to be. Amara is cute, but she's also a cranky, grouchy baby, and mostly prefers to play by herself. Their relationship doesn't improve much over the years, but when a baby brother enters the picture and later, something doesn't seem right between their parents, they realize they must figure out how to get along. They are sisters, after all.

Raina uses her signature humor and charm in both present-day narrative and perfectly placed flashbacks to tell the story of her relationship with her sister, which unfolds during the course of a road trip from their home in San Francisco to a family reunion in Colorado.

SISTERS will be in stores August 26, 2014.

Pre-order a copy now! Add it to your to-read shelf on Goodreads!

It's February 1, which means today was Hourly Comic Day. You draw a comic for every hour that you're awake! Click the image below to read about my whole day:

This was kind of a lame year! I'm still sick, and was stuck in the house all day. There were a few bright spots, but the day ended on a dud note, too. Let's hope tomorrow is much better!

Years past are linked to here.

Hey everyone! How are you guys doing? Me, I've got the flu, which is lousy, but I wanted to share this tiny little bit of info about SISTERS: Amazon has updated the book's page! Which means you can read the story synopsis there. I've also learned that my release date has been pushed up; now it's August 26, 2014! Mark your calendars, and stay tuned for book release events!

Back to bed with me!

Happy New Year! Kinda quiet around here, I know. As it should be; January is usually when I hide away and think and read and work on stuff. This year is no different. I'll have some Sisters news for you soon, but in the meantime, there's this:

I'm part of a brand-new anthology called COMICS SQUAD! The first volume, Recess, comes out on July 8, 2014. My story is 14 pages long, and features superheroes, fire-breathing dinosaurs, soccer players, and the President, among others!

The other artists featured are my pals Jennifer Holm & Matthew Holm, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Dav Pilkey, Dan Santat, Dave Roman, Ursula Vernon, Eric Wight, and Gene Yang, ALL of whom are cartooning superstars! You can pre-order a copy now.

Just a couple of book-related videos to share with you guys.

Dave and I were guests on the Comics Are Great video podcast, talking about some of our favorite comics from 2013 and beyond. I know it's probably too late to do any Christmas shopping, but if you get a giftcard to a bookstore, here are some suggestions of what to read.

And, here's a video Dave made around our home, featuring some of our favorite graphic novels among the decorations!

Hope you have a very happy holiday, with something good to read!

~raina

Hey guys! Just added another gift-wrapping event to my December calendar. This one's in my very own neighborhood: Astoria, Queens! Dave and I will both be wrapping books and hanging out from 5-7pm on Tuesday, December 17 at the brand-new local independent bookstore, Astoria Bookshop! We're super thrilled that the owners decided to open shop here, as our literary community is happy to have a nice place to meet and shop. They have a great graphic novel section, too!

So, come down and say hello, buy some books for people on your list, and get them wrapped by your favorite local author! All wrapping tips will be donated to charity.

ASTORIA BOOKSHOP 31-29 31st Street Astoria, NY between Broadway and 31st Ave, a short walk from the Broadway stop on the N/Q train. (718) 278-2665 (718-AST-BOOK) astoriabookshop.com Tuesday, December 17 5-7pm

Hello everyone! Just a note to remind you that I have original pages from my Baby-sitters Club graphic novels for sale! You can grab a page from any of the four books for a mere $30 plus shipping. Be sure to place your order by Monday, December 16 if you want them in time for Christmas. $5 for every page sold to will be donated to First Book.

What else is new? I went to Orlando over Thanksgiving for me and Dave's 7-year anniversary!

We went to Universal and had a great time at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, AND Cartoon Lagoon, which is great--so many of my favorite comic strips represented, like Nancy by Ernie Bushmiller, which I don't talk nearly enough about but had a HUGE impact on my comics, in its simplicity of art and storytelling.

And here we have Dave, during our time at Disney World, paying homage to one of our favorite cartoons of all time, Pluto's Christmas Tree:

So much fun!

I'm still doing behind-the-scenes work on Sisters, and am looking forward to showing you more from the book in the new year. In the meantime: stay warm, enjoy the holidays, and here's to a fantastic 2014!

I'll be signing at two stores in the greater New York area in December! Each store will be celebrating the holidays in style, so come down, get a book signed, and join in the festivities! *****

Grasshopper's Comics 22nd annual Holiday Party & Charity Raffle! Saturday, December 7 12pm Grasshopper's Comics 76 Hillside Ave. Williston Park, Long Island, NY 11596 (516) 741-5724

Bring a new, unwrapped toy for our Charity Raffle to the afternoon signing with artists and writers, as well as appearances by Darth Vader, Stormtroopers, and members of the Justice League of America!

Saturday’s guest authors include: Jacob Chabot, Chris Giarrusso, Dave Roman, and Raina Telgemeier.

*****

Holiday Open House at WORD in Brooklyn Sunday, December 15 1:30-2:30pm WORD 126 Franklin St, Brooklyn, NY 11222 (718) 383-0096

Stop by for recommendations, donuts and hot chocolate, holiday movies, and more! We’ll also have authors on hand to help wrap presents, recommend books, and sign! All tips for wrapping will be donated to the Greenpoint Food Pantry.

Sunday’s guest authors include: Jami Attenberg, Dave Roman, Jeff Salane, and Raina Telgemeier.