PSB and Boston Comic Arts Foundation Present: Eleri Harris and Shay Sarah Mirk, authors of Making Nonfiction Comics

Event Description

PSB: Boston Edition and Boston Comic Arts Foundation are excited to welcome Eleri Harris and Shay Sarah Mirk to celebrate the release of their book, Making Nonfiction Comics.

ABOUT MAKING NONFICTION COMICS

The definitive guide to writing, drawing, and publishing nonfiction comics from award-winning creators Shay Mirk and Eleri Harris—"absolutely essential reading" (Nate Powell)

Making Nonfiction Comics is an accessible guide to nonfiction comics perfect for graphic novel readers, writers, and of course, aspiring comics artists. This new classic is a must-have for readers of Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics and Lynda Barry’s Making Comics.

Sarah Shay Mirk and Eleri Mai Harris, award-winning graphic journalists and longtime editors of the critically acclaimed graphic journalism site the Nib, have compiled the perfect field guide to graphic journalism while showcasing valuable skills and practices for creating nonfiction comics.

Mixing comics, prose, infographics, illustrations, and interviews with some of the world’s most influential nonfiction comics creators, Harris and Mirk introduce readers to nonfiction visual stories while also articulating the standards and ethics around blending traditional journalism with the visual language of comics.

Featuring contributions from Derf Backderf, Box Brown, Thi Bui, Nicole Georges, Malaka Gharib, Nate Powell, Kristen Radtke, Victoria Ying, and more.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Eleri Harris (she/her) is an Eisner award-winning cartoonist, journalist and editor working on Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country in Australia’s national capital. Her non-fiction history, science and reportage comics have been exhibited and published all over the world. For a decade she was Features Editor at US-based comics website and magazine, The Nib. Eleri has spoken about the practice and art of non-fiction comics making at conferences in the US, Australia, India and Peru. She is also a regular guest lecturer in comics journalism at the University of Technology Sydney, The Center for Cartoon Studies and The California College of the Arts. From 2019-2023, Eleri was co-director of the Comic Art Workshop, a grassroots organisation supporting remote residencies for ambitious comics projects. Her picture book, A Loo of One’s Own: The Mostly True Story of Australia’s First Female Parliamentarians was published in 2025. She loves drawing tiny pictures in her studio at Gorman House Arts Centre, building sweet comics communities and walking in the bush.

Sarah Shay Mirk (they/she) is a comics journalist, teacher, and editor. They are the publisher of nonfiction comics press Crucial Comix. They worked for seven years as an editor at The Nib, and have also worked as a digital producer at the Center for Investigative Reporting, the online editor and podcast host for feminist nonprofit Bitch Media, and as a reporter for The Portland Mercury. Shay is the author of six books, including the award-winning graphic history Guantanamo Voices: True Stories from the World’s Most Infamous Prison. Shay is also a zine-maker and runs a popular zine-of-the-month club, distributing her zines along with work by a featured artist each month. Shay lives in Portland, Oregon, on traditional lands of many Indigenous tribes, including the Multnomah, Clackamas, Kathlamet, Cowlitz, Wasco, Molalla, and Tualatin Kalapuya. You can find Shay on Instagram @mirkdrop.

ABOUT BOSTON COMIC ARTS FOUNDATION

The Boston Comic Arts Foundation (BCAF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization which champions the comics art form, increasing excitement about and engagement with the comics medium to create opportunities for more comics, more comics readers, and more support for comics creators. BCAF celebrates comics, graphic novels, and independent creators through art festivals, artist grants, and educational programming. Partnering with local libraries, schools, and organizations, BCAF increases access to comics by providing high-quality events and educational opportunities, which are free and open to all. BCAF supports the work of local comics creators, and is committed to fostering equity in a community of authors and readers that includes all voices.