Penn State University Press announces a call for short comics for publication in a curated anthology addressing the global coronavirus outbreak. This collection will launch a PSU Press imprint called Graphic Mundi, which will produce graphic novels and anthologies for adults and young adults that tackle important subjects in unconventional ways. Graphic Mundi’s tagline, “Drawing Our Worlds Together,” expresses a hope we have for each book we bring out—that it may enlighten, inspire, and unify us, especially at times like the present, when circumstances threaten to pull us apart.
The global pandemic caused by the coronavirus shows no signs of abating anytime soon. A staggering number of diagnoses and deaths have been reported to date. In the coming months these numbers will continue to climb, straining resources at every scale of existence.
Of the growing number of comics about the COVID-19 pandemic now circulating on the web, Kendra Boileau, Graphic Mundi’s publisher, says, “these works demonstrate the aptness of the comics medium to communicate about topics that can easily overwhelm us. The current pandemic has thrust us into the kind of world we usually experience only on the big screen or in the pages of a science fiction novel. But real people’s lives have been upended by this crisis, and real people are dying. We are asking writers and artists to share stories and reflections about their experiences and the experiences of others. Together, we can compile a memorable collection of comics that will speak not only to our generation but also to generations to come.”
Submissions should be short and offer informative, narrative, and/or poetic perspectives on the experience of COVID-19. Please visit http://www.psupress.org/COVID-19_ComicsAnthology.html for more information. A portion of the proceeds from sales of the book will be donated in support of workers in the comic book industry whose livelihoods have been imperiled by the pandemic.
The Graphic Mundi imprint will expand on the current list of critically acclaimed graphic novels published by the Press in its Graphic Medicine series. Founded in 1956, Penn State University Press publishes high-quality books, journals, and graphic novels of interest to scholars and general readers, with a focus on the humanities and social sciences. Learn more at psupress.org.
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