Tillie Walden’s named Vermont’s next Cartoonist Laureate

Tillie Walden will be the next cartoonist laureate for Vermont. Announce by the Vermont Arts Council, she will officially take on that role April 13 at a ceremony at the Vermont Statehouse.

Walden is the author and artist behind such comics and graphic novels like Spinning, which she won an Eisner, the Walking Dead spinoff series Clementine, On a Sunbeam, My Parents Won’t Stop Talking, Are You Listening?, and the upcoming Junior High which is written by the pop duo of Tegan and Sara.

Walden will the the fifth person to be appointed cartoonist laureate for Vermont. Vermont is the only state that regularly appoints a cartoonist laureate, a term that lasts three years. James Kolchalka, Ed Koren, Alison Bechdel, and Rick Veitch were teh first four to be appointed to the position.

In the announce, US Representative Becca Balint said:

I’m so pleased Tillie Walden will serve as Vermont’s next cartoonist laureate. She creates richly imagined worlds that transport readers on emotional and fantastical journeys and reminds us all of the importance of having a deep sense of self. Congratulations for this special accomplishment, and thank you for being part of a unique tradition that sets Vermont apart.