Wikipedia

Shannon Wright (illustrator)

Shannon Wright is an American cartoonist and illustrator from Massaponax, Virginia. She is best known for political, feminist, and racial discussion in her artwork.

Shannon Wright
Born (1994-01-20) January 20, 1994 (age 30)
Virginia
EducationVirginia Commonwealth University in Richmond
Awards
  • 2015 Certificate of Merit from the Virginia Press Association in illustration
  • 2016 Bobbi Braun Award from the Society of Illustrators
Websitehttp://shannon-wright.com/

Early life

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Shannon Wright was born on 20 January 1994 in Virginia. She shared many interests with her brothers, Kevin II and Travis.[1] She cites her brothers' interests in anime and cartoons as a reason for her extensive exposure to this genre as a child.[2] An artist of color, Wright also states that she has always been in love with drawing.[3]

She graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)[4] with a degree in Communication Arts in 2016.[5] At this university, she took comic classes under Kelly Alder and was a Teaching Assistant for him.[2]

Career

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Wright is known for her illustrative political statements and representations of the black community.[6] She has made artwork for companies such as TIME, BBC,[7] The Guardian,[8] Bitch Media,[9] Boom Studios, The New York Times, Eater,[10] The Baffler,[11] The Nib,[12] and Mother Jones. She illustrated books for Macmillan,[13] Simon & Schuster, and Penguin Random House.[14] Wright has worked as the Editor-in-Chief for the VCU comics anthology, Emanata; and as Illustration Editor for The Commonwealth Times.

Wright's artistic representations include the depiction of traditional African-American hairstyles. Wright's illustrations originated from an assignment to illustrate the meaning of being a knight; she created a black female warrior with Bantu knots.[15]

Her content involves responses from the black community to Donald Trump's rhetoric, and more. Her comic, 'Eight Ways to Resist Donald Trump,'[16] catalogs a response to the Trump presidency, with an emphasis on unity, wellness, and resistance. While Wright does catalog much social commentary in these areas, she also supports causes such as environmentalism, as seen in "Hate Mowing Your Lawn? Good! Don't Do It".[12]

In 2016, Wright contributed to Bitch Media's group show, No Feminism, No Future.[17] Shannon has illustrated covers for Betty Before X by Ilyasah Shabazz and Renée Watson, and Strange Birds: A Field Guide to Ruffling Feathers by Celia C. Pérez.[18]

Illustrated works

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  • Betty Before X by Ilyasah Shabazz; book cover illustration by Wright
  • Kaboom Adventure Time #57 comics cover for Boom Studios[19]
  • My Mommy Medicine. Written by Edwidge Danticat; picture book illustration. Roaring Brook Press, 2019.[13]
  • Twins by Varian Johnson, 2021[2][20][21]

Awards and reviews

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References

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  1. ^ a b Carrington, Ronald E. (2020-09-24). "Illustrator Shannon Wright brings skills to Richmond Folk Festival official poster". Richmond Free Press. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
  2. ^ a b c Tate, Don (2021-02-27). "Day 28: Shannon Wright". The Brown Bookshelf. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  3. ^ "In Conversation: Varian Johnson and Shannon Wright". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  4. ^ pwatem (2016-02-29). "Flavor: An Interview with Shannon Wright - Pwatem". Pwatem -. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  5. ^ Carrington, Ronald E. (2020-09-24). "Illustrator Shannon Wright brings skills to Richmond Folk Festival official poster". Richmond Free Press. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  6. ^ forcreativegirls (2017-04-15). "Illustrator, Shannon Wright Turns Black Hair Into Pop Art". For Creative Girls. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  7. ^ "Black Americans waiting for organ donations". BBC News. 2017-02-06. Retrieved 2017-11-23.
  8. ^ Davis, Lisa Selin (2017-04-03). "For 18 years, I thought she was stealing my identity. Until I found her". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-11-23.
  9. ^ "Kids These Days". Bitch Media. Retrieved 2017-11-28.
  10. ^ "What Americans Ate During 2016's Biggest Moments". Eater. Retrieved 2017-11-23.
  11. ^ "Get Thee to a City of Ladies | Jessa Crispin". The Baffler. 2017-07-11. Retrieved 2017-11-23.
  12. ^ a b Wright, Ted Steinberg,Shannon. "Hate Mowing Your Lawn? Good! Don't Do It". The Nib. Retrieved 2017-11-28.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ a b "Shannon Wright". MacMillan Publishers.
  14. ^ "twin-pleasures-students-meet-graphic-novel-illustrator-shannon-wright". sps.nyu.edu. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  15. ^ "Rising Illustrator and Cartoonist Turns Black Hair into Pop Art". www.ebony.com. 13 April 2017. Retrieved 2017-11-28.
  16. ^ Mirk, Shannon Wright,Sarah. "Eight Ways To Resist Donald Trump". The Nib. Retrieved 2017-11-28.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ "No Feminism, No Future: Celebrating 20 Years of Bitch Media".
  18. ^ "Varian Johnson & Shannon Wright". An Unlikely Story Bookstore & Café. 2020-10-29. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  19. ^ Hastings, Christopher (2016-10-12). Adventure Time #57. Boom. ISBN 9781681599212.
  20. ^ "In Conversation: Varian Johnson and Shannon Wright". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  21. ^ "Shannon Wright | On Our Minds". oomscholasticblog.com. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  22. ^ "Twins". Varian Johnson, Author. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  23. ^ TWINS | Kirkus Reviews.
  24. ^ "Middle school worries inspired Varian Johnson's graphic novel 'Twins'". Washington Post. 2020-12-08. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
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