Miriam Libicki

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Libicki at the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo, 2012

Miriam Libicki is an American-Israeli[1] graphic novelist based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Previously a member of the Israeli Defense Forces, her work often centers on the intersection of being Jewish and American.

Education[edit]

Libicki received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Emily Carr University of Art and Design and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of British Columbia.[2]

Military service[edit]

Libicki served as a clerk in the Israeli Defense Forces in 2000.[3]

Career[edit]

Libicki began creating comics due to a school assignment. Working to transcribe an entry in her army service diary showed her that comics were a good way to document her military career.[4] in 2008, she self-published her first graphic novel, jobnik!,[5][6] collecting a "pretty close to autobiographical" work she had serialized in self-published issues.[7]

In 2017, Libicki was named Writer In Residence at the Vancouver Public Library,[8] becoming the first graphic novelist named to that position.[5]

In 2020, she drew a story to a University of Victoria effort to document the lives of Holocaust survivors in graphic novel form,[9] having been located for the gig via a Google search.[10] The book saw print in 2022 as But I Live.[11]

In addition to her career as an illustrator, Libicki teaches cartooning and illustration at Emily Carr University of Art and Design.[12]

In 2024, the Vancouver Comics Arts Festival apologized for having allowed Libicki to exhibit at their event that year and previously in 2022. Their announcement stated that she was barred due to "public safety concerns" arising from her having served in the IDF and the impact that would have on "those who are directly affected by the ongoing genocide in Palestine and Indigenous community members alike." In the face of this, Libicki received support from some of the local authors.[8] Libicki issued her own statement which stated "I believe all policing of artists' personal identities and nationalities is wrong" and noted her support for Palestinian statehood. In the wake of publicity, the festival deleted their public statement.[13] Days later, the festival posted a formal apology for their previous announcement and stated that those involved who were involved in the previous decision had all already left the team running the festival or would leave once transition to a new team was complete.[14]

Awards and honors[edit]

In 2016, Forbes named Toward a Hot Jew one of the top ten graphic novels of the year.[15]

She has also received the following accolades:

Personal life[edit]

Libicki was raised as an Orthodox Jew in Ohio. She married Mike Yoshioka,[3] a Japanese-Buddhist-Canadian.[4] She had two children as of 2017.[3]

Publications[edit]

  • Libicki, Miriam (2008). Jobnik!: An American Girl's Adventures in the Israeli Army. Real Gone Girl Studios. ISBN 978-0-97-842770-2.
  • Libicki, Miriam (2016). Toward A Hot Jew: Graphic Essays. Fantagraphics. ISBN 978-1-60-699981-3.
  • Libicki, Miriam (2019). Who Gets Called an “Unfit” Mother?. The Nib.
  • Libicki, Miriam (2021). How the Soviet Jews Changed the World: A Graphic Tale of Tragedy and Triumph. The Conversationalist.
  • Schallié, Charlotte, ed. (2022). But I Live: Three Stories of Child Survivors of the Holocaust. Illustrated by Barbara Yelin, Gilad Seliktar, and Miriam Libicki. New Jewish Press. ISBN 978-1-48-752684-9.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "About". Real Gone Girl. Archived from the original on May 30, 2024. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  2. ^ "Miriam Libicki". Emily Carr University. Archived from the original on 2024-01-19. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  3. ^ a b c Harrison, Donald H. (July 23, 2017). "Former IDF clerk finds identity in cartooning". San Diego Jewish World.
  4. ^ a b Berkenwald, Leah (February 18, 2011). "Graphic Details: Interview With Miriam Libicki". Jewish Women's Archive. Archived from the original on May 30, 2024. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Pictures Tell Story For Resident Writer". The Toronto Star. The Canadian Press. September 3, 2017. p. a18.
  6. ^ "Jobnik! by Rebecca Kai Dotlich". Publishers Weekly. 2008-06-23. Archived from the original on 2023-12-04. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  7. ^ "Jobnik! Comic Gives Insiders' View of Israeli Army". Wired. February 24, 2008.
  8. ^ a b c Margolis, Sam (May 29, 2024). "Graphic Artist Miriam Libicki Has Been Banned By Vancouver Comics Arts Festival Due to Her Past Service in the IDF". Canadian Jewish News. Archived from the original on May 29, 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  9. ^ Grossman, Nina (January 24, 2020). "UVic project uses graphic novels to tell stories of Holocaust survivors". Saanich News. p. a1.
  10. ^ Conner, Shawn (November 24, 2022). "Holocaust survivor stories get new view". The Province. p. 34.
  11. ^ Lindquist, Evert (June 8, 2022). "UVic Prof Publishes Graphic Novels On Holocaust". Goldstream News Gazette.
  12. ^ "Miriam Libicki". Jewish Book Council. Archived from the original on 2023-09-30. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  13. ^ Lapin, Andrew (May 30, 2024). "Vancouver comics festival bans Jewish artist Miriam Libicki over past IDF service". Jewish Telegraph Agency.
  14. ^ @vancouvercomics (June 2, 2023). "VanCAF Formal Apology" – via Instagram.
  15. ^ "Miriam Libicki". Vancouver Public Library. Archived from the original on 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  16. ^ Pasquarelli, Olivia (October 3, 2017). "Peter Behrens and Matti Friedman among winners of the 2017 Vine Awards". CBC. Archived from the original on May 30, 2024. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  17. ^ McMillan, Graeme (2020-06-04). "2020 Eisner Nominees: The Complete List". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2023-01-03. Retrieved 2023-07-05.
  18. ^ "Inkpot Awards". Comic-Con International. Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  19. ^ Smith, Cherie (2023-06-09). "This year's book award winners". Jewish Independent. Archived from the original on 2023-09-23. Retrieved 2024-05-30.

External links[edit]

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