What’s so funny about a woman pouring a glass of wine or a married couple chatting in bed? Liza Donnelly, who has been a cartoonist for The New Yorker for the past 40 years, is a wizard at finding the hilarious in everyday life, and an acclaimed political cartoonist to boot. “Donnelly’s cartoons are the best kind of funny,” says Susan Orlean, “sly, smart, and right on the money.” Donnelly is also the creator of a form of journalism called “live drawing,” covering the DNC in 2016, the 2017 Inauguration, White House Press conferences, political protest marches, and many other stories by sketching people and events on her tablet and instantly tweeting them out from the scene. Donnelly's latest book, Very Funny Ladies: The New Yorker's Women Cartoonists, tells the story of a century of pioneering women at the magazine. Donnelly will be joined in conversation by longtime New Yorker deputy editor Pamela Maffei McCarthy to discuss the role of women in cartooning, how the form has changed over the past four decades, and the opportunities technology offers artists for reaching new audiences in new ways.
Free event, pre-registration required
Eric Korenman
Liza Donnelly is an award-winning cartoonist and writer for The New Yorker Magazine and other publications. Author and editor of 18 books for children and adults, her most recent book is a history, Very Funny Ladies: The New Yorker’s Women Cartoonists, and her book Women on Men was a finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor. Donnelly’s essays and political cartoons have appeared in the NY Times, Washington Post, Medium and CNN.com and others. A sought-after international public speaker; her TED talk was translated into 40 languages and viewed online over 1.4 million times, she has spoken at the United Nations, and was accepted to speak at SXSW three times. Donnelly received an honorary PhD from the University of Connecticut for her work in peace and women’s studies. The innovator/creator of digital live journalism, Donnelly has worked for CBS News and CNN covering live events and politics in digital live-drawing. She created animations for CBS News, Flatiron Books, as well as scripting a short animation for TED. Liza is based in New York.
Pamela Maffei McCarthy held leadership positions at three great titles during the most transformative period in media history. Over her four decades in magazines, she was Deputy Editor of The New Yorker, Managing Editor of Vanity Fair, and Executive Editor of Esquire, where she started her career as a proofreader.
Pam has been a frequent speaker at colleges and conferences, and serves as an advisor to the American Journalism Project. She lives in Brooklyn, NY, and Brooklin, Maine.