Mark Siegel (born June 2, 1967 in

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

) is known both as an author, illustrator, and as the editorial director of First Second Books, a Macmillan imprint which publishes

graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...

s for all ages. He grew up in France until the age of 18, after which he moved back to the United States where he presently lives.

Career

Published works

His books in print to date include ''Seadogs, An Epic Ocean Operetta'' (on a script by children's author Lisa Wheeler), ''Long Night Moon'' (on a script by author Cynthia Rylant), ''To Dance'' (on a script by his wife Siena Cherson Siegel), ''Moving House'', his first picture book as author and illustrator. He also illustrated ''Oskar and the Eight Blessings'' (on a script by Tanya and Richard Simon), winner of the 2015 National Jewish Book Award for Children's Literature; and ''How to Read a Story'' (on a script by Kate Messner.) Siegel is the author of the graphic novel for adults '' Sailor Twain, or the Mermaid in the Hudson'' (2012), which was serialized online starting in 2010, a ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' Bestseller. A 10th Anniversary edition of ''Sailor Twain'' was published in 2022, in a larger format and with additional back matter on the making of the work. In 2017, Siegel launched the ''5 Worlds'' graphic novel series, a five-volume science fiction story co-written with his brother Alexis Siegel, and illustrated with Matt Rockefeller, Xanthe Bouma, and Boya Sun. *Book one: ''The Sand Warrior (2017)'' *Book two: ''The Cobalt Prince'' (2018) *Book three: ''The Red Maze'' (2019) *Book four: ''The Amber Anthem'' (2020) *Book five: ''The Emerald Gate'' (2022) In 2020, he and Kate Messner released a sequel to their picture book ''How to Read a Story'', called ''How to Write a Story''. In 2022, another collaboration with his wife Siena Cherson Siegel came out, the graphic novel memoir for young adults ''Tiny Dancer'.''

First Second Books, graphic novel publisher

Siegel is also the founder and Editorial & Creative Director of First Second Books, a Macmillan publisher of graphic novels for all ages. First Second publishes works by many acclaimed authors and artists, including Ben Hatke, Gene Luen Yang, Jillian Tamaki, Vera Brosgol, Jen Wang, Shannon Hale, LeUyen Pham, and the legendary Japanese director

Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, filmmaker, and manga artist. He co-founded Studio Ghibli and serves as honorary chairman. Throughout his career, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and creator of Anime, Japanese ani ...

. In 2006, First Second published '' American Born Chinese'' by Gene Luen Yang, the first graphic novel ever nominated for a

National Book Award The National Book Awards (NBA) are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. ...

, and the first ever to win the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

's Edward L. Printz Award.George Gene Gustines
Library of Congress Anoints Graphic Novelist as Ambassador for Young People's Literature
''The New York Times'', January 4, 2016. In 2015, First Second published '' This One Summer'' by the cousins Jillian and Mariko Tamaki, the first book in any format ever nominated as a finalist for ''both'' the American Library Association's Randolph Caldecott Award, and the American Library Association's Edward L. Printz Award. Some of First Second's biggest hits include The Adventure Zone graphic novel series, th
InvestiGators
series, and th
Real Friends
trilogy. First Second also publishes graphic non-fiction for young readers including th
Science Comics
an
History Comics
collections, and for adults, including th
World Citizen Comics
a line of civics graphic books, and biographical works such as
The Accidental Czar
'.

Lectures and workshops

Siegel has given

lecture A lecture (from ) is an oral presentation intended to present information or teach people about a particular subject, for example by a university or college teacher. Lectures are used to convey critical information, history, background, theo ...

s and

workshop Beginning with the Industrial Revolution era, a workshop may be a room, rooms or building which provides both the area and tools (or machinery) that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods. Workshops were the only ...

s around North America, for authors, artists,

librarian A librarian is a person who professionally works managing information. Librarians' common activities include providing access to information, conducting research, creating and managing information systems, creating, leading, and evaluating educat ...

student A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution, or more generally, a person who takes a special interest in a subject. In the United Kingdom and most The Commonwealth, commonwealth countries, a "student" attends ...

s, executives in many venues, at trade shows, companies, Comic Cons, and

animation studio An animation studio is a company producing animation, animated media. The broadest such companies conceive of products to produce, own the physical equipment for production, employ operators for that equipment, and hold a major stake in the sales ...

s, including Blue Sky, DreamWorks,

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

, and

Pixar Pixar (), doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney ...

Awards

*In 2006, Siegel won the Texas Bluebonnet Award for ''Seadogs, An Epic Ocean Operetta'', written by Lisa Wheeler. *In 2007, Siegel and his wife, Siena Cherson Siegel, won a Sibert Honor for ''To Dance: A Ballerina's Graphic Novel''. *In 2015, Siegel and co-authors Tanya and Richard Simon won the Jewish National Book Award for ''Oskar and the Eight Blessings''. *In 2017, the New York Public Library selected 5 Worlds: ''The Sand Warrior'' in its Top Ten Best Books for Kids of 2017.

References

External links

Author website.Mark Siegel live illustration session
on The New York Times.

in The New York Times Book Review
BeeLocal interview
with Mark Siegel and Siena Cherson Siegel {{DEFAULTSORT:Siegel, Mark 1967 births American illustrators American comic book editors Living people Writers from Ann Arbor, Michigan Artists from Ann Arbor, Michigan