Our Little Secret, Emily Carrington’s account of her abuse by a neighbor as a child and her attempts as an adult to find justice and peace, has won the 2021 Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize. Drawn and Quarterly published the graphic novel in March of 2022.
The award comes with a $2,500 prize, and the winner is chosen by a panel of judges.
“In this graphic memoir, Emily Carrington takes readers through her traumatic story of childhood abuse. While the novel begins with a warning, it only partially prepares the reader for the powerful narrative and emotional rollercoaster that they are about to be taken on,” the judges said. “Throughout the journey, Carrington expertly uses the graphic novel format to set the tone and pace the narrative. The story is clear and engaging and invites readers to witness the author’s futile quest for redress through the courts. This cultivates empathy and performs a kind of grassroots justice without sacrificing literary and artistic excellence. Carrington’s visuals are confident and original. She uses metaphor beautifully, and seamlessly weaves surrealist threads throughout the narrative. ‘Our Little Secret’ is fluid, utterly engaging, and evokes empathy and compels action.”
Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands, Kate Beaton’s memoir about her time working in Fort McMurray during Alberta’s oil rush, was named an honor book by the judges, who noted it is “a quiet story of growing up, of leaving home, of growing confidence. Throughout, Beaton pulls the reader through with rich images and a personal but relatable touch.” Drawn and Quarter;y also published Ducks.
The Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize is presented annually to the best graphic novel, fiction or nonfiction, published in the previous calendar year by a living U.S. or Canadian citizen or resident. Named for artist Lynd Ward, it honors his influence in the development of the graphic novel and celebrates the gift of an extensive collection of Ward’s wood engravings, original book illustrations and other graphic art donated to Penn State’s University Libraries by his daughters Robin Ward Savage and Nanda Weedon Ward. Between 1929 and 1937, Ward published his six groundbreaking wordless novels: “Gods’ Man,” “Madman’s Drum,” “Wild Pilgrimage,” “Prelude to a Million Years,” “Song without Words” and “Vertigo.”