Inked / An Interview with Alison Bechdel

Alison Bechdel is an American Cartoonist most famous for her comic strip Dykes To Watch Out For, which has become a countercultural institution. The strip is syndicated in dozens of newspapers, translated into several languages and collected in a series of award-winning books. Utne magazine has listed DTWOF as “one of the greatest hits of the twentieth century.” And Comics Journal says, “Bechdel’s art distills the pleasures of Friends and The Nation; we recognize our world in it, with its sorrows and ironies.” In addition to her comic strip, Bechdel has also done exclusive work for a slew of publications, including Ms., Slate, the Advocate, and many other newspapers, websites, comic books, and ‘zines.’ In 2006, Houghton Mifflin published her graphic memoir, Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. The bestselling coming-of-age tale has been called a “mesmerizing feat of familial resurrection” and a “rare, prime example of why graphic novels have taken over the conversation about American literature." In partnership with the Writers House, Rutgers University Department of English, the Institute for Women’s Leadership piloted Transforming Lives. This project combining filmmaking and interview skills to help our undergraduate Leadership Scholars learn from women leaders who are making a difference in the world.