This year’s winner of the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, Dan Santat, will present an online author talk from 11 a.m. to noon this Tuesday, July 30, through Sno-Isle Libraries.

Santat encourages tweens and teens to tell their own stories through graphic novels. His winning book, A First Time for Everything, is a graphic memoir based on his own awkward middle school years and the trip to Europe that changed his life.

He began drawing as a young boy and although he first studied microbiology, he pursued his passion in illustration. He spent many hours as a child and teenager teaching himself to draw by copying illustrations from comic books until he developed the unique, recognizable style seen today. His talk will inspire listeners to draw their own story as well as give them practical tips on the creation of graphic novels.

Santat is a Caldecott Medal winner, a National Book Award winner, and a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator. His artwork is also featured in numerous picture books, chapter books and middle-grade novels. Santat created the animated television show, The Replacements, as well. He lives in Southern California with his wife and two children.

This program is funded by the Sno-Isle Libraries Foundation.

You can learn more and register here.