Comics Extravaganza Blog Tour

We are so excited to be taking part in the Comics Extravaganza Blog Tour today! We get to introduce to you Tillie Walden and her latest titled Spinning! First let’s introduce you to Spinning!

Spinning by Tillie Walden
(Website, Twitter, Goodreads)Published by First Second on September 12, 2017
Genres: Comics & Graphic Novels, LGBT, Sports & Recreation, Winter Sports

Poignant and captivating, Ignatz Award winner Tillie Walden's powerful graphic memoir, Spinning, captures what it's like to come of age, come out, and come to terms with leaving behind everything you used to know.

It was the same every morning. Wake up, grab the ice skates, and head to the rink while the world was still dark.

Weekends were spent in glitter and tights at competitions. Perform. Smile. And do it again.

She was good. She won. And she hated it.

For ten years, figure skating was Tillie Walden's life. She woke before dawn for morning lessons, went straight to group practice after school, and spent weekends competing at ice rinks across the state. It was a central piece of her identity, her safe haven from the stress of school, bullies, and family. But over time, as she switched schools, got into art, and fell in love with her first girlfriend, she began to question how the close-minded world of figure skating fit in with the rest of her life, and whether all the work was worth it given the reality: that she, and her friends on the figure skating team, were nowhere close to Olympic hopefuls. It all led to one question: What was the point?The more Tillie thought about it, the more Tillie realized she'd outgrown her passion--and she finally needed to find her own voice.

Meet Tillie Walden

Tell us your first memory of reading a comic or graphic novel.

I went to a dingy little used bookstore with my Dad when I was about 10, and I remember sitting on the dusty floor and picking up Buddha by Osamu Tezuka. I sat there for ages reading it, and my Dad eventually bought it for me. I remember it was the first time a book really got it’s claws into me.

What’s your favorite comic or graphic novel, and what do you love about it?

While it’s hard to pick, I’ll have to go with Stitches by David Small. A teacher gave it to me in middle school and it completely blew my mind. I love the expressive art, and as a moody teen I really connected with the deep, deep sadness in the story itself.

Tell us a little about your latest graphic novel.

My latest graphic novel is Spinning, coming out from First Second Books in September 2017. It’s a graphic memoir following my time as a competitive figure and synchronized skater. While on the surface it’s very much a book that deals with the ins and outs of skating as a sport, it’s also a book about coming out, growing up, and finding a voice.

Bonus: What comic or graphic novel are you reading now?

Currently reading Boundless by Jillian Tamaki, her latest book. It’s weird and phenomenal and worth more than one read.