Tyler Feder

Tyler Feder is a full-time illustrator based in Chicago. She began posting her artwork online, and within five years she had grown her illustration company, Roaring Softly, into a recognizable brand with a mix of witty pop culture art and intersectional feminist pieces. She has illustrated for Netflix, Comedy Central, and ESPN, and is the illustrator of Cristen Conger and Caroline Ervin’s Unladylike. From before her mother’s first oncology appointment through the stages of her cancer to the funeral, sitting shiva, and afterward, when she must try to make sense of her life as a motherless daughter, in her graphic novel Dancing at the Pity Party  (Dial Books)Tyler Feder tells her story in often piercing–but also often funny–details. She shares the important post-death firsts, such as celebrating holidays without her mom, the utter despair of cleaning out her mom’s closet, and the sting of having the “I’ve got to tell Mom about this” instinct and not being able to act on it. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly noted that “Feder’s simple art features light pink backgrounds, a diverse cast of supporting characters, and details that make the story feel real . . .  this book offers a wealth of perspective about coping with grief.”