Seattle cartoonist Colleen Frakes grew up on McNeil Island near Tacoma, Washington – the last functioning federal island penitentiary – where both of her parents worked in corrections. Her unorthodox adolescence is the subject of a new graphic memoir Prison Island. Frakes will sign copies of the book at Fantagraphics Bookstore on Small Business Saturday, November 28 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM.
The isolation of a small island community magnified the complexities of adolescence. Employing a spare rendering style, it soon becomes clear the convicts weren’t the only people held captive on the remote prison island. Ordinary teenage activities became uncommonly challenging in a small village of prison guards.
Meet this extraordinary artist on Saturday, November 28 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. What better way to spend Small Business Saturday, a nationwide effort to encourage consumers to patronize small local enterprises as the holiday season commences. Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is located at 1201 S. Vale Street in the heart of Seattle’s Georgetown arts community. Open daily 11:30 to 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00 PM. Phone 206.658.0110.