Andrew Aydin
{{short description|American comics writer (born 1983)}}
{{BLP sources|date=March 2014}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Andrew Aydin
| image = 11.7.13AndrewAydinByLuigiNovi1.jpg
| caption = Aydin at a book signing for March: Book One at Midtown Comics in Manhattan
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1983|8|25}}
| birth_place = Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
| alma_mater =
{{plainlist |
- Trinity College (BA)
- Georgetown University (MA)
}}
| occupation = Political aide, Graphic novelist
| awards = Inkpot Award (2017)[https://www.comic-con.org/awards/inkpot Inkpot Award]
| years_active =
}}
Andrew Aydin (born August 25, 1983) is an American comics writer, known as the Digital Director & Policy Advisor to Georgia congressman John Lewis, and co-author, with Lewis, of March, Lewis' #1 New York Times bestselling{{cite news|title=Best Sellers - The New York Times|work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/2013-09-01/paperback-graphic-books/list.html|access-date=February 8, 2014}} autobiographical graphic novel trilogy.
Early life
Aydin was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He attended the Lovett School in Atlanta, Georgia, earned a Bachelor of Arts from Trinity College and a Master of Arts in public policy from Georgetown University.,[http://www.andrewaydin.com/bio/ Bio]{{cite web|title=Master of Arts in Liberal Studies Graduate Tells Story of Courageous Young Civil Rights Leader|url=https://scs.georgetown.edu/news-and-events/article/5385/master-arts-liberal-studies-graduate-tells-story-courageous-civil-rights-leader|website=Georgetown School of Continuing Studies|publisher=Georgetown University|access-date=15 January 2018}}
Career
After college, Aydin served as District Aide to Representative John B. Larson (D-CT) and as Special Assistant to Connecticut Lieutenant Governor Kevin Sullivan.
In 2007, Aydin began working for Georgia congressman John Lewis. In the summer of 2008, while on Rep. Lewis' reelection campaign, Aydin learned that Lewis had been inspired as a young man by a classic 1950s comic book, Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story. They discussed the impact that comic books can have on young readers and soon Aydin had the idea that Lewis should write a comic book about his time in the civil rights movement. Aydin eventually convinced Lewis, who accepted on the condition that Aydin write the comics with him.
Aydin wrote his graduate thesis on the history and impact of Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story. Until 2012, no history of Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story had been written, and most versions of how the comic was created listed Al Capp as the actual creator. As part of his graduate degree at Georgetown University, Aydin wrote the first long-form history of The Montgomery Story as his graduate thesis. With the help of Carlow University Professor Dr. Sylvia Rhor and comic book icon Eddie Campbell, Aydin established most of what we know about the comic's creation and use. In August 2013, Aydin published a shortened version of his thesis as the feature article in Creative Loafing's award-winning "Future of Nonviolence" issue, which was guest-edited by Lewis and Aydin.{{cite web |last1=Aydin |first1=Andrew|title=The comic book that changed the world: Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story's vital role in the Civil Rights Movement |url=https://creativeloafing.com/content-185638-cover-story-the-comic-book-that-changed-the |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130906094506/http://clatl.com/atlanta/the-comic-book-that-changed-the-world/Content?oid=8807186&showFullText=true |archive-date=6 September 2013|website=Creative Loafing |access-date=29 May 2022|url-status=live |date=1 August 2013}}{{cite web|last1=Michaud|first1=Debbie|last2=Williams|first2=Wyatt|title=Congressman John Lewis takes over Creative Loafing|url=https://creativeloafing.com/content-185639-cover-story-congressman-john-lewis-takes-over-creative|website=Creative Loafing|access-date=7 July 2015|date=1 August 2013}}
Aydin has appeared as a guest on The Rachel Maddow Show, Morning Joe, National Public Radio, CBS This Morning, CNN, and the BBC.
Aydin served as Digital Director & Policy Advisor to Representative Lewis in his Washington, D.C. office until Lewis's passing in 2020.
''March'' trilogy
File:Andrew Aydin (11635).jpg in 2018]]
In August 2013, Top Shelf Productions published the first book in the March trilogy, a black and white graphic novel about the Civil Rights Movement, told through the perspective of Lewis, written by Lewis and Aydin, and illustrated and lettered by Nate Powell.{{cite news|last=Cavna|first=Michael|title=In the graphic novel 'March,' Rep. John Lewis renders a powerful civil rights memoir|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/in-graphic-novel-march-rep-john-lewis-renders-a-powerful-civil-rights-memoir/2013/08/12/744698a0-0388-11e3-9259-e2aafe5a5f84_story.html|access-date=25 October 2013|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=August 12, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029204717/http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-08-12/lifestyle/41333709_1_john-lewis-lewis-s-graphic-novel|archive-date=29 October 2013}} The book had its genesis in Lewis' 2008 reelection campaign, when Lewis told Aydin about The Montgomery Story and its influence on the civil rights movement.{{cite web|last1=Hughes |first1=Joseph |title=Congressman John Lewis And Andrew Aydin Talk Inspiring The 'Children Of The Movement' With 'March' (Interview) |url=http://comicsalliance.com/congressman-john-lewis-interview-march-andrew-aydin-top-shelf/ |website=Comics Alliance |access-date=16 September 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130918055700/http://comicsalliance.com/congressman-john-lewis-interview-march-andrew-aydin-top-shelf/ |archive-date=18 September 2013 }} Aydin, who had been reading comics since his grandmother bought him a copy of Uncanny X-Men #317 off a Piggly Wiggly spinner rack when he was eight years old,{{cite journal|last1=Herbowy|first1=Greg|title=Q+A: Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin & Nate Powell|journal=Visual Arts Journal|issue=Fall 2014|pages=48–51|publisher=School of Visual Arts}} found a digital copy of the book on the Internet and spent years tracking down an original print copy on eBay. The Montgomery Story directly influenced on the creation of March.{{cite web|last1=Hughes |first1=Joseph |title=Congressman John Lewis And Andrew Aydin Talk Inspiring The 'Children Of The Movement' With 'March' (Interview) |url=http://comicsalliance.com/congressman-john-lewis-interview-march-andrew-aydin-top-shelf/ |website=Comics Alliance |access-date=16 September 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130918055700/http://comicsalliance.com/congressman-john-lewis-interview-march-andrew-aydin-top-shelf/ |archive-date=18 September 2013 }}
President Bill Clinton has said of Congressman Lewis that, through March, "he brings a whole new generation with him across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, from a past of clenched fists into a future of outstretched hands." Apple CEO Tim Cook has said that March is "a very unique way to present what is probably the most important story of my entire lifetime. My hope is that everyone reads this, and I would love to see the day that it is required reading in every school."{{cite web|url=http://www.andrewaydin.com/bio/|title=A text titled Biography|website=Andrew Aydin|access-date=13 October 2015}}
March: Book One holds an average 9.4 out of 10 rating at the review aggregator website Comic Book Roundup, based on five reviews.{{cite web|title=March: Book One #1 Reviews|url=http://comicbookroundup.com/|website=Comic Book Roundup|access-date=26 October 2014}} In addition to receiving positive reviews,{{cite web|last1=Johnson|first1=Jim|title=March: Book One|url=http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=user_review&id=6324|website=Comic Book Resources|date=14 August 2013|access-date=14 August 2013}}{{cite web|last1=Sharma|first1=Noah|title=March (Book One) - Review|url=http://weeklycomicbookreview.com/2013/08/20/march-book-one-review/|website=Weekly Comic Book Review|access-date=20 August 2013}} it won numerous awards and accolades,{{cite web|title=Coretta Scott King Book Awards - All Recipients, 1970-Present|url=http://www.ala.org/emiert/coretta-scott-king-book-awards-all-recipients-1970-present|website=American Library Association|date=5 April 2012|access-date=4 December 2014}}{{cite web|last1=MacDonald|first1=Heidi|title=March Book One is first graphic novel to win the RFK Book Award|url=http://www.comicsbeat.com/march-book-one-is-first-grahpic-novel-to-win-the-rfk-book-award/|website=Comics Beat|date=21 March 2014}}{{cite web|last1=Staeger|first1=Rob|title=The 10 Most Subversive Comics at New York Comic Con|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/news/the-10-most-subversive-comics-at-new-york-comic-con-6725973#page-2|website=The Village Voice|date=10 October 2014}} was selected for college-level reading lists{{cite web|title=About the Book |url=http://www.onebookeastlansing.com/Home/2014Works.aspx |publisher=City of East Lansing & Michigan State University |access-date=14 December 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150112213251/http://www.onebookeastlansing.com/Home/2014Works.aspx |archive-date=12 January 2015 }}{{cite web|title=Fall 2014 Selection |url=http://success.students.gsu.edu/first-year-programs/first-year-book/fall-2014-nominations/ |website=Georgia State University |access-date=4 December 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220200840/http://success.students.gsu.edu/first-year-programs/first-year-book/fall-2014-nominations/ |archive-date=20 December 2014 }} and by first-year reading programs in 2014 at Michigan State University, Georgia State University, and Marquette University.{{cite web|title=About the Book|url=http://www.marquette.edu/osd/reading/about.shtml|website=Marquette University, Office of Student Development|access-date=4 December 2014}} March: Book One received an "Author Honor" from the American Library Association's 2014 Coretta Scott King Book Awards. Book One also became the first graphic novel to win a Robert F. Kennedy Book Award, receiving a "Special Recognition" bust in 2014.
March: Book Two was released in 2015 and became both a New York Times bestseller for paperback graphic novels and Washington Post bestseller for paperback nonfiction books. At San Diego Comic Con in July 2016, March: Book Two won the Will Eisner Comic Industry Award for "Best Reality Based Work."
The release of March: Book Three in August 2016 brought all three volumes into the top 3 slots of the New York Times bestseller list for graphic novels for 6 consecutive weeks. In November 2016, March: Book Three was awarded the National Book Award in Young People's Literature,{{cite web|url= https://www.vulture.com/2016/11/here-are-this-years-national-book-award-winners.html |title= Here Are the 2016 National Book Award Winners |first= Jordan |last= Crucchiola |work= Vulture |date= November 16, 2016 |access-date= December 12, 2023 |archive-date= December 12, 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231212055839/https://www.vulture.com/2016/11/here-are-this-years-national-book-award-winners.html |url-status=live}} becoming the first graphic novel to receive a National Book Award. In January 2017, the American Library Association awarded March: Book Three the 2017 Printz Award, the Coretta Scott King Award, the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction, and the Sibert Medal. It was the first time a single book won four A.L.A. awards.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/23/books/review/american-library-association-childrens-book-awards-2017.html|title=Children's Book Awards Highlight Race — and Politics|last=Russo|first=Maria|date=2017|work=The New York Times|access-date=2017-12-11|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}} The trilogy received the Carter G. Woodson Book Award in 2017.{{cite web |url=https://www.socialstudies.org/awards/woodson/winners |title=Carter G. Woodson Book Award and Honor Winners |website=National Council for the Social Studies |access-date=January 3, 2019 }}
In May 2016, NYC Public Schools announced that the March trilogy was added to the systemwide 8th Grade "Passport to Social Studies" curriculum.{{cite web | url=http://blavity.com/john-lewis-graphic-novel-will-now-be-taught-in-new-york-public-schools/ | title=Congressman John Lewis' graphic novel will now be taught in New York public schools - Blavity }} In October 2016, Atlanta Public Schools announced the March trilogy's addition to its English curriculum.{{Cite news|url=http://www.myajc.com/news/local-education/atlanta-schools-use-lewis-civil-rights-book-english-classes/hs99Ulz0EkHGzejuVRO9yN/|title=Atlanta schools to use Lewis' civil rights book in English classes|work=myajc|access-date=2017-12-11|language=en}}
Awards and honors
Aydin and his co-authors on March were recipients of the 2014 Coretta Scott King Book Award Author Honor,{{cite web|title=The Coretta Scott King Book Awards|date=18 January 2009|url=http://www.ala.org/emiert/cskbookawards|access-date=March 7, 2014}} the 2013 Gem Award (Independent Graphic Novel of the Year),{{cite web|title=Diamond Comics Distributors Award Winners Announced|url=http://comicbook.com/blog/2014/01/24/diamond-comics-distributors-gem-award-winners-announced/}} and the 2014 YALSA Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens.{{cite web|title=Great Graphic Novels 2014|date=30 January 2014|url=http://www.ala.org/yalsa/great-graphic-novels-2014|publisher=YALSA|access-date=March 7, 2014}}
In March 2014 Aydin and his co-authors received a Special Recognition award at the 2014 Robert F. Kennedy Book Awards.{{cite web|title=March: Book One wins Robert F. Kennedy Book Award -- Special Recognition!|url=http://www.topshelfcomix.com/news/948|access-date=10 July 2014}}
That same year, March was nominated for two Eisner Awards: Best Publication for Teens & Best Reality-Based Work.{{cite web|title=2014 Eisner Award Nominees Announced|url=http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=52167|website=Comic Book Resources|date = 15 April 2014|access-date=14 October 2015}} March was also nominated for two Harvey Awards: Best Graphic Album – Original & Best Biographical, Historical, or Journalistic Presentation.{{cite web|title=The 2014 Harvey Award Nominations are Revealed|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/07/16/the-2014-harvey-award-nominations-are-revealed|website=IGN|date=16 July 2014|access-date=14 October 2015}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- {{C-SPAN|99585}}
{{Inkpot Award 2010s}}
{{Michael L. Printz Award Winners|state=expanded}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aydin, Andrew}}
Category:American graphic novelists
Category:American male novelists
Category:McCourt School of Public Policy alumni
Category:Novelists from Georgia (U.S. state)
Category:Trinity College (Connecticut) alumni
Category:National Book Award for Young People's Literature winners
Category:Michael L. Printz Award winners