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Lizzy O'Donnell

@dizzypunk

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left-handed picture book author & illustrator
Represented by @mollyoneillbooks
DETOUR! out Summer 2027! @vikingbooks

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BELL IS HERE!!!!! MY FIRST BOOK IS OUT!!!!!! AHHH!!!!!! by @dizzypunk

In 2019, I met Steph and Sara of @luckypocketpress. I had been such a fan of both of their work for a long time, so when they asked me to collaborate with them on a riso project, I was over the moon. Fast forward to today and my zine, JUNK DRAWER, printed by the lovely Lucky Pocket Press in red and teal on yellow paper, is finally here and available now! You can pick up a copy on their online store linked in their bio! This zine is all about nostalgia, grief, moving on, as well as a celebration of all the many knick knacks I’ve collected over the years. This project was such a joy to work on and is obviously incredibly personal to me, and I can’t thank Steph and Sara enough for the beautiful job they did printing this zine and for the opportunity to share it with all of you! 🍅🥲💚
Pics courtesy of @luckypocketpress 📸 by @dizzypunk

Penny, you were the sweetest, silliest little lady I’ve ever met. The house feels so eerily quiet without the taps of your paws, so empty without you as my shadow following me from room to room. Adopting you when you were already ten years old, I knew we wouldn’t have much time together, but it would’ve never felt like enough. I was completely shocked by the amount of energy and life that ran through what I thought was just going to be a sleepy old lady I’d give a peaceful last couple years to. It was quite the adjustment for me and Bo, your eventual partner in crime, getting used to this rambunctious, curious little goofball I let loose on our house, but we both of course ended up falling completely in love with you. For four years, which has included a couple of the most difficult of my life, you were always there. I can already tell it’s going to take a while for Bo and I to understand what life looks like without you in it, but what I know for sure is that I’m so glad you were in it at all. Pen, Panini, Penny girl, I love you so much. I hope now you can finally get some rest. by @dizzypunk

This past Thursday, I had the chance to spend the day with MICA’s Illustration Practice MFA program as a speaker and guest critic! Everyone was so kind and the students were all so thoughtful, not to mention unbelievably talented. Thank you to everyone who attended my lecture, @ninezhao_art for going above and beyond making sure I had everything I needed throughout the day, and a huge thank you to @whitneysherman for inviting me and giving me the incredible opportunity to spend time with such an inspiring community of up-and-coming creatives. @mfa_ilp ❤️ by @dizzypunk

Was lucky enough to spend all last week staying at Milkwood! This residency truly couldn’t have come at a better time. I immediately felt so at home and in my element, able to focus on my work in such a rare way, inspired by the beautiful scenery and the incredible talent that surrounded me.

It’s so amazing that a place like this exists. I want to thank Sophie, Ed, and Paige for creating, cultivating, and providing such a magical space for the children’s book community, as well as carving out weeks of residencies like this one specifically for queer illustrators and writers.

On that note, I also want to thank my incredible fellow creatives that made this such an unforgettable and special week. I am so deeply in awe of all of you, honored to have been able to share in this experience with you, and feel like I’ve unexpectedly returned home with a new batch of wonderful lifelong friends, bonded by tons of cherished memories from our time here together.

Lastly, just want to shout out my family for getting me ready for my trip including my mom for getting food together for me to take, my brother for helping me clean my house so I didn’t have to come home to a complete dumpster fire, and most of all my aunt and uncle for lending me their car! I don’t know if my little clown car would’ve made it up all of those hills so I can’t thank them enough for their endless generosity that literally got me to Milkwood.

It all felt like such a dream, I mean I was literally with a bunch of fellow queer children’s book writers and illustrators staying at this gorgeous property in the woods!!! To say adjusting back to normalcy has been a challenge would be an understatement, but one of the biggest things this experience gave me was the burst of energy I desperately needed to continue pushing forward and so much inspiration to help me further realize what it is I want next.

I hope anyone who is interested will have the chance to spend time at Milkwood and have as positive an experience as I did! ❤️🦆

group photo cred: frenci!!! by @dizzypunk

by @dizzypunk

as of today, it’s been a week since i got top surgery. my operation and recovery for the remainder of this month caps off what has been one of the craziest, most emotionally exhausting, formative years of my life. this week, i’ve felt more at home and at peace with my body than i’ve ever been in my life. this is a step i have been thinking about taking for years and ultimately am so happy and proud that i finally did. it feels bitter sweet to be experiencing something this positive in the midst of what has been an otherwise tumultuous chapter of my life personally as well as for my fellow trans friends and community around the world.

everyone should have the access and right to such life saving healthcare without government interference or economic burden. gender affirming care, like my top surgery, is life changing. it has truly given me a new lease on life. it’s helped usher in a new found, much needed optimism into my life when i’ve needed it most. i’m so grateful to have had such an incredible team of medical professionals guiding me through this whole process and so much heartfelt support from my family and friends through my recovery. things have been hard to navigate, not to mention it’s felt impossible to be creative while going through so much, but for the first time in a while, everything is starting to feel a lot easier. 🏳️‍⚧️💕 by @dizzypunk

The day is almost here!!! My debut picture book as both author and illustrator, The Day Bell Found Her Sound, hits shelves July 2nd! You can preorder your copy now through the link in my bio! by @dizzypunk

UArts is nothing without its professors and students. People who the administration have consistently disregarded and disrespected, especially with how they’ve completely blindsided our entire community with the news of the school’s imminent closure. I met so many incredible people during my time at UArts both as a student and as a teacher. Professors, fellow classmates, and students of mine all of whom consistently inspired me. Without UArts I wouldn’t have met the majority of my closest friends, including EB and Bry who are like family to me, and if I never met EB then I would’ve never met Roxy! Like all of you, I’m heartbroken and frustrated. My heart goes out to all of the current faculty, staff, and student body, which includes former students of mine, affected by this. It’s a sentiment that I’ve said and seen a lot in the last few days, but all of you deserve so much better than this. You all have worked so hard and poured so much heart into everything you’ve done at UArts. I hope all of you know that none of that work goes unseen. Please know that you are what gave that place its value and what made it feel like home. No one can ever take that away from us. I hope wherever you go next, you are treated with the respect you deserve. I’d like to shout out and thank all of the professors and visiting artists I had during my time at UArts who have completely shaped my trajectory as an artist: @monster_comics @thelargemammal @tomleonard55 @gregpizzoli @paulking.art @timbower1 @liskfeng @juncenart @dansalmieri @mister_caitlin Bob Byrd, Al Gury, Ralph Giguere, and the late great Maddy Gold ❤️ by @dizzypunk

A bunch of floral arrangements I drew on the front of some thank you cards 🌹🌸💐🌻🌷🌺🌼🪻🪷 by @dizzypunk

My debut picture book as both author and illustrator, THE DAY BELL FOUND HER SOUND, hits shelves this summer on July 2nd! Preorders available through the link in my bio!

Bell’s story is the product of years of development, rewrites, drawing, more drawing, and lots of teary eyed motivational phone calls with my incredible agent @mollyoneillbooks. There are so many people I want to thank that have helped me (and Bell) get to this point, but for starters I’d like to thank Molly who has helped me work through every iteration of this idea as well as every other one that led up to it, but who most of all has always believed in me, especially throughout this whole process. I’d like to thank the whole team at @vikingbooks, specifically @maggierosenthal, my editor who has championed and shepherded this book from messy thumbnails and notes on a screen all the way to a complete published book that I can’t believe I’m physically holding in my dang hands. Her insight was invaluable in formulating the structure and, ironically, the voice of this story. I’d also like to shout out Kate Renner for doing such an impeccable job with the design of this book, she was such a joy to collaborate with and her work was a true testament of how good design can move the reader through the story in the most impactful way possible.

I’m so happy to finally be able to share this book with you all. It feels like such a relief. Bell’s story is one that is near and dear to me and I hope everyone is able to relate to her journey in their own way. 🐁❤️ by @dizzypunk

My shop is back open and I’ve got a ton of originals and prints for sale! Go check it out if you haven’t already and thank you so much to everyone who has already placed an order! 🫵😘

This year has been a bit of a whirlwind, a whole lot of work and not to mention trying to juggle that work with being a person. I’m so happy and feel so lucky to be able to say that my debut picture book as author and illustrator, The Day Bell Found her Sound, will be released in July! I can’t wait for you all to see it and to meet Bell and her town. 🐁

I’m now working on my second book, again with the incredible team at Viking, and on top of that, I’m getting married to my best friend in the Spring!!!! I still can’t believe all of this is happening, it’s exciting but also a little stressful, especially moneywise like it is for pretty much everyone else I know, but exciting nonetheless. I’m so grateful for this community and to everyone who has supported me and my work over the years, and I can’t wait to finally share what I’ve been working so hard on this year with you all very soon! 👀 by @dizzypunk