Cartoonist, writer, and illustrator Gemma Correll comes to First Light to talk about Anxietyland, her humorous and poignant graphic memoir about her lifelong experience with severe anxiety.

Doors at 6PM · Talk at 6:30PM · Signing to follow · Friday, October 23 · First Light Books

At 6:30PM Gemma takes the stage to talk about Anxietyland and share images and behind-the-scenes materials from the book, followed by audience Q&A and a book signing.

A national bestseller and Molly Ringwald's inaugural book club pick, Anxietyland has been featured in The New Yorker and on NPR. Publishers Weekly called it "one of the funniest and warmest mental health memoirs to come along in a while," and Eisner Award winner Craig Thompson said, "Gemma sweeps playfulness and humor into the darkest and most anxious of corners."

Free RSVP helps us plan, and a purchase of the book gets you a reserved seat.

ANXIETYLAND

In the tradition of Allie Brosh and Roz Chast, award-winning popular cartoonist, writer, and illustrator Gemma Correll's humorous and poignant graphic memoir about her lifelong struggle with severe anxiety.

In 2018, award-winning cartoonist, writer, and illustrator Gemma Correll had a panic attack that lasted for weeks on end. Unable to do much more than walk aimlessly through the streets of Berkeley, Correll admitted herself to the hospital to reckon with The Bad Feeling that had been her companion since she was a child.

In ANXIETYLAND, Correll's ingenious and charming illustrations lead readers through the amusement park in her own mind—featuring severe anxiety, depression, agoraphobia, and dissociation—a frightening and darkly funny world that "feels like a place apart from 'real' life."

A hilarious thrill ride exploring the mysteries of the mind-body connection, Gemma Correll's graphic memoir is shot through with the absurd knowledge that there is no linear way through ANXIETYLAND, nor any cure-alls—but there are ways to feel better if you keep trying to move forward.

"Equal parts hysterical, heartbreaking and hopeful. A beautifully illustrated example of the power of sharing authentic stories of mental health." —Jenny Lawson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Furiously Happy

"Gemma Correll's ANXIETYLAND is a deeply felt and surprisingly funny book about what it's like to live with the feeling that disaster not just could, but probably will, happen at any second. Inhabitants of Anxietyland will relate, and so will everyone else. A great book!" —Roz Chast, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?

About the author

Gemma Correll is an award-winning cartoonist, writer, and illustrator. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, NPR, Elle, and Forbes, among many others. She has written her own books and illustrated several others for adult and children's publishers. Her design clients include Hallmark, The New York Times, Progressive, and JetBlue. She has done product partnerships with The Whitney Museum, Converse, Keurig, and numerous other brands. Her products are available in various stores, including World Market. Every year since 2016, she has created social media campaigns for Mental Health America during Mental Health Awareness Month. In short, her work is everywhere. Originally from Britain, she now lives in California with her husband and two pugs.

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