Eric Shansby
Eric Shansby | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1985 |
| Alma mater | Yale University |
| Occupation(s) | editorial cartoonist, illustrator |
| Known for | "Below the Beltway" |
| Awards | Scholastic Press Association's 2002 Gold Circle Awards The Freedom Forum's Free Spirit Scholarship Maryland Scholastic Press and Quill & Scroll Society/National Newspaper Association's editorial cartoon awards |
| Website | www |
Eric Shansby (born 1985) commonly known as Shansby, is an American cartoonist and children's book illustrator.[1][2] His cartoons appear in American news outlets, most prominently in The Washington Post alongside columns by humorist Gene Weingarten.[2]
Early life and education
[edit]Shansby grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland. His mother was a librarian.[3] He was interested in art from a young age and would trace the images in the library books his mother brought home to him.[3] He drew caricatures of his classmates and teachers in elementary school.[3]
Shansby published his first comic strip his sophomore year of Montgomery Blair High School,[3] where he was the art editor and a cartoonist for his high school newspaper.[3] He created both editorial cartoons and a strip OxyMoron.[4] There, he met Washington Post writer Gene Weingarten when Weingarten gave a guest lecture in Shansby's journalism class.[5][6] When Weingarten first saw Shansby's work, he noted it was "breathtaking stuff."[7]
For his work in high school, Shansby won The Freedom Forum's Free Spirit Scholarship and the Maryland Scholastic Press and Quill & Scroll Society/National Newspaper Association's editorial cartoon awards.[3] At the 2002 Columbia Scholastic Press Association's Gold Circle Awards, he placed first in art/illustration portfolio, comic cartoons, editorial cartoons, and sports cartoons.[8] In addition, he came in second place for his cartoon portfolio and third place for editorial cartoons.[8] He graduated from high school in 2003.[4]
Shansby studied philosophy at Yale University, graduating in 2007.[9][6] At Yale, he was a member of St. Anthony Hall and was also a political cartoonist for the Yale Daily News.[6][3][9]
Career
[edit]While in high school, Shansby drew editorial cartoons for the weekly Montgomery County Sentinel.[5][10] His political cartoons covered AIDS, environmental issues, gay marriage, human cloning, public education, and the Iraq War.[3] Once in college, he continued submitting to the Sentinel.[3] His work was also published in Young D.C. and The Report Press Law Magazine.[4]
In 2004, Gene Weingarten asked him to illustrate Below the Beltway, his weekly humor column in The Washington Post Magazine.[6][3] Shansby began contributing to Below the Beltway while he was a freshman in college.[1] He also had a regular feature on the KidsPost website.[5]
Shansby illustrated the 2014 children's book Me & Dog, a parable on atheism written by Weingarten.[11]
In September 2018, Shansby left Below the Beltway as part of the redesign of The Washington Post Magazine.[12] Wiengarten stopped writing the column in 2021.[13]
Personal life
[edit]On the Kojo Nnamdi Show, Shansby identified himself as a “culturally Jewish, American atheist.”[2]
Publications
[edit]Books
[edit]- Me & Dog. Simon & Schuster, Simon & Schuster, 2014. Written by Gene Weingarten and illustrated by Eric Shansby. ISBN 9781442494138[2][14]
As Contributing Artist
[edit]- Compleating Cul de Sac. Thompson, Richard, et al. Team Cul de Sac and ComicsDC, 2015.
- Failure by Design: The Story Behind America’s Broken Economy. Bivens, Josh. Cornell University Press, 2011. ISBN 9780801461132
- World Politics in a New Era, 4th Edition. Spiegel, Steven L., et al. Oxford University Press, 2008. ISBN 0495007595
- Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year 2007. Brooks, Charles (Ed.). Pelican Publishing, 2007. ISBN 9781589804593
- Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year 2006. Brooks, Charles (Ed.). Pelican Publishing, 2006. ISBN 9781589803978
- Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year 2005. Brooks, Charles (Ed.). Pelican Publishing, 2005. ISBN 9781589802841
- Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year 2004. Brooks, Charles (Ed.). Pelican Publishing, 2004. ISBN 9781589802001
References
[edit]- ^ a b Weingarten, Gene. What's mightier, the pencil or the keyboard? Washington Post Magazine. February 8, 2004.
- ^ a b c d Gene Weingarten & Eric Shansby on Comedy and Collaboration. The Kojo Nnamdi Show. September 18, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Gonzalez, Susan (April 23, 2004). "Freshman cartoonist illustrates Washington Post column". Yale Bulletin and Calendar. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
- ^ a b c "Silver Chips Online". Montgomery Blair High School. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
- ^ a b c Profile of a Teen Cartoonist. Literary Cavalcade (February 2005) vol 57, no. 7, p. 5. via EBSCO, accessed May 25, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Eric Shansby. Yale Daily News. January 19, 2007.
- ^ Gardner, Alan (2005-11-29). "Eric Shansby Success Story". The Daily Cartoonist. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
- ^ a b "Local High School Publications Receive Awards". Montgomery County Public Schools. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
- ^ a b "Yale Bologna Festival Information | Yale, MI".
- ^ "Fewer pens, more swords". Lexington Herald-Leader. 2004-09-18. Archived from the original on 18 September 2004. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
- ^ On the Media: Me and Dog. WNYC. October 3, 2014.
- ^ Weingarten, Gene (September 27, 2018). "An exit interview with my longtime illustrator". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
- ^ Weingarten, Gene (September 23, 2021). "Gene Weingarten: I won't humor you anymore". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
- ^ "Eric Shansby". Simon & Schuster. Retrieved 2022-05-26.