Tyler Feder
TYLER FEDER IS AN ARTIST WHOSE WORK EXPLORES BIG FEELINGS, FEMINISM, AND POP CULTURE.
Her debut solo work, Dancing at the Pity Party (Dial), a graphic memoir about the premature death of her super cool mom, won the Sydney Taylor gold medal for young adult literature. She wrote and illustrated two picture books: the critically acclaimed body positive anthem Bodies Are Cool (Dial) and Are You Mad at Me? (Rocky Pond), a charming tale of childhood anxiety co-authored with her sister Cody. In addition, Tyler also illustrated Together We March (Simon & Shuster) by Leah Henderson, Unladylike: A Field Guide to Smashing the Patriarchy and Claiming Your Space (Ten Speed) by Cristen Conger and Caroline Ervin, and the upcoming All About Vulvas and Vaginas: A Learning About Bodies Book and All About Penises: A Learning About Bodies Book (Henry Holt and Co.), both by sex educators Dorian Solot and Marshall Miller. Selected freelance clients include Netflix, Huggies, and eBay. Tyler also runs Roaring Softly, where she sells downloadable versions of her art and her signature one-minute portraits, which are exactly what they sound like.
Tyler graduated from Northwestern University in 2011 with a B.A. in Radio/TV/Film and a certificate in Creative Writing for the Media. She completed the Writing Program at the Second City Training Center in 2013.
When she is not making art, Tyler enjoys crochet, jigsaw puzzles, and jogging extremely slowly along Lake Michigan. She currently lives and works out of a cozy apartment in Chicago with her mischievous snowball, Mitzvah Bear.
Books by Tyler
A very nervous ostrich pushes past her anxiety in this funny, endearing picture book by the author/illustrator of Bodies Are Cool (co-written with her sister).
When Opal the ostrich is anxious, her neck feels as wobbly as a spaghetti noodle. Her family lovingly calls this “The Noodles,” and tries their best to help. But it’s not easy to calm down when you’re a worrier like Opal—especially when you’re worrying about somebody else’s opinion of you.
Now it’s the day of her family’s annual party, and Opal is in charge of picking up the triple-layer-double-custard-beet-and-berry tart from the bakery—a big responsibility! What if she does something wrong? What if somebody gets mad at her? Opal is having a serious case of the Noodles.
This light-hearted take on social anxiety is just the right amount silly and sweet—perfect for young children and anyone else who has ever gotten The Noodles.
Part poignant cancer memoir and part humorous reflection on a motherless life, this debut graphic novel is extraordinarily comforting and engaging. From before her mother’s first oncology appointment through the stages of her cancer to the funeral, sitting shiva, and afterward, when she must try to make sense of her life as a motherless daughter, Tyler Feder tells her story in this graphic novel that is full of piercing–but also often funny–details. She shares the important post-death firsts, such as celebrating holidays without her mom, the utter despair of cleaning out her mom’s closet, ending old traditions and starting new ones, and the sting of having the “I’ve got to tell Mom about this” instinct and not being able to act on it. This memoir, bracingly candid and sweetly humorous, is for anyone struggling with loss who just wants someone to get it.
This cheerful love-your-body picture book for preschoolers is an exuberant read-aloud with bright and friendly illustrations to pore over.
From the acclaimed creator of Dancing at the Pity Party and Roaring Softly, this picture book is a pure celebration of all the different human bodies that exist in the world. Highlighting the various skin tones, body shapes, and hair types is just the beginning in this truly inclusive book. With its joyful illustrations and encouraging refrain, it will instill body acceptance and confidence in the youngest of readers. “My body, your body, every different kind of body! All of them are good bodies! BODIES ARE COOL!”
A funny, fact-driven, and illustrated field guide to how to live a feminist life in today’s world, from the hosts of the hit Unladylike podcast. Get ready to get unladylike with this field guide to the what’s, why’s, and how’s of intersectional feminism and practical hell-raising. Through essential, inclusive, and illustrated explorations of what patriarchy looks like in the real world, authors and podcast hosts Cristen Conger and Caroline Ervin blend wild histories, astounding stats, social justice principles, and self-help advice to connect where the personal meets political in our bodies, brains, booty calls, bank accounts, and other confounding facets of modern woman-ing and nonbinary-ing. By laying out the uneven terrain of double-standards, head games, and handouts patriarchy has manspread across society for ages, Unladylike is here to unpack our gender baggage and map out the space that’s ours to claim. Illustrated by Tyler Feder.
