One of Seattle's most notable artists, Ellen Forney, will discuss her courageous new graphic memoir Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, & Me at the Seattle Public Library central branch on Saturday, November 10 at 7:00 PM. Her slide presentation in the Microsoft Auditorium will be followed by a book signing. Copies will available at the event. Admission is free.

Ellen Forney has a long history of achievement as a cartoonist, visual artist, and charismatic figure in the Seattle's cultural community. Forney was recently anointed a "Genius" by alternative newspaper The Stranger. She's the featured public artist on the Capitol Hill light rail station project. Seattle-based publisher Fantagraphics Books has collected her work in three popular volumes — Lust, I Love Led Zeppelin, and Monkey Food. Her collaboration with author Sherman Alexie on The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian was honored with a National Book Award in 2007. Beyond these accomplishments, Ellen has followed in the tradition of Lynda Barry, Tom Robbins, Kurt Cobain and other notable artists in cleverly reflecting regional sensibilities to the rest of the nation.

Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, & Me, from Penguin Books' Gotham imprint, chronicles Forney's experience with bipolar disorder in the context of her career in comix. She documents her symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment with both sensitivity and humor. Her accessible approach to this difficult subject removes the social stigma associated with mental illness. Please join us on Saturday, November 10 at 7:00 PM at the Seattle Public Library as this extraordinary artist unveils her remarkable new book.