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
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
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
On the Kojo Nnamdi Show, Shansby identified himself as a “culturally Jewish, American atheist.”[2]
Publications
Books
- Me & Dog. Simon & Schuster, Simon & Schuster, 2014. Written by Gene Weingarten and illustrated by Eric Shansby. [2][14]
As Contributing Artist
- 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.
- World Politics in a New Era, 4th Edition. Spiegel, Steven L., et al. Oxford University Press, 2008.
- Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year 2007. Brooks, Charles (Ed.). Pelican Publishing, 2007.
- Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year 2006. Brooks, Charles (Ed.). Pelican Publishing, 2006.
- Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year 2005. Brooks, Charles (Ed.). Pelican Publishing, 2005.
- Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year 2004. Brooks, Charles (Ed.). Pelican Publishing, 2004.
References
- ↑ Jump up to: 1.0 1.1 Weingarten, Gene. What's mightier, the pencil or the keyboard? Washington Post Magazine. February 8, 2004.
- ↑ Jump up to: 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Gene Weingarten & Eric Shansby on Comedy and Collaboration. The Kojo Nnamdi Show. September 18, 2014.
- ↑ Jump up to: 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 Template:Cite web
- ↑ Jump up to: 4.0 4.1 4.2 Template:Cite web
- ↑ Jump up to: 5.0 5.1 5.2 Profile of a Teen Cartoonist. Literary Cavalcade (February 2005) vol 57, no. 7, p. 5. via EBSCO, accessed May 25, 2022.
- ↑ Jump up to: 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Eric Shansby. Yale Daily News. January 19, 2007.
- ↑ Template:Cite web
- ↑ Jump up to: 8.0 8.1 Template:Cite web
- ↑ Jump up to: 9.0 9.1 Template:Cite web
- ↑ Template:Cite web
- ↑ On the Media: Me and Dog. WNYC. October 3, 2014.
- ↑ Template:Cite news
- ↑ Template:Cite news
- ↑ Template:Cite web