Each month, Librairie Drawn & Quarterly invites an author or artist to curate a shelf in the store. This May-- comics month in Montreal-- we bring you recommendations from Keiler Roberts! 

Keiler Roberts makes autobiographical comics. She is the recipient of the Slate Cartoonist Studio Prize for Chlorine Gardens and is the author of Powdered Milk, Happy Happy Baby Baby, Miseryland, Rat Time, and Sunburning which was translated into Spanish as Isolada. Also the winner of the Ignatz Award, she teaches comics at The School of The Art Institute in Chicago.

Her latest book, My Begging Chart is released in May 2021, from Drawn & Quarterly.

How to Walk on Water and Other Stories by Rachel Swearingen

This is an excellent collection of gripping, visceral stories, that I can't wait to read again.

 The Hospital Suite by John Porcellino

John Porcellino has always been my unofficial guide for how to make comics, and how to be authentic to your own idiosyncracies. I love the way John writes about illness, pain, anxiety, memories, pets, and unimpressive midwestern native animals.

Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby

This made me laugh out loud so many times! I love Samatha Irby. I read a lot of funny personal essays and memoirs. They influence my work and help me understand myself and others better.

The Speed of Mercy by Christy Ann Conlin

I've loved Christy Ann's other books and this one was just released in Canada!  Her books are not just visual, they make me experience textures, lighting, scents, and the feeling of the air. When I put down her books, I feel like I truly went somewhere else.

Anna and Froga: Wanna Gumball? Wanna Gumball? by Anouk Richard

I love ALL of the Anna and Froga books. They're extremely funny and great to read over and over again, with or without kids. The art style is perfect - a great palette and a tone that emphasizes the writing in all the right ways.

False Bingo by Jac Jemc

These are stories unlike anything else I've read. Jac Jemc answers questions about how far you can lean away from traditional story-telling arcs while maintaining gripping characters and substance. The characters have personalities that I haven't seen in other books, but instantly recognized and identified with. I also loved her novel, In the Grip of It.

Heart of Junk by Luke Geddes

This book was an entertaining and funny treat. It takes place mostly in an antique mall. I loved the setting, the characters, and the way he writes about Barbies and collectors. There is plenty of darkness here, but it's caused  caused by inadequacy or lack of clear thinking, rather than evil.

The Customer is Always Wrong by Mimi Pond

The Customer is Always Wrong features one of my favorite characters. The owner of the restaurant where Madge waits tables is an incredible person, who demonstrates how much the intangible elements of life - relationships and conversations, are some people's "body of work." The only difference is that they never get to have a retrospective.