Jeff Smith, American cartoonist and graphic novelist, was born on Feb. 27, 1960, in McKees Rocks, Penn. He grew up in Columbus, Ohio.
Jeff’s father read the comic strip Peanuts to him every Sunday, and it encouraged him to learn to read. As a child, Jeff read Walt Disney’s Uncle Scrooge and comics like Batman, Superman and Krazy Kat.
Jeff attended Ohio State University, where he studied animation, and, while at college, created the comic strip “Thorn” for the student newspaper, The Lantern. He drew comic strips for the University Newspaper for four years. Graduating from college, Jeff and two friends created an animation studio called Character Builders, Inc.
In 1991, Jeff started Cartoon Books, a company which could self-publish. He is best-known for being the creator of the self-published comic book series, “BONE,” for which he won 20 Harvey and Eisner awards, and wrote and drew RASL, which won the 2014 Eisner award for Best Graphic Novel.
His work is published in 13 languages and has won the highest awards in Germany, France, Italy and at home. He now spends most of his time promoting comics and the art of graphic novels. Jeff and his wife, Vijaya Iyer call Columbus, Ohio their home.
In 2009, Jeff was featured in a documentary film on his life and work, “The Cartoonist: Jeff Smith, BONE and the changing face of comics.”
In 2026, he has been nominated for the Eisner Awards Hall of Fame.
The library calendar has the following themes for March: Craft Month, Music in Our Schools Month, Red Cross Month, Women’s History Month and Youth Art Month.
