John Chalmers (Metaphrog)
Telephone:
0141 632 7456Email:
metaphrog@metaphrog.comWebsite:
www.metaphrog.comBRAW network:
yesLL funded:
yesBiography:
metaphrog are the Franco-Scottish duo Sandra Marrs and John Chalmers. They have been creating comics and graphic novels together for over a decade. John is from Greenock and studied science, garnering several degrees, including a PhD from Strathclyde University’s Electronic and Electrical Engineering Department in a branch of Opto-Electronics involving micromachining, but he has always maintained a keen interest in art and literature. Sandra was born and raised in France and gained a degree in Arts and Literature. In 1994, she decided to move to Scotland. That same year, John was returning from the Netherlands. Their meeting was a catalyst, and within a few months, metaphrog was born. They live and work in Glasgow.About writer's work:
John writes and letters, Sandra pencils, inks and paints. Together through the graphic novel medium their work explores themes of communication, fragmentation, alienation, friendship and language, among other things, and the books work on several levels. Their popular Louis series of books have been enjoyed by children and adults alike
.
Strange Weather Lately was the first graphic novel ever to be featured at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, in 1999. Their current Louis series has received several prestigious industry award nominations and critical acclaim worldwide. Julie Burchill championed their work in The Guardian, and publications as diverse as Publishers Weekly, The School Librarian, Libératon, The Herald, The Comics Journal, to name some, have praised the books. The two most recent Louis books have also been awarded Scottish Arts Council support, with Louis – The Clown’s Last Words being the first graphic novel ever to be awarded a SAC grant..
As well as doing storytelling workshops in schools and libraries they regularly attend comic festivals around the world, to communicate and promote literature and their graphic novel work, and have recently been invited by the National Library of Scotland to talk about their work and conduct a workshop.
About writer's events and projects:
We are available for workshops for children and adults, on how to create your own comic story (including character design and an explanation of the language of comics). Also we are available for talks about our work, and the creative process applied to graphic novels, and for residencies. Recently we have participated in the NLS graphic novel series of events with a talk and a workshop.Language:
EnglishAge groups:
9-12, Teens, Adults
