Emily Bowen Cohen creates comics that explore intersectional identity. She is Jewish and a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. She uses personal experience to tell stories that examine contemporary American and Jewish culture. Emily grew up in rural Oklahoma. Her father was the Chief of Staff at their tribal hospital and her mother is a nice Jewish girl from New Jersey. After her father’s early death Emily was separated from her Native family. A decade later, she returned to Oklahoma for a bittersweet homecoming.
Emily drew on her personal experiences to create her debut graphic novel, Two Tribes, published by HarperCollins Native-focused imprint, Heartdrum. The book has garnered many reviews and honors since publication in August 2023. Awards include, YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens, School Library Journal Best Books of 2023, a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award, and American Indians in Children’s Literature (AICL) Best Books of 2023. She has spoken at numerous schools, from elementary through college and was the keynote speaker for Jewish American Heritage Month at the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
“Thank you so very much for your wonderful presentation and workshop May 7. I think of it several times a week, thinking of how we can build on the story and journey you shared to keep highlighting and celebrating diversity of experiences. The workshop also was so effective in asking participants to reflect on their lives, recognizing the many paths and steps we take—sometimes forward, sometimes to the side or back—but all a part of life.” — Mara I. Lazda, Ph.D, Professor and Deputy Chair, Bronx Community College, The City University of New York, 2024
