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.
“Emily is so personable and flexible. She navigated a challenging space and a wide variety of comprehension and engagement levels with humor and grace! Students were fascinated by her personal stories and how they connected to what they had learned about the Native American experience in history. She also reached them on their level, presenting a window into her life at their age and pulling threads of connection with their own life stories. Her work lends an “IRL” touch to what is seemingly distant history for our kids. We wish we had more time with Emily and can’t wait to invite her back for another book talk and identity workshop!” — Milken Community School, 2024
