Craig Thompson is an artist and graphic novelist best known for his autobiographical novel, Blankets, which tells the story of Thompson’s childhood in a Christian home, his first love, and his early adulthood. Thompson received many awards for Blankets, including four Harvey Awards, two Eisner Awards, and two Ignatz Awards. In his most recent book, Habibi, stories drawn from the Koran are interspersed with the trials of Dodola, a young girl who is prized for her beauty despite the fact that she is also intelligent and literate, and the younger Zam, an African boy whose guilt-ridden relationship with his surrogate mother leads to devastating choices. Thompson uses the Islamic tradition of calligraphic and geometric design in his artwork. His inspiration comes from a desire to understand Islam better and to display the beauty of Arabic and Islamic cultures. Thompson lives in Portland, Oregon.

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