Liza Donnelly has drawn cartoons for the New Yorker for over 40 year years. She is a legend in the business working for a legendary publication. Naturally when cohost John Lee mentioned that he had met Liza at an Irish Business Organization speaking engagement, I opined she would make for an excellent guest for our podcast.
Fortunately Liza was amenable to that suggestion and it allowed us to explore her career in some depth, from her childhood in Washington DC to her red carpet live drawing engagements at the Oscars. There's a lot packed into this episode and Liza gives thoughtful answers in revealing how she was attracted to the world of cartooning and what the future of cartooning holds.
Liza's Donnelly roots are deep in America, stretching back to the 18th century when her ancestor Peter Donnelly upped sticks from Monaghan and made his way way to New York. Although her American roots stretch back multiple generations and feature New Jersey politicians and a Civil War general, she connected strongly with the Ireland when she paid a couple of visits some years back. You can read more about those trips here:
Since Dublin is my home city, I couldn't resist culling this image from her Dublin article, hopefully that will encourage you to read the whole thing and remember give the episode a listen as there is a lot more there beyond this brief post
