Public Scholarship Interview with Stephanie Cox

Stephanie Cox is a Senior Lecturer in French and Francophone Studies and Cross-Cultural Studies at Carleton College, where she has been teaching since 2007. She received her PhD from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where she specialized in French-speaking North America. Beyond her work teaching French, Stephanie is a cartoonist. She combines historical research with her illustrations to create biographical graphic novels, often highlighting overlooked female historical figures. Stephanie collaborated with Chérif Kéita to create “A Zulu in New York,” a comic book about Nokutela Mdima Dube and her work founding a school in South Africa. The project received a grant from the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council to fund a series of events that use the book to engage with the Northfield community; the book has also been distributed in South Africa. She also received a grant from the Minnesota Arts Board for her graphic novel with Nathalie Rech, “Lulu White, Queen of Diamonds: Chronicles of a Black Madam in New York.” Stephanie also collaborated with Caridad Jimenez to create “Finita La Gringa,” a story featured in Spanish language program Contraseña. Stephanie co-founded the My Kind of Comics Club, a monthly meet up for local comics creators that takes place in the Northfield Library. To learn more about Stephanie's thoughts and implementation of Public Scholarship, check out this interview.