User:MarkalAC/sandbox

Early Life
Wilkinson was born in Wichita Falls, Texas in 1950 to Quaker parents. She later received a BA in English at Denver University. After earning her degree, she attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts; to support herself, she later worked with graphic design at the Academy of Natural Sciences, and various regional newspapers hired her as a stringer.

Personal Life
Wilkinson and her husband live in Pennsylvania with their two birds, five goldfish, and a dog named "Ginger."

Career
After Wilkinson received her BA in English, she began to pursue careers in journalism. She worked as a reporter, stringing for the Daily Post, the King of Prussia, and the West Chester Daily Local News. She also worked for the Quakers and the Academy of Natural Sciences before working for a housing project in Cypress. This job ended shortly due to a coup d'etat, followed by a military invasion from Turkey. Once Wilkinson returned to reporting, she would draw the people she reported on. Realizing her interest in both art and politics, Wilkinson attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts for a year. During her time at the art school, she stringed for various Philadelphia and New York publications. In 1982, she earned a full time job at the San Jose Mercury News where she spent three and a half years working as a cartoonist. In the mid 1980s, Wilkinson went on to work for the Philadelphia Daily News as a cartoonist in which she draws five cartoons a week. Her work is described as having a "unique style and famous irreverence." Additionally, Wilkinson has also created cartoons for Working Woman, MS. Magazine, Organic Gardening, the Institute for Research on Higher Education and several other publications such as the Friends Journal and the University Barge Club newspaper. From 1994 to 1995, she was the president of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists. On November 21, 2007, Wilkinson launched a syndicated daily comic strip entitled "Family Tree" with United Media. This strip focused on environmental issues and was ended on August 27, 2011. For the Organic Gardening magazine, Wilkinson created a comic strip entitled "Shrubbery" that centered on botanical and political topics. The Washington Post Writers Group syndicated Wilkinson's cartoons. Wilkinson is the only woman whose work has been distributed by a major syndicate.

Awards

 * 1991: Berryman Award
 * 1992: Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning
 * 1996: Overseas Press Club Award- Thomas Nast Award
 * 2000: Overseas Press Club Award- Thomas Nast Award
 * 2002: Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award- Cartoon
 * 2006: Overseas Press Club Award- Thomas Nast Award
 * 2008: Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award- Cartoon
 * 2011: Visionary Woman Award from Moore College of Art & Design
 * 2013: Aronson Award for Cartooning- Cartooning with a Conscience
 * 2014: Overseas Press Club Award- Thomas Nast Award

Notable Works

 * "Family Tree" with United Media
 * "Shrubbery" for Organic Gardening
 * One Nation, Under Surveillance (Cartoonist Group, 2005)
 * Illustrations for Mike McGrath's Book of Compost by Mike McGrath (Sterling, 2006)
 * Illustrations for You Bet Your Tomatoes by Mike McGrath (re-issued in 2008)
 * Contributor to cartoon collection of Sex and Sensibility: Ten Women Examine the Lunacy of Modern Love in 200 Cartoons (Twelve, 2008)