Rare Occurrence: Female Editorial Cartoonist Signs With Major Syndicate

Posted Monday, September 11, 2006 12:00 am

By: E&P Staff Lisa Benson's editorial cartoons will be syndicated by the Washington Post Writers Group (WWG) starting Oct. 16.

She'll join a small group of female editorial cartoonists with major syndicates -- including Signe Wilkinson of The Philadelphia Daily News and WPWG, Ann Telnaes of the Cartoonists & Writers Syndicate/New York Times Syndicate, and Etta Hulme of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and United Media.

Benson is a freelance artist and graphic designer who has drawn local cartoons for the Victorville, Calif., Daily Press since 1992. The newspaper's editorial page editor, Steve Williams, touted her work to a WPWG sales rep during a recent visit.

"Lisa Benson is a rare talent who can illustrate a major news story in a single drawing and convey her ideas to readers in very few words," said WPWG Editorial Director Alan Shearer, who described Benson's politics as conservative.

The native Californian came to editorial cartooning a little later than most, while raising her four children -- now ages 18 to 26.

Benson has won several awards, including first-place honors (under 75,000 circulation) from the California Newspaper Publishers Association in 2000.

WPWG's other editorial cartoonists are Pulitzer Prize winners Wilkinson and Nick Anderson of the Houston Chronicle.

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Rare Occurrence: Female Editorial Cartoonist Signs With Major Syndicate

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