Ronan and the Endless Sea of Stars A Graphic Memoir

WINNER
Outstanding Work of Graphic Medicine (Long Form)
2023 Awards for Excellence in Graphic Medicine
Graphic Medicine International Collective

A graphic novel memoir recounting one parent’s unique and wrenching journey caring for a child with a terminal diagnosis.

When Rick and Emily’s infant son Ronan is diagnosed with Tay-Sachs, an incurable neurological disorder, they are faced with the practical and emotional hurdles of parenting and loving their son—despite the shadow of inevitable loss. Rick Louis narrates this original graphic memoir, with illustrator Lara Antal translating the space that Ronan occupies before, during, and after his life, using flights of fancy and imagination to express the bizarre, heartbreaking, and sometimes even silly reality of human beings suddenly trapped in an impossible situation.

Ronan and the Endless Sea of Stars is a story of warmth and of heartbreak—about finding joy in life, no matter how long or short that life might be.

FINALIST
Book of the Year
Best Adult Non-Fiction
2023 Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards
Pop Culture Classroom

NOMINEE
Best Presentation in Design
2023 Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards
Ringo Awards

Rick Louis was born in New York City and raised by Star Trek. After college and a year on the road as a circus roustabout, he managed to get a couple of plays produced off-off-Broadway. Relocating to Los Angeles, he worked as a writer on movie scripts and sketch comedy. As a tattooed vegan on a bike, he eventually moved to Portland, Oregon, where he lives to this day, working as a freelance writer and editor. Lara Antal is an artist who loves black humor, black coffee, and colorful characters. Her work has appeared in places like the Washington Post and the Skimm, and she has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, WNYC-NPR, the Huffington Post, Bustle, and more. If you dine in New York City, you may have seen one of her infamous Choking Victim posters. She currently resides in Brooklyn with her almost-toothless chihuahua, Chuck.