The Fire Never Goes Out: A Memoir in Pictures

By ND Stevenson

From ND Stevenson, the New York Times bestselling author-illustrator of Nimona, comes a captivating, honest illustrated memoir that finds him turning an important corner in his creative journey—and inviting readers along for the ride.

In a collection of essays and personal mini-comics that span eight years of his young adult life, author-illustrator ND Stevenson charts the highs and lows of being a creative human in the world.

Whether it’s hearing the wrong name called at his art school graduation ceremony or becoming a National Book Award finalist for his debut graphic novel, Nimona, ND captures the little and big moments that make up a real life, with a wit, wisdom, and vulnerability that are all his own.

Named one of Bank Street College of Education's Best Children’s Books of the Year!

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Mar 3, 2020
• ISBN: 9780062278289

ND Stevenson

ND Stevenson is the award-winning, bestselling author and illustrator of Nimona and The Fire Never Goes Out, the cocreator of Lumberjanes, and was the showrunner for the award-winning Netflix series She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. He currently lives in Los Angeles.

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Reviews for The Fire Never Goes Out

[jennybeast · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There's a lot of good stuff in here, and I'm not sure how I feel about it, much as I'm not sure how I feel about the types of graphic novel memoir that go into all the details -- there's a balance, and this one falls on the vague side. I think that's a strength, because it allows the reader to determine what they will take away and to see themselves in the work. It didn't make me think I knew the creator any better at the ending, but it was kind of cool to see that the fire/hole in the chest thing isn't just me, and I loved the art. Cool.

[roniweb · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

GORGEOUS BOOK. This is simply a gorgeous book from start to finish. Noelle Stevenson may be best known as the showrunner for She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. But I came to know of their work through Lumberjanes. It is told in double reflective mode. Not only a memoir, but a collection of Noelle's End of the Year Tumblr posts. The time period covered is Noelle's emergence as a powerhouse artist and creator. They also share how they wrestled with their sexuality. One note is that the author bio does not use their current pronoun they. Given their young age, I fully expect another memoir in due time.

[krau0098 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book that I borrowed from the library.Story (4/5): I really enjoyed this and thought it was well done. I liked the look into Stevenson's road to success and appreciated her candor about her struggles. The book is organized by year and takes us through Stevenson’s start as a writer.Writing/Drawing Style (4/5): The book is drawn and written in Stevensen’s typical style. It’s organized by year and most of the entries are yearly end summaries she wrote as she was living her life. Some of the pages are a bit sparse with drawing but in general were well done.My Summary (4/5): Overall I would recommend this if you are interested in graphic novel memoirs in general or have a particular interest in Stevenson. This does cover some about how people deal with being so successful so quickly and what that can do to a person’s mental state.

[norabelle414 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Noelle Stevenson was an award-winning comics artist and writer before she was 22 years old. Such a meteoric rise took a toll on her mental health, which she had been neglecting in an effort to meet such high expectations. This book is a published version of blog posts and personal comics from 2011 to 2019.If you're thinking Stevenson is a little young to be writing a memoir....that's pretty much true. There's not a lot of hindsight or analysis, just a recap of how each year went. There's a little bit of insight about bipolar disorder and sexuality and the perils of being recognized as successful at a young age, but they are only touched on lightly and never directly mentioned. If you've read Stevenson's blog or followed her online, you've probably seen all this content already. I'm very excited to see what she has to write in the future, but this one didn't speak to me.

[villemezbrown · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A powerful introduction by the author sets high expectations for an amazing graphic memoir, but then the book quickly degenerates to sketchbook doodling and noodling. It wasn't until page 48 that I found out this was a collection of blog entries. (No, I don't read cover copy, reviews, or promotional material for books by authors I like and know I will read regardless.)The diary-like quality gave some of the material a real sense of immediacy and power, but the year-in-review entries mostly felt like Christmas card family letter material.The collection picked up toward the end with some almost poetic bits and pieces and allusions to mental health issues, but I was just left yearning for the true graphic memoir outlined in the intro.