Henny Beaumont is a graphic novelist, freelance illustrator and political cartoonist. Her first graphic novel Hole in the Heart was shortlisted for Myriad first Graphic novel prize and included in list of top ten books about motherhood of all time by Mumsnet. Her political cartoons and animations have appeared in the Canary and The Morning Star as well many as other publications.
She is currently working on Disappearing Women – a project with The Femicide Census and The Centre for Women’s Justice to raise awareness of the 118 women lost to male violence in 2020, whose names were read out in the House of Commons by Jess Phillips MP. Henny is painting each woman, one a day, over the next few months, filming the process and then reversing the video so that the painting disappears. You can follow Henny’s progress on instagram and website (links to the left), and donations in their memory can be made here. A BBC TV news report of Henny’s work can be seen here.
Henny’s most recent publication is Equal to Everything: Judge Brenda and the Supreme Court, a children’s book about Lady Hale co-authored with Afua Hirsch. She received an Arts council Award for her second graphic novel about poetry, was long listed for the Women Poets’ Prize and featured as artist in residence at Hay festival 2019 and Stoke Newington Literary festival 2019.
She is a director and founder of Hackney Shorts film festival and animation judge. She has an MA in fine Art printmaking from Camberwell college of art and an MA supervisor at Kingston University.
Interviews and Features
Henny Beaumont teaches children how to draw!
Once you’ve mastered lions and tigers, head over to Henny’s YouTube channel to find more simple, free art tutorials.
‘I wanted to produce a [cover] image that was a warning, but also hopeful. A celebration of creativity and the imagination in the face of the imminent catastrophe that climate change represents. I wanted to capture the threat we are facing and, at the same time, show that writers and artists have a role to play, that they can have a positive impact on the way we think about climate change, and that we can be inspired to alter our behaviour.’ Henny Beaumont
Hay Festival 2019
Henny Beaumont, author of Hole in the Heart, was artist in residence at Hay Festival Wales 2019, capturing events and atmosphere over the final weekend. Here is her sketch of the wonderful Margaret Busby in conversation with New Daughters of Africacontributor, Bernardine Evaristo. You can see all of Henny’s sketches over on the Hay Festival Facebook page HERE.
The Mighty - interview
“ ‘I felt there was nothing out there that really described my own experience,” Beaumont said. “I think I’ve written the book I would have liked to read when Beth was little — something that described the difficulty I had loving Beth, without making me feel guilty.’ ”
Read an interview with Henny Beaumont here on The Mighty, a website dedicated to breaking the isolation around disability, disease and mental illness.
Mumsnet – guest post
‘My daughter made me face my own prejudices towards disability’: Henny Beaumont thought she was expressing the unspeakable when she wrote about how she coped with her daughter’s Down’s syndrome diagnosis. Read more here.
Mail on Sunday – YOU magazine
‘The child with Down’s is as much of a child as any other’. Read here for a full-length interview with Henny Beaumont by Joanna Moorhead in the Mail on Sunday on 12 June 2016.
BBC Radio 4 – Woman's Hour
Listen here to Henny’s interview on 21 June 2016 by Jane Garvey on BBC Woman’s Hour.
BBC Radio London – Jo Good
Henny Beaumont talks about her graphic novel to Jo Good on BBC Radio London on 14 June 2016.
Learning Disability features Hole in the Heart
View the post on the Learning Disability website here.
Interview with Alex Fitch
As part of a series of shows about ‘untold tales’, narratives not normally depicted in comics, Alex Fitch talked to artist Henny Beaumont about her debut graphic novel A Hole in the Heart, about bringing up a child with Down’s Syndrome: