Wakefield First's Maker of the Month: Darryl Cunningham

Darryl Cunningham is a Yorkshire writer and cartoonist who creates his inspired illustrations from his based in Wakefield. After studying the topic in Leeds, he's created a wide variety of projects, ranging from mental health to politics to science.

Wakefield First reached out to Darryl to discover more about himself, his work and why he chose Wakefield to base his business.

"I’m a cartoonist and writer based in Wakefield. I was born in Yorkshire and haven’t moved far from where I was born. I went to Leeds University of Art and was given a honorary MA by the university in 2018. My twin passions are writing and drawing, so for me cartooning was the obvious choice, because comics fuse together both mediums. I’ve become known as someone who takes complex subjects and explains them in a clear and concise manner without dumbing down the subject. There is much you can say with a combination of words and images. Comics are the cinema of the printed page."

"I’ve written books covering such diverse subjects as mental health, economics, science, and politics. My most recent books include Billionaires: The Lives of the Rich and Powerful (which contains three biographies of some of the most powerful people on the planet: Rupert Murdoch, the Koch Brothers, and Jeff Bezos of Amazon), and Putin: The Rise of a Dictator (a biography of Vladimir Putin). These books have been internationally published."

"In 2015 I was involved with the Bill And Melinda Gates Foundation’s Art Of Saving a Life project, as one of 30 world-renowned photographers, painters, sculptors, writers, filmmakers, and musicians to impress urgency on the global community to reach all children with the life-saving vaccines they need."

"Wakefield is great place to live. I feel that I fell on my feet when I came here. It’s a good mixture of town and beautiful countryside. It has a thriving arts and music scene. What’s not to like?"

"My favourite of my own books is Psychiatric Tales. A book based on my experiences working on an acute mental health ward, and written with aim of cutting through the myths and stigma surrounding psychiatric illnesses. This summer my latest book was published in France - a biography of Elon Musk. A English language edition of this book will appear, but I’m not sure when yet."

To find out more about Darryl and his work, please visit: Darryl Cunningham | Myriad (myriadeditions.com)

Are you a creative business or individual seeking some extra support contact us at businesssupport@wakefield.gov.uk.