Linda Jean Barry, who changed her first name to "Lynda" at age 12,Her father was a meat-cutter of Irish and Norwegian descent, and her mother, a hospital housekeeper, was of Irish and Barry was known as the class cartoonist in her grade school. By creating an account, you acknowledge that PBS may share your information with our member stations and our respective service providers, and that you have read and understand the The men were cactuses and the women were women, and the cactuses were trying to convince the women to go to bed with them, and the women were constantly thinking it over but finally deciding it wouldn't be a good idea… Copy failed. Please try again. Copy failed. Full interview with Wisconsin Cartoonist Lynda Barry about her career as an artist, her current work as an educator, and her thoughts on how art can be a part of our lives at all ages. https://www.pbs.org/video/wisconsin-life-interview-lynda-barry Use one of the services below to sign in to PBS: The Lynda Barry Interview BY Thom Powers Jan 02, 1989 Reprinted from TCJ #132 (November 1989). While studying fine arts at The Evergreen State College, she began drawing comic strips compulsively when her boyfriend left her for another girl: "I couldn't sleep after that, and I started making comic strips about men and women. In answering a question about her book What It Is in an interview with Michael Dean for Due to the loss of weekly newspaper clients, Barry moved her comics primarily online by 2007.Collections of Barry's comics began appearing in 1981.Barry has also published four books about the creative processes of writing and drawing.