This article is part of our occasional series The Climate Questionnaire, where we talk with authors, writers, filmmakers, podcasters, and other content creators about their work illustrating the human impacts of air pollution and global warming.
Danica Novgorodoff is an artist and writer of books for all ages who lives in Louisville, Kentucky. In 2019, she attended the NYC Climate Strike, part of the largest global climate protest in history, with her newborn, and the experience deepened her thinking about what the climate crisis meant for her two young daughters’ futures. That’s when she teamed up with environmental journalist Meera Subramanian to write and illustrate A Better World Is Possible: Global Youth Confront the Climate Crisis, a graphic novel following four of the teens who helped organize the Climate Strike. The book, published in March 2026, weaves climate science and solutions into its storytelling and stunning visuals—my artist tween and I could not put it down!
We talked to Danica about her winding career path and her belief that artists play a crucial role in creating positive change.
How did you become an author and illustrator?
I carved this job out little by little. When I first moved to New York City, where I lived for 16 years, I worked for a graphic novel imprint of Macmillan Publishers. I had interviewed to do artwork on a book they were publishing, but I was considered too green an artist and didn’t get that gig. Instead, I joined the team as a graphic designer and worked on the publishing side of books for a few years.
Later, I went freelance, and over time, I’ve tried to shift the balance of freelance graphic design and illustration work toward more book projects of my own choosing. I still do all kinds of design gigs to pay the bills, but my true passion is making and illustrating books that tell important cultural and environmental stories.
Possible. Photo courtesy of Danica Novgorodoff.
Is there a specific moment when you decided you wanted to use your skills to raise awareness about climate change?
I once spent a couple of months living as a writer in residence at Bernheim Forest and Arboretum, a 16,000-acre forest in Kentucky, and felt very connected to the natural landscape there. I began thinking about creating a graphic novel about climate change that would inspire people to take positive action. But when I began doing research on the climate crisis, I became quite overwhelmed and figured I’d need to spend the next 10 years studying to feel ready to write this book. So I asked Meera to collaborate on the project, and she helped me craft the text.
Meera and I centered our story on four youth climate activists who helped organize the 2019 strike in New York I attended, and interspersed well-researched information about the causes, implications, and solutions to the climate crisis throughout the book.
What do you love about your job?
I love almost everything about my job! (Except not getting a regular paycheck.) I get to work on projects that are important and meaningful to me, and to communicate with people through my art. Working at home and on my own schedule suits me well, as I am pretty disciplined about it but also like the flexibility of building my own hours, especially now that I’m a mom. I enjoy spending stretches of time alone, so not working on a team or in an office is also a perk, though I do enjoy collaborating with writers and editors.
Of course, being an artist also comes with frequent doses of uncertainty and overwhelming self-doubt, since I’m not necessarily being handed a job description with concrete expectations. But overall, I love the creative process—being inspired by other artists’ work, coming up with new ideas, developing stories, and using hands-on materials to create the artwork.
Do you feel like your art makes a difference? To whom?
I hope so! It’s hard to know, since once a book goes out into the world, you often have no idea who reads it and what they think of it. When I do get the occasional note from a reader, or words of encouragement, or a good review, it means a lot to me. I hope that A Better World Is Possible helps people understand the complexities of the climate crisis in a very accessible way, shows that solutions are out there, and inspires them to take action. One message the book puts forth is that everyone has a place in the climate movement, whether as a protester, a lawyer, an artist, a singer, a gardener, a community member, a writer, a religious leader, a student, a political organizer, a tree-hugger, an educator, a fundraiser, a volunteer, and so on and so forth. Everyone has talents, interests, and skills that can be useful in the fight against climate change.
Do you hope kids might want to grow up and have your job?
It’s so hard to know what this job and the book industry will look like in a couple decades, with so much technological and economic upheaval. But humans have always needed art and stories and always will. It’s how we build meaning, share experiences, advocate for positive change, create empathy, question the status quo, explore possibilities, and imagine a better world. So yes, I hope many, many kids will grow up to make art and books.
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