Peirce, Lincoln (1963-…), is an American children’s author, cartoonist, and illustrator. He is best known for his comic strip series “Big Nate,” which began in 1991. Peirce’s comics and books are celebrated for their relatable, child-friendly humor. The stories are based on Peirce’s childhood and on his experiences as a high school teacher.
Nate Wright, the main character of “Big Nate,” is a confident, sarcastic, 11-year-old boy with a habit of getting into trouble in school. The “Big Nate” comic strips have been published in a number of print newspapers and online. They have also been published in a number of collections, including a series that began with Big Nate: From the Top (2010). Peirce has written and illustrated a series of chapter books that explore Nate’s life, friends, and adventures in the sixth grade. The first book in this series was Big Nate: In a Class by Himself (2010).
In 2019, Peirce introduced a new series of chapter books, set in the Middle Ages, about a brave, witty girl named Max who hopes to become a knight. The series began with Max and the Midknights.
Peirce was born on Oct. 23, 1963, in Ames, Iowa , north of Des Moines. He grew up in New Hampshire. As a child, he loved the comic strip “Peanuts” (1950-2000) by Charles Schulz and began to practice cartooning. Peirce created his own characters and comic strips throughout childhood. While attending Colby College in Waterville, Maine, Peirce started a comic strip called “Third Floor” for his campus newspaper. He earned an art degree at Colby College in 1985. Peirce also studied at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine. He taught art at Xavier High School in New York City and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree at Brooklyn College. He later moved to Portland, Maine.
Peirce began his career as a creator of comics by presenting his idea for a strip called “Neighborhood Comics” to the syndication service United Media. A syndication service provides articles, comic strips, and other content for newspapers, magazines, and other media. United Media helped him successfully develop his idea into “Big Nate.” The strip achieved widespread popularity in 2009, when it was picked up by the website Poptropica.com.
Peirce co-wrote the stage play Big Nate: The Musical, which premiered in Glen Echo, Maryland, in 2013. Peirce has also written for animated series on the television networks Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network.
