A fter Rotary’s more than two decades of fundraising, advocacy, and volunteer efforts, the world is on the brink of eradicating polio. The Rotarian supports your hard work and is committed to keeping you informed of the challenges – and progress – in the final push to end polio. During the past year, we have published 45 articles about polio, the Gates grant, and Rotary’s challenge. And your response is overwhelmingly positive.

This month’s 16-page section, “Amazing Stories of Polio”, is our effort to cover this serious topic in a different format. Creative director Deborah Lawrence had wanted to adopt graphic nonfiction for a story in The Rotarian . Similar to a comic book, but hardly juvenile, the form has received widespread acceptance. (In 1992, for example, Art Spiegelman received a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation for his graphic novel Maus: A Survivor’s Tale .)

Managing editor John Rezek describes this month’s article as “a chance to take an otherwise hodgepodge of facts about polio and use words and images to create an authoritative and engaging story.” Our section is directed more to a younger, newer Rotarian who may not know about the disease or be as familiar with Rotary’s involvement. Additionally, we wanted to reacquaint longtime Rotarians with the history of the virus. Associate editor Diana Schoberg, who has a degree in biology, wrote the story. “I wanted to know more about the science of polio. What is this disease?” she says. She found a succinct yet compelling way to talk about it.

As an art, graphic nonfiction has evolved from the traditional comic book on humorous topics to address more complex issues. Lawrence chose Steve Buccellato to illustrate this piece because of his experience in illustrating serious topics, including a biography of Ronald Reagan that he co-illustrated with Joe Staton. “I was taken by his extraordinary versatility and powerful use of color,” she says. Buccellato’s wife had been part of a Group Study Exchange team in 1992, which added to his enthusiasm for this project. In fact, he told us, “I think it’s some of the best work I’ve done.” Check out more of his work at www.stevebuccellato.com .

Our team of writers, editors, and designers is always looking for new and dynamic ways of telling Rotary stories. “When Rotary started talking about polio, people listened,” said William Gates Sr., cochair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. We hope our first venture into graphic nonfiction stimulates you. Let me know.