Nate Powell (b. 1978, Little Rock, Arkansas) is a graphic novelist, publisher, and musician. He owns DIY punk record label Harlan Records, has performed in several punk bands (including Universe, Divorce Chord, WAIT, Soophie Nun Squad, Boomfancy, and Gioteens), and occasionally performed hip hop as Featherweight MC. From 1997 to 2002 he was an actor and skit writer for North Little Rock sketch comedy show Fun And Games. Powell currently lives in Bloomington, IN.From 1999 to 2009, he worked as a caregiver for adults with developmental disabilities.
His 2008 graphic novel Swallow Me Whole won the Ignatz Award for Outstanding Debut, as well as the 2009 Ignatz Award for Outstanding Artist. On March 2, 2009, it was named a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in the Young Adult Fiction category. It received the 2009 Eisner Award for Best Original Graphic Novel, and was also nominated for Best Writer/Artist and Best Lettering.
Powell is currently drawing Any Empire (forthcoming on Top Shelf Productions in 2011) and drawing the graphic novel The Silence Of Our Friends (forthcoming on First Second Books in 2012), written by Mark Long and Jim Demonakos.