Comics compiled by comics instructors Sarah Leavitt and Taylor Brown-Evans, Creative Writing
Please enjoy this collection of excellent comics from students in our 2024/25 comics classes.
This year we’re excited to have examples of comics from across our school — the minor program, BFA and MFA. You’ll find everything from memoir to fantasy, by beginner and experienced cartoonists.
We’re proud to offer comics as part of our multi-genre program; we find that not only do our students make great comics, but they also take comics skills (juxtaposition, compression, visualization) into their work in other genres.
Happy reading!
sa(l)vaging
sa(l)vaging by Lois L. K. Chan (CRWR 458)
Lois L. K. Chan’s stories have been published in Gingerbread House Literary Magazine and Yuzu Press. sa(l)vaging is a creative non-fiction comic about the artist Paul Gauguin and the Tahitian women he painted, using his own artwork and writing (from Noa Noa) as collage. It follows the author’s struggle in identifying with Gauguin as a creative and his subjects as a woman of colour after learning about his problematic relationships with them, and what it means to search for truth in/through art.
Unravel
Unravel by Raven Hawthorne (CRWR 208)
I’m an unclassified student, not pursuing under any specific degree at the moment. I received my degree in fine arts from Emily Carr University of Art + Design in 2022, where I studied painting, sound art, music, and creative writing. I took CRWR 208 because I love comics. I think, importantly, I now understand how much work can go into a comic. I learned to love drawing silhouettes, which look great on the page and take far less time to draw than a whole figure. I learned that I tend to write best by skipping to the thumbnailing stage. I learned to brainstorm dialogue by handwriting it out so I can see the size of speech bubble the words will need. Following the conclusion of the course, I decided to colour my comic digitally to get an idea of the whole workflow from beginning to near the end. Colouring the comic really transformed the storytelling. Suddenly scenes were much more distinct from one another, and there was a much different sense of mood. On the computer, I was also able to clean some lines up, and shift awkwardly placed panels into more satisfying organizations. I loved this course! You can find me on instagram as @of_tangles, but there is nothing there.
These Are The Things That Are Happening
These Are The Things That Are Happening by Marcus Jung (CRWR 308)
This is a comic depicting my experiences and interactions with elderly patients with various difficulties such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. I had been having my own difficulties trying to process my own emotions following the death of my grandfather whom I had a very close relationship with. By helping and contributing back to the community as a volunteer, I was able to meet so many wonderful individuals and heal as well. The creation of this comic was a very healing process itself, as I was able to illustrate and write about moments I witnessed firsthand which were beautiful, happy, and sad. These varying emotions I was able to express in this comic helped me appreciate life, the human mind, and human nature even more. It is important that such complex topics like Alzheimer’s and dementia are talked about more, and I wanted to express the mind as more abstract and colourful. I wanted to have the panels be free of borders and representative of memories and contrast colourful and colourless comics to convey different emotions. The techniques and lessons I learned about in CRWR308 really allowed me to shape this comic beyond what I was imagining and I am incredibly happy to be able to share this work.
Abstraction Field
Abstraction Field by Damini Kane (CRWR 508)
Damini Kane is an MFA student at the University of British Columbia. She writes fantasy fiction, but loves to explore different genres and formats. “Abstraction Field” was an assignment for Comics Class and includes two characters from a yet-unwritten novel that explores what it means to die and by extension, what it means to live. Damini is in the early stages of learning how to draw, but believes there is a correlation between comics and poetry, particularly in the emphasis on sharp, poignant imagery. Damini’s website: https://daminikane.com/
The Pearl Diver
The Pearl Diver by Bethany Littlebird (CRWR 558)
The Pearl Diver is a quiet graphic novel about following your heart and finding belonging. Through full-bleed and bordered panels, the graphic novel plays with time and emotions, while the entirely silent narrative immerses the reader in the experiences of the main character as she seeks friendship and inclusion, sometimes in the wrong places.
Bethany Littlebird writes science fiction and fantasy novels about identity, acceptance, and belonging. After a twenty-year side-quest in design and animation, she went back to school to earn her honours BA in social-cultural anthropology from the University of Toronto and is completing an MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia. She is neurodiverse, a member of the Listuguj Mi’gmaq community, and lives in Toronto with her husband. When she is not writing, she can be found talking to the plamu (salmon) in the Humber River, trying to convince them to turn into sushi. More: bethanylittlebird.com
Pom Has a Secret Admirer
Pom Has a Secret Admirer by Sierra Louie (CRWR 508)
Sierra Louie is a writer and artist working on unceded xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səlilwətaɬ land as she pursues an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia. She writes across multiple genres including comics, fiction, and poetry. Her work has appeared in Depth Cues, Pulp Literature, and CV2. “Pom Has a Secret Admirer” is an experiment in colour, a story about being a dreamer, and a testament to the author’s love of creating “silly little comics.” She hopes to make such stories forever.
Zebra Goes to School
Zebra Goes to School by Diana Moore (CRWR 508)
Diana Moore is a writer and television producer based in Toronto. Zebra Goes to School is the true story of her neurodivergent kid’s harrowing experience of the school system.
Good Mother
Good Mother by M. Moore (CRWR 208)
M. Moore (she/her and sometimes they) is a writer, artist, parent, partner, worker, and daughter. She is an uninvited settler of European heritage gratefully unlearning and learning on the unceded, ancestral and traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples.
Real Sheep
Real Sheep by Hailey Siracky (CRWR 558)
Hailey Siracky is a librarian, writer, and student in the optional-residency program at UBC. Her poetry, creative nonfiction, and comics have appeared in Funicular Magazine, CV2, WORN Fashion Journal, and HAD. She lives in Calgary, AB., where she can most often be found in the park with her dog. This is an autobiographical comic that takes place during the 3 years Hailey spent in a monastery in her early 20s. It is about taking care of a baby lamb, and also about being alone.
Whispers to the Moon
Whispers to the Moon by Mabel Song (CRWR 208)
I’ve always been an artist and loved storytelling but never saw myself being creative enough to pursue it. After a semester of severe burnout with my mandatory courses, I decided to take CRWR 208 as an outlet, to find the joy of being creative again, and I did. I had forgotten how much I loved to create and draw, but I’ve been able to regain some of that spark through this course. I wish to continue creating, even if I never find the courage to pursue it wholeheartedly. But maybe, just maybe, someday I will walk out of the tower just like Asteria, and join the stars above in their brilliance and eternal dance.
What Is This Thing Called Sleep?
What Is This Thing Called Sleep? by KM Naude (CRWR 458)
KM Naude (they/them) is a new writer and artist, and a recent graduate of the BFA Creative Writing program at UBC. Originally from Treaty 6 territory (“Edmonton”), they now live and work on unceded Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh land (“Vancouver”). They write and paint about the present, the future, and the people they love. This comic was created in Sarah Leavitt’s comics class in the spring of 2024, exploring what it means to attempt to create and to rest amidst the ongoing genocide in Gaza. It was built with index cards, yarn, magazine cutouts, pen, recycled packaging, gifts from classmates, poster board, glue, and spiritual insomnia.
And Then
And Then by Dawn-Amber Tonks (CRWR 558)
Weykt/Hello. My name is Dawn Amber Tonks. I’m Secwepemc, living in the remote community of Bella Bella, home of the Heiltsuk People. I’ve just completed my first year of the Opt-Res MFA program. “And Then” is adapted from a poem I wrote about two indigenous people creating mischief across Canada. I took Sarah Leavitt’s comics class in both terms and this is the first instalment of a larger project. My project is a book length collection of poetry structured around three keystone poems that speak about life as a First Nations person in Canada.
Through the process I learned that comics making is so much more than what is commercially available. While very labour intensive and as emotionally rigorous as any other form of writing, there was a beautiful freedom in comics making that allowed me to share even more of my vision with my reader.
In Order to Be Great
In Order to Be Great by Linda You (CRWR 208)
“In Order to Be Great” is an open-ended comic exploring the main character’s fear of all that reigns superior, whether it’s in physical grandiosity or through socially established hierarchies. Adina – like many others and possibly even yourself – is shown battling through an introspective and colorful journey that aims to humanize and add a personal touch to one’s experience of trauma and the human urge to self-sabotage.
