Aśka .

Summary

Aśka (she/they) is creative dynamite—an award-winning graphic novelist, ex-quantum physicist, and huge fan of the little doovalacky above the ‘s’ in her name (it’s pronounced "Ash-ka").

A wildly engaging presenter with a passion for visual literacy, Aśka has published over ten books, comics and graphic novels.

Biography

Aśka's greatest passion is visual literacy and writing with pictures, which she continually explores in her work and hugely engaging, popular workshops.

She has published over ten books, comics, and graphic novels. Recent titles include the YA graphic novel Stars in Their Eyes (with Jessica Walton), which was a CBCA Notable Book in Australia and received the prestigious Stonewall Honor Award in the US.

Aśka has been awarded multiple government arts grants, prizes, and the May Gibbs Fellowship.
They are an organising committee member for the Perth Comic Arts Festival, have judged the Make Your Own Storybook Competition for six years, and regularly contribute to The School Magazine. They also volunteered as Illustrator Coordinator for the WA branch of SCBWI for four years, have run an animation festival solo, and were featured in an ABC TV documentary.

Relevant qualifications

Memberships:
Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators – Australia West (SCBWI)
Australian Society of Authors (ASA)
Children’s Book Council of Australia – WA (CBCA) (2015 - present)
Perth Comic Arts Festival Organising Committee (2019-present)

Volunteering positions:
Make Your Own Story Book Competition Judge (2018 – present)
SCBWI – Australia West Illustrator Coordinator (2017 – 2021)
Perth Comic Arts Festival (PCAF) – Director of Programming

Scitech science workshop and show presenter: 2015 - 2022

Recent experience

Each year, Aśka delivers approximately 130 hours of engaging in-person workshops and talks to thousands of students statewide. She also leads innovative PD sessions on using drawing to enhance literacy and runs dynamic, fun team-bonding workshops for adults.

Recent sessions include:

* The Literature Centre's Storytelling on the Road: Week of workshops at Toodyay District High School.
* Outta Boundz at Boldpark Community School: Term-long visual storytelling workshops with middle school students, culminating in a publication.
* After-school Storytelling Club at Cecil Andrews College: Term-long visual storytelling workshops, resulting in a student publication.
* City of Karratha: 3-days of workshops at schools and libraries in Wickham, Roebourne, Dampier, and Karratha.
* Burns Beach Primary School: Term-long project with Year 1-6 students, focusing on story development through visual techniques.
* Between the Lines Festival 2024: Three-days of workshops and school incursions in Bunbury and Busselton.
* Flying Doctors: Team-bonding session using visual storytelling and comic-making with staff.