TCAF is thrilled to share our fourth round of featured guests attending TCAF 2022: Stanley Wany, S. Bear Bergman, Joe Ollmann, Aimée de Jongh, Sonja Ahlers, Saul Freedman-Lawson, and Catherine Castro!
STANLEY WANY
Originally from Montreal, Stanley Wany is an Afro-Canadian artist based in Canada’s national capital region whose practice includes graphic novels, pen and ink drawings, and paintings. He has recently exhibited works in Australia, at the Perc Tucker Gallery in Townsville, Queensland, as well as part of the exhibition Mix the Medias organized by SÕL-CON, The Ohio State University’s Black, Brown, and Indigenous Comics Expo, and Glass Axis Gallery. Wany’s works have also been shown in Canada, the United States, France, Portugal, and Finland, and are found in private and public collections in Canada, the United States, and Australia. Agalma, his first graphic novel, was nominated for a Doug Wright Award, highlighting the best experimental comics at the Toronto Comics and Arts Festival in 2016.
S. BEAR BERGMAN
S. Bear Bergman is a writer, storyteller, activist, and the founder and publisher of the book press Flamingo Rampant, which makes feminist, culturally diverse children's picture books about LGBT2Q+ kids and families. He writes creative non-fiction for grown-ups, fiction for children, resolutely factual features for various publications, and the advice column "Asking Bear." His most recent book is Special Topics in Being a Human, illustrated by Saul Freedman-Lawson. He lives in Toronto.
JOE OLLMAN
Joe Ollmann lives in Hamilton, the Riviera of Southern Ontario. He is the author of several graphic novels, including 2021's Fictional Father, which became the first adult graphic novel nominated for a Governor General's Literary Award.
AIMÉE DE JONGH
Aimée de Jongh is an award-winning comics author and animator from the Netherlands. She studied Animation in Rotterdam, Ghent, and Paris. After graduating, she was asked to create a daily comic series for a Dutch national newspaper. This marked the start of a successful international career. The Return of the Honey Buzzard, her first graphic novel, won the Prix Saint-Michel for best Dutch graphic novel and was made into a film in 2017. Her following books, Blossoms in Autumn and Taxi!, were translated worldwide and won awards in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Japan. Aimée worked as a graphic journalist in the refugee camps in Greece. Her interest in travel, ecology, and journalism resulted in the historical graphic novel Days of Sand, her biggest project to date. When she’s not drawing comics, Aimée works in animation as a storyboarder and director.
SONJA AHLERS
Sonja Ahlers is a visual artist and poet from Victoria, BC. Her books are hard to classify and can be found in several different sections of the library. 1994’s A Wandering Eye was the first of many self-published books that circulated mainly through the underground “penpal” network of punk rock and Riot grrrl zines. Ahlers attracted national attention with Temper, Temper, published by Insomniac Press in 1998, followed by Fatal Distraction in 2004. In 2010, Drawn & Quarterly published The Selves. Ahlers’ art has been exhibited across Canada, as well as in the United States, Japan, and Australia. She helped create the visual identity of Rookie Mag and from 2011 to 2015 was a frequent contributor to the publication and lead artist/designer of its four anthologies. Her most recent book, Swan Song, was published by Conundrum Press in 2021.
SAUL FREEDMAN-LAWSON
Saul Freedman-Lawson is an illustrator, student, zine-maker, babysitter, and educator. He makes art about queerness, transness, Judaism, and childhood. His comic Naturally is forthcoming from Old Growth Press. He likes to draw excitingly gendered people with big noses. Special Topics in Being a Human is his first full-length book.
CATHERINE CASTRO
Catherine Castro is a reporter for Marie Claire. The author of several books, her investigations have led her to explore gender issues around the world.
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