Aśka

Aśka (pronounced Ash-ka; she/they) is a visual storyteller and visual literacy educator who’s worked on 12+ traditionally published books, plus a stack of self-published works. Aśka believes comics are the ultimate storytelling form and loves teaching people of all ages how to write with pictures.

My time at PCAF

I remember my first PCAF event—I spotted it in the paper and thought I’d swing by. The next year, I got involved and submitted some art to the exhibition. But it was the symposium that really blew my mind. I completely nerded out over all the academic discussions about a topic I’ve always believed is of utmost importance (despite the naysayers): writing with pictures and communicating with images is one of the finest storytelling arts.

Not long after, I joined the committee and have been helping to organise the festival since 2020. I design the printed program and help run PCAF’s year-round satellite programs, PCAF Stories and PCAF Academy.

Since moving to Perth 20 years ago, I’ve been part of many arts organisations and creator groups, but what I love about PCAF is its natural diversity. Comics attract people who want to tell stories from their own perspective, and without gatekeepers shaping the message, these stories are raw, honest, and real. That diversity creates a true sense of inclusion and belonging.

I love being a part of the PCAF crew, sharing the love of this beautifully complex medium and funneling this passion into the festival.

About Me

I’m an energetic visual storyteller, comic maker, science communicator, and a big fan of the little doovalacky above the ‘s’ in my name (it’s pronounced ‘Ash-ka’).

Telling stories with pictures is my hobby, and I support this habit by working as a presenter and workshop facilitator. I visit schools, libraries, and festivals, where I get paid to geek out over visual literacy and the magic of comics—and to convince grownups that kids should read pictures. (The kids never need convincing.)

Over the past decade, I’ve worked on more than a dozen traditionally published children’s books and comics, plus a collection of self-published zines and experimental works for all ages. Right now, I’m creating my next YA graphic novel, set to be published by Allen & Unwin in 2026. My previous YA comic, Stars in Their Eyes, co-created with Jessica Walton, did pretty well—becoming a CBCA Notable and earning a re-release by Scholastic in the US, where it picked up a prestigious Stonewall Honor Award. To my delight, two of my self-published books have also been shortlisted for the Comic Arts Awards of Australia.

I’ve been lucky to receive government arts grants, prizes, and the May Gibbs Fellowship, all of which have helped bring my projects to life.

For years, I’ve volunteered across Perth’s storytelling scene—helping run the Perth Comic Arts Festival, coordinating illustrators for SCBWI WA, judging the Make Your Own Storybook Competition, and more. I’ve organised festivals, held exhibitions, and somehow made unicorn stickers and death metal album art in the same breath. I like hanging around creative energy vortexes. When I’m not making stuff, I’m traveling across WA and beyond, teaching drawing-as-a-language to enthusiastic audiences of all ages.

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