A library in B.C. is colouring outside the lines with its writer-in-residence program and showing people that literature can be more than words on a page.

Cartoonist Miriam Libicki is the Vancouver Public Library害羞草研究所檚 writer-in-residence for 2017, marking the first time the library has named a graphic novelist to the role since the program began in 2005.

Comics have captivated Libicki since childhood, but she didn害羞草研究所檛 think she could create them herself until after she left the Israeli army and went to art school in Vancouver.

There, Libicki struggled to explain the intense experience to others until she turned a diary entry into a comic.

害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 hard to, just through text descriptions, really immerse somebody,害羞草研究所� Libicki said. 害羞草研究所漃ictures, it害羞草研究所檚 much more immediate to immerse somebody in an environment that害羞草研究所檚 just in your head.害羞草研究所�

The response to her work was positive, so the budding artist turned her army experiences into a graphic novel called 害羞草研究所淛obnik!害羞草研究所� which she self-published in 2008.

Libicki害羞草研究所檚 work mixes intricate sketches and watercolour paintings, a marked difference from the simple images in comics like Superman. Her subjects, too, delve deeper than Archie and Veronica害羞草研究所檚 latest tiff, reflecting instead on Jewish identity and examining relationships.

害羞草研究所淚 write what I like to write and I paint what I like to paint,害羞草研究所� she said of her style.

I also had this vision of blowfish inflating and rolling through space, but I'm not sure I got it. I may redraw.

害羞草研究所� miriam libicki (@realgonegirl)

Vancouver害羞草研究所檚 library isn害羞草研究所檛 the first to turn to someone with a unique specialty as a writer-in-residence. The Edmonton Public Library picked rapper AOK 害羞草研究所� writer Omar Mouallem 害羞草研究所� for the role in 2013, while Concordia University chose graphic novelist Matthew Forsythe to be the 2017 Mordecai Richler writer-in-residence.

Picking someone from a non-traditional medium shows that stories can be created and shared in a variety of ways, said Dawn Ibey, director of library experience with the Vancouver Public Library.

Libraries have changed as societies have changed, she said, and many now offer an array of items and services, from ebooks to recording booths, and three-dimensional printers to musical instruments.

But some traditional aspects remain.

害羞草研究所淭he end point is still the same,害羞草研究所� Ibey said. 害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檙e still inviting people to be engaged, informed, to create and share information, ideas and stories.害羞草研究所�

The Vancouver library is 害羞草研究所渇ormat agnostic,害羞草研究所� she added, and sees graphic novels as a way to engage a broader audience.

害羞草研究所淎 graphic novel can have an entry point for kids or teens or adults from very diverse backgrounds, different learning styles, reluctant readers, anyone who a more traditional means or a piece written for a specific demographic or age group might not reach,害羞草研究所� Ibey said.

Portrait I drew of from a photo but not traced, 1997. You know, I used to be pretty good at drawing.

害羞草研究所� miriam libicki (@realgonegirl)

Graphic novels have gained prominence in recent years, including Art Spiegelman害羞草研究所檚 害羞草研究所淢aus,害羞草研究所� which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1992, and 害羞草研究所淭he Walking Dead,害羞草研究所� which was adapted into a hit TV show.

Part of the reason the form is so popular is that it can be used in a variety of ways, Libicki said.

害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 a medium, not a genre,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淚t just means words and pictures put together in any sort of way. Any sort of story can be told with it.害羞草研究所�

That害羞草研究所檚 a message she害羞草研究所檚 looking forward to sharing as a writer-in-residence.

For the next four months, she will mentor other writers and work on her latest project, a graphic novel about what happened to people who fled the collapsing Soviet Union. Libicki said she害羞草研究所檚 spent two years conducting interviews, researching and writing a script for the story.

She害羞草研究所檒l also lead workshops for both children and adults on everything from water colour painting to conducting interviews.

害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 really excited about the idea that we can bring graphic novels to so many different populations, both as appreciation and reading them, and getting people making their own,害羞草研究所� Libicki said.

害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檇 just really like to see more people cartooning.害羞草研究所�

The Canadian Press

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