Stef Lenk has worked as a graphic designer, production manager and assistant editor for literary publications/publishers such as Brick Literary Journal, Descant Literary Journal, Coach House Books, ECW books, Broken Pencil magazine and Magazines Canada, as well as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), St. Andrews University (Scotland) and the Royal College of Physicians (Edinburgh). Aside from her work with the PathoGraphics project she does freelance graphic design for a wide variety of clients both in North America and Europe.

Stef is interested in the practical application of academic research into graphic novels and illness narratives, and brings ten years of relevant experience within the comics and publishing industry to the PathoGraphics project.

PANELS / TEACHING / WORKSHOPS

18. Drawing Yourself In and Out of It: 2nd International Amsterdam Comics Conference. 15-17 November. 
18. (poster presentation) | Constructing Space, Building Place: Topographies of Comics and Visual Narration (Summer School, University of Cologne). September 2018.
18. Graphic Medicine | Illustrating and illuminating the space between process and product in graphic narratives (working title) | White River Junction, Vermont, USA.
17. (workshop leader) Sketching in Practise Symposium | Simon Fraser University | Vancouver, Canada
17. (workshop leader) Graphic Medicine | An Alphabet of Peripatetic Lines: on reading (and 'writing') wordless stories | Seattle, USA
17. (workshop) Sociological Review Foundation | Graphic Novel Workshop | Manchester Digital Laboratory | UK
17. Monash University | Anatomy of the Image (speaker) | Melbourne, Australia
16. (workshop leader) University of London | Birbeck College | Transitions: New directions in Comic Studies | London, UK
16. (workshop) Freie Universität | Pathography and Graphic Medicine: The Genres of Pathographics | Berlin
09. (invited panelist) Word on the Street literature festival | Toronto, Canada | "No Rules, No Budget, All Fun! How and why you should make comics"
07. (invited panelist) Nuit Blanche "Graphic Novel Cabaret" (event organized by the Toronto Public Library and the Beguiling) | Toronto, Canada
07. (workshop leader) Art Gallery of York University and "The Spot" community centre | Toronto, Canada |  workshop in DIY, small press, comics and book-making

GRANTS | AWARDS | SCHOLARSHIPS

17. Sociological Review Foundation travel bursary | Graphic Novel Workshop | Manchester Digital Laboratory | UK
14. Autodesk Pier 9 (four month) curated artists residency program | San Francisco, USA
12. Best Exhibit (dissertation work) | University of Dundee | Dundee, Scotland
11. Institute of Medical Illustrators | Student Scholarship

11. Institute of Medical Illustrators | Pat Turnbull travel award
09. Ontario Arts Council | exhibition assistance grant
08. Xeric Foundation | self-publishing assistance grant

08. Ontario Arts Council | emerging artist grant

05. Book Publishers' Professionals Association | scholarship

COMIC FESTIVALS (as exhibitor/selected)

18. Fumetto Comix Festival (Satellite exhibition) | Lucerne, Switzerland
10. Erlangen International Comic Salon | Erlangen, Germany
08. Festival International BD Angoulême | Angoulême, France
07/09. Toronto Comic Arts Festival | Toronto, Canada
07/08. Expozine indie book festival | Montréal, Canada
07/08. Speakeasy Comic show | Toronto, Canada
06-10. Museum of Comic/Cartoon Arts (MoCCA) festival | New York, USA
06-09. Canzine indie arts/book festival | Toronto, Canada
06-09. Word on the Street book fair | Toronto, Canada

EDUCATION

11-12 University of Dundee | Msc Medical Art | Dundee, Scotland
04-05 Centennial College | book and magazine publishing | Toronto, Canada

97-99 The Art Centre | Central Technical School visual arts and graphic design program | Toronto, Canada

• practise-based research (drawing)
• visual thinking / drawing as a mode of thinking
• graphic novels / autobiographical narratives of illness
• autofiction / autobiography / autoethnography
• art and science / medical humanities
• psychoanalysis / narrative therapy
• metaphor studies