In this talk, Olivia will delve into the beginnings of her journey as a graphic novelist, the research for her award-winning werewolf-western comic DARLIN’ AND HER OTHER NAMES, as well as the main tenets of her artistic manifesto and how they shape her process.
Olivia Stephens is a graphic novelist, illustrator, and writer from the Pacific Northwest. Her comics often utilize supernatural elements to explore grief, rage, and profound tenderness. She is the author of Artie and the Wolf Moon, a middle-grade graphic novel about a young teen discovering her family's werewolf legacy, her own power, and the threats that come along with it. Currently, Stephens self-publishes her adult graphic novel Darlin' And Her Other Names online. The werewolf-western-horror-romance story depicts two strangers' vengeful journey through Colorado and Kansas in 1881. The first installment of Darlin' And Her Other Names won the 2023 Ignatz Award for Outstanding Artist. Olivia has also won a Fellowship Award from Artist Trust and attended residencies at Tin House, Mineral School, Storyknife, MacDowell, and Yaddo. She earned her BFA in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2017.