International Women's Day

Graphic recordings from some talks by amazing women

Hello! This is where I share comics from my old sketchbook journal series, “The Drawing Book.” Last week I wrote about a blossoming Canadian/American romance that took place twenty-five years ago. There will be more about that story, so I thought I’d change things up this week, in honour of International Women’s Day (yesterday), with a shout-out to some amazing women.

For twelve years, I’ve worked as a graphic recorder. Here are twelve wonderful women… one for each year I’ve been doing this work.

2014: Barbara Coloroso

For one of my first graphic recording projects (TEDxCalgary in 2014), I heard Barbara Coloroso speak about issues that have sure become topical in the years since. Here’s a picture of her talk from a 2020 comic for The Sprawl.

2015: Patti Laboucane-Benson

I was privileged to hear Patti Laboucane-Benson speak at a University of Alberta event in 2017, about her experience learning about her Indigenous heritage. In 2018, she was appointed to the Senate of Canada.

2016: Margaret Mackey

In maybe my favourite talk ever, Edmonton scholar Margaret Mackey talked about the importance of literacy, while mentioning two of my creative heroes (Nick Sousanis and Bob Dylan) in practically the same breath.

2017: Anne Tiivas

I’ve always remembered this excellent talk by Anne Tiivas, at a national coaching conference, about the importance of making sports safe for young people.

2018: Charlotte Loppie

At a conference about patient-oriented research, I was so lucky to learn about the work of Dr. Charlotte Loppie, a researcher in Indigenous health (among other things!). After I listened to her talk, I had to leave to record another talk… but I just wanted to stay and keep listening.

2019: Larissa Crawford

I heard Larissa Crawford speak at a student-organized University of Calgary conference. I remember really appreciating the way she explained some basic terms like “intersectionality,” in a way that made them so easy to grasp for listeners, including me!

2020: Brett Bergie

In 2020, I worked with an audio recording by Calgarian Brett Bergie to make a graphic recording that was used in a short video about Calgary. Her talk is still inspiring, today!

2021: Chancey Fleet

In 2021, I had the opportunity to take notes during a talk by Chancey Fleet, an assistive technology coordinator at the New York Public Library, at an online conference about making comics accessible for readers who are visually impaired. Talk about a fascinating subject!!

2022: Beverley McLachlin

In 2022, the University of Alberta hosted an academic conference about the 40th anniversary of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Beverley McLachlin, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, gave an amazing talk.

2023: Marina Fischer

Marina Fischer, Curator of Numismatics at the University of Calgary’s Nickle Galleries, spoke at a conference organized by Carleton University. Her talk was so interesting that I was inspired to take my kids to the Nickle Galleries afterwards. I loved drawing those coins!

2024: Urbasi Sinha

Last year, I heard a talk by University of Calgary physicist Dr. Urbasi Sinha. Coming up with visuals for a talk on quantum physics was… tricky. But I got the message that this area of research will lead to some important discoveries!

2024: Janis Irwin

I don’t have a 2025 example yet, so here’s one more from a 2024 talk by Edmonton MLA Janis Irwin. Actually, it was Janis Irwin’s post on Bluesky about International Women’s Day that inspired me to put together this list!

Thanks for celebrating International Women’s Day with me! We’ll get back to some comics next week.