I'm a comics creator, illustrator and children's author working in Bristol, UK.
The Facts of Life, my graphic memoir, will be published by Myriad Editions in Spring 2017.
Self-published comics include Spooky Womb, and X-Utero - a collection about childlessness, which has also been licensed for use in academic journals/ books and used as teaching material for Genetics Counselling undergraduates. I'll have some available at the conference.
Currently working on finishing my book, and I'm also involved in producing/ illustrating a booklet for a research project from Cardiff Uni/Welsh Crucible on themes of infertility.
From late Sept 2016, I'll be freelancing again and open to commissions, so I'm interested in talking about work possibilities - but mainly catching up with people from the internet that I haven't seen for too long, and meeting new Graphic Medicine enthusiasts.

www.paulaknight.wordpress.com
The Facts of Life: http://www.myriadeditions.com/books/the-facts-of-life/
IG: paulajkstudio
Facebook artist page: https://www.facebook.com/PaulaKnightIllustrator/

Paula Knight: The Facts of Life

I’d welcome the opportunity to present finished pages and process materials from The Facts of Life ahead of its publication by Myriad Editions in 2017. It’s a graphic memoir partly about miscarriage and childlessness. The book is structured around the stages of life concerning parenthood (or not); Childhood expectations of becoming a parent; young adulthood and chronic illness; pressures and problems with fertility; and coming to terms with childlessness in middle age. I’ll present pages from each containing health and medical subject matter. Other material will clearly reflect conference themes:

Process as performance: I took hundreds of photos and videos for drawing reference. This involved myself and my partner “re-enacting” scenes from a difficult time in our lives. I’ll discuss the impact of revisiting that drama, as well as the disparities and similarities between actual events and the staging of them on the page.

Use of space in healthcare/ Early Pregnancy Assessment Clinic (EPAC): A space I’d describe as “silently theatrical” due to its waiting room layout akin to a theatre-in-the-round. This felt emotionally exposing because the scan room door opened straight out into the waiting room. Thus exiting one’s own private drama onto a public stage. Conversely, during my stay at the same hospital, I used that very space as an out-of-hours bolt-hole to escape a claustrophobic ward in search of privacy.

Personal space in healthcare: A cervical screening appointment goes awry! The unique nature of the comics medium allowed me to represent how uncomfortable an episode this was – and how inappropriate the nurse’s actions were in respect to personal space. I’ll finish by reflecting on the transition from being a patient with little power over one’s body and what the medical profession can offer, to the empowerment of becoming director of one’s own story.