Seventeen-year-old Evi Tampold made her graphic novel debut by shutting herself into a closet; that is, she drew readers into the confined space that helped her learn to control her ADHD as a child.

“For me, telling my story was never something to be scared of,” says Tampold, writer and illustrator of The Hallway Closet and a student at the Alpha II Alternative School in Bloordale. “It’s a way to show the stepping-stones towards me becoming the person I can be today, no matter how strange or silly or scary those steps might seem.”

Tampold had been hungry to connect with Toronto’s comics community since childhood, taking workshops with comic artist Eric Kim and constantly browsing indie publications at the Beguiling Books & Art while chatting with their staff.

When she heard about a comics and medicine conference themed around “spaces of care,” inspiration and confidence combined to finally thrust her into the community as a maker. Tampold opened her notebook and poured out her heart, crafting a stylish tool to confront the realities of ADHD and join the ranks of graphic novelists whose work drives conversations on under-discussed issues. She presented it at the California-based Graphic Medicine conference in 2015.

Now Tampold and her mother, Carol Nash, will speak about The Hallway Closet again at the Canadian Society for the Study of Comics conference on Thursday, one of many events presented under the umbrella of the Toronto Comic Arts Festival.

Nash is a scholar of health narratives at the University of Toronto and says working with her daughter brought a fresh perspective on health-driven storytelling.

“I knew she was a great artist but didn’t realize she had the strength of character and stamina to do this type of work,” said Nash. “But Evi kept true to her vision.”

Peter Birkemoe, owner of the Beguiling and co-founder of TCAF, said that graphic novels tend to invite Tampold’s style of confessional honesty.

“You don’t have to wander too far down the aisles of a comic shop to find artists talking about really challenging personal issues,” he said. “What’s neat about Evi is her dedication to getting her work out there at such a young age.”

Tampold’s mix of hustle and artistic vision earned her a place alongside DC Comics illustrators and celebrated graphic memoirists in the Toronto Comic Arts Festival.

“We try to arrange programming at TCAF to showcase the widest possible diversity of experience, background and artistic approach in the comics medium,” said Christopher Butcher, TCAF festival director.

Butcher says the Comics 101 stream of programming will introduce fundamentals to creators and readers alike. Emerging artists such as Tampold can plug into a full day of skills-building with the Word Balloon Academy on May 13, run by comics artist Kim Hoang.

“Creating comics on your own can sometimes be a solo and isolating discipline,” says Hoang, describing the Word Balloon Academy as “a safe space to explore and ask frank questions directly to creators with more advanced careers.” Topics range from money issues to live draws, where attendees watch artists at work, ask questions and learn through observation.

Hoang shares Tampold’s manga-style influences in her work and started illustrating around the same age. She says she felt alienated by the North American canon of graphic novel greats, which was “made up mainly of straight white cis men.” Then she attended TCAF in 2009.

“It was eye-opening,” she said. “TCAF has a wonderful mix of cartoonists from all over the world, including many women and people of colour.”

The festival inspired Hoang and her friends to start a comics collective known as Love Love Hill, primarily female artists, which launches a new anthology each year at TCAF. It’s also where the group connects with many of the young artists it shadow-mentors, helping them find their voice.

Tampold’s pen remains in motion. Following her presentation at TCAF she will introduce her latest graphic novel project, Keeper of the Clouds (authored by Liza Futerman), at the 2016 Graphic Medicine conference in Dundee, Scotland.

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“It’s always great to learn more about how comics can say what words alone can’t reach and what stand-alone pictures can’t describe,” she said.

“I’m amazed by how many supportive and artistic people I’ve been able to meet by experiencing what Toronto has to offer though comics.”