Meet the Toolkits: Graphic Narratives 2026 participants
Gather round and meet the Toolkits: Graphic Narratives participants for 2026!
Facilitated this year by Tommi Parrish, Toolkits: Graphic Narratives is a 12-week developmental program for budding comics artists under 30 to expand their practice and meet fellow local comics enthusiasts in a workshop setting :-)
Congratulations to this year’s cohort! Find out more about them below:
Maya Cohen-Miller
Maya Cohen-Miller (they/it) is an artist working primarily with textiles, video, illustration and poetry. They are fond of bugs. At night Maya can be found to have transformed into a spider. They will be perched in the corner of a room, weaving delicate webs and watching Cronenberg’s The Fly.
Emma Lazzeri
Emma Lazzeri (she/they) is an Italian Australian artist from Florence currently based on Gadigal and Wangal land. She is an animator and storyteller, and is a lover of languages, ecology, and pigeons.
Alexander Poljansek
Alexander Poljansek (he/him) is a cartoonist and illustrator from nipaluna/Hobart. Also the editor of Ham Magazine, his work has been published in Island Magazine as well as the ongoing Horses and Rockstar Mode zine series. He can often be found pondering the work of John Cheever and the Beastie Boys.
Oliver Reyes
Oliver Reyes (he/she) is Sydney's wanna-be #1 queer illustrator (😜), with a practice deeply informed by his trans lifestyle & latinx perspective. He translates personal and social narratives into vibrant imagery that explores genderqueer politics, migrant histories, and diaspora stories. Outside of the program, Reyes is the design lead for @speakingtruthau and is involved with @madein_kin, a people of cultures creative directory.
Instagram: @olliexreyes
Website: www.olliexreyes.com
Headshot taken by Jade D’Amico
Marcus Saunders
Marcus Saunders (he/him) is a Graphic Designer from Melbourne who loves all things creative. Insta: @marcus.saunders.art
Ifa Shiddiq
Ifa Shiddiq (she/her) is an emerging Indonesian-Australian artist born and bred in Darwin, Larrakia Country. With a distinct passion for character design and storytelling, Ifa aims to shine a positive light on the Territory and capture small moments influenced by nostalgia, place and identity.
Stella Theocharides
Stella Theocharides (they/them) is a writer, farmer and editor living on unceded Wurundjeri land. Their work has been published in Meanjin and The Suburban Review. They edit for Voiceworks and Going Down Swinging.
Ruby Trumble
Ruby Trumble (she/they) loves making comics about queer desire, the ocean, and yearning (sometimes for both at once). She enjoys walking in the sun and sketching in cafes. She works as a game developer by day and lives with her partner and cat in Naarm (Melbourne).
Alice Wong
Alice Wong (she/they) is a Chinese-Australian queer artist who enjoys exploring different storytelling mediums. She is passionate about telling authentic stories that resonate and connect with people. Alice currently works with her writing partner, Laine Gray, on publishing a webcomic The Amazing Charlie on Webtoon Canvas.
Emma Boyd
Alyssa Cunanan
About the facilitator:
Tommi Parrish is a trans Australian cartoonist, painter, and sculptor living in Naarm. Their debut work, The Lie and How We Told It, won the 2019 Lambda Literary Award for Best LGBTQ Graphic Novel and was nominated for the Ignatz Award. Their sophomore title, Men I Trust, was nominated for the LA Times Book Prize and was highlighted in The New York Times Book Review. Collectively, these titles have been translated into 11 languages worldwide. Tommi's newest work, The Past is a Grotesque Animal, was released by Fantagraphics in early 2026 and is available in all good bookstores. Tommi's work has been featured in The New Yorker, Granta, The New York Times, Pitchfork, Vice, and many more. They are currently completing a master's degree in contemporary art at Victoria College of the Arts.
Learn more about Toolkits here.
Tommi Parrish will be in conversation with Grant Ionatán on July 1 as part of Toolkits: Graphic Narratives 2026. Tune in here!
Interested in participating in Toolkits? An annual Express Media membership lets you access our full range of programs. You’ll also be among the first to hear about upcoming Toolkits streams via our community e-Newsletter.
Toolkits is supported by the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund.