An Evening With Sophie Labelle and Sam Orchard

Catch Sophie Labelle on her world tour. Sophie will be in conversation with local legend Sam Orchard to discuss comics, trans representation, activism through art and general awesomeness.

The Library is delighted to host artists Sophie Labelle and Sam Orchard in conversation, on the New Zealand leg of Sophie’s world tour. Join us for an enlightening and entertaining evening talk, as Sophie and Sam discuss their art, activism, and life as comics artists. All welcome.

Sophie Labelle is an internationally renowned visual artist and author from the South shore of Montréal, in French Canada. She is the transgender cartoonist behind Assigned Male, a webcomic about a group of queer and trans teenagers that has been running since 2014 and already touched millions of readers.

Sam Orchard’s web comic 'Rooster Tails' has been running for over ten years and is the only comic of its kind in Aotearoa. Written from his life as a queer transgender man, the comic explores themes of mental health, fat embodiment, nerd culture, trans identity, and caring for a food-obsessed cat. Sam is also the author of 'Family Portraits', a series of short comic stories that amplify the stories of intersectional identities within Aotearoa’s rainbow communities.

Sam’s recent activism projects include 'We Are Beneficiaries' and 'Out Loud Aotearoa'. As part of these he organised and engaged other artists and writers to drive social change in New Zealand. These projects gained international attention across social media and news sites, amplifying viewpoints which are often missing from public discourse.