Moving Forward with Visual Storytelling

AKSB 904, Beirut campus

The Department of Art & Design is organizing a lecture titled: “Moving Forward with Visual Storytelling” by Dr. Lena Merhej.

Lena Merhej (Ph.D.) is a visual storyteller and an expert in graphic narration. She taught at AUB and LAU, and now teaches at LIU. She is the founder and director of the Story Center. She is also the director of the Lebanese Festival, Beirut Animated. Her thesis project at Parsons School of Design in NY was on animating the award-winning “Drawing the War”. Her thesis research at Jacobs University in Bremen was entitled “Analysis of Graphic Narratives: War in Lebanese Comics”. She is a co-founder and an active editor and collaborator in Samandal. Lena illustrated over 20 Arabic children’s books. War is also the subject of her first comic book, “I think we will be calmer in the next war” (2006), rated the highest selling book in Lebanon in 2007. Also, “Another Year” (2008), “Yogurt and Jam, or How My Mom Became Lebanese” (2011) took the FIBDA award for Best Arabic Comics.