The second in a series of graphic novels edited for the Porcupine's Quill by wood engraver George A. Walker in which Walker encourages students at the Ontario College of Art & Design to embrace 19th century linocut printmaking techniques to create extended visual narratives which are then scanned, digitized, and subsequently printed offset for publication at popular prices in a format that uses 20th century offset printing technology to replicate the look and 'feel' of a 19th century letterpress product.

Marta Chudolinska is a printmaker, bookbinder and painter fascinated by narrative imagery. Born in Pruszkow, Poland in 1984, Marta immigrated to Canada with her family in 1991. The experience of immigration has inspired her to explore and to cherish the diverse regions that Canada has to offer, from coast to coast. A recent graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design, she currently lives and works in Toronto.

Marta Chudolinska's profile page

• Short-listed, Doug Wright Award
• Short-listed, ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year

'I found the narrative line of this wordless novel very easy to follow, and very evocative. The use of varied perspectives in the linocuts gives a sense of spaciousness, of an observing, outside eye. For example, in the first image we are looking down at a bedroom from above; in another, we are looking up a staircase leading out of the subway; in yet another we have the character barely appearing as she stares out the bus window and there is a real sense of movement in the print. I enjoyed this book, and as I haven't had a lot of experience with this type of story, I was relieved to find it engaging and quite complex.'

The Indextrious Reader

'Back + Forth is both a homage to place and a powerful depiction of a young woman's search for love and belonging in the modern landscape. The character cycles through a series of relationships, a couple with not so happy endings, that in the end seemingly free her of the pursuit and leave her alone and content as the road unfolds before her.'

Wessel and Liberman Booksellers

'Back+Forth has a very real-feeling quality to it, despite its nebulous meaningsand seeming intentional lack of conclusions; perhaps this is due to its location in recognizable places or the ease of identifying with some of its most clear-cut plot pointssuch as riding a bus, having sex, or sitting and thinking in a coffee shop. While ''reading''what amounts to a high-art picture book for adults can be dislocating, it is also veryrewarding; Back+Forth sets out to probe readers' understandings of narrative andcharacter, and does it well.'

ForeWord Reviews