Alison Bechdel, the cartoonist who created “Dykes to Watch Out For,” is bringing her sketchbook to Iowa State Thursday.

Bechdel will be presenting a program titled “Dykes to Watch Out For: The Slideshow,” at 8 p.m. in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union. The lecture is being held in conjunction with Women’s Week, and the event is free and open to the public.

“I look forward to hearing her talk about her experiences as a lesbian and the comments she receives from people regarding her cartoon,” said Christina Jens, the special projects coordinator for the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Ally Alliance.

“Dykes to Watch Out For: The Slideshow” will focus on Bechdel’s comic strip. According to a Lectures Biography, her strip is carried in more than 65 magazines in North America.

The strip appears bi-weekly in lesbian, gay, feminist and alternative magazines.

“Alison has a lighthearted approach for such a serious subject, much like her cartoons illustrate,” said Pat Miller, the director of the Lectures Program. “It will be an entertaining evening for everyone.”

According to a Lectures Biography, Bechdel grew up in rural Pennsylvania. She attended Oberlin College and graduated in 1981.

Bechdel then moved to New York City, where she created “Dykes to Watch Out For” in 1983. Her cartoon was regularly featured in “Womanews,” a monthly feminist magazine.

Bechdel also has received recognition and rewards for her creative work during the past 15 years. There are seven collections of Bechdel’s cartoons, and each book was a best-seller.

Bechdel also has a calendar printed annually by Firebrand Books.

Some of Bechdel’s books are available at the Margaret Sloss Women’s Center Library, located in the Sloss House.