Creative Highlight

Connection. Creativity. Community. Highlighting local and inspirational creatives and artisans.

Author & Cartoonist Gene Luen Yang

Meet Gene Luen Yang. I first met Gene when he was a teacher at Bishop O’Dowd in Oakland back in 1997. My senior year at O’Dowd, I had started an anime club. One of my favorite memories is talking with Mr. Yang about anime and comics. Fast forward years later, I was watching Avatar: The Last Airbender with my kids and they got really into the series. With the show over, I looked for the books to give as gifts to my kids. When I picked up the graphic novel, one name popped out, Gene Yang!

Being here in Indiana, I look for books, art, items to share and connect my kids to our Chinese culture. My oldest found on her own the American Born Chinese & Boxers Saints series. My son shares my love for comics. I was incredibly excited to see DC had special comic that showed Asian characters as the main superheroes in DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration. We collected all the following issues from New Superman to the awesome Monkey Prince series! Of course, we also had to pick up Shang Chi comics. My middle and youngest kids got curious about coding years ago, and to my surprise there was a great book series called the Secret Coders written by none other than Gene Yang.

Last October, I couldn’t believe Gene was going to be here in Indianapolis speaking! Two of my kids and I were able to go. At one part he spoke about the anime club, my son eyes lit up and kept bumping into me with excitement. We got the chance to meet and get our books/comics signed. It was wonderful to reconnect. Weaving stories of culture, history, folklore, empowerment, identity, imagination, and tradition; my family has been impacted by Gene’s storytelling and art.

An Evening with Gene Luen Yang at the Indianapolis Public Library.  10/10/23.

Gene is a Chinese American cartoonist. He writes and draws comics and graphic novels about culture and identity. When asked does your culture and heritage influence your work, Gene responded “Absolutely! It took me a long time to accept, and eventually take pride in, my own cultural heritage. Because it’s such an important part of how I find my place in the world, I return to themes of culture again and again in my stories.”

A tradition that’s important to Gene is going to Mass every Sunday. They attend the church that his wife grew up in, a Korean Catholic community that’s close to them. He says, “It’s a mix of East and West, just like us, and it’s especially meaningful because my wife and her family have so much history there.”

What brings him joy? His wife and kids. Good comic books, good books in general, and well-told stories. His favorite meal is any meal that involves rice. One of his favorite moments is when his kids were little. They made their own comics to sell from his Comic-Con table. It was fun to watch them interact with readers.

Graphic novel Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang and illustrated by LeUyen Pham.

2024 Harvey Award nominee for Book of the Year!

Gene continues to create more wonderful stories. It is inspiring to see his success and journey in telling stories of culture and identity. His advice for aspiring cartoonist and writers: “Set aside time to practice on a regular basis. It might be every day. It might be every week. But treat that time like it’s sacred.”

Nov. 16, 2024, Gene and his good friend/co-author LeUyen Pham are doing a signing together in San Francisco. More info

Follow for updates and to support Gene Luen Yang:

Instagram: @geneluenyang