Gene Luen Yang
Gene Luen Yang (Chinese Traditional: 楊謹倫, Simplified: 杨谨伦, Pinyin: "Yáng Jǐnlún"; born August 9, 1973) is an American cartoonist. He is a frequent lecturer on the subjects of graphic novels and comics, at comic book conventions and universities, schools, and libraries. In addition, he was the Director of Information Services and taught computer science at Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland, California. In 2012, Yang joined the faculty at Hamline University, as a part of the Low-Residency Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults (MFAC) program. In 2016, the U.S. Library of  Congress named him Ambassador for Young People's Literature. That year he became the third graphic novelist, alongside Lauren Redniss, to receive a MacArthur Fellowship. Early life. Yang believes he was born in either Alameda or Fremont, California. He is the child of an electrical engineer from Taiwan and a programmer who grew up in Hong Kong and Taiwan, both of whom emigrated to the United States. They met at the San Jose State University Library during graduate school. His parents instilled in him a strong work ethic and reinforced their Asian culture. In a speech at Penn State, where  he spoke as a part of a Graphic Novel Speaker Series, Yang recalled that both of his parents always told him stories during his childhood. Yang was a part of a small Asian-American minority in his elementary school. He grew up wanting to be an animator for Disney. In third grade, he did a biographical report on Walt Disney, which is where he says his obsession started. This changed in fifth grade when his mother took him to their local bookstore where she bought him his first comic book, issue 57 of the Superman series "DC Comics Presents", a  book she agreed to buy because Yang's first choice, "Marvel Two-in-One" issue 99, featured the characters Thing and Rom on the cover, which she thought looked too frightening. Yang attended the University of California, Berkeley for his undergraduate degree. He wanted to major in art but his father encouraged him to pursue a more "practical" field so Yang majored in computer science with a minor in creative writing. In college Yang found himself much less of a minority. During this time, he began to question his faith, but a moment he experienced while walking through the woods  during his freshman year caused him to make Jesus his life's focus. Career. After graduating in 1995, Yang worked as a computer engineer for two years. However, after a five-day silent retreat, he felt he was meant to teach, and left his job as a computer engineer to teach computer science at a high school. In 1996, Yang began self-publishing his own comics under the imprint Humble Comics. Yang went on to be published with "First Second Books" (an imprint of Macmillan Publishers), Marvel Comics, SLG Publishing, Dark Horse Comics, HarperTeen, The New Press, and Pauline Books  & Media. In 1997, Yang first published comic "Gordon Yamamoto and the King of the Geeks" under his Humble Comics imprint, and it won him the Xeric Grant, a self-publishing grant for comic book creators. Yang later published two more installments in the "Gordon Yamamoto" mini-series and a sequel, "Loyola Chin and the San Peligran Order". In 2010, both "Gordon Yamamoto and the King of the Geeks" series and "Loyola Chin and the San Pelgrino Order" were published together as "Animal Crackers" by Slave Labor Graphics. In 2006, Yang published "American Born Chinese" with First Second Publishing. Drawing upon  the Chinese folk character of the trickster Monkey King, the book tells the story of a school-age second-generation immigrant who struggles with his Chinese-American identity. Although Yang drew from his own experiences, the book is not autobiographical. In 2021 Disney+ ordered production of a television adaptation of the book. Yang's other works have been recognized as well. In 2009, Yang was awarded another Eisner Award for Best Short Story for his collaborative work "The Eternal Smile" which he wrote and Derek Kirk Kim illustrated. Yang was nominated for Eisner Awards for both "Prime Baby" and his  collaborative work "Level Up". Yang wrote the "Avatar: The Last Airbender" comics series for Dark Horse Comics, the first volume of which was released in January 2012. Yang's graphic novel, "Boxers & Saints", which was published by First Second Books in September 2013. In July 2016, DC Comics released the first issue of "New Super-Man", featuring a separate Chinese character in the Superman mold, written by Yang and drawn by Viktor Bogdanovic. In October 2019, Yang created a limited series, "Superman Smashes the Klan", a loose adaptation of a famous 1946 story-arc from "The Adventures of Superman" radio  series, "Clan of the Fiery Cross", in which an Asian-American family is threatened by the Ku Klux Klan and a young and unsure Superman is determined to protect the children from the terrorists. Making his Marvel Comics debut, Yang will write a self-titled miniseries starring the martial arts superhero Shang-Chi, set for a June 2020 release. According to Yang, the series will explore the relationship between Shang-Chi and his archenemy father Zheng Zu, who was originally the infamous villain Fu Manchu. In May 2021, in celebration of the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, DC Comics launched  the hero Monkey Prince, created by Yang and Bernard Chang. Yang advocates the use of comics and graphic novels as educational tools in the classroom. In his final project for his master's degree at California State University, East Bay, he emphasized the educational strength of comics, claiming they are motivating, visual, permanent, intermediary, and popular. As a part of his Master's project, Yang created an online comic called "Factoring with Mr. Yang & Mosley the Alien" as a method of teaching math. This idea came from a time where Yang was substitute teaching a math class at Bishop O'Dowd . Due to the position of Director of Information Services he held at the school, he was forced to miss classes and used the comics to help the students learn the concepts in his absence. Positive student feedback inspired him to use the idea for his Master's project. In 2018, Yang joined the board of directors of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, a non-profit organization founded in 1986 chartered to protect the First Amendment rights of the comics community. Awards and recognition. "American Born Chinese" won the annual Michael L. Printz Award from the American Library Association, which  recognizes the year's "best book written for teens, based entirely on its literary merit". It was the first graphic novel to be a finalist for the National Book Award, Young People's Literature, and won an Eisner Award for best new graphic album. It has been on the "Booklist" top Ten Graphic Novel for Youth; NPR Holiday Pick, "Publishers Weekly" Comics Week Best Comic of the Year, "San Francisco Chronicle" Best Book of the Year, the National Cartoonists Society Award for Best Comic Book, the Chinese American Librarians Association 2006/2007 Best Graphic Album – New, "Time" Top Ten Comic of  the Year, and Amazon.com Best Graphic Novel/Comic of the year. In January 2016, Yang began serving a two-year term as National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, a program organized by the Children's Book Council, Every Child a Reader, and the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. Yang was named to the 2016 class of the MacArthur Fellows Program, receiving what is commonly called the "Genius Grant". The MacArthur Foundation that names the fellows said that his "work for young adults demonstrates the potential of comics to broaden our understanding of diverse cultures and  people." In 2020, Yang won two Harvey Awards for his works: "Dragon Hoops" for Book of the Year and "Superman Smashes the Klan" for Best Children or Young Adult Book. At the 2021 Eisner Awards, "Superman Smashes the Klan" won both Best Publication for Kids and Best Adaptation from Another Medium while "Dragon Hoops" won Best Publication for Teens.