The Cartoon Art Museum will host cartoonist Gene Yang from 1:00 to 3:00 pm as part of its ongoing Cartoonist-in-Residence program. Museum visitors will have a chance to watch Yang at work and chat with him about cartooning.
Yang was born in 1973 in Alameda, California. He began drawing comics in the fifth grade. In 1997, Gene received the Xeric Grant for GORDON YAMAMOTO AND THE KING OF THE GEEKS, his first comics work as an adult.
In 2004, GORDON YAMAMOTO AND THE KING OF THE GEEKS and its sequel, LOYOLA CHIN AND THE SAN PELIGRAN ORDER, were published as graphic novels by Slave Labor Graphics/Amaze Ink. Yang's body of published work also includes THE ROSARY COMIC BOOK, a comics adaptation of the popular Roman Catholic prayer, and DUNCAN'S KINGDOM, a two-issue fantasy series illustrated by Derek Kirk Kim. Yang was a featured artist at APAture 2003, an Asian-American arts festival in San Francisco.
AMERICAN BORN CHINESE is Gene's latest and most ambitious work. This graphic novel reflects on the Chinese-American experience through three distinct narratives. The first retells the legend of the Monkey King, folk hero of ancient China; the second is a Chinese-American coming-of-age tale; and the third is a sitcom starring Cousin Chin-Kee, the ultimate embodiment of Asian stereotypes. AMERICAN BORN CHINESE is a 215-page graphic novel published by First Second Books, featuring colors by award-winning cartoonist Lark Pien.
In October 2006, AMERICAN BORN CHINESE made history as the first graphic novel ever nominated for the prestigious National Book Award. For more information about the nomination, visit www.nationalbook.org.
In addition to his cartooning, Yang teaches Computer Science at Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland, California. He has given presentations across the country on the topic of Comics in Education. He lives in the Bay Area with his wife Theresa and son Kolbe.
For more information, visit www.cartoonart.org.
