Gene Luen Yang

Gene Yang began publishing comic books under the name Humble Comics in 1996. In 1997, he was awarded a Xeric Grant for Gordon Yamamoto and the King of the Geeks. Since then, he’s written and drawn a number of stories in comics. His book, American Born Chinese, became the first graphic novel to be nominated for a National Book Award and the first to win the American Library Association’s Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in young adult literature. It also won an Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album—New. The Eternal Smile, a collection of short stories illustrated by Derek Kirk Kim, also won an Eisner Award and was selected as a YALSA Best Book for Young Adults. His most recent graphic novels are Prime Baby (first serialized in The New York Times Magazine) and Animal Crackers. Level Up, illustrated by Thien Pham, was released in 2011. In addition to cartooning, Gene teaches computer science at a Catholic high school in California.

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