Graphic novels, especially ones for children, are a thing now. This is great news – it means more books, more diverse voices, and more public appreciation for the medium. Some of the people most excited for GNs are editors; many of whom are fans of comics and will be taking on comics projects for the first time. This post is for them...

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I'm excited to announce my month-long stint at Rimbun Dahan Southeast Asian Arts Residency in late 2020! I'll be their first resident comics creator (artist and writer), and I'll mostly be working on my comics during that time – I'll either be wrapping up my middle-grade graphic novel, or preparing for my Alexander the Great comic. I would love for more Southeast Asian comics creators to apply to Rimbun Dahan, so this post is going to show you my application. Please feel free to use it as a template! (more…)

For the past few months I have been thinking about my political role as an artist. It is very strange to be at the point (both maturity and career-wise) when I must assert my intention as a person who tells stories and produces images/words for the world at large. I believe words and images have meaning, therefore they have impact. But what does impact mean on my own terms? (more…)

One of the guiding principles of my storytelling is empathy – empathy as both the creative factor and the takeaway. It's a hot topic in publishing nowadays: everyone talks about how books are key to helping one understand or see others in this world, how one can see the other is just "a person like them". This is all very important and a goal worth pursuing, and I do see it as part of my responsibility as a writer. Yet I think I operate from a different conception of what empathy is, as a writer and reader. This is what today's post is about. (more…)

"Where do you get your ideas from?" "How do you choose which book to do?" The short answer is, I don't know?? Or rather, I can't explain it. Or RATHER, I don't think the real answer will be helpful, or even make sense, to anyone else except me. (more…)