In this episode of Creative Guts, co-hosts Becky Barsi and Joe Acone sit down with award-winning graphic novelist, educator, and former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Gene Luen Yan.
Gene is best known for groundbreaking works like American Born Chinese, Boxers & Saints, and Dragon Hoops, which have helped redefine what comics and graphic novels can do in classrooms. His stories blend humor, heart, and mythology with his own personal experiences and explorations of identity, belonging, and the power of storytelling. In this conversation, Gene reflects on his creative journey, the responsibility and possibility of making art for young readers, and how comics can act as a bridge between cultures, generations, and lived experiences.
You can find Gene’s work at www.geneluenyang.com, and follow him on Instagram at www.instagram.com/geneluenyang.
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Thank you to our friends at Art Up Front Street Studios and Gallery in Exeter, NH and the Rochester Museum of Fine Arts in Rochester, NH for their support of the show!
Any views or opinions expressed by our hosts or guests do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Creative Guts.