Happy 38th Birthday, Gene Yang!

One of the most highly regarded contemporary graphic novel creators, Gene Yang has been making comics since 1996. He received a Xeric Grant in 1997 for Gordon Yamamoto and the King of the Geeks. But his big breakout came with American Born Chinese, a 2006 National Book Award finalist, and winner of both the Printz Award and an Eisner Award. Consequently, ABC has become one of the most prominent works used for introducing graphic novels into curricula.

Since then, Yang has taught computer science at Bishop O'Dowd High School in California and will be teaching in the MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adult program at Hamline University. He also has produced more graphic novels, including the short story collection The Eternal Smile with Derek Kirk Kim, Prime Baby, and his newest work Level Up.

Yang has quite a diverse set of interests and has websites about comics in education, teaching factoring, and the Monkey King legend. A creative and productive creator, he remains a person of great interest in the graphic novel publishing.