A Time for Graphic Novels

It’s a time for graphic novels. That might come off as an odd thing to say in the midst of awards season, and yet, I can’t help see it everywhere I go.

Anyone who is in tune with comics and graphic novels already know how structurally, they are page-turning storyboards to film and shows waiting to happen. While we’ve seen that a lot akin the superhero franchises, it’s the one-offs, the standalone graphic novels, the visual stories tapped into communities, and worlds even, apart from what we’re already familiar with that are starting to manifest into something more than what their bookworm audiences already know them for.

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Exploring Authentic Stories at the Filipino American International Book Festival

For reasons predictable by now, it’s been a hot minute since I last was at a book festival; whether as an attendee or as a participant. To have seen book conventions like BookExpo shut down in recent years, as well as a recent surge in book banning in different parts of the country, books feel particularly precious now more than ever — especially those authored by historically underrepresented communities.

Check out Mixed Asian Media Fest 2022!

Hey everyone! So clearly, I am posting this a few days earlier than I normally would on my blog, but the reason why is aside from this weekend being busy, the subject in which I’m addressing officially kicks off today.

Remembering the Summer of Inspiration

Social media reminders of posts and moments that occurred a number of years ago have reminded me that it’s now been a whopping decade since – what I call – the summer of inspiration. In 2012, two distinct occurrences happened that summer that ultimately inspired me to start taking my creative writing more seriously.

In Collaboration with This Asian American Life: The Making of “My Journey with Journals”

So as I had mentioned last week, I have never written a comic book or a graphic novel before… but as of this week, I can say that I have written a web comic. I teased this project back in February, but for those who missed it, on Thursday, my collaboration with This Asian American Life (TAAL) was released, in the form of a comic commemorating 20 years of journaling called “My Journey with Journals.”

Playwright’s Commentary: “The Swan”

Ten months ago, I made my return to the theatre both for the first time since the pandemic began and the first time in a couple of years, when I made my playwright debut with Rainy Day Artistic Collective. My one-act virtual play, “Interview with an Aswang,” was part of the lineup for their inaugural production. It was such a collaborative experience to be a part of and from the sound of what the audience was saying online, it seems like it was well received.

The Man of Many Stories: Recommended Reading and Donating

James Hong. It’s a name you might or might not be familiar with, but without a doubt, you’ve seen one (if not more) of the projects he’s been in over his several decades’ long career.

What Did I Miss?: June 2020

Published Works

The Ongoing Legacy of Anna May Wong: Hollywood’s First Asian American Star – For the Center for Asian American Media, I dive into the recent interest in the legacy of this early Hollywood ground breaker, as well as works done about her in the past.

Appearances

Share Your Hapa Story: Lauren Lola – 6 Degrees of Hapa re-shares a feature done about me and my experience as a mixed race Asian American. (The original Instagram post from 2017 can be seen here.)

The End of an Era for a Forever Historical Show: About “Fresh Off the Boat”

Every now and then, I expand my dialogue about storytelling by going beyond the boundaries of books and out into the mediums of TV and film. I do so by doing these analysis pieces once in a while about a TV show or film that has reached a significant time in its history (i.e. series premiere, series finale, film release, anniversary of a release, etc.).

Five years ago, I started doing these various analyses on different TV shows and films of the past and present that have been part of my life to some capacity, and that all started with the ABC series, “Fresh Off the Boat;” the first sitcom in over 20 years to center on an Asian American family. Today, following its series finale last night, I am using this time to look back on its evolution over the last six seasons, and how the media landscape has changed along the way.

(WARNING: There will be minor spoilers from throughout the series, including last night’s finale.)

A Time for Filmmaking

A year ago, I blogged the day before last year’s Academy Awards, in speculation of what’s to come from that year’s ceremony. This time around, I’m coming to you nearly a week after this year’s ceremony, and I feel surprisingly rejuvenated from both that and some recent events in my life and beyond.