Gene Luen Yang

Gene Luen Yang (楊謹倫) was born on August 9, 1973, and has become one of the most respected figures working at the intersection of comics, children's literature, and education. Before establishing himself as a full-time cartoonist and author, he served as Director of Information Services and taught computer science at Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland, California — a grounding in education that has remained central to his identity. He has lectured extensively on graphic novels and comics at conventions, universities, schools, and libraries alike.

Yang's career in comics spans nearly three decades, with credited work on over 160 issues between 1997 and the mid-2020s. His contributions to mainstream superhero publishing include notable runs on Superman, Shang-Chi, The Terrifics, New Super-Man, and Monkey Prince, demonstrating a particular affinity for characters navigating questions of cultural identity. He has worked across roles as writer, artist, inker, and letterer.

His standing in the broader literary world is considerable. In 2012 he joined the faculty at Hamline University's Low-Residency MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults. The U.S. Library of Congress named him Ambassador for Young People's Literature in 2016, the same year he received a MacArthur Fellowship — only the third graphic novelist to be so honored, joining Lauren Redniss in that distinction.