MariNaomi's Blog

Hi!

Just a quick note that I've started making diary comics! I've been posting them daily for the past couple weeks over at Patreon. Here's an example of what I'm talking about:



It's been really fun recording the most interesting parts of each day, and I hope to keep doing this for awhile. It's my new favorite morning ritual, right before my morning run. (I highly recommend you try it if you've got the creative bug in you.)

If you're unfamiliar, Patreon is a website where you can support your favorite creators (visual artists, writers, musicians, etc.) by subscribing to their blogs. I have several support tiers. $1/month gets you diary comics, work-in-progress posts, and my new comic posts (including my new series Asian Goth Punks Rule the World!, which is also being serialized in print over at Razorcake Magazine). If you can afford more than a buck per month, I have more interesting tiers (including a mentorship tier if you're an aspiring author or cartoonist). I won't go into it all here. If you're interested, check it out at patreon.com/marinaomi

In other news, I'm excited to start a podcast with my good friend author Myriam Gurba. Ask Bi Grlz is an advice podcast focused on bisexuality, multiculturality, and the artistic process. We're still accepting questions, so if you have anything to ask us (anything at all!), send your q's to askbigrlz@gmail.com

Okay, that's about it. Stay tuned for some exciting book tour news for 2018. :)

Love,
MariNaomi

Please consider supporting the arts (me!) on Patreon! I'm offering patrons exclusive looks into my work process, out-of-print comics, high-res art prints, and even mentoring. Take a look: https://www.patreon.com/marinaomi

If you’ve ever wanted a fart pillow, some bedbug leggings, or wondered if you were Asian enough (and wanted to express that in a T-shirt), you’re in luck! I now have a merch page filled with all those things and more. Take a look.

GIVEAWAY

In a desperate attempt to get Goodreads and Amazon reviews for my books, I'm giving away t-shirts, dust jackets, and a 2016 Retrofit subscription! Details here: http://marinaomi.com/giveaway.html

COMICS

I made a short comic for RESIST!, which appears in their print issue as well (you can purchase print issues online, or get 'em for free at the Women's March and other places): http://www.resistsubmission.com/images/thursday-9am7346262#comments

In case you didn't see me shouting about it on social media, I am proud to announce that I've got some graphic novels in the works--a YA trilogy that'll be published by Lerner Books. The first book is slated for spring 2018. You can see my progress on Instagram using the hashtag #losingthegirlgn
https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/losingthegirlgn/

Did you know I'm a guest editor over at PEN America? Well, I am, alongside Meg Lemke and Rob Kirby. Together (with our boss Antonio Aiello) we curated and edited an online anthology of cartoonists' reactions to the elections. Please take a look, there are some gems in here: https://pen.org/state-of-emergency/

PRESS

I joined some other writers discussing creative writing's imperatives here:
http://www.howlarium.com/beyond-ideology

I was a guest on Boing Boing's RIYL podcast: http://riyl.podbean.com/e/episode-199-marinaomi/

Society6 asked me about my New Year's resolutions: https://society6.com/studio/blog/artgoals-artists-on-new-years-resolutions-and-how-to-stick-to-em-zjb

Aaaand that's about it for now. Please enter my giveaway! I don't know what I'll do with all these t-shirts otherwise.

Love,
Mari

Hello, how are you?

I've been pretty down since November 8, to be honest. It's a sobering thought to realize that "my kind" might not be welcome here by almost half the voting country, when "here" happens to be the country I was born and raised ("sobering" being an ironic word, as I've been drinking a lot more since the election lolz).

I'm not going to talk about the orange elephant in the house, as it seems like it's all I can talk (and think) about lately. Instead, I'm going to fill you in on all the months I've neglected my email list. (Sorry!)

MERCH (aka, buy my stuff!)

I recently was commissioned by the Nerds of Color/SIUniverse to create some Asian-American-themed art for Smithsonian APA's CTRL+ALT exhibit in NYC. The exhibit was overwhelmingly inspiring! Over forty artists got together and turned an empty warehouse into art upon art upon art. I had my comics art displayed, plus I led a couple workshops. It was an amazing experience. Also: I freaking love New York!



With the permission of NOC/SIUniverse, I've put the images from my comic onto some pillows, prints, mugs, clocks and other stuff over at Redbubble. If there's a mixed-race or Asian-American person on your holiday list, perhaps they'd like a pillow referring to their very private birthmark? :)

I also put a bunch of my images on Print All Over Me awhile back, including dragon-print robes, punny t-shirts and bedbug-print leggings.

NEW BOOK

Did you know I came out with two books this year? The latest is called I Thought YOU Hated ME via Retrofit Comics, and it's a memoir about a long-term friendship of mine. I wrote and drew this book not only because I wanted to tell the story of our complicated fromance, but because there's a dearth of books out there that accurately depict friendship between women. Read about it here.

And in case you missed it, here's my book that came out earlier this year with 2dcloud, Turning Japanese, about seeking out my cultural heritage by working at hostess bars.

ONLINE COMICS

Here are some comics you can read for free online that came out recently:

Back in the Olden Days (a short, optimistic comic about gender)

Things that go bump in the night (a short, bleak piece about sexual assault)

ARTICLES

I wrote an article for Catapult about my process when writing/drawing I Thought YOU Hated ME.

Also on Catapult, here's a comics round table I participated in with cartoonists Liana Finck and Amy Kurtzweil, moderated by Nicole Chung.

INTERVIEWS and stuff

There are too many of these to mention lately, as I've been promoting the hell out of my books this year. So instead of giving you a bunch of links, I'll direct you to this one link containing all the links.

DATABASES

Lastly but not leastly, please take a look at my pet projects, some lists meant to highlight the work of marginalized comics creators:

The Cartoonists of Color is almost at 1000 people!

The Queer Cartoonists database is almost at 500 people!

And here's an interview I did for VICE about why I started them.

Thank you for reading this far, and I hope you are warm and safe this winterly season.

Love,
MariNaomi

PS. To cheer myself up, I bought a ukelele and have been learning chords. Here's a video of me being a dork.
--

Follow me on:
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I made a new memoir comic about my mom's chicken, Daisy. I hope you like it. (Click on the image to get to the comic.)

I made a new memoir comic about a girl I knew in high school.



Follow this link: http://www.buzzfeed.com/marinaomi/how-a-friend-from-my-past-inspired-my-future#.skLWOJVRO

Thank you for reading!

xo
Mari

I’m very excited to officially announce that I have a second book coming out this year (in addition to Turning Japanese via 2dcloud)!

I Thought You Hated Me is a comics memoir about a complicated female friendship. It is 64 pages long, black and white, and I hope you will love it. You can see a bunch of progress photos here.

I Thought You Hated Me, will debut at SPX 2016 in the fall, via Retrofit Comics​.

This book is available for pre-order in the 12-book bundle via Retrofit’s Kickstarter.

Yay comics!

I'd like to take a moment to talk about my publisher, 2dcloud.

You might know them as the force behind Dragon's Breath and Other True Stories (in cooperation with Uncivilized Books) and my upcoming graphic memoir, Turning Japanese. I’d like to tell you a little more about them.

I was introduced to 2dcloud when they invited me to submit to Little Heart, an anthology created to support gay marriage. When they sent me my contributor copies, I was blown away by the talent they’d rounded up and the production values of the book. This was no ordinary micropublisher. And once I got to know them, I was impressed by the values and commitment of the people who run it: Raighne Hogan and Justin Skarhus.

For example, the press was started when Raighne and his (amazing artist) wife Maggie wanted to support their cartoonist friend whose work was too cutting edge for publishers at the time. They used their honeymoon money to publish a gorgeous book, and the sacrifices they’ve made since then have not slowed down at all.

More importantly, the work they put out is unlike any other. At one point a few years ago, I was feeling down about the state of comics, sad that much of the work I came across all looked and felt the same. And then Raighne put a copy of Strong Eye Contact by Christopher Adams in my hands, and everything changed. I’d never seen anything like it. It inspired me to be bolder with my work, to stretch my boundaries, and it gave me new faith in the industry and medium.

The work 2dcloud publishes is experimental without being pretentious, entertaining without compromising taste, and oh so exciting. 2dcloud are true pioneers. It is so important that they continue existing, putting voices in the mix that might not otherwise find homes.

So here’s why I’m writing this: Right now, 2dcloud is trying to grow. They’ve hooked up with Consortium to distribute their books, which is a huge coup for everyone involved (especially their authors!). But working with a distributor has its challenges, particularly in the money department. You can read about the nuts and bolts in their blog post, which you should check out if you’re curious at all about how publishing works: https://medium.com/@2dCloud/can-indie-publishers-afford-to-grow-4e509d702333#.y8wo6886a

To try to keep the costs under control, they have sacrificed so much more than their honeymoon money. I won’t go into the details as they’re a bit personal, but what’s important is that now is a crucial time in their existence. They’ve turned to Kickstarter as a preorder tool, to keep the business afloat while they wait for the distribution money to start coming in.

If you agree that 2dcloud is important, please consider contributing to their Winter Collection Kickstarter (and their Spring Kickstarter, which will include Turning Japanese!). In return you’ll get some beautiful, sexy, thoughtful, envelope-pushing comics by diverse cartoonists. Books that might not otherwise have existed if it weren’t for the sacrifice by these generous, forward-thinking people.

Here’s a link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2dcloud/winter-collection

Thank you.

MariNaomi

Please read my interview in which I talk about my fears, influences, and the birth of DIRTY PRODUCE: http://blackgirlnerds.com/14014-2/