Fresh off the high of Comic-Con...

... it's back on the road for me and VIETNAMERICA for a jam packed 48 hours. First, I'll be leading a workshop this Friday at the Union of North American Vietnamese Student Association conference in Denver. It's part of their Identity Compass track, and I'm honored to have been invited to participate in this annual event. Unfortunately, it's only open to conference attendees, but later that evening the fine folks at I Want More Comics will be hosting me for a public book signing from 6-8 pm. And then on Saturday, there's this:

This event with cartoonist Noah Van Sciver is organized by my good pal Charlie LaGreca to raise funds for Comic Book Classroom's literacy program. He's pouring his heart and soul into expanding and promoting Denver's comics community so if you're local, c'mon out!

What do the awesome Adrian Tomine, Jessica Abel, Dave Choe, and myself all have in common?

Many moons ago, we were recipients of a grant for comic book self-publishers from the Xeric Foundation.

2012 will celebrate its 20th anniversary of financially helping young cartoonists learn the in's and out's of self publishing—letting us jump into the deep end to learn how to swim without the danger of drowning. Sadly, 2012 will also mark its final grant cycle. Their amazing support when I took my first baby steps down the comics path ultimately led to VIETNAMERICA, so there are not enough words to express my profound gratitude to the organization and its founder Peter Laird. Yes, THAT Peter Laird!

On a happier note, I'll be exhibiting this week at SDCC! As it has been since the dawn of time, I'll be sharing a table with pal Joanna Mulder in Small Press K-12:

SDCC marks six months since VIETNAMERICA's release, so it feels extra special to finally be bringing my newest book to my oldest show. Anyone need a 4-day attendee badge, including Previews night? Hit me up before Wednesday. Hope everyone's enjoying their summer—it's sunny out there so remember to wear a...

(Finished illo of the sketch snippet from the last post. For a textbook gig.)

Kings County artists represent!

Big, awesome, phenomenal news: I've been awarded a 2011 New York Foundation for the Arts fellowship in the nonfiction literature category! Additionally, among the 16 nonfiction recipients, I was selected for the Gregory Millard Fellow. Awardees were informed a couple weeks ago, but I'm still stunned by this incredible honor and recognition for VIETNAMERICA. NYFA's official press release went live yesterday.

That's the big development from the last few weeks, which have otherwise been filled with eclectic illustration projects. None of which I can share yet, but here's a sorta thematic in-progress collage of tiny snippets from each one:

After a quiet month for promoting the book, things are ramping up again: I just participated in Random House's amazing Author Event for NYC Educators where I got to meet teachers, librarians, principles, and students advocating for more graphic novels in the classroom; this weekend I'm leading several workshops at the Catalyst Foundation's Culture Camp; SDCC's right around the corner; and book stuff in Denver soon after.

July marks six months since VIETNAMERICA hit the shelves, and it's been a wonderful, unpredictable ride so far. Expressing my gratitude to everyone for their book coverage and support keeps flip flopping between twitter and here, so here's a roundup of recent press:

Amazon's "Best of 2011 So Far.."

Angry Asian Man

From Your Desks

Los Angeles Public Library

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