An ANIMATED BOOK TRAILER Appears!

Lu and Ren's Guide to Geozoology turns one year old today! Feast your eyes on this FULLY ANIMATED TRAILER my very dear and very talented friends Mithra and MJ banded together to create. Please share it far and wide so that everyone can see all the hard work my friends put into it!

I've lost count of how many times I've watched this. I still feel chills every time. How did I just happen to come across such mind-blowingly gifted and dedicated people in my life??

It's hard to believe my debut graphic novel's been out the world for a year. To be honest, it's kind of been a blur! I've had the great fortunes of having my friends and community turn out for my book launch; of having book clubs read and love my book; of receiving a Golden Kite honor; and of having my book recognized by libraries and schools, including most recently the the 2026-2027 South Dakota Children's Book Awards. And that's a non-exhaustive list!

One year since the release of my debut graphic novel also felt like the right time to refresh my logo. I went through pages upon pages of ideas and iterations before I found one I was happy with. I'm pretty fond of this fellow.

To round out Geozoology's birthday month (and AANHPI Heritage Month!), those of you in the DMV area looking for something to do the evening of Friday, May 29, from, say, 7pm to 8:30pm, you can join us at the "From Query to Bookshelf" panel at Loyalty Bookstores featuring myself and fellow AANHPI authors.

PRINT PALOOZA

In preparation for the ALA Annual Conference, I've been getting prints and stickers made. I've got a few new things made this year, including "Draft Horses" (my Geozoology-themed illustration for the year of the horse) as prints and postcards, "Red-Crown" (the one with the giant tree-cranes) prints, posters, and stickers.

One of the ones I'm most excited about is this risograph print. I'm a big fan of risograph, though I don't use the medium nearly as much as I'd like. The last time I used riso was for my 2023 short comic Ghost in the Shellfish (printed by my pal Erica of Ipsy Bipsy Studio). I'll be sure to share photos once the prints are made!

A DOSE OF DELIGHT

The USDA has this fantastic resource on how to make your garden a habitat for beneficial insects–pollinators and predatory insects that'll eat garden pests. Their charts include plant family and species, what insects they benefit and how, whether native/introduced, flower color, and bloom period. I used this to plan out my garden this year!

This very dry conclusion to this paragraph from this Library of Congress blog post on papermaking that made me snort out loud:

This jaw-droppingly detailed, hand-painted bathymetric map of the ocean floor from 1977, painted by Heinrich Berann in collaboration with geologists Marie Tharp and Bruce Heezen.

And of course, I can't leave out the traditional creature feature:

EVENT-UALLY

May 29, 7pm: "From Query to Bookshelf" panel at Loyalty Bookstores (Washington, DC) with fellow AANHPI authors Celeste Dador, Patricia Tamunihardja, and Sylvia Liu

June 26-29: American Library Association Annual Conference (Chicago, IL) - I'll have a table in Artist Alley!

BOOK BRIEF

• I did an interview with Lit Kids Magazine! They had the best kid-submitted questions, such as "How do I know what to do on the white paper?" (the struggle is real) and "How do I draw when I can't feel the drawing inside my brain?" (big mood).
• As mentioned above, the South Dakota Library Association nominated Lu and Ren's Guide to Geozoology for their 2026-2027 Prairie Pasque Award! The 4th and 5th graders of South Dakota will be voting on their favorite books during the upcoming school year. I can't wait for the students of South Dakota (along with the students of Vermont) to join Lu and Ren on their adventures!

You can get a copy of Lu and Ren's Guide to Geozoology wherever books are sold! I recommend getting it from Bookshop.org or directly from your local independent bookstore. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend and/or leave a review!

RESOURCES FOR OUR TIMES

It’s a highly uncertain time right now, not least for our unhoused and our migrant neighbors. I urge everyone to inform themselves of their rights and their neighbors’ rights, and to be aware of what to do if you see someone being detained. Stay safe, and keep each other safe.

Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid (DC-MD-VA area) - look into mutual aid groups in your own communities
SALUTE zines (covers many major metropolitan areas in the US)
ACLU’s Know Your Rights
5 Calls
Gaza Soup Kitchen
Your local food bank

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