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The Blog of Gene Luen Yang
ABC the Song 
Recently, Matthew, a middle-schooler from Portland, Oregon, got in touch with me over e-mail. He shared with me this amazing song that he wrote and performed, inspired by American Born Chinese.

Check it out here.

Thanks so much for sharing your talent, Matthew!


Lyrics

I’m the new kid in school
I just want to be cool
But the cool kids are cruel
Play me for a fool

Jin Wang’s my name
Jin Jang’s not the same
My surname’s not a game
I feel so much shame

I’m human like you
True my eyes aren’t blue
But I have just two
You know that I do

Black or blonde hair
Dark skin or fair
Why should you care
What clothes I wear

REFRAIN
Sell your soul
If that’s your goal
To fit in
To fit in
Take my soul
My only goal
To fit in
To fit in

A childhood toy
Brought me such joy
I want to transform
To my true form

Asian self I fled
Turned dumplings to bread
Afro style on my head
Not fitting in I dread

Amelia I admire
Sets my heart on fire
I start to perspire
More soap I require

You must set her free
I disagree
Anger burns in me
So I kiss Suzy

REFRAIN
Sell your soul
If that’s your goal
To fit in
To fit in
Take my soul
My only goal
To fit in
To fit in

I won’t shed a tear
Would be insincere
Being you I fear
You need to disappear

I crossed the line
Took what wasn’t mine
My dream was a sign
As Danny I’ll be fine

Living life as a lie
I have to try
Jin-Wang good-bye
Now I must die

The Monkey King’s real
Said Danny’s ideal
My true form can reveal
Now I must heal

REFRAIN
Sell your soul
If that’s your goal
To fit in
To fit in
Take my soul
My only goal
To fit in
To fit in

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SJ Comics Fest 


SLG Publishing is hosting a mini comics convention at their warehouse tomorrow (Saturday 11/13) from noon until 5pm. I'll be there, as will a number of SLG cartoonists. Thien Pham, my collaborator on Level Up, will be there, too! It'll be really intimate (read: small), which means you can come by and chat it up with a cartoonist for hours and hours and nobody will mind. It's also totally FREE! Come by if you can!

Here's the address:

577 S. Market Street
San Jose, CA 95113



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Shadow and Mirror 




My review of Suzy Lee's Shadow and Jeannie Baker's Mirror was printed in the New York Times over the weekend. It's also available online here.

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Colorado Language Arts Society and CSU Sacramento 
Life has once again gotten the best of me and I have fallen behind on my blog updates. In a couple of hours, I'll be speaking about how COMICS ARE INVADING AMERICA! at the Colorado Language Arts Society conference. I'm sitting in the swanky Inverness Hotel right now looking over my notes. I'm looking forward to it, but I wish I had posted about it earlier. Oh well.

On Tuesday 11/16, I'll be doing a presentation at 3pm at Cal State University, Sacramento. I'll post more details when I have them. Hopefully.

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Strange Tales Vol. 2 #1 Available Today! 
Quick! Make your way over to your friendly neighborhood comic shop and buy yourself a copy of Strange Tales Vol. 2 #1 right now! Check out this amazing cover by artist extraordinaire Rafael Grampa:



In addition to Grampa, this one issue features comics goodness from Kate Beaton! Jeffrey Brown! Nicholas Gurewitch! Kevin Huizenga! Jeff Lemire! Frank Santoro! Dash Shaw! Jillian Tamaki! Johnen Vasquez! Shannon Wheeler! And my first story ever for Marvel Comics, starring the Fabulous Frog-man!



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