On Tuesday, April 5, graphic novelist Gene Luen Yang spoke to the Bishop Blanchet community about his life growing up and the importance of reading.

Yang focused his speech on his passion for comic books and experiences as a writer. He shared vibrant and relatable stories with the students, describing his relationships with his parents and friends at school.

Students were also able to learn about his favorite comics as both a child and an adult. Yang expressed his love for several favorite characters and publishers, naming Taph and Prince Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender, the Hulk, and DC Comics.

Yang was appointed the fifth National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature on January 4. 2016. As ambassador, his job is to encourage children and young adults to read. His platform, Reading Without Walls, encourages kids to read new things and to learn about the world through literature.

Yang is currently writing for Superman and Avatar: The Last Airbender, and is working on books about basketball and programming.

What is your favorite part about being an author and a graphic novelist?

Like I said in the talk, I’ve always been interested in stories. It’s great to be able to participate in that. I think that of all the stories that all human beings have ever told are like a long conversation about being human. So when you get to tell your own stories, you get to be part of that conversation.

How did you feel when your first book was published?
It was awesome. It was amazing. When I first got the box of them from my publisher and opened it up and saw my book as an actual physical thing it was simply amazing.

What challenges have you faced as a writer?

Every writer faces rejection. You just have to get used to being rejected over and over again. And I think a writer also struggles with self-doubt. When I was young, and I was just starting off, I thought that if I’d been in it for ten years I’d be happy and feel good about myself. But that never comes. You just constantly feel that way because writing is so complex and so difficult. It is a field that is always changing. So you constantly struggle with self-doubt.

Is there anything you’d change about your writing career or anything you wish you had known earlier?

Something that I’ve learned that I wish I’d known earlier is that no matter how successful a writer is, or how far they get into their writing career, that fear is still gonna be there. You just have to deal with it.

What is your favorite book that you have written?

My favorite book is always the one that I am working on. Right now, the latest one that I’ve worked on is Superman.

How are you planning to accomplish your goals as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature?

We are still trying to figure that out. I am going to be giving different speeches at different places. I also have started a podcast called the Reading Without Walls podcast. It’s super small—I don’t think we have many viewers. It’s filmed on my iPhone and is low production value, but we are still trying to do that. We are also trying to figure out other things to do with technology.

How are you incorporating programming and learning into your platform as an ambassador?

It’s part of the platform where I want people to read about subjects they might find intimidating. And a lot of people think of STEM topics—science, technology, engineering, and math—as intimidating. But there’s some great stories about STEM. So writing is a great way of engaging people in that.

Which of your characters resonates with you the most personally?

I think every writer puts a piece of themselves into every character. The one that I drew most heavily from my own life would be Jin in American Born Chinese.

Are there any books or genres you would recommend to young readers?

I want you to read something in a genre you’ve never tried before. I’ll give you an example. When I was a kid, it was not cool for boys to read romances. But one of my favorite books to have come out recently is Eleanor & Park. It’s a romance. It’s amazing! It’s one of my favorite books. But I’d never have found that if I only read the genres I was used to.