190: Messy Roots, Queer Identity, The Beauty of Wuhan, and Writing a Graphic Memoir While Traveling the World with Laura Gao

Laura Gao takes us on her journey growing up in Wuhan, China, immigrating to the U.S. as a kid, and winding up in a small conservative town in Texas. 

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She opens up about navigating racism and homophobia while coming of age and trying to fit in. Laura then talks about her college experience where she was able to explore both the nuances of her Chinese-American identity as well as her gender and sexual identity, and shares her experience coming out as queer. She also talks about the role of basketball in her life, including playing pick-up hoops in Wuhan. Laura then talks about the role of art in her life and explains the important role it played throughout. Next, she shares her experience as a Wuhanese American living in San Francisco during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rising racism and violence against Asian Americans, and the rampant misinformation about her hometown, Wuhan, in the media. Laura explains how she was inspired to write a webcomic called “The Wuhan I Know” that went viral and led to the book deal for her best-selling graphic memoir “Messy Roots”. She talks about her creative process, how her art and writing were impacted by her world travels, and reflects on some of her highlights and personal growth from spending time in Taiwan and Portugal. FULL SHOW NOTES WITH LINKS TO EVERYTHING DISCUSSED AVAILABLE HERE.

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