MariNaomi
MariNaomi (born 1973) is an American graphic artist and cartoonist who founded and publishes three online databases of cartoonists: the Cartoonists of Color Database, the Queer Cartoonists Database and the Disabled Cartoonists Database.[1][2][3] The opt-in per creator database Queer Cartoonists contains 775 entries as of May 2018 and has been reported to be helpful in the professional careers of upcoming cartoonists.[4]
MariNaomi's has been drawing comics since 1997, starting out as a zine creator.[5][6] Her comics are usually autobiographical. She talks about the search for her roots, her status as a mixed race queer woman, as well as her feminism. Her article "Writing People of Color" discusses how people of color should approach writing about people from a race that is not their own.[7] MariNaomi stated "I feel like race is such a sensitive issue that I wanted feedback and I wanted to know how better to do it and to share that information.".[6]
MariNaomi wrote an article It Happened to Me: I Was Sexually Harassed Onstage at a Comic Convention Panel for XOJane in 2013 describing her experience of being harassed on stage as a panelist at a comics convention.[8] She did not name her harasser, but Scott Lobdell later came forward and issued a public apology for his actions.[9][10]
Personal life
Her mother is Japanese and her father is a Caucasian American. Born Mari Naomi Schaal in Texas in 1973, she grew up in Mill Valley, California and later moved to San Jose, California.[6] She began using the name MariNaomi in 2003. She worked in illegal hostess bars in the United States and briefly lived in Japan.[11] She wrote about those experiences in her memoir Turning Japanese.[12]
Publications
- Kiss & Tell: A Romantic Resume, Ages 0 to 22 (Harper Perennial, 2011) ISBN 0062009230
- Dragon's Breath and Other True Stories (2dcloud/Uncivilized Books, 2014) ISBN 1941250017
- Turning Japanese (2dcloud, 2016) ISBN 1937541169
- I Thought YOU Hated ME (Retrofit Comics, 2016) ISBN 1940398495
- Losing the Girl (Graphic Universe, 2018) ISBN 1541510445
- Gravity's Pull (Graphic Universe, 2018) ISBN 154154269X
References
- "About MariNaomi". MariNaomi.com. 2019-02-13. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
- Aoki, Deb (2019-04-17). "MariNaomi Shines a Light on Diverse Cartoonists". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
- Steyels, Mike (2016-09-24). "A Peek Inside the Essential 'Cartoonists Of Color' Database". Vice. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
- Bergdahl, Esther (28 May 2018). "Rainbow Connection: LGBTQ Publishing 2018". Publishers Weekly.
- "This Cartoonist Perfectly Captures the Highs and Lows of Friendship". Los Angeles Magazine. 2016-09-14. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
- "Illustrating the Awesome and the Awkward: MariNaomi's Memoirs". Giant Robot Media. 2017-07-11. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
- "Writing People of Color by MariNaomi". Midnight Breakfast. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
- "IT HAPPENED TO ME: I Was Sexually Harassed Onstage at a Comic Convent…". archive.fo. 2013-12-21. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
- susana-polo (2013-12-20). "Scott Lobdell Outs Self as Comic Con Panel Sexual Harasser". The Mary Sue. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
- MacDonald, Heidi (2013-12-19). "Scott Lobdell: I apologize to MariNaomi". The Beat. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
- Davies, Rachel (2016-05-24). "Exploring Japanese Identity as a Hostess in Illegal Expat Bars". Vice. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
- Dueben, Alex (2016-06-17). "MariNaomi Explores Being Young and "Turning Japanese"". CBR. Retrieved 2019-06-25.