MariNaomi

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MariNaomi
Marinaomi-2021.jpg
MariNaomi in 2021
BornMari Naomi Schaal
(1973-08-02) August 2, 1973 (age 50)
Texas, U.S.
https://marinaomi.com/

MariNaomi (born as Mari Naomi Schaal; born August 2, 1973) is an American graphic artist and cartoonist who often publishes autobiographical comics and is also well-known for creating three online databases of underrepresented cartoonists.

Contents

Career

MariNaomi's has been drawing comics since 1997, starting out as a zine creator. [1] [2] Their comics are usually autobiographical. They talk about the search for their roots, their status as a mixed race queer woman, as well as their feminism. Their article "Writing People of Color" discusses how people of color should approach writing about people from a race that is not their own. [3] 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.". [2]

MariNaomi wrote an article It Happened to Me: I Was Sexually Harassed Onstage at a Comic Convention Panel for XOJane in 2013 describing their experience of being harassed on stage as a panelist at a comics convention. [4] They did not name their harasser, but Scott Lobdell later came forward and issued a public apology for his actions. [5] [6]

MariNaomi founded and maintains three online databases of cartoonists: the Cartoonists of Color Database, the Queer Cartoonists Database and the Disabled Cartoonists Database. [7] [8] [9] In 2014, they began the Cartoonists of Color Database and created the Queer Cartoonists Database soon after. [10] [11] In 2019, they launched the Disabled Cartoonists Database. [12] 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. [13] Librarians and archivists specializing in comic book studies have also highlighted the need for open access databases like these. [14]

MariNaomi has written and drawn comics columns for several websites, including The Rumpus and SFBAY.ca. [15] [16] In 2016, they were featured at the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center conference on imagined futures. [17] MariNaomi’s column on The Rumpus won an honorable mention in Houghton Mifflin’s Best American Comics 2013 and a SPACE prize. [18] Their art can be found in the Smithsonian, De Young Museum, Cartoon Art Museum, Asian Art Museum, the Japanese American Art Museum, and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. [19] [18] MariNaomi also taught classes for California College of the Arts Comics MFA program. [20]

Since 2017, they and fellow author Myriam Gurba have been hosting an advice podcast called AskBiGrlz Archived 2021-11-26 at the Wayback Machine where they answer listener questions. [21] In 2011 and 2018, MariNaomi toured with Sister Spit and is also a guest editor of PEN Illustrated. [20]

In 2021, MariNaomi created a Stop AAPI Hate mural in Garvey Park in Rosemead, California. The comic-strip inspired 60-by10-foot mural covers the side of a recreational park building. [22] [23] Connie Chung Joe of Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles said the mural is "a wake-up call that Asian-Americans in this country have been scapegoated. Not just by this pandemic, but time and time again in American history.” [24] [25]

In May 2023, MariNaomi released their book, I Thought You Loved Me. In this book, MariNaomi goes on an emotional, reminiscent journey to try and figure out why their friendship with Jodie ended abruptly with a phone call. They used details from old journal entries and told the story through colorful collages made with mixed media such as drawings, email threads, and postcards. [26] [27] During the publication process, MariNaomi faced budget issues and even a cancellation, until Fieldmouse Press picked it up. [28]

Personal life

Their mother is Japanese and their father is a Caucasian American. Born as Mari Naomi Schaal in Texas in 1973, they grew up in Mill Valley, California and later moved to San Jose, California. [2] They began using the name MariNaomi in 2003. They worked in illegal hostess bars while they briefly lived in Japan. [29] They wrote about those experiences in their memoir, Turning Japanese. [30]

Publications

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References

  1. Monnier, Mia Nakaji (14 September 2016). "This Cartoonist Perfectly Captures the Highs and Lows of Friendship". Los Angeles Magazine . Archived from the original on 1 January 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 "Illustrating the Awesome and the Awkward: MariNaomi's Memoirs". Giant Robot Media. 11 July 2017. Archived from the original on 1 January 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  3. "Writing People of Color by MariNaomi". Midnight Breakfast. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
  4. "IT HAPPENED TO ME: I Was Sexually Harassed Onstage at a Comic Convent…". archive.fo. 2013-12-21. Archived from the original on 2013-12-21. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
  5. Polo, Susana (20 December 2013). "Scott Lobdell Outs Self as Comic Con Panel Sexual Harasser". The Mary Sue . Archived from the original on 18 February 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  6. MacDonald, Heidi (2013-12-19). "Scott Lobdell: I apologize to MariNaomi". The Beat. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
  7. "About MariNaomi". MariNaomi.com. 2019-02-13. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
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  9. Steyels, Mike (2016-09-24). "A Peek Inside the Essential 'Cartoonists Of Color' Database". Vice. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
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  11. MariNaomi. "MariNaomi, Cartoonist/Community Organizer - XOXO Festival (2018)". YouTube. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  12. MariNaomi (October 8, 2019). "I am very pleased to announce that we have just now full-on LAUNCHED the DisabledCartoonists.com database!". Twitter. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  13. Bergdahl, Esther (28 May 2018). "Rainbow Connection: LGBTQ Publishing 2018". Publishers Weekly.
  14. Quamme, Margaret. "Virtual Art+Feminism events at Ohio State highlight databases". The Columbus Dispatch.
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  22. "Murals pop up in San Gabriel Valley to combat Asian hate". Pasadena Star News. 2021-08-19. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  23. "'A call to action': New mural in Rosemead takes aim at wave of anti-Asian hate". San Gabriel Valley Tribune. 2021-05-28. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  24. "Stop AAPI Hate Comic by MariNaomi Installed as a Mural in Rosemead, California". Multiversity Comics. 2021-05-29. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
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