Today we’d like to introduce you to Maggie P. Chang.
Hi Maggie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
As a kid, my favorite places where the library and Hobby Lobby. I was always working on a dozen art projects and wanted to be an author for kids’ books when I grew up. And now, as a “grown up,” I write and illustrate children’s books and have my own graphic novel series for beginning readers–the GERALDINE PU series. I feel so lucky! Achieving my childhood dream didn’t happen right away though, and it definitely wasn’t a straight line.
For ten years, I had a career in education in New York City. The roles I had were super varied, and I loved them all! There was AmeriCorps, grad school, museum education, and I started a nonprofit that ran jewelry-making workshops for people living with cancer. Then I always say I won the lotto because I landed a job as a visual arts teacher at the acclaimed LaGuardia Arts High School–the school that inspired the film and TV show Fame. (For those who weren’t around for Fame, you might remember Glee. At times, our hallways definitely felt and sounded like that show!)
While at LaGuardia, I taught the coolest art kids the coolest art classes, one of which would change my life–Children’s Book Illustration. In order to research for this class, I found myself in the cozy children’s sections of libraries and bookstores again. I brought several picture book illustrators in as guest speakers, including ones I’d adored as a kid (like Bruce Degen of the MAGIC SCHOOL BUS series!!!). At some point while adulting, I’d let go of my childhood dream … and it was reawakened by this class I was assigned to teach. I started working on my own book ideas during my free time. A dear friend of mine convinced me to take a picture book writing class with her. I joined critique groups with other author-illustrators, and slowly, my work got better and better. Then, eventually, my talented students, who were on track to become professional artists and illustrators themselves–inspired me to take the leap to pursue my own creative work.
During this “leap,” I asked myself questions like–How had this dream gotten so lost? When did I start ignoring it? Why was I so uncomfortable and afraid of reconnecting with it if it felt so right? My answers came with some larger personal growth I was experiencing, and I worked with a life coach (shout out to Hope McGrath!), or else I’d never be able to sort through the next steps. Before long, every part of my life changed–I made a career change, did some city shopping, and moved to LA where I quickly met my husband. We now live in Orange County with our two young kids and our mini bernedoodle named Benihana. When I’m not busy being “Ruby and Bo’s mom” and working on books or author events, I run a nonprofit that I’m very proud of called Rising Earth: Human Impact Education. We reconnect urban teens from LA and NYC to nature and collaborate on content together, including, of course, graphic storytelling projects.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My top 3:
1) My biggest daily challenge has to do time–feeling like I don’t have enough of it. Struggling with time estimation for day-to-day tasks. Not having a good sense of the passage of time. My maid of honor, in her toast at my wedding, joked that if I were a Disney princess, the evil nemesis would take the form of a clock monster. I’m about to turn 40, and it’s taken me this long to learn about something called “time blindness.” Sounds like a made-up excuse, I know. But I want to talk about it here in case anyone reading this is like me and doesn’t know about it! I know a lot of creatives who seem to have this and have to work extra hard at keeping track of time, breaking projects down into mini-deadlines, prioritizing tasks, etc. When I was a teacher, I had a giant clock in my classroom and a bell that would force me and every student to be on time. Since becoming an author-illustrator, I’ve experimented with hacks like timeboxing my calendar to setting alarms, and most recently, to wearing an analog watch! I do think it’s how some creatives are hard-wired and that it can be their superpower. Because it’s also the thing that allows me to slide into a creative flow and ride it into the wee hours of the night, where much of my best work happens. It’s the reason I was able to immerse myself in my character Geraldine’s world, working day and night to write and illustrate three 64-page graphic novels back-to-back-to-back. If I could feel the passage of time as I worked, I think I’d be too intimidated to complete a single book. Instead, the flow feels sublime.
2) Another challenge–interruptions. I need big stretches of uninterrupted time to do creative work, which can feel impossible as a mom of two little kids! And even before the lil ones arrived, their two pregnancies were complicated, both requiring multiple months of bed rest. I had to push production schedules, cancel author visits, and learn to draw while lying on my back, all of which took an emotional toll on top of already challenging, anxiety-ridden medical situations. So, while one can try their best to plan out each 20-minute block and each mini deadline, sometimes life throws you punches and … you just have to roll with them! This means, like in boxing, you pivot and move in the same direction as the force. It looks like accepting the fact that I can’t escape this thing that’s out of my control. Then, asking–Well, where is this force going? How can I flow with it instead of resist it? Rolling with it is an art of its own, truly!
3) When I was a teacher, I could see the impact I was making on my kids every single day. As an author-illustrator, you pour so much into bringing these books to life. Then you launch them out into the world and wonder if anyone reads them. Do they matter? Was it energy well spent? So, author visits at schools, and fan mail really fuels me. Readers–I love getting fan mail. Please feel free to send a letter and/or drawing my way!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
The three books in the GERALDINE PU series are:
GERALDINE PU AND HER LUNCH BOX, TOO!
GERALDINE PU AND HER CAT HAT, TOO!
GERALDINE PU AND HER LUCKY PENCIL, TOO!
With each book in the series, I wrote and drew a story of a spunky, funny, and friendly Taiwanese American girl as she navigates the trials and tribulations of elementary school life—all while she grapples with her cultural and racial identity and learns about self-acceptance. And, of course, she’s accompanied by a different sidekick in each book–her favorite belongings. The series is a part of Simon & Schuster’s Ready-to-Read Graphics line that’s perfect for beginning readers. Each book even has a how-to guide for those new to reading graphic novels and an illustrated glossary.
The main conflict in the first book is that Geraldine gets teased for the traditional Taiwanese lunches her beloved grandmother, Amah, packs her. Nico, a kid who’s new to Geraldine’s table, calls her curry gross, and soon, the rest of her classmates join in. It’s a fresh take on the “lunchbox moment” that so many first- and second-generation immigrants experience at school. But the themes in the series are universal like food, bullying, hair, sibling love, and family histories. And inherent in the storylines are social and emotional lessons that all kids can benefit from.
I feel very lucky to be repped by Wendi Gu at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. She’s a dream agent all around, and she was one of the first to see that Geraldine, an Asian American girl, could carry her own weight as the star of her own series. I’m proud to say that the books have received many accolades, including the American Library Association Best Graphic Novels for Children reading list, the Banks Street Best Children’s Book of the Year list, an Outstanding Works of Literature (OWL) Award Winner, a Cybils Award Finalist, and all three books were Junior Guild Library Gold Standard selections. Currently, GERALDINE PU AND HER LUNCH BOX, TOO! is up for the Beverly Cleary Children’s Choice Award, and voting is open from March 14-April 10. So, if the kids in your life enjoy the book and want to vote, please have their teacher or librarian submit on their behalf!
Anything you’d like to share from your childhood memories?
So, yes, Geraldine is loosely based off of me as a child–that’s probably the question I get asked the most. I grew up in Kansas, and oh, I certainly have memories of being teased for the traditional Taiwanese lunches my Amah packed me…and more! Many of the other storylines from the series are inspired by my childhood memories, too. I got myself into messy predicaments alllll the time, and Geraldine is basically who I wished I was, doing the things I wished I’d done to right my wrongs and find compassion and self-acceptance. That’s the amazing thing about being an author–you can write new and better endings for your personal stories, and they’ll live in print for all to learn from, forever.
Fun fact: Geraldine and her brother Auggie’s names are inspired by me and my brother’s names (Maggie and Gerard).
Pricing:
- Paperback $6.99
- Hardcover $17.99
- Boxset of all 3 paperback books $20.99
- For author visits (zoom or in-person), please email me!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.maggiepchang.com
- Instagram: @maggiepchang
- Other: https://ola.memberclicks.net/bccca-how-to-vote
Image Credits
Charlie Ramseyer
