As a scholar who is interested in what is possible with the comics medium, I was pleased to encounter Tye Leung Schulze: Translator for Justice by Dawn K. Wing. The book is published in a landscape format and the pages work with inviting juxtapositions of narrative and image. The occasional inclusion of realia in the form of historical photographs reminds the reader that the story is rooted in reality.
It is this narrative center that acts as another salient feature of the book, beyond its design. Wing has adapted a family story into visual form and this an example of the extension of comics beyond mythic superhero narratives into stories of the real, stories of the true, and celebrations of heroes who widen the landscape of folx who are represented in comics.
I'm glad I read this book and will gladly pass this story along for a classroom teacher to share with their students.
For readers who aren’t familiar, what is the background of your book?
This book is a non-fiction graphic narrative that integrates research using primary and secondary sources to provide a deeper exploration of the life and times of Tye Leung Schulze, the first Chinese American woman to vote in a US election in 1912. She broke barriers for women of Asian descent, an extraordinary feat especially while living during the Chinese Exclusion Act era in San Francisco's Chinatown. I worked closely with her descendants to capture Ms. Leung's character and conscience as she navigated the challenges of being both Chinese and a woman in American society, and how readers of all backgrounds can still relate and be inspired by her legacy today.
I decided to depict Ms. Leung's life story in word and image to animate action scenes and writing/using Cantonese dialogue (with English translation in captions) to showcase the virtuosity she possessed to be a bilingual/bicultural community liaison and advocate in immigrant communities, especially in her work helping victims of sex trafficking. I have not yet read an American graphic narrative that has done this before. As a Chinese American librarian, researcher and comics artist, this book is deeply personal and has helped me connect to my heritage in profound ways and to integrate history with art together to highlight under-represented voices in American society. My hope is that it could make a similar impact for readers as well.
What draws you to the graphic novel medium?
As a creator and reader of graphic novels/comics, I love how the sequential art medium allows for more possibilities in deeper, intimate depictions of human experiences, emotions, poetry and rhythms of spoken and visual language that telling stories with only text cannot deliver. I particularly admire the boundary-pushing works of Lynda Barry, Phoebe Gloeckner, Ebony Flowers, Nora Krug and Debbie Dreschler.
Please tell us about your creative process.
I enjoy creating art of all varieties from painting, printing, photography, collaging, drawing, etc., so I am particularly appreciative of experimentation with visual storytelling which inspires me to push my own boundaries as a comics artist to take creative risks in ways that allows for freedom of expression and truth.
For personal comics stories, I usually make a brief sketch of scenes and dialogue so that I have a general idea of how to format my page and panel layout. Then, once I get pencil onto paper, I'll allow for improvisation of images and details to emerge. I will usually do my penciling of panels on graph paper; then, using a light-screen, will ink the final draft on copy paper. And then, I’ll make photocopies of the ink draft to do my final color washes using gouache or watercolors. I used to use non-photo blue pencil and ink on Bristol board, but found the former approach to be more flexible and aligned to my creative process.
I find having themes and deadlines very helpful! For example, if I will be exhibiting at an upcoming comics and/or zine* (pronounced “zeen”) festival, I have that event as an incentive to finish a new collection of comics which is what I did for my semi-autobiographical series "What You Left Behind" from 2012-2015. I am motivated to keep creating new comics knowing that there will be an audience and platform where I can connect potential readers to my work.
For “Tye Leung Schulze: Translator for Justice,” my first book-length graphic narrative manuscript, I spent a lot of time researching, outlining, scripting, editing and citing content to make sure the historical information was accurate and overall story was coherent, especially since I was depicting the life of an actual person in history! It was definitely a different approach to how I usually create comics, but I am glad I challenged myself to take on a more involved project, especially one that had a lot of personal, historical and social significance.
*A zine is a DIY (do it yourself) publication, usually in some sort of booklet format, and can be about any topic.
What lesson steps do you recommend teachers consider implementing with your book?
Fortunately for educators, there is a teacher’s resource, including learning materials and handouts, connected to Tye Leung Schulze available through PBS, which was created as a part of their Unladylike 2020 animation series.
I think the animated clip highlighting Tye Leung Schulze’s achievements, historical documents, and learning activities are wonderful sources to integrate into lesson plans in conjunction with reading my graphic narrative book. My graphic narrative provides additional primary sources such as Tye Leung Schulze’s handwritten personal essay and interviews I had conducted with her descendants - all of which allows readers to draw connections of how history is still alive and present with us today.
What is the message you’d like to send through your work?
I hope that readers find inspiration, solace and solidarity when immersed in the spirit of resistance depicted in the scenes of Tye Leung Schulze's life whether it through her defiance of not going through an arranged marriage made by her family, of eloping with a Caucasian man out of state because of anti-miscegenation laws in California, and risking her life to be an interpreter and witness testifying against human traffickers. In the similar spirit of resistance and persistence, I also want readers (especially those who identify as BIPOC -Black, Indigenous, Person of Color), to realize that if they do not see comics with protagonists who look like them, share their cultural experiences, etc., that they absolutely can create, publish and promote those under-represented narratives themselves! I want readers to feel that they, too, can create and share visual narratives that depict diverse experiences that are still invisible in mainstream media, and that there are creators like myself who are happy to support and nurture their visions into reality. I also hope that readers are moved to action of any kind in their daily lives that is empowering and pushing against stereotypes, systems of injustice and prejudice of all kinds that still exist today.
What can we readers and teachers do to help spread the word about your work?
Feel free to share information about "Tye Leung Schulze: Translator for Justice" with everyone and anyone you know in your local libraries, book clubs and/or comics clubs!
The best way to stay tuned for updates on my next book and other creative works I am currently producing is visiting the website www.waterpigpress.com. Folks can also sign-up to join my email /newsletter list if they wish to get updates that way as well.
Speaking of my next book, a sneak-peak on the synopsis:
I will continue highlighting the bravery of another Chinese American translator for justice, Tien Wu, who was a survivor of child trafficking herself and played a crucial role in carrying out rescue missions to protect vulnerable Chinese immigrant women and girls during the Chinese Exclusion Act era.
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