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ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: Miss Camper
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://www.katfajardo.com/
CITY: Austin
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: SATA 391
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born January 16, 1991, in New York, NY.
EDUCATION:The School of Visual Arts, B.F.A.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer and illustrator. Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, intern.
AWARDS:Mini-Grant, Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo, 2016, for Bandida; Emerging Talent Award, CXC, 2017.
WRITINGS
Contributor to anthologies, including Puerto Rico Strong and Drawing Power: Women’s Stories of Sexual Violence. Contributor to periodicals, including HuffPost, HelloGiggles, Latino Voices, Women Write About Comics, and NoEcho. Also author of the minicomic Bandida.
SIDELIGHTS
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, February 1, 2022, Michelle Ortega, review of Miss Quinces: A Graphic Novel, p. 40.
Publishers Weekly, March 21, 2022, review of Miss Quinces, p. 78.
School Library Journal, May, 2022, Shelly M. Diaz, review of Miss Quinces, p. 79.
ONLINE
HelloGiggles, https://hellogiggles.com/ (October 13, 2022), author interview.
Horn Book, https://www.hbook.com/ (April 20, 2022), Lettycia Terrones, “Five Questions for Kat Fajardo.”
Huffington Post, https://www.huffpost.com/ (March 28, 2016), Tanisha Love Ramirez, author interview.
Kat Fajardo website, https://www.katfajardo.com (October 13, 2022).
NoEcho, https://pome-mag.com/ (July 9, 2021), Gabriela Güllich, author interview.
POMEmag, https://www.noecho.net/ (November 14, 2017), Carlos Ramirez, author interview.
Smash Pages, https://smashpages.net/ (October 2, 2018), author interview.*
Kat Fajardo (she/they) is a Honduran Colombian award-winning cartoonist and illustrator from the lively and magical place of Loisaida, New York City.
She's the creator of Miss Quinces, which was a National Indie Bestseller, received a Pura Belpre Honor for illustration, two starred reviews, and was selected as a summer reading pick by Entertainment Weekly, Publishers Weekly, The Horn Book, and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. It was also added to the The Spirit of Texas (SPOT) Reading Program by the Texas Library Association. It was the first Graphix title to be simultaneously published in English and Spanish (as Srta. Quinces).
Kat is a graduate of the School of Visual Arts, and their work has been recognized by online publications such as Remezcla, El Hispanic News, School Library Journal, Huffington Post Latino Voices, and more. Kat loves to create playful and colorful work about self-acceptance and Latine culture.
When they aren’t making comics, you might find them collecting bugs, scrapbooking, listening to spooky podcasts, or chasing after their sock-stealing pup, Roni. She is definitely not two dogs in a trench coat. Kat lives in Austin, Texas.
Kat is represented by Linda Camacho at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency. Please direct all professional inquiries to her agent linda@galltzacker.com.
And if you're interested in a visit of any kind, please contact my booking agent Sarah DeVore by providing info at: Book an Author | How Now Booking!
Did you always want to be an artist?
Yes! I've been drawing since elementary school, where I drew fanart of anime character for classmates. That eventually evolved into creating my own stories, characters and a few original comic pages for fun. But at the time I really wanted to be a painter and sculptor, so I went to an art high school to focus on my fine arts studies. However, during my junior year, I soon realized my passion for making comics. :)
Where do you get your story and character ideas?
I draw inspiration from a lot of things but particularly from my own childhood experiences, from weird dreams, folklore, or sometimes I make up stories for random characters I drew on the spot. And sometimes, my characters are based on people I know and inspire me.
What tools do you use to make comics?
So I use different tools depending on the project I'm working on or the mood I'm trying to convey through my work. When I color and ink, sometimes I use watercolors (Pelikan brand) for a more whimsical vibe, or I ink with a nib (using Winsor & Newton Black India Ink) for more textural look, or I color digitally (with Photoshop) for vibrant colors. And sometimes I combine all my techniques, it all depends on what I'm in the mood for!
But before I ink and color, lately I've been thumbnailing and pencil my pages traditionally on computer paper with a 2h or HB pencil.
For The Isle of the Lost graphic novel, I pencilled and inked the pages all digitally.
Particularly for Miss Quinces, I pencil my pages traditionally and scan them onto the computer where I ink digitally through Clip Studio. The pages are then colored, this time not by me, but by my awesome colorist Mariana Azzi!
How long does it take you to make a book?
To be honest, the answer to this question is never the same. Making books can take a long time (like years) or it can be quick for some artists. And if you're working on a book that's written and drawn by you, sometimes it take more time to develop than a book someone else wrote. It all depends because life can affect how you work, and that's totally okay!
For Miss Quinces, it took me about 2-3 years. After the pitching stage which took a few months, we went straight to the script phase, it took me about 8-10 months to develop the story with my editors. The pencils took me about 3-4 months and inking took about 5 months. :P
Who are your favorite artists?
I love reading books by Iasmin Omar Ata (Mis(h)adra), Breena Nuñez (Half and Half), Ngozi Ukazu (Check, Please!), Raina Telgemeier (Guts), Yuko Ota & Ananth Hirsh (Johnny Wander), and there's so many more, it's hard to choose! Ahh!
I want to be an artist too, do you have any advice?
Yes! Keep on drawing and give yourself challenges to improve your drawing. Get interested in reading about everything! You never know what will inspire you or what could help your storytelling.
What’s your favorite food?
I love my mother's enchiladas, and my dad makes weird yet tasty empanadas. :3
Do you have any hobbies?
I love art journaling, collecting bugs, scrapbooking and embroidery! Right now, after taking tapestry classes at the Dougherty Arts Center, I've been obsessing and creating my own stuff! So fun!
Do you have any pets?
I have an adorable rescue pup named Roni. He's is an energetic Australian Kelpie mix, and his elbows are sharp as knives!!
Can I get a free book?
Unfortunately I don't have any spare copies for readers, however you can find my books at your local library (if they’re not there, ask your librarian to order a copy, they'd be happy to help). My books are also available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or even check your local bookstore (please support small businesses!).
Can I send you fan mail?
Oh my goodness! That would be amazing, but at the moment I don't have a good shipping address (my mail gets stolen at where I live!). I'm in the middle of getting a P.O. Box, so once I set that up, I'll be able to receive your beautiful artwork! In the meantime, you can scan or take photos of it and tag me on social media (@katfcomix) or email me!
Kat Fajardo
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Kat Fajardo
Born New York City, New York, U.S.
Other names Katherine Fajardo
Education School of Visual Arts, New York City, New York
Occupation(s) Freelance Comic Artist and Illustrator
Katherine Fajardo (born January 16, 1991) is an American cartoonist and author. She is known for her book cover illustrations and comics that focus on Latino culture and self-acceptance. Her debut middle grade graphic novel Miss Quinces, which is a National Indie Bestseller, was the first Graphix title to be simultaneously published in English and Spanish (as Srta. Quinces).[1]
Biography
Early life
Fajardo is a first-generation American Latina born and raised in Loisaida New York City, New York. Her mother and father are both immigrants, from Honduras and Colombia respectively. At an early age, Fajardo was a fan of anime and manga. According to her, Digimon, Dragon ball Z, and Clamp manga series were her early influences.[2] She attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, where she studied art from 2005-2009.
She later graduated with a BFA from The School of Visual Arts in 2013, where she studied cartooning, illustration, and animation.[3]
Career
During college, Fajardo became an intern at the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, where she assisted the organization with file management and helped at their booths at comic conventions.[citation needed]
After graduating from the School of Visual Arts, Fajardo began exhibiting at comic conventions and zine festivals, selling self-published autobiographical zines that illustrated her experiences with her Latine identity and culture. In 2014, her minicomic Gringa!, which expressed her struggles with cultural identity through assimilation, racism, and fetishization as an American-Latina gained online recognition and was featured on several publications such as HuffPost Latino Voices,[4] Women Write About Comics,[5] HelloGiggles,[6] and NoEcho.[7]
Shortly after, Fajardo began contributing to anthologies and magazines. In 2016, as a response to the lack of Latinx voices in the comics community, Fajardo created and co-edited an all Latinx art and literature collection called La Raza Anthology: Unidos y Fuertes with her partner Pablo A. Castro. In an interview, Fajardo said, "I was like ya no más. Instead of moping around, I’m going to make my own anthology because we really need it".[8] The anthology was a 120-page book featuring illustrations, poetry, short stories, and comics from 42 contributors, and was successfully funded on Kickstarter in 2017.[citation needed]
After some time, through her agent Linda Camacho, Fajardo began working with kidlit publishers on cover art for middle grade books such as The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Perez,[9] Shaking Up the House by Yamile Saied Méndez, BUMP and The Supervillain's Guide to Being a Fat Kid, both by Matt Wallace.
In 2018, her first graphic novel for children was published, The Isle of the Lost: The Graphic Novel, a comic adaption of the New York Times best-selling Descendants series written by Melissa de la Cruz. The graphic novel was adapted by Robert Venditti, illustrated by Fajardo, lettered and colored by Leigh Luna with assistance by Madeline McGrane and Andrea Bell.[10]
In 2022, Fajardo released her solo debut graphic novel for middle-grade readers, Miss Quinces, published by Scholastic-Graphix[11][better source needed], which was simultaneously released in both English and Spanish editions (as Srta. Quinces), a first in Graphix history.[citation needed] Miss Quinces received two starred reviews, and was selected as a summer reading pick by Entertainment Weekly,[12] Publishers Weekly,[13] The Horn Book,[14] and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.[15]
Works
Miss Quinces (2022) ISBN 9781338746495 [16][17]
The Isle of the Lost: The Graphic Novel (2018) ISBN 9781368045452
La Raza Anthology (2017) ISBN 9780692826676
¡Bandida! Series (2016)
Gringa! (2015)
Featured in:
Dirty Diamonds Anthology (2016)
Sweaty Palms Zine (2016)
CollegeHumor (2014)
Symbolia Magazine (2012-2014)
BARTKIRA (2013)
Strange Paradise Zine (2013)
The White Asylum (2013)
Monster Mash Anthology (2012)
Hope Mountain Magazine #3 (2012)
SVA INK Magazine (2012-2015)
SVA Visual Opinion Mag (2011)
Literary style and themes
This section may need to be rewritten to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards. You can help. The talk page may contain suggestions. (September 2017)
Fajardo's work is heavily influenced by her personal search for wholeness in her cultural identity as an American Latina of Colombian and Honduran heritage. Her 17-page mini comic Gringa! is a candid chronicle of her struggle “through assimilation, racism, and fetishization of Latin culture”.[18] The cover of Gringa! depicts the main character, Fajardo herself, in a state of cultural divide. Half of her outfit is emblazoned with the stars and stripes of America while the other half proudly dons a traditional Latin American dress. On the Latino side, her hair is jet black and long; on the other side, her hair is bleached lighter and cropped short in an attempt to seamlessly assimilate into American culture. The first few pages of ‘’Gringa!’’ depict vitriolic attacks on immigrants from American protesters holding signs that read words like "'Diversity’=White Genocide” and “Return to Sender!” Fajardo reflects on the hardships immigrants face—“leaving their families behind and endangering their lives” only to arrive in America to unjustified racism and hostility. She ultimately recognizes that she should be proud of her heritage, but cannot find the courage to outwardly celebrate it. She cites a variety of factors: lack of Latino studies in academia and representation in television and cinema, fetishization and racism from classmates, and pressure from her own family to become a “proper lady” and “accept Machismo as the norm.” She does her best to conform and pass for the prototypical white American woman, but "mi raza" (literally translating as "my race") holds her fast. Years later, after discussing common experiences with Latino youth, she realizes that any discrimination she receives due to her heritage is no longer an obstacle for her, but “fuel” for her own creativity. She ends the comic proud of her journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance, and hopes to use her artwork to contribute to better representation of Latinos and Hispanics in the media.[19]
Fajardo is currently working on La Raza Anthology, which is a collection of comics, illustrations, poems, and short stories by more than 30 Latino creators discussing topics such as assimilation, racism, feminism, and queer and self-identity. La raza is a term stemmed from Mexican scholar José Vasconcelos's phrase, La Raza Cósmica ("the cosmic race"). Because Latin America is a mixture of different races and cultures, Farjardo uses la raza as a term to define her community by celebrating her roots. The anthology is an effort to give Latino creators proper recognition and address issues important to Latino culture.
Honors, decorations, awards and distinctions
In 2016, Fajardo's minicomic, Bandida, was a recipient of the Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (MICE) mini-grant.
In 2017, Fajardo was awarded the CXC Emerging Talent Award at the Cartoon Crossroads Columbus, which was presented by Tom Spurgeon and Jeff Smith.[20]
In 2018, La Raza Anthology was nominated for an Ignatz Award for Best Anthology. Fajardo and Pablo A. Castro were the editors.
In 2019, Puerto Rico Strong Anthology won the 2019 Eisner Award for Best Anthology. The anthology contains work by Fajardo.
In 2020, Drawing Power: Women's Stories of Sexual Violence, Harassment and Survival anthology won the 2020 Eisner Award for Best Anthology. The anthology contains work by Fajardo.
Smash Pages Q&A: Kat Fajardo
The recipient of last year’s CXC Emerging Talent Award discusses drawing a ‘Descendants’ graphic novel for Disney, editing the ‘La Raza Anthology,’ creating comics on Twitter and much more.
Last fall Kat Fajardo received the CXC Emerging Talent Award for her work as both a creator and member of the comics community. She’s the woman behind Bandida Comics, and Gringa, and contributed to Dirty Diamonds, Symbolia and other anthologies and magazines. Fajardo also co-edited and contributed to the anthology La Raza: Unidos y Fuertes.
More recently, Fajardo has been drawing diary comics, which she’s been posting on Twitter. Fajardo drew the comics adaptation of Melissa de le Cruz’s novel The Isle of the Lost, which is out this month from Disney/Hyperion. She’s also a contributor to the anthology Tales from La Vida. I reached out to ask about her work.
I like to ask as a first question, how did you come to comics?
When I was younger, I was fortunate to have an older sister with a large collection of Archie Digest comics which I would occasionally steal and read everyday. Soon enough, I was introduced to CLAMP manga at a nearby Barnes & Noble. I was so obsessed with their series that I was inspired to make my own “manga”. I would take small notebooks with me everywhere even on family vacations and create my own original characters. It didn’t occur to me that I can choose comics as a profession until senior year of high school when I had to make a decision for colleges. I couldn’t figure out whether I wanted to do animation or comics at the School of Visual Arts so I took a chance and went for Cartooning. Thankfully it was the right decision (I don’t have the patience for animation). After SVA, I’ve started working on autobio comics and zines while working at a cafe. Shortly after posting my work Gringa online, my agent Linda Camacho reached out to me after seeing my work and the rest is history!
What’s the story behind La Raza Anthology and what was it like editing a book?
So after years of attending mainstream and indie comic conventions in the East Coast, I was very disappointed with the lack of Latinx narratives in the industry. Despite having created a couple zines based on my own experiences as a Latina, I was craving for more contemporary Latinx stories. So I figured, if I can’t find any, why not start an anthology? After much convincing by my partner Pablo Castro, La Raza Anthology was born! With the help of social media, our call-for-submissions post for comics, illustrations, short stories & poems about Latinidad had great success online. We were able to narrow down our contributor list to around 30 creators from different parts of the world and we were able to successfully fund our book on Kickstarter.
After the crowdfunding success, what followed after was a series of unexpected obstacles. What people don’t tell you about having a Kickstarter project is that it’s a full-time gig. Not only do you have to be on top of communicating with 30+ contributors in Spanish and English, but you also have to put together a book while editing people’s work based on their different schedules. Because it was our first Kickstarter project, the cost of supplies and shipping costs were severely underestimated, especially international orders. In addition to my full time day job, I struggled to find money and time to ship out people’s rewards each week. Even though it evolved into pure madness in the end, it was a valuable learning experience for any future projects. I don’t regret any of it, in fact I wish to work on a second volume (maybe using outside help this time!). I’ve had so many creators & readers share their beautiful stories of their own journey with their Latinidad, books like La Raza are important resources to have around.
I feel like I’ve been coming across your name and your work the past couple years in a lot of anthologies and online and picking up minis but in Dirty Diamonds, Sweaty Palms, the upcoming Tales from La Vida. What do you like about short comics and how has that been helpful to you
I like short comics because it’s a great way to get a specific message out to readers short and sweet! Back in SVA we would have weekly assignments for short work so it’s a method that has been drilled into my brain. It’s also a really practical way to produce affordable books in a short amount of time before convention season. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve finished last minute comics a week before a convention and assembling books on the car ride there! Short comics are life, however I’m currently working on my first solo graphic novel which will be written and drawn by me so it’s definitely going to be different than my usual short work.
One thing that interests me is that a lot of cartoonists will make, especially when they start their careers, autobio work. How helpful is that in terms of finding your own voice as an artist. Because as a reader it feels like I’ve been watching you develop as an artist as you’ve been understanding what it means to you to be Latinx and Honduran. Is that fair?
Oh totally! I think what’s alluring about autobio work is the idea of having a safe space where you can reflect on your thoughts and feelings. It’s a therapeutic way to explore that voice while having a place to also address important topics like mental illness, disabilities, queerness, political issues and race. It’s a great way for readers to experience the artist’s life and personalize certain issues unfamiliar to them. Creators like Breena Nuñez Peralta, Kevin Budnik, Bianca Xunise, Laura Park, Ben Passmore, Laura Knetzger, Julia Kaye and many more have created comics that have invited readers into their personal world. Working in this genre has definitely helped me come into terms with my own identity as a Latina and reconnect with my roots for sure. And I’ve had the great opportunity to meet so many kind folks who have seen themselves in my comics, which totally makes my day.
You’re also illustrating an adaptation of Melissa de la Cruz’s The Isle of the Lost, which comes out in September. Do you want to say a little about working on the book and the particular challenges in this book and comics for kids?
Yes and I’m incredibly excited for it! As a huge fan of the Descendants series, I had put a lot of pressure on myself to get the adaption’s look just right. I didn’t want to disappoint anyone, especially Melissa De La Cruz and Robert Venditti (writer for the GN). Because I’ve been working on self-published projects for years, I wasn’t aware that working on a licensed series with a big company was a whole new ballgame. Working with the Disney Channel and their editors, I had to make sure all of the characters and their costumes were perfectly on model. If the characters looked any different in the comic, I had to go back and change it before the coloring stage, while juggling other tasks like editing model sheets. Because there were so many people on editing duty, there was constant back and forth communication and editing input, so I had to be vigilant of emails. Luckily I hired a great team of talented artists to help me out, specifically Leigh Luna as lead letterer and colorist, followed by the flat coloring team Madeline McGrane and Andrea Bell. Without them, the book definitely wouldn’t have been made or at least wouldn’t look as amazing as it does now. Despite the obstacles, this project has been an essential learning experience and milestone as a professional cartoonist.
How much of what you do is illustration vs comics or other work?
This year I find myself focusing more on comics than illustration work. Although I occasionally make illustrations for YA projects, I have a harder time coming up with things to draw for myself. As a cartoonist, comic ideas come to me much more easier and I love creating informative work. But because I have recently set up a Patreon site, I now have an excuse to produce as many sketches as I possibly can per week. It’s great practice to get back into illustrations.
What’s your process and how do you like to work? Are you all digital?
So my work process starts off with intensive thumbnailing and sketched out pages. I like having dramatic page layouts and splash pages, so planning them in advance is a must! Depending on the project, I tend to switch up my process for inking and coloring. For my own self published zines, I ink traditionally with some occasional ink wash or digital coloring. Because these comics are meant to be more experimental and made initially for myself as diary comics, perfection is the last thing on my mind. And as for YA books and client work, I prefer a more polished look by working completely digitally on my drawing tablet. But for my next GN, I really want to integrate the two styles.
You’ve been posting comics on Twitter and you did a 30-day diary comics challenge. Why did you give yourself that challenge and what was it like?
Well after months of working nonstop on The Isle of the Lost while also working at a cafe, I did a terrible job of taking care of my mental health. So when the project came to an end and I finally quit my day job, my life sort of just froze. Suddenly all of my past trauma and self-esteem issues began flooding into my everyday life. I fell into a terrible depression and for weeks I couldn’t get myself out of bed. Until I finally had a breaking point where I realized something had to change in my life in order to feel normal again. After days of sitting through various self-help vlogs and TedTalk videos on Youtube, I came across Matt Cutts’ talk “Trying something new for 30 days”. In the video Cutts explains how trying out a new challenge might help folks when they find themselves in a rut by forming new habits while rebuilding their own self confidence. As a person who loves challenges, I saw Cutts’ example as a great first step to rebuilding my mental health. I needed to start small so the logical thing to do was getting back to doing autobio comics again, which I had neglected this past year in order to work on Disney project. And so far it has been a great experience! Having a daily routine really helps alleviate depression and I felt well enough to leave the house and see a therapist.
At first having a daily comic schedule was fun and easy because it felt refreshing, but after the first week it became a bit difficult. There are days when I’m feeling too tired to work or I’ve been too busy with errands all day, that I’d have to rush to my studio and get the work done that night. But after realizing the challenge doesn’t have to produce perfect comics but rather getting into the habit of making comics for myself again, I cut myself some slack and now I have fun with it.
Last year you received the CXC Emerging Talent Award. I wonder if you could say a little about what it meant to you, and how you take it as a challenge going forward in terms of what you want to do and hope to do going forward.
Yeah that was pretty wild! I wasn’t expecting to receive that award, so when it was announced at the festival, you can imagine my shock and utter disbelief in that moment! It’s seriously a blessing and an incredible honor to know people enjoy and recognize my work. These past couple of years have a been a real struggle balancing my career and my mentally-straining day job, so lots of sacrifices were made in order to put my art first. My work is literally my life and soul so to have someone show their appreciation of my work with an award, it’s legit proof that my art and my existence truly matter in this industry. I hope to continue living up to people’s expectations by creating more valuable work and projects for people.
You mentioned quitting your day job – congrats, by the way – and that you’re planning a new anthology, but especially in light of the CXC award, is there anything you want to do differently going forward, try something else, make something longer, I don’t know. What are you working on now and thinking about for the future?
Yeah after quitting my day job – thank you! – I now have time to work on my next project, my first solo graphic novel! It’s definitely a step up from my self-published mini-comics but it’s nothing drastically different from my usual work. I can’t reveal too much about it at the moment, but it’s a semi-autobiographical fish out of water story about a nerdy teen’s summer vacation in her mother’s homeland, Honduras. It’s a reflection of my own experiences spending many summers there and embarking on my own coming of age journey with my crazy family and their culture. I’m super excited to work on this project as it’s a story I wished I had growing up. For decades there has been so much negative representation about Central Americans that it’d be nice to see something positive for once, especially for countries like Honduras and El Salvador which have been marked as countries filled with violence. And more importantly, there are very few graphic novels about the experience of “ni de aqui, ni de alla” (neither here, nor there). Growing up in a multicultural setting and feeling displaced because of US Latino diaspora, this project is incredibly important for readers like myself who grew up feeling lost with their identity due to the inadequate representation of our struggles. So the thought of younger generations growing up with so many stories to read including this project, it gives me so much joy and hope!
Five questions for Kat Fajardo
by Lettycia Terrones and Horn Book
Apr 20, 2022 | Filed in Blogs
The middle-grade graphic novel Miss Quinces, written and illustrated by Kat Fajardo, with color by Mariana Azzi (Graphix/Scholastic, 10–13 years; simultaneously published in Spanish as Srta. Quinces) takes place during the summer of Suyapa’s fifteenth year, when her family goes to Honduras to visit extended family. Cajoled into a quinceañera, Suyapa handles her conflicting feelings — and shows off her enviably individualistic style, in comic-like illustrations that are by turns poignant and hilarious — imperfectly but with aplomb.
1. Suyapa has a strong sense of who she is, but she’s also a believable teen who’s wracked with self-consciousness and self-doubt. Was it difficult to maintain both those parts of her character at the same time?
Kat Fajardo: In a way, Suyapa is a self-projection of the type of teen I wanted to be at that age. The parts of myself that wanted to be heard or expressed were written down to create Sue’s character, while the insecure parts of Sue were drawn straight from my experience as a painfully shy and anxious teen. So balancing the two personalities while avoiding contradiction of her feelings and motivation would have been challenging; however, since Sue’s experience was mirrored after mine, writing her character felt somewhat natural and easy.
2. Her interactions with family members — especially her mother, older sister, and abuelita — feel so real. How did you approach developing those characters and their relationships?
KF: Thank you, that means so much to me! Because Miss Quinces is semiautobiographical, all of the characters are based on family members who had the greatest impact on my life as a teen. For instance, Sue’s complicated relationship with her mother is based on the challenges I faced as a first-gen teen in a strict Latine household. Although I wish I was more outspoken like Sue in those situations, her mother’s intentions were no different from my own mom’s, who expressed her love in a similar manner. It just made sense to create characters who would contribute to Sue’s development in the story as a reflection of my own experience visiting family and coming back home from my transformative summer trip.
3. The book embraces adapting traditions to make them your own. Do you have a favorite one that you’ve adapted?
KF: Good question! In my family, food and music are very important, especially for my sisters and myself. As first-gen Latinas growing up in the States, our only connection to our culture was through our parents and eating their traditional meals while listening to music from their childhood. My mom would make us delicious Honduran dishes like enchiladas and baleadas while listening to punta or anything by Vicente Fernández, while my dad made Colombian dishes while playing cumbia on the radio. Now as an adult, I catch myself doing the exact same thing in my home as a way to connect to childhood memories and get a small taste of my culture.
4. You write fondly about your own quinces in the book’s afterword — did you enjoy it at the time or did you feel any of Suyapa’s ambivalence?
KF: Just like Suyapa, I had mixed feelings about having my quinces. I was a shy and nerdy tomboy, and the very last thing I wanted was to be the center of attention in a puffy princess dress. However, after much convincing from my parents, I finally agreed to do it since it was for just one night. I’m glad I did, because as the night progressed, much to everyone’s surprise (including myself), I ended up on the dance floor having a blast with my sisters and cousins! It was definitely a night to remember and it’s safe to say that I enjoyed it!
5. Since this is for summer reading — what are you most looking forward to this summer?
KF: Although I’m looking forward to tackling the large stack of unread books in the corner of my room, I’m actually looking forward to possibly traveling this summer! Whether it’s Honduras or New York City, I miss getting on a plane and going on an adventure. That would be awesome!
From the April 2022 issue of Notes from the Horn Book: Summer Reading. For past years’ summer reading lists from The Horn Book, click on the tag summer reading.
I first saw Kat Fajardo's artwork via The First Rule of Punk, one of the entries in my 2017 Holiday Gift Guide of Hardcore, Punk + Metal Books list. Her eye-grabbing visuals were the perfect compliment to Celia C. Pérez's story of a young girl who chooses to live her life on her own terms. It's no wonder that Kat was chosen for the book, since her own DIY comics (Gringa!, Superstitions) are made out of the same kind of rebel spirit.
Get to know Kat in the latest installment of No Echo's Art Spotlight series.
Where were you born and raised, and were your parents into the arts?
I'm a native New Yorker and I grew up in Loisaida, a small latino community in the Lower East Side. Although I lived in a household that lacked an appreciation for the arts, I'm very lucky to have supportive parents, even if they don't understand what I do. But I think I got my artistic side from my father's family in Colombia, I have a bunch of tíos who are architects, painters, and musicians so it might be in the blood.
Where did your early interest in illustration come from? Did you watch a lot of cartoons/read comic books?
My interest in illustration started back in middle school when I spent an unhealthy amount of time reading Clamp manga and watching way too much anime like Dragonball Z and Digimon. Ripping off my favorite shows, I would draw my own characters and create dumb stories.
Who were some of your early influences?
In 5th grade, I had a huge obsession with Frida Kahlo, all thanks to my wonderful art teacher, who had posters of her work in our art room. Frida's morbid and beautiful paintings really called out to my goth tween self. Once I started getting into comic series like Neil Gaiman's Sandman and the Hernandez's brothers' Love & Rockets series, that's when I decided I wanted to make comics for real.
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At what point did you begin to truly begin to find your stylistic voice?
For years I felt like I was struggling with my work. Most of the zines I made didn't feel authentic or interesting enough for me. Until one day I decided to experiment new ideas and made a comic based on pages from my diary sketchbook. As a result, I self-published Gringa, which was an auto-bio comic based on my experiences and conflicts with my own identity as a Latina- American. And ever since then, every work I make has a part of my voice in it!
What is the story behind La Raza Anthology?
La Raza Anthology was an idea that came right about after Gringa. Interested in finding more comics with a Latinx narrative, I noticed that I had a difficult time finding similar work in my comics community. So instead of complaining and waiting around for something to happen, I took the initiative of posting a call for submissions online for a collection of works by Latinx creators. And in a matter of days, I received over 100 responses from creators all over the world. Eventually a Kickstarter was launched to fund the book printing, which was successfully funded and now there's a beautiful book to show everyone! Hopefully, I get the chance to make more anthologies, but La Raza was a very demanding job on top of my own work. So, in the meantime, I plan on focusing on my own work getting published.
What is your typical tool setup?
I've been using traditional media for years and I'm very comfortable using nibs, brush and markers for inking. Since it takes a lot of practice and dedication to perfect techniques with this media, you can imagine my struggle of trying to replicate it on screen. I've stayed away from digital work for a long time aside from coloring my comics. However, after recently taking continuing education animation courses at SVA, I fell in love with Cintiqs. I finally caved in and bought one, I've been using it everyday since then.
What usually comes first, the copy or the illustration? Walk me through that.
Strangely enough, both! I usually jot down my ideas like an illustrated diary entry. If I can't find the right words to describe a thought/feeling, drawing it out really helps convey my point. But when I work with clients, it's easier to work with a provided script and work with their own ideas.
What are the toughest aspects of what you do from a business standpoint? Are you constantly networking and reaching out to editors for gigs?
I think finding the energy to make art after working my day job is the toughest part of being a freelancer. Today, social media is insanely important for artists, but you would need time and consistently create work in order to make your online presence known. Thankfully, I work at a cafe in the mornings, so after work I chug down a red eye and work the rest of the night at my studio. The weeks before convention season are the hardest. Printing and assembling zines while working long hours is incredibly energy-draining! But it's worth it once you get yourself to the convention.
I love selling comics behind a table, you get to meet your readers, other cool artists and editors in person. I can't stress enough the importance of attending comic and zine festivals as an artist, I've made great business connections that way. However, most of my recent networking with publishers have been made all thanks to my literary agent, Linda Camacho. Because of her hard work, I was able to work on cool projects like creating the cover for The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Pérez, as well as a few more exciting projects coming up!
Tell me about some of the newer artists we should all check out.
There are so many talented artists to mention but lately I've been loving Kelly Fernandez's work, she's currently working on a graphic novel called Manu with Scholastic, which I'm very excited to read. I also recommend checking out work by Breena Nunez Peralta (Dear Sentida), Aatmaja Pandya (Travelogue), Vreni Stollberger (Raven Eyes), Steph Rodriguez (Lil' Shorties), and Iasmin Omar Ata (Mis(h)adra), they're all big inspirations to me! And as a form of shameless advertisement, all of La Raza Anthology's contributors are incredible, so definitely check them out, too!
If you had to pick one of your pieces that best encapsulates why you love doing what you do, which one would it by and why?
My on-going zine series, Bandida, really captures the theme in most of my work. It's a collection of short fun stories on my experiences with my Latinx culture. Because it's self-published, I have enough room to experiment with different ideas, formats, and stories with intentions of expanding those stories in later works. While I hope readers find the stories entertaining, I also hope they find it informative and learn a few things about Latinx culture.
CICADA: What are some aspects of Loisaida that made it most feel like home? How did these things change when gentrification began to take its toll?
KAT FAJARDO: I think what I loved the most about Loisaida was despite our different backgrounds, because we all struggled as a marginalized group, we understood and looked out for each other. Because of our cultures, we treated strangers as our own kin, which as a result made L.E.S. (Lower East Side) feel more like home. However, once families began to lose their homes and businesses because of increased rent, that was when our community started to gradually shrink. Suddenly it felt as if it wasn't our home anymore.
CIC: Can you talk a little bit about how you feel gentrification can be combated? How can residents reclaim their neighborhoods?
KF: I think the most important methods for fighting gentrification are acknowledging the reality of it and for transplants to understand their privilege. 1 feel like visitors look at our neighborhood as a trendy restaurant and bar scene as opposed to a place with history and a home for oppressed people of color. Transplants have to step up by supporting businesses that aren't damaging our community as well as listening to and supporting the voices of marginalized residents.
In order to reclaim our neighborhood, I believe we should speak up and demand rights whenever we want to start projects for our own community. For instance, a couple years ago our local muralist Chico and the community group Loisaida, Inc. had an opportunity to create a beautiful mural celebrating L.E.S.'s history on the RNC cable building on Avenue C. Sadly, RNC rejected that idea and instead decided to use that space for a "hip" Alphabet City mural by non-local artists. Of course, there wasn't much talk about that incident in the media because it wasn't important enough, though residents were pretty upset over it.
CIC: How has your experience in Loisaida influenced your work? How can art help bring attention to the problem of gentrification?
KF: Every time I visit my parents back home there's always a new fancy development popping up in the neighborhood. Though it's sad that I'm losing my childhood barrio, I tend to use that frustration as fuel for stories about embracing roots and learn more about L.E.S.'s interesting history. One of my favorite comics, which became an inspiration for my piece, is Aatmaja Pandya's "Phantom" which is an autobio comic about growing up in Queens and going back as adult, facing the consequences of gentrification. Because there are few comics or stories told from the perspective of the victims of gentrification, I think it's incredibly important to represent more of those voices.
CIC: What exciting projects are you working on right now?
KF: Currently I'm organizing La Raza Anthology, which is a collection of comics, illustrations, poems and short stories by 30+ Latinx creators discussing topics such as assimilation, racism, feminism, queer and self identity. I'm hoping this anthology will contribute to the representation of Latinxs in the comics and literature industry, which, unfortunately, is lacking at the moment. If I want to read more stories by diverse creators, I have to do my part in making our own history.
Kat Fajardo is a native NYC cartoonist with an unhealthy obsession with coffee and puppies. She also loves making playful and colorful work about self-acceptance and Latinx culture.
RELATED ARTICLE: The invisible barrio.
By Kat Fajardo
Mami thinks you're old enough to buy milk, on your own at the bodega.
There you meet the striking Sounds of dominoes placed on a wooden fold-out table, followed by the winner's boisterous laughter,
As you pass by the barbershop you bump into the friendly owner sitting by the door,
He asks if your tio finally made it to the States?
We all had each other's backs. In Loisaida, we were like family.
That was until our neighborhood become "safer" for others to move in ...
New restaurants Sold expensive "artisan' versions of our food.
invading our space
CONDOS COMING SOON
increasing our rent as if trying to kick I us all out.
#?%!
Suddenly my hometown didn't feel So genuine anymore ...
Years later as a transplant in Brooklyn I'm trying my best to not do the Same.
From experience, I know the damaging effects of gentrification.
I hope to help by respecting residents, their space, support their businesses, and boycott anything damaging their community.
If I do that & more maybe I can help this Community the way I wished Someone did for mine,
Maybe one day I'll get my Loisaida back.
One day.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 Cricket Media
http://www.cobblestonepub.com/magazine/CIC/
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"Artist allies Kat Fajardo: dispatch from the trenches! Friend of Cicada Kat Fajardo shares straight talk on the indie arts life." Cicada, vol. 19, no. 2, Nov.-Dec. 2016, pp. 20+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A472473370/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=6908b1bb. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.
Kat Fajardo. Graphlx, $24.99 (256p) ISBN 978-1-338-53558-7; $12.99 paper ISBN 978-1-338-53559-4
New Yorker and aspiring graphic novelist Suyapa Gutierrez, the protagonist of Fajardo's solo debut, would rather spend her 15th birthday reading manga than dancing in a "weird poofy dress" at a quinceanera. But on a family trip to visit her mother's family in Honduras, Sue learns that her mother has already planned the celebration--with a pink princess theme--and invited 100 guests. Sue's beloved artist grandmother proposes a compromise: if Sue has the quinces of her mother's dreams, she'll get to attend sleep away camp with friends. But as the family prepares, her grandmother's health takes a turn, making for a very different kind of ceremony. Choppy-haired, bespectacled Sue, who prefers black to pink and longs for more independence than her protective parents allow, embodies challenges that will be recognizable to many. Fajardo is sympathetic to the entire extended family: Sue's parents make concessions to the individual she's becoming (she receives a pair of construction boots, not pumps, for the celebration's shoe ceremony), and Sue learns to cherish family tradition en route to appreciating her Honduran heritage. A slightly redundant travelogue, Sue's creation for class, concludes; Fajardo closes with photos from her own quinces and a glossary. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8--12. Agent: Linda Camacho, Gallt & Zacker Literary. (May)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 PWxyz, LLC
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"Miss Quinces." Publishers Weekly, vol. 269, no. 12, 21 Mar. 2022, p. 78. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A698558538/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=46e376b2. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.
FAJARDO, Kat Miss Quinces. illus. by Kat Fajardo. 256p. Scholastic/Graphix. May 2022. pap. $12.99. ISBN 9781338535594.
Gr 4-8--In her graphic novel debut, Fajardo adeptly captures the angst of young people who are caught between two cultures--too Latinx to be accepted as American and too American to be accepted as Latinx. All tween Suyapa "Sue" Gutierrez wants to do this summer is hang out with her cool friends at summer camp and work on her comics. Instead, she has to head to Honduras to visit family where her mother surprises her with plans to have a quinceanera party. The last thing Sue wants to do is wear a big poofy dress, dance the waltz in high heels, and celebrate a very traditional and girly event where she is the center of attention. Fajardo explores themes of sisterhood, bilingualism, and intergenerational conflicts and resolutions in this delightful and often touching volume. The protagonist is sweet but prickly, a winning combination in this inviting work done in candy-colored and cheerful digital art. The variation in panel sizes enhances the even pacing, and the expressive faces and body movements ramp up the book's humor. Blue font indicates when characters are speaking in Spanish, while black font indicates English. Sue and her family often switch between the two, but over the course of the summer, their speech bubbles feature more blue text, though she remains more proficient in English. Sue's school friends are a variety of races as are her family members--refreshingly showing the diversity within the Honduran community. VERDICT With all of the charm of Raina Telgemeier and Lucy Knisley's works, this title will be enjoyed by voracious fans of coming-of-age graphic novels. But the specificity of having to stride two cultures and feeling like an outcast in both will especially resonate with readers from bicultural communities. --Shelley M. Diaz
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
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Diaz, Shelley M. "FAJARDO, Kat Miss Quinces." School Library Journal, vol. 68, no. 5, May 2022, p. 79. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A702476102/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=8921c6bc. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.
Messner, Kate EMMA MCKENNA, FULL OUT Algonquin (Children's None) $15.99 4, 30 ISBN: 9781523525713
A new school and an old embarrassment threaten Emma's third grade year.
Emma is excited to start at the brand-new Curiosity Academy, but of the 18 kids in Mrs. Z's class, one turns out to be her former BFF, Lucy. What if everyone learns about the humiliating nickname Lucy saddled her with last year? Emma doesn't seem to notice that Lucy is avoiding her and not having a great time herself. As her peers introduce themselves, Emma becomes convinced that she's the Least Interesting Person in class. Her plan to become more popular goes awry, and her hopes of learning to play the flute in music class are dashed. Still, the perceptive Mrs. Z finds a way to help Emma shine, and when the students start debating what the school's new mascot should be, Emma hits upon the perfect idea: the capybara, a creature that gets along with everyone--just as Emma hopes to. Impulsive but kind Emma's troubles are relatable, while brown-skinned Mrs. Z feels like a hip reincarnation of Ms. Frizzle from the Magic School Bus books. When it comes to Emma and Lucy's relationship, however, this engaging, low-key tale feels a bit unresolved, in part because of the series' premise. Each title follows a different student and is written by a different author; readers will eventually learn Lucy's full story. In Fajardo's cartoon artwork, Emma and Lucy present white; the class is diverse. Final art not seen.
A gentle back-to-school tale sure to resonate with youngsters confronting their own friendship woes. (Chapter book. 6-9)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Messner, Kate: EMMA MCKENNA, FULL OUT." Kirkus Reviews, 1 May 2024. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A791876891/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=196eb56f. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.
LaRocca, Rajani ROHAN MURTHY HAS A PLAN Algonquin (Children's None) $15.99 4, 30 ISBN: 9781523526581
LaRocca picks up the baton for this latest in the series, each of which is written by a different middle-grade author and follows a different student in Mrs. Z's third grade class.
Mrs. Z announces that Curiosity Academy has a new garden. To help raise money for it, Rohan decides to start a pet-care business--an odd choice, as his younger sister, Kavya, points out, given that he dislikes animals. Ever since he was bitten by his music teacher's cat, he worries that all pets bite. His parents insist that he prove he's responsible enough. So when Mrs. Z tells the students that they may sign up to take Honey, the class guinea pig, home for a weekend, Rohan jumps at the chance. Though he's afraid, he's determined, and when Honey gets frightened during a thunderstorm and goes missing, Rohan learns another valuable lesson: "It's easier to get over being scared with a friend." The premise of this lightweight, sweet tale feels a bit unrealistic; most kids who are nervous around animals likely wouldn't volunteer to take the class pet home, much less start a pet-related business. Still, the resolution is heartening. LaRocca captures sibling dynamics ably; Rohan and Kavya squabble but ultimately support one another. Mrs. Z is brown-skinned in the upbeat, expressive illustrations; Rohan and his family are cued South Asian. Final art not seen.
Quietly uplifting and encouraging. (Chapter book. 6-9)
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"LaRocca, Rajani: ROHAN MURTHY HAS A PLAN." Kirkus Reviews, 15 May 2024. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A793537054/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=9a2044d9. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.
Poppy Song Bakes a Way.
By Karina Yan Glaser. Illus. by Kat Fajardo.
2024. 128p. Algonquin, paper, $6.99 (9781523526536).
Gr. 1-4.
The heartwarming third book in The Kids in Mrs. Z's Class series focuses on Chinese American Poppy Song. Poppy loves baking with her grandmother, Po Po. Po Po, a retired professional baker, lives with Poppy and her family. At school, Poppy shares the delicious treats she makes with Po Po to the delight of her classmates. With "Valued Visitor Day" approaching, Poppy is excited to invite Po Po and share homemade Dragon's Beard candy with the class. However, Poppy notices that Po Po seems more forgetful and disoriented lately. A scary incident finally forces Poppy's parents to speak about Po Po's mental decline. Glaser broaches mental decline in older adults with sensitivity and tact, and Poppy's observations and fears will resonate with children. Poppy finds warmth and understanding with her classmates, illustrating how kindness can offer comfort. Fajardo's bold black-and-white illustrations add visual interest throughout the book, depicting a racially diverse group of kids that anyone would be lucky to go to school with. Simultaneously publishing with book four in the series, The Legend of Memo Castillo.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
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Menchaca, Ana. "Poppy Song Bakes a Way." Booklist, vol. 121, no. 5-6, Nov. 2024, p. 69. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A829739960/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=c31f2ffc. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.
Fajardo, Kat MISS CAMPER Graphix/Scholastic (Children's None) $14.99 7, 1 ISBN: 9781338535617
One year after her quinceañera and her abuelita's passing, Sue continues her adventures at summer camp in this companion toMiss Quinces (2022).
Sixteen-year-old Suyapa "Sue" Gutiérrez (who usesshe/they pronouns) can't wait to spend two weeks at summer camp, taking classes like LARPing and archery and sharing a bunk with her best friend, Sam. Even with older sister Carmen for a camp counselor and younger sister Ester attending camp, too, Sue is determined to have the perfect summer. Her high expectations start to crumble, however, as Ester clings to her side and Marisol, a camp friend from last year, claims Sam's attention. Separated from Sam and thrust into new activities, Sue finds herself pushed out of her comfort zone. Complicating matters, her friend Izzy confesses he has a crush on her, and Sue doesn't know if she feels the same way. The art and dialogue reflect diversity in the world around Sue, depicting characters with a range of skin tones from pale to dark brown who express a variety of gender identities. Although Sue and her friends are teens, her troubles with friendship, siblings, crushes, and camp experiences will appeal to a wide audience. Diving right into the summer, this sequel relies on context as well as familiarity with characters and events from the first book to be fully appreciated.
A sweet and encouraging coming-of-age story. (author's note, map)(Graphic fiction. 9-14)
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"Fajardo, Kat: MISS CAMPER." Kirkus Reviews, 1 May 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A837325616/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=bd844da8. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.
Urban, Linda THE KIDS IN MRS. Z'S CLASS Little, Brown (Children's None) $16.99 7, 8 ISBN: 9781523530366
Newly enrolled at Curiosity Academy, a craft-loving third grader goes in search of artistic inspiration--and friendship.
Pale-skinned, freckled Olive Little felt like an outsider at her old school, but she's sure things will be different this year. When she decides to make a spiffy new case for her recorder, other students are interested, and an idea for a school club is born: the Cool Recorder Case Club! Olive knows it's a surefire way to endear herself to her new classmates, but challenges soon mount. Olive's reluctant to run her idea past the bossy fifth grader in charge of Club Day. Plus, she's also got to balance her plans with her domestic responsibilities, including caring for her family's chickens and minding her preschool-age cousin, Peter. Olive puts pressure on herself to succeed, but the adults in her life--among them her mother and grandmother--and her classmates offer support and understanding. Mutual help is a big theme throughout this empathetic tale, the latest in a series in which each installment is penned by a different author and focuses on a different student in Mrs. Z's class. Punctuated by Olive's frequent exclamation of "WHAMMO!," Urban's third-person narration captures the protagonist's exuberance and sunny attitude even in the face of setbacks that include a skunk that finds its way into the chicken coop. Fajardo's expressive black-and-white cartoons depict a diverse community.
Another feel-good tale in an empathetic, child-friendly series.(Chapter book. 6-9)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Urban, Linda: THE KIDS IN MRS. Z'S CLASS." Kirkus Reviews, 15 May 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A839213374/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=15436185. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.