Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Charlot Kristensen, graphic novel

Mathew Rodriguez and Charlot Kristensen's New YA Queer Graphic Novel

Published Thu, 03 Sep 2020 06:15:51 -0500

Avery Hill Publishing has just published Charlot Kristensen's new graphic novel, What We Don't Talk About. But we are already hearing about a second graphic novel being lined up. This time written by journalist and essayist Mathew Rodriguez, his debut graphic novel, Carlos Alejos Has to Lose His Chichos. The YA graphic novel is about "a queer Puerto Rican teen of size as he grapples with body image, friendship, and his burgeoning sexuality in suburban New Jersey" or as Mathew describes it, "about a young fat brown kid who has to learn to love his weight and that there is no one way to be queer."

Mathew Rodriguez is the associate editor of TheBody/TheBodyPro. He is an award-winning queer Latinx journalist and essayist whose work has been featured in Mic, Out, Slate, POZ, and The Village Voice. He also teaches writing at the University of California-Los Angeles.

Charlot Kristensen is a Dublin based illustrator, designer and book author and states that as a black artist she often depicts minorities and underrepresented characters in challenging socio-political context. Some clients include AARP, Penguin Random House, New York Times and Huffpost. No artwork from Carlos Alejos Has to Lose His Chichos yet, but a little of her beautiful work, for flavour.

Carlos Alejos Has to Lose His Chichos will be published by FSG in the winter of 2023, was bought by Trisha de Guzman at FSG. Melissa Edwards at Stonesong Literary represented Mathew Rodriguez, and Thao Le at Sandra Djikstra Literary represented Charlot Kristensen.

FSG, standing for Farrar, Straus and Giroux, is s New York publisher originally founded as Farrar, Straus and Company in 1946 by Roger W. Straus and John C. Farrar. In 1964 Robert Giroux's name was added to the roster and the company became Farrar, Straus and Giroux. The firm is renowned for its international list of literary fiction, nonfiction, poetry and children's books.