A Conversation with Nidhi Chanani

Asian American History 101

Welcome to Season 3, Episode 41! Today we’re excited to share a conversation with Nidhi Chanani. She’s a freelance illustrator, cartoonist, and writer who was born in Calcutta, India and raised in Southern California. Her illustrations are beautiful and contain a certain level of whimsy that we love. In addition to working with various groups like Disney Parks, she has published several graphic novels and picture books. Her latest graphic novel, Super Boba Cafe, will be released on October 24, 2023.

We had a chance talk to her about how she honed her artistic style by drawing an illustration every day for three years on her site Everyday Love. We also discussed her other graphic novels Pashmina, Jukebox, and the Shark Princess series. It was a fun conversation that also included talking about the San Diego Comic Con, her published work, the importance of researching music and civil rights for Jukebox, some of the things she’s reading, and so much more.

Other than the graphic novels mentioned, we recommend seeking out her other work including the touching picture book she wrote and illustrated called What Will My Story Be? She has illustrated books for other writers including I Will Be Fierce (written by Bea Birdsong), Binny’s Diwali (written by Thrity Umrigar), Kong and Me (written by Kiki Thorpe), and Strong (written by Rob Kearney) which won the American Library Association Stonewall Honor. She has received several recognitions for her work including being selected as a Champion of Change by the Obama administration.

Check out her Instagram, go to her site, download some free creative activities, support her work, and buy Super Boba Cafe. Enjoy the conversation! For previous episodes and information, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or social media links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at [e-mail].