Based on a true story: With his first adult graphic novel, Northampton author hopes other gay, Asian people feel seen

Northampton author Mike Curato recently released his new graphic novel, “Gaysians,” his first book for adults, which included a local book launch and karaoke party at Bombyx last weekend.

“Gaysians,” based on Curato’s real-life experiences, is about the character AJ, a young, newly out gay man who moves to Seattle in search of a chance to live authentically, and the LGBT Asian American friends he meets – hence the title of the book – as he starts to explore the gay community in real life for the first time.

Those friends include K, a renowned local drag performer and trans woman; Steven, who works at a nursing home; and John, who finds connection in online gaming. The group dub themselves “The Boy Luck Club,” whose name parodies the title of the famous Amy Tan novel about Chinese-American mothers and daughters.

The real-life friends who inspired those characters “just really took me in and showed me the ropes,” Curato said. “I had just come out, and I had never felt so seen in a three-dimensional way before, because I didn’t know anyone like me in that way my whole life, so we had a sort of shorthand understanding of each other. There were a lot of things that I didn’t need to explain to them that they already understood.”

Not every character (or storyline) within the book comes from Curato’s life – in the writing process, he interviewed nearly 30 people about their experiences and stories.

“The interview process was really revealing,” he said. “There were some patterns and shared experiences, and there were some really unique things. I think one of the messages of the book is that queer Asian people are often underrepresented in a fully realized way, so the book does tackle some stereotypes, and I hope it shows that we’re not a monolith.”

Each character gets a number of storylines that weave together the ups and downs of daily life – uncomfortable dating experiences, a banal job, etc. – and, naturally, some of those involve racism or homophobia. Steven has to contend with a racist Vietnam War veteran who insults him and another patient, an elderly Vietnamese man with dementia who believes Steven is a long-lost companion; John frequents a cafe whose staff always incorrectly call him a “more ethnic” name; AJ learns firsthand about “rice queens,” white men who fetishize Asian guys. (Readers should know that there are a number of pages with sexually explicit illustrations.)

By the end of the book, Curato said, “We see fully how each character is just a person and we’re all just human at the end of the day, and these characters aren’t just friends because they’re gay and Asian. They’re friends because they see each other and understand each other and keep showing up for each other.”

At a key point in the book, one of the characters is attacked, prompting the rest of the group to band together in solidarity – a message with a larger resonance in the current political climate.

“Right now, we’re living with a government that is trying to erase queer rights and existence, and now more than ever it’s so important to share queer stories,” Curato said. “And it’s important that those stories are as diverse as possible, because when we get into the habit of single narratives, that is what is used to dehumanize people and give reason to this sort of erasure.”

“It’s important that we make clear that we exist, that we’ve always existed, and that we always will exist,” he said.

For Curato, writing his first adult novel after a career writing for children and teens – his most famous work is the young adult novel “Flamer,” about a closeted gay boy at summer camp – felt “really liberating,” he said. “I didn’t need to worry about filtering myself, and I got to explore other topics that I don’t really talk about in my children’s books, and the pivot was a natural one.”

His upcoming projects are a book for middle schoolers, called “PALS,” and a picture book.

“I didn’t want anyone to think that I’ve shied away from making children’s books,” Curato said. “There are just so many things I want to do – this is just an exciting new addition to the portfolio.”

After all, being able to inspire younger generations is one of the things that motivates Curato to create his work. As a child growing up in upstate New York, Curato never saw himself reflected in media – “if anything, it was like a two-dimensional character,” he said – so having a work like “Gaysians” in his own young adulthood “could’ve been really helpful and validating.”

“I often felt like I didn’t know what I was doing. I felt very out of place. I thought that just by coming out, things would be easier, and to some extent they were, but it felt like I traded in some old problems for some new problems,” Curato said.

“I was lucky that I had those people in my life to tell me ‘you’re OK’ and ‘you’re beautiful’ and ‘you’ve got this,’ and I want other Gaysian people to have that support,” he said. “I made this book for them – for us. I want them to feel at home in this book and feel seen.”

“Gaysians,” published by Algonquin Books, is available through Barnes & Noble, Amazon, High Five Books in Florence, and other retailers.

Carolyn Brown can be reached at [email protected].