Maia Kobabe

  • Northern California

Maia Kobabe is an author/illustrator from the Bay Area, California. Eir first full length book, GENDER QUEER: A MEMOIR, came out from Lion Forge Comics/Oni Press in May 2019. GENDER QUEER was a winner of an Alex Award and Stonewall Honor in 2020, and nominated for an Ignatz Award and the Best Graphic Novels for Teens List from YALSA in 2019. It was also the most challenged book in the United States in 2021 and 2022. It recently received a new hardcover edition and has been translated into Spanish, Polish, Czech, French, Italian, Norwegian, Dutch, Portuguese, and Korean with German and Japanese forthcoming.

Maia's short comics have been published in The Nib, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, and included in the anthologies ALPHABET (2015), TABULA IDEM (2017), MINE! (2018), GOTHIC TALES OF HAUNTED LOVE (2018), THE SECRET LOVES OF GEEKS (2018), FASTER THAN LIGHT Y’ALL (2018), ADVANCED DEATH SAVES (2019), HOW TO WAIT (2019), SHOUT OUT (2019), ROLLED AND TOLD (2019), THEATER OF TERROR (2019), BE GAY, DO COMICS (2020) and THE MOST IMPORTANT COMIC BOOK ON EARTH: STORIES TO SAVE THE WORLD (2021). E has also illustrated the YA prose novel WE ARE THE FIRE, WE ARE THE ASHES written by Joy McCullough (2021).

Maia's next books are SAACHI'S STORIES, a middle grade fiction comic co-written with Lucky Srikumar, due out from Scholastic Graphix in 2025 and BREATHE: JOURNEYS TO HEALTHY BINDING, a nonfiction comic on trans health written with Dr Sarah Peitzmeier, due out from Dutton in 2024.

Before setting out to work freelance full-time, e worked for over ten years in libraries. Maia has been self-publishing comics and zines since 2010, and has attended over fifty comic conventions in that time. Eir work focuses on gender, sexuality, queerness, and pop culture fandom.

Maia Kobabe is represented by Emily Mitchell of the Wernick and Pratt Agency.

Find resources to help fight Gender Queer book challenges here: bit.ly/GenderQueerbans

Education

MFA in Comics at California College of the Arts

2013 – 2015 San Francisco, CA

BFA in Studio Art at Dominican University of California

2007 – 2011 San Rafael, CA

Exhibitions

(un)BANNED

Arion Press, The Grabhorn Institute San Francisco, CA

One piece in a group show protesting book banning and showcasing the expansive power of books. October- December 2023.

Comics Is A Medium, Not A Genre

Stone Gallery, Boston University Boston, MA

One piece included in a group show, in the gallery from January- March 2023.

Gender Queer: The Art of Maia Kobabe Solo show

Dominican University of California San Rafael, CA

Pages from "Gender Queer: A Memoir" and related short comics, installed from October 2022 through March 2023.

Art - Action - Attitude - Borders

Medical University of Vienna Vienna, Austria

Six page comic "Dr Barry" included in a group show.

Underwater

Giant Robot Store Los Angeles, CA

One illustration in a group show of small works on the theme of “underwater”.

Creative Citizens in Action

California College of The Arts San Francisco, CA

One poster included in a show urging people to vote in the 2020 fall election.

Emerging Artist: Maia Kobabe

Cartoon Art Museum San Francisco, CA

A selection of pencils and digital prints from "Gender Queer: A Memoir".

Queer Comics Live

Queers and Comics Conference San Francisco, CA

Two pages included in a group show.

Society of Illustrator’s Comic and Cartoon Art Annual

Museum of American Illustration New York, NY

“Tom o’Bedlam” accepted into the annual show.

Alphabet: The Queer Comics Anthology

Cartoon Art Museum San Francisco, CA

Four pages included in a group show.

Shared Universe: Comics Work

Strathemore Mansion North Bethesda, MD

Three pages included in a group show.

Guest Cartoonist

Charles M Schulz Museum Santa Rosa, CA

One day displaying work and interacting with the public.