Stories from an American Childhood: Thien Pham and Briana Loewinsohn on the Art of Graphic Memoirs

Navigating childhood is no easy feat, as artists Thien Pham and Briana Loewinsohn recount in their respective graphic novels. Pham shares the story of his immigration from Vietnam to the U.S. and the role of food in his family’s journey in Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam (2023). Loewinsohn’s Raised by Ghosts (2025) uses a mix of art and prose to relate a lonely high school adolescence and complicated family dynamics. Though their journeys are distinctly different, both authors reflect a collective search for belonging and connection through their works.

These stories ask for deep vulnerability from the artists who translate their sense of identity and childhood stories for the public. Join acclaimed comic artists Thien Pham and Briana Loewinsohn for a discussion on what it means to share their personal stories and how they navigated the telling through deliberate choice in their illustrations and text. 

Co-hosted by the Division of Access, Engagement, and Success and the Cary Graphic Arts Collection. Light breakfast provided.

Copies of Family Style and Raised by Ghosts are available to read at Wallace Library. Please ask for them on Reserve at the Library Services Desk.

About the Speakers
Briana Loewinsohn is the author of the critically acclaimed Ephemera: A Memoir. Her most recent graphic novel Raised By Ghosts has been nominated for a Harvey Award for Best Young Adult Book.

Thien Pham is the author of the graphic novel Sumo and the artist of Level Up, written by Gene Luen Yang. In 2024, Pham’s book Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam received the Will Eisner Comic Industry Award for Best Graphic Memoir.