Lee Lai (born 1993)[1] is a transgender,[2] Asian-Australian cartoonist who presently lives in Canada. In 2021, the National Book Foundation named her an honoree of their 5 Under 35 award for her debut graphic novel, Stone Fruit. The following year, Stone Fruit was a finalist for the Barbara Gittings Literature Award,[3] Lambda Literary Award for Graphic Novel/Comics,[4] [5] and Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Graphic Novel/Comics,[6] among other awards.
Lai was born in 1993 in Melbourne and has a sister, with whom she is close.[7] She presently lives in Montreal.
Lai became interested in comics because of mild dyslexia, which made reading traditional novels difficult. Her short story comics have been published in The New Yorker, The Lifted Brow, Room Magazine, and Everyday Feminism.
Lai is transgender and homosexual.
| Year | Title | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Heartwood | Prism Award for Anthology | Winner | [8] |
| 2021 | Stone Fruit | American Library Association's Best Graphic Novels for Adults | Top 10 | [9] |
| National Book Foundation's "5 Under 35" Award | Honoree | |||
| 2022 | Barbara Gittings Literature Award | Honor | ||
| Cartoonist Studio Prize | Winner | [10] | ||
| Doug Wright Award for Best Book | Finalist | [11] | ||
| Lambda Literary Award for Graphic Novel/Comics | Finalist | |||
| Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Graphic Novel/Comics | Finalist | |||
| American Library Association's Over the Rainbow Book List | Top 10 | [12] | ||
| Stella Prize | Shortlist | [13] |