Drawing by Heart

A compilation of cartoons and reflections by a Japanese American artist, Gwen Muranaka, chronicling her journey of self-expression and identity through art and journalism.    LEARN MORE

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Discover Nikkei

A New Illustrated Book From the Pen and Perspective of a Yonsei - Jodie Chiemi Ching
"Some of my favorite gems in this book include topics Nikkei can all relate to..."
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The Hawaii Herald

Gwen Muranaka’s Drawing by Heart: Cartoons to Spark Conversation and Creativity - Amelia Ino
"...a heart-felt example of colorful visual storytelling that draws on her own life experiences..."
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ABOUT GWEN

As a journalist, artist, and newsroom manager, Gwen Muranaka’s experience has spanned more than 20 years and two continents. She oversees both editorial and production as senior editor of America’s oldest and largest bilingual Japanese community daily—The Rafu Shimpo—now in its 120th year.

A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of UCLA, she maintains that community newspapers are the front line of information and must continually evolve to reflect the diversity of its readers. She is being honored in October by the Greater Los Angeles Pro chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists as a Distinguished Journalist.

Muranaka began as a reporter for Pacific Citizen and later channeled her creative side as a cartoonist for The Japan Times in Tokyo. She currently draws Dad’s Three Cats, which appears in The Hawaii Herald and The Rafu Shimpo.