Kay Sohini is a South Asian researcher, writer, and graphic novelist based in New York. She holds a PhD in English from Stony Brook University and her essays and comics have been featured in The Washington Post, The Nib, and more. Her work focuses on utilizing comics in the scholarly examination of healthcare justice, environmental humanities, resisting disinformation, and creating an equitable future for all. This Beautiful, Ridiculous City is her first book.
“With a strong command of the comics form, Kay Sohini has composed a gorgeous love letter to New York City. Her delightful drawings of food and the city’s architecture, all bathed in sumptuous color, offer an intimate portrait of the city not only as a place of dreams, but as a vital source for healing and self-discovery in this compelling memoir.”—Nick Sousanis, Eisner award-winning author of Unflattening “This is such a rich book, both visually and narratively. Kay Sohini captures a vivid sense of place through literature, landscape and food, taking us on a journey from the heady suburbs of Calcutta to the New York that has so enchanted her.”—Isabel Greenberg, New York Times bestselling author of Glass Town “Threading multiple stories with assured creative layouts, Kay Sohini weaves a nuanced and deeply personalized portrait of New York City through the lens of literature, cinema, food, personal relationships, and family history.”—Eddie Ahn, nationally bestselling author of Advocate “This Beautiful Ridiculous City is a radiant love letter to New York City that paints a portrait of how the restlessly ever-changing megalopolis can save us, change us and captivate us. Kay Sohini deftly holds the greatest city in the world close and tenderly, while imbuing the most introspective, vulnerable memories with sweeping mythic quality. An intimate insight into an artistic awakening that invigorates hope for finding a home that lays ahead of our dreams, ambitions and curiosities.”—Matt Huynh, Eisner-award winning artist and creator of Cabramatta “Part reflective memoir, part family history, part architectural survey, part literary companion, part food blog, part dreamscape, part data-driven political and cultural critique—this book is all kinds of genius.”—MK Czerwiec, Eisner award-winning editor of Menopause: A Comic Treatment