Jonny Sun

Jonny Sun
Sun in 2017
NationalityCanadian
EducationUniversity of Toronto
Yale School of Architecture
MIT
Occupation(s)Humorist, author, illustrator
Websitehttps://www.jonnysun.com/

Jonathan "Jonny" Sun,[1] occasionally known by the nickname jomny,[2] is a Canadian author and illustrator.[3] He is the author of the 2017 illustrated novel everyone's a aliebn when ur a aliebn too and a PhD candidate in urban studies and planning at MIT. In 2018, he published Gmorning, Gnight!, (a collaboration with playwright and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda in which Sun served as illustrator) and in 2020, Sun published an essay collection called Goodbye, Again. Sun also served as a writer on the television shows BoJack Horseman and Mrs. Davis.

Early life and education

Sun is from Calgary and attended the University of Toronto, getting his Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Engineering Science, majoring in Infrastructure Engineering.[1] For his master's degree, he attended the Yale School of Architecture. He is now a PhD candidate in urban studies and planning at MIT and a creative researcher at the Harvard metaLAB.[4] He studies social media, virtual place, and online community.[5]

Career

In June 2017, Sun published everyone's a aliebn when ur a aliebn too.[6] The illustrated novel is based on a character Sun developed on Twitter,[7] tweeting as an alien trying to learn to navigate life among humans.[8][9][10][11] He has said the period in which he was beginning graduate school (and the toll that took on his mental health) was the impetus for the project, with the character offering an opportunity to work through the isolation and depression he experienced.[7]

Sun's second book, a collaboration with musical playwright and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda, was released in October 2018. The book, Gmorning, Gnite! Little Pep Talks For Me & You, is a collection of affirmations drawn from Miranda's Twitter feed and illustrated by Sun.[12] The book spent ten weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list.[13]

In November 2018, he started working on an animated movie called Paper Lanterns.[14] He was a writer for season 6 of BoJack Horseman[15] and the limited series Mrs. Davis.[16]

Sun's third book, Goodbye, Again: Essays, Reflections, and Illustrations, was released in April 2021. The book was written during a self-imposed break from all of his work and it became an instant New York Times bestseller, receiving praise from critics who remarked on Sun's "personal voice" and "little bits of ephemera."[17][18][19]

References

  1. ^ a b Irving, Tyler (21 February 2016). "Jonathan Sun: Engineer, architect, social media sensation". U of T Engineering News. Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  2. ^ "Open Call for Fellowship Applications, Academic Year 2018–2019". Berkman Klein Center – Harvard University. 3 January 2018. Archived from the original on 10 January 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  3. ^ Lichtenstein, Jesse (15 June 2017). "A Whimsical Wordsmith Charts a Course Beyond Twitter". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 3 July 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  4. ^ "Jonathan Sun: 'I can only control so much in my life, and the rest will come as it happens'". The Globe and Mail. 23 June 2017. Archived from the original on 7 July 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  5. ^ "Jonny Sun". Jonny Sun. Archived from the original on 29 January 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  6. ^ "Why Jonny Sun created an alien that helps us understand what it means to be human". CBC. 27 June 2017. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  7. ^ a b Rindner, Grant (8 August 2017). "Writer Jonathan Sun on translating the Weird Twitter experience for an IRL audience". Vox. Archived from the original on 17 July 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  8. ^ Schwartz, Dana (30 December 2016). "15 (Okay, 16) Books to Look Forward to in 2017". New York Observer. Archived from the original on 19 May 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  9. ^ Mertes, Micah (26 June 2017). "Summer book preview: 13 must-reads". Omaha World-Herald. Archived from the original on 4 November 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  10. ^ Lui, Samantha (11 January 2017). "Twitter star Jonathan Sun's new bot wants to make sure you're doing OK". NBC News. Archived from the original on 1 July 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  11. ^ Yin, Maryann (7 December 2016). "Cover Revealed For Jonathan Sun's 'Aliebn' Book". GalleyCat. Archived from the original on 27 August 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  12. ^ Derschowitz, Jessica (17 July 2018). "Lin-Manuel Miranda's inspirational 'Gmorning, Gnite!' tweets getting their own book". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 17 July 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  13. ^ "Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous Books – Best Sellers – January 6, 2019 – The New York Times". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 31 January 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  14. ^ Kit, Borys (27 November 2018). "Fox Family Picks Up 'Paper Lanterns' With Humorist Jonny Sun Writing". Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  15. ^ Sun, Jonny (24 April 2020). "Jonny Sun: You're Not Alone In Feeling Lonely". Ted Radio Hour. NPR. Archived from the original on 17 July 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  16. ^ Mrs. Davis (TV Series 2023) - IMDb, archived from the original on 19 May 2023, retrieved 19 May 2023
  17. ^ Mirakhor, Leah (18 May 2021). "Personal Escapes From Daily Anxiety, Political Strife and Childhood Trauma". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  18. ^ "With Steamed Eggs And Succulents, 'Goodbye, Again' Brings Us Home". NPR.org. Archived from the original on 13 April 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  19. ^ "Jonny Sun's'Goodbye, Again' Is Exactly What We All Need Right Now". www.msn.com. Archived from the original on 24 April 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
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