We chat with the New York Times Bestselling author/artist about his long journey toward Lunch Lady success.
When you were a kid, did you ever wonder what your lunch lady got up to when she wasn't slinging sloppy joes? New York Times Bestselling author/artist Jarrett J. Krosoczka never gave it a thought until he did, but once the curiosity struck, he couldn't let go. Years later, Krosoczka has a whole universe of Lunch Lady comics, each sillier and more empathetic than the last.
We draw tremendous inspiration and energy from the Lunch Lady comics. Krosoczka has infused them with a deep love for the educators, in all their forms, that have touched his heart and mind over the years. And our introduction to the Lunch Lady books came at the perfect time, helping us appreciate all the essential workers who make daily life possible on this planet.
"The whole series is inspired by a chance encounter I had with my childhood lunch lady," Krosoczka told us. "I invited her to the book signing, when the books first launched back in 2009, and she was signing autographs. She absolutely loved it so much."
In her happiness, the creator saw an opportunity. The lunch ladies of our country need our appreciation. In fact, all the service folk we passively overlook demand our love. Krosoczka's comics were only the first step.
"I realized that she had not been given her dues," he continues. "She said, 'I loved every single kid that came through my lunch line.' It hit me, 'Yeah, of course she did.' It was so obviously right there the entire time. I was gaining all this social capital from the popularity of the series when I was visiting schools. I really wanted to use that as a force for good. [The lunch ladies are] a group that have been very much maligned in popular culture over the years and very unjustly."
Rock on, Jarrett J. Krosoczka. Please lend the entire conversation your ears, and you can listen to our chat in full by clicking HERE.
Penguin Random House recently collected the Lunch Lady comics in new oversized hardcover, full-color collections, and it was a joy to celebrate their release with Krosoczka, and discuss what he hopes his readers (young, old, and everything in-between) pull from his stories. The new editions are available wherever rad comics are sold, or you can order them from the publisher by clicking HERE.
Be sure to follow Jarrett J. Krosoczka on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. You can also keep up with this numerous artistic adventures by visiting his Website.
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Podcast logo by Aaron Prescott @acoolhandfluke, podcast banner art by @Karen_XmenFan.
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