139 Aśka and the Friendship Paradox
About this episode
James chats with Aśka about their graphic novel The Friendship Paradox and the challenges of science communication in storytelling.
In this creator chat James sits down for a conversation with Aśka, the creator behind The Friendship Paradox, out now through Allen & Unwin. The Friendship Paradox is a young adult graphic novel where high school is over and Dash is excited to spend their gap year working for the local science museum, travelling and teaching kids about physics. Maybe they'll even make a friend. People are part of the universe, so the laws of physics should also apply to them, right? Except Dash discovers the workplace is just as challenging as school - relationships are confusing, students don't follow the rules and co-workers aren't what they expect. Then Dash meets Kay. Can opposites really attract? Or will Dash's attempts to use physics to understand their world repel a potential friend? The conversation focuses on science communication, balancing communicating the science with telling the story of Dash, Kay, their adventures and their developing friendship and more. Aśka also gives us a quick update on PCAF and recommends three titles to read: Wake Up Pixoto by Weng Pixin Speaking in Pictures by Neil Cohn Manta by Jorden Allen-Barr For more from Aśka check out their website…
More episodes of ALIA Graphic Podcast
- 140 Australian Graphic Novels of 2026 (first half)
- 138 June Roundup
- 137 Li Chen and Detective Beans
- 136 Creator Chat with Gregory Mackay and Anders and the Mountain
- 135 Creator Chat with Wendy Tyrer and The Curator
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the ALIA Graphic Podcast podcast page.