Jonathan "Jonny" Sun, occasionally known by the nickname jomny, is a Canadian author and illustrator. 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 Urban studies is based on the study of the urban development of cities and regions—it makes up the theory portion of the field of urban planning. This includes studying the history of city development from an architectural point of view, to th ...

and planning at

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...

. In 2018, he published ''Gmorning, Gnight!,'' (a collaboration with playwright and actor

Lin-Manuel Miranda Lin-Manuel Miranda (; born January 16, 1980) is an American songwriter, actor, singer, filmmaker, rapper, and librettist. He created the Broadway musicals '' In the Heights'' and ''Hamilton'', and the soundtracks for the animated films '' Moana' ...

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 ''BoJack Horseman'' is an American adult animation, adult animated tragicomedy television series created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg. It stars the voices of Will Arnett, Amy Sedaris, Alison Brie, Paul F. Tompkins, and Aaron Paul. Set primarily in ...

'' and '' Mrs. Davis.''

Early life and education

Sun is from

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

and attended the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

, getting his

Bachelor of Applied Science A Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS or BASc) is an undergraduate academic degree of applied sciences. Usage In Canada, the Netherlands and other places the Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc) is equivalent to the Bachelor of Engineering, and is cl ...

degree in

Engineering Science Engineering physics (EP), sometimes engineering science, is the field of study combining pure science disciplines (such as physics, mathematics, chemistry or biology) and engineering disciplines (computer, nuclear, electrical, aerospace, medica ...

, majoring in Infrastructure Engineering. For his master's degree, he attended the Yale School of Architecture. He is now a PhD candidate in

and planning at

and a creative researcher at the

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

metaLAB. He studies social media, virtual place, and online community.

Career

In June 2017, Sun published ''everyone's a aliebn when ur a aliebn too''. The illustrated novel is based on a character Sun developed on Twitter, tweeting as an alien trying to learn to navigate life among humans. 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. Sun's second book, a collaboration with musical playwright and actor

, 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. The book spent ten weeks on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list. In November 2018, he started working on an animated movie called ''Paper Lanterns''. He was a writer for season 6 of ''

'' and the limited series '' Mrs. Davis''. 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."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sun, Jonny Living people Yale School of Architecture alumni University of Toronto alumni MIT School of Architecture and Planning alumni Writers from Calgary Canadian humorists Weird Twitter Year of birth missing (living people) Canadian male television writers Canadian television writers 21st-century Canadian screenwriters 21st-century Canadian male writers Screenwriters from Alberta