Laura Gao is a Chinese-American comics artist born in Wuhan, Hubei. She gained recognition for creating a short comic titled "The Wuhan I Know" in response to rising sinophobia during the COVID-19 pandemic. The comic resonated widely and became the foundation for her later work. Gao expanded on this initial comic to create her graphic memoir Messy Roots, which was published in March 2022. The memoir draws from her personal experiences and perspectives as a Chinese-American artist.