Read These

Why didn’t we talk about race in high school?
"I went to a majority Asian high school in Southern California. Yet we rarely talked about the cultures we embodied at home. Recently, I called up some friends from my graduating class of 2004 to find out why." An illustrated op-ed by Malaka Gharib.

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Boston now has an Asian American woman as mayor. Why are so few women of color in elected office?
Last week, Michelle Wu was sworn in as mayor of Boston -- the first woman and first person of color to be elected to that city's top job. Research examines why women of color reach the ballot less often than men of color, white women and white men.

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For Most Of My Life, I Didn't Feel Like A 'Real Asian.' Everything Changed This Year.
"As a child, I assumed my Koreanness just fell away like a snake shedding its skin. I thought, 'That must be what happens when you're adopted.'"

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20 Years Later, Generation Yell-Oh Girls is Still Revolutionary
The anthology that made a generation of Asian American girls feel heard might be making a comeback.

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Her dream was to be a Muppeteer. Her Korean American 'Sesame Street' character just made history.
Kathleen Kim is the woman behind Ji-Young, the first Asian American muppet on Sesame Street. She talks about the character's Thanksgiving debut on See Us Coming Together: A Sesame Street Special.

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Hayao Miyazaki Prepares to Cast One Last Spell
No artist has explored the contradictions of humanity as sympathetically and critically as Japanese animation legend Hayao Miyazaki. Now, at 80, he's coming out of retirement with another movie.

They Call Us Bruce 142: They Call Us Thankful 2021

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.



What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

In this episode, we welcome entertainment writer/critic friends Hanh Nguyen and Piya Sinha-Roy to catch up and discuss recent pop culture happenings, including Squid Game, Eternals, and Cowboy Bebop. We also play a Thanksgiving edition of our favorite segment: Thankful, Not Thankful and WTF.

All The Asians On Star Trek - 20: Sumalee Montano

The Podcast In Which We Interview All The Asians On Star Trek.



All The Asians On Star Trek is the podcast in which we interview all the Asians on Star Trek. In Episode 20, we welcome actress Sumalee Montano. She appeared in three episodes of Star Trek: Picard as "Marisol Asha," the mother (maybe?) of Dahj and Soji. Outside of Star Trek, Sumalee's resume has over 180 acting credits, including ER, Veep, Nashville and Scandal, as well as a ton of voiceover roles in animation and video games. Most recently, she can be seen starring in her first series regular role on the thriller/adventure series The Lost Symbol. And this was all after she gave up a successful career in finance... to eventually become one of the Asians on Star Trek.

Read These

First Asian American Muppet Arrives on 'Sesame Street'
Ji-Young, a guitar-playing Korean American character, will bring rock music and conversations about racism to Sesame Street starting on Thanksgiving Day.

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This 'Sesame Street' kid is now the Muppeteer for its first Asian American character
NPR interviews Kathleen Kim, the Korean American puppeteer behind Ji-Young, the new Asian American character on Sesame Street.

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Anti-Asian Hate Is Still On The Rise, Almost 2 Years Into The Pandemic
Nearly 20% of AAPI people say they've experienced a racist incident in the past year, according to a new survey from the coalition Stop AAPI Hate.

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Adoptees express their fear, anger and insight on race during social unrest
Raised, in many cases, by parents of a different race and nationality, adoptees have unique perspectives on race and racism in America that aren't heard often. In honor of National Adoption Awareness Month, NPR asked transracial and transnational adoptees to share their thoughts.

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John Cho's New Frontier
With Netflix's live-action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop, John Cho continues his journey to big-time leading man.

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She Shaped the Sound of 'Cowboy Bebop,' Again
Yoko Kanno has become one of Japan's foremost composers since she created the eclectic score for the anime series Cowboy Bebop. She returned for Netflix's live-action version.

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Sujata Day On How 'Insecure' Inspired Her To Write And Direct Her Own Movie
After being in Issa Rae's web series Awkward Black Girl and then her groundbreaking HBO show Insecure, Sujata Day directed, wrote, produced and stars in Definition Please.

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Nonbinary millennial is front and center in HBO Max dramedy 'Sort Of'
]Bilal Baig stars in the groundbreaking series Sort Of about a gender-fluid, Pakistani-Canadian millennial who straddles various identities.

They Call Us Bruce 141: They Call Us Ally Maki

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.



What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

In this episode, we welcome actress Ally Maki, who stars in the animated Marvel series Hit Monkey. We discuss making movies and television during the pandemic, embracing the wild weirdness of a cartoon primate assassin, and creating community of shared identity: Asian American Girl Club.

Martial Arts Are Magic in Wesley Chu's 'The Art of Prophecy'

Exclusive cover reveal and excerpt from the bestselling author's upcoming martial arts fantasy epic.



The Art of Prophecy, the newest book from acclaimed bestselling author Wesley Chu, is an epic fantasy ode to martial arts and magic -- the story of a spoiled hero, an exacting grandmaster, and an immortal god-king. And we are pleased to present this exclusive cover reveal and an excerpt from the novel.

The first book in the "War Arts Saga" trilogy, The Art of Prophecy is set in a world where martial arts are magic. A prophecy has foretold that a child will rise to defeat the Eternal Khan, a cruel immortal god-king, and save the kingdom. But the prophecy was wrong. Because when Taishi, the greatest war artist of her generation, arrives to evaluate the prophesied hero, Jian, she finds a spoiled brat unprepared to face his destiny. But the only force more powerful than fate is Taishi herself. Possessed of an iron will, a sharp tongue -- and an unexpectedly soft heart -- Taishi will find a way to forge Jian into the weapon and leader he needs to be in order to fulfill his legend.

While the book doesn't hit shelves until next year, the "War Arts Saga" already has a TV series adaptation in the works from Neal H. Moritz's Original Film and Sony Pictures Television.

The Art of Prophecy is due out August 9, 2022 from Del Rey. Here is a first look at the book's gorgeous cover, from artist Tran Nguyen and designer Cassie Gonzales:

Read These

'I am an America': how a city official stood firm against an anti-Asian attack
"It's exhausting being the perpetual foreigner and it’s exhausting to have to prove my loyalty and my right to be here. You think you get to a certain point where this doesn't matter any more but then it does. I've experienced more direct xenophobia as a candidate and a person in elected office than I have in my civilian life."

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Michelle Wu's campaign manager also broke the mold
Just as Michelle Wu broke the mold for Boston mayors with her electron on Tuesday, her campaign manager, Mary Lou Akai-Ferguson, shattered the model of the Boston political operative.

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In Defense of Asian American Neighborhoods
How do you address a history of anti-Asian housing discrimination? Not by destroying Asian American communities.

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The Attack on Abortion Has Me Reflecting on My Christian Past
As the Supreme Court once again juggles the question of abortion, I'm reminded of the Christian girl I used to be -- and my present-day conviction that it is Christlike to give people the right to end a pregnancy.

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All Eyes On Suni Lee
After winning the gold at the Olympics, Suni Lee seeks to reclaim her life as a teenager and college student.

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The Women Who Shaped America's Palate
Author Mayukh Sen talks about the women who revolutionized America's foodways, and why the hurdles they faced still exist.

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The Forgotten Chinese Chef Who Taught America to Stir-Fry
Chao Yang Buwei opened America's eyes to Chinese cooking techniques, refusing to pander to do so.

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Cambodian Americans Are Ready to Share Their Cuisine, On Their Terms
A new wave of Cambodian American chefs are sharing the cuisine's bright, umami-rich flavors in pop ups and restaurants throughout the country.

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How Harvard's 'Legally Blonde' production bent the narrative with a snap of Asian flair
On Harvard's recent all-Asian American production of Legally Blonde: "It's breaking down the narrative that the Asian identity is a singular experience. I think that is something that mainstream art struggles with."

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The Story of Shang-Chi with Gene Luen Yang
Shang-Chi writer Gene Luen Yang discusses steering the martial arts legend in his current comic series.