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.

They Call Us Bruce 140: They Call Us The Good Asian

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 writer Pornsak Pichetshote, creator of the noir crime comic book The Good Asian. We discuss the inspiration behind his Chinese American detective Edison Hark, the real-life history at heart of this hard-boiled mystery, and why The Good Asian, set in 1930s Chinatown, feels like a tale for modern times.

All The Asians On Star Trek - 19: Away Mission with Arune Singh

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 19, we embark on another Away Mission, in which we invite fellow Asian American fans of Star Trek to do a deep dive into an episode of their choosing. For this edition of the Away Mission, we welcome Arune Singh, Director of Brand, Editorial at Skybound Entertainment, to discuss "Tuvix" from season two of Star Trek: Voyager -- arguably one of the most divisive and debated episodes of the franchise. We talk about the cowardice of colleagues, "Faith of the Heart," and Harry Kim's clarinet, among many other things.

Read These

Michelle Wu's victory a 'huge moment of hope and light' after a year of hate and violence
Michelle Wu's groundbreaking election as Boston's mayor marks a cultural milestone that transcends politics.

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For Progressives, Michelle Wu Points to a Way Forward
As a mayoral candidate, Michelle Wu had plenty of opportunity to pivot away from her more liberal ideas. She didn't, and it paid off.

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NYC Council has 5 new Asian Americans, a record that mirrors city more accurately
New York City's historic newly elected city council includes the first Muslim American, the first South Asian Americans and the first Korean Americans to serve on the governing body.

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From BTS to 'Squid Game': How South Korea Became a Cultural Juggernaut
South Korea was once largely known for cars and smartphones, but a global audience has become mesmerized by its entertainment, and creators say success didn't happen overnight.

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Hey, It's Your Korean Dad
Nick Cho started his TikTok account to share coffee recipes. Somewhere along the way, he became a global parenting phenomenon.

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Halyna Hutchins and Brandon Lee Deserve Hollywood's Attention
In the wake of tragedy on the set of Rust, Shannon Lee, whose brother Brandon Lee was accidentally killed by a blank while filming The Crow, calls for more firearms safety precautions on film sets.

* * *
Not to Humblebrag, But Robin Tran Knows She's a Genius
Robin Tran talks about what makes her a comedic genius and what it's like doing comedy during the pandemic.
* * *
From 'Saving Face' To 'Grey's Anatomy,' Lynn Chen Is Just Going For It
Actor, writer and director Lynn Chen, who recently joined Grey's Anatomy in a recurring role, talks about building her creative career and the many turns it has taken over the past two decades.

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It's Time to Fall in Love With Jimmy O. Yang
After stealing scenes from Silicon Valley to Space Force, Netflix's newest rom-com lead gets vulnerable about craft, humor, and feeling at home in Hollywood.

They Call Us Bruce 139: They Call Us Asian Faces

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 journalist Elise Hu, author of the forthcoming book Flawless, and David Yi, found and editor of Very Good Light. We discuss "aggressively Asian" faces, multi-step skincare regiments, and the global rise of K-beauty, among other things.

All The Asians On Star Trek - 18: Tim Dang

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 18, we welcome actor Tim Dang. He appeared on Star Trek: The Next Generation as "Main Bridge Security" in the series pilot episode "Encounter at Farpoint." He even utters a couple of lines. Early in his acting career, Tim's resume includes roles in shows like MacGyver, Night Court and Hunter. He also has voice credits in Avatar: The Last Airbender, Jackie Chan Adventures, and Batman Beyond, to name a few. Outside of performing, for over twenty years, Tim served as artistic director for East West Players, the longest running professional theater of color in the United States. These days, he is on faculty at the USC School of Dramatic Arts and the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. But in 1987, he was right there on the bridge of the USS Enterprise, at the very beginning of the next generation. Wearing a super skinny uniform.