They Call Us Bruce 144: They Call Us Very 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 Michelle Li, reporter and anchor for KDSK in St. Louis, and Marian Chia-Ming Liu, Operations Editor for the Washington Post. We discuss racist voicemails, reclaiming our Asian names, and the significance of being Very Asian in 2022.

Read These

The Power of Reclaiming My Asian Name
"Like many Asian Americans, I have long spurned my full name. A wave of racism made me say: No more."

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A viewer told an anchor to 'keep her Korean to herself.' Then 'something amazing happened.'
On New Year's Day, someone left a voicemail for Michelle Li, criticizing the NBC St. Louis reporter for "being very Asian" and telling her she should "keep her Korean to herself."

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A year after viral photo, Rep. Andy Kim reflects on being a 'caretaker of our democracy'
Rep. Andy Kim, who was photographed clearing debris from the rotunda after the January 6 Capitol attack, said his immigrant roots made him fiercely protective of his country.

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Overlooked No More: Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, Artist and Author Who Explored Identity
She was murdered after the publication of her first novel, Dictee, a challenging exploration of Korean history and immigrant life that inspires Asian American writers today.

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Are you a Fiona or a Jane? Jean Chen Ho's debut captures a bittersweet L.A. friendship
Jane Ho's debut novel, Fiona and Jane, follows the friendship of two Taiwanese American women from L.A.

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Andrew Phung's 'Run the Burbs' picks up the baton from 'Kim's Convenience'
Kim's Convenience star Andrew Phung and his best friend created the CBC comedy Run the Burbs about what happens when the children of immigrants have their own kids.

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Japanese Breakfast Embraces the 'Good, Bad and In Between'
Musician and author Michelle Zauner talks about her monumental year, which includes her bestselling memoir Crying at H Mart and two Grammy nominations for her third album Jubilee.

They Call Us Bruce 143: They Call Us 2022

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 return from the holiday "break" and ring in the New Year with one last look back, talking about The Good, The Bad and The WTF of 2021 -- including Marvel movies, squid games, library rockers, big city mayors, licorice pizzas and the damn omicron.

Read These

Analysis: A Close Reading of 'Licorice Pizza's' Japanese Wife Scenes
Paul Thomas Anderson's 1970s-set awards contender Licorice Pizza has been accused of racist content. "Regardless of whether one finds the Mikado scenes offensive, they serve as the latest evidence that the portrayal of anti-Asian expression remains a go-to creative device for American auteurs."

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She Tweeted That Alan Dershowitz Might Be Acting Crazy. So Yale Fired Her.
The strange free-speech case of Bandy Lee.

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'I am not your scapegoat': See the art created by Asian Americans in a year of anti-Asian hate
From photography to public art installations, artists have produced ambitious multimedia projects that explore the fragility, burden and joy of being Asian in America.

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Rose Ochi: A Civil Rights Advocate Who Blazed Trails for Asian American Women
"Rose Ochi was a powerful and widely respected legal mind who spent her career advocating for civil rights. When she died late last year, the loss was felt by the many she inspired to follow her path, including myself." Rep. Judy Chu on the influence and legacy of trailblazing civil rights advocate Rose Ochi.

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A 27-year-old wanted to see her Asian American story reflected in bookstores. So she opened her own.
Yu and Me Books is believed to be NYC Chinatown’s first Asian American, woman-owned bookstore.

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Hasan Minhaj's diasporic comedy
Comedian Hasan Minhaj talks to the Washington Post about representation in film and television, their relationship to Islam and what it means to be a diasporic voice in the comedy world.

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Squid Game Already Changed TV. Now It’s Transforming Hollywood Awards
Inside the awards campaign for Squid Game, the Korean drama series that can’t stop breaking records.