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My Young Mind Was Disturbed by a Book. It Changed My Life.
"If we oppose banning some books, we should oppose banning any book. If our society isn’t strong enough to withstand the weight of difficult or challenging — and even hateful or problematic — ideas, then something must be fixed in our society. Banning books is a shortcut that sends us to the wrong destination."

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The LA Artist Behind The Viral #StopAsianHate Portraits Wishes He Never Needed To Draw Another One
Artist Jonathan Chang's bright, colorful portraits of Asians attacked during the pandemic have perhaps become among the most recognizable of the #StopAsianHate movement.

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I've Got Nothing Left To Give To End This Pandemic
Vanessa Wong had done her part to prevent the pandemic from spiraling out of control – it didn't matter.

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How It Feels to Be an Asian Student in an Elite Public School
Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Tech and other schools across the country are under pressure to end entrance exams. Asian American students have complicated feelings about that.

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The Dark Purpose Behind a Town Constable's Journal
Why did a local official at the turn of the twentieth century, maintain a ledger tracking Chinese residents?

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2022 brings the Year of the Tiger. Are we in for a passionate, tumultuous year?
The water tiger -- the animal being ushered in with this Lunar New Year -- is less aggressive and more open-minded than the typical tiger, according to Chinese astrology.

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How 'Definition Please' creator Sujata Day wrote the roles she wanted to play, onscreen and off
"I wanted to write the character that I wanted to play," said actor and filmmaker Sujata Day, who makes her feature directorial debut with the indie dramedy Definition Please.

They Call Us Bruce 146: They Call Us Lisa Ling

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 award-winning journalist Lisa Ling, host of the new docuseries Take Out with Lisa Ling. She talks about her own family's Chinese restaurant roots, the new ubiquity of Asian cuisines -- and the untold stories behind them, and why she does indeed have the best job in the world.

Read These

NYC subway station death of Michelle Go leaves Asian Americans reeling
The death of Michelle Go, who was fatally shoved in front of a New York subway car on Saturday, has left the Asian American community feeling a sense of tragic loss, groups say.

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How misidentifying an Asian man led to a false murder conviction and a movement
Free Chol Soo Lee, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on Friday, tells the story of a Korean immigrant who was exonerated after spending years in prison.

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Chloe Kim Is Ready to Win Olympic Gold Again—On Her Own Terms
After Chloe Kim returned home from the 2018 Olympics in South Korea, she put her gold medal in what felt at the time like the right place: a trash bin at her parents' house. But now she's ready to win gold again.

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Andrew Phung: How I overcame my fear of failure and got a do-over
CBC Radio's Now or Never challenged Run the Burbs star Andrew Phung to go back to high school to face his fear of failure and get a do-over of one of his biggest regrets.

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When Mark Twain Canceled Bret Harte
Despite their shared history of condemning bigotry, anti-Chinese racism fueled the falling-out between two of California's biggest writers.

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'I'd keep it on the down low': the secret life of a super-recogniser
Police employ them and scientists study them, but what is life like for the rare few who can never forget a face? Super-recogniser Yenny Seo didn't think it was anything special.

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A film and documentary try to make sense of the Akai Gurley shooting
Two films, Ursula Liang's documentary Down a Dark Stairwell, and Aimee Long's narrative feature film A Shot Through The Wall, offer lenses to examine the shooting death of Akai Gurley by NYPD officer Peter Liang.

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Next Big Thing: Sue Ann Pien Brings Autism Representation to the Screen in Amazon's 'As We See It'
Actress Sue Ann Pien, who is on the spectrum herself, plays one of three autistic twenty-somethings sharing an apartment in Jason Katims' new Amazon serieis As We See It.

* * *
Sue Ann Pien And Chris Pang Quietly Deliver The Most Beautiful Sibling Portrayal On TV
Sue Ann Pien and Chris Pang as brother and sister on Amazon's new emotion-filled dramedy As We See It, which centers the lives of young adults on the autism spectrum.

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Conrad Ricamora on His Bumpy Road to 'Little Shop of Horrors'
Actor Conrad Ricamora reflects on continuing the hot streak of Little Shop of Horrors' off-Broadway revival, and fighting against the stereotypes facing Asian American actors.

They Call Us Bruce 145: They Call Us Mayor Michelle Wu

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 Wu, Mayor of Boston. She talks about breaking barriers as the first woman and first person of color elected to lead her city, hitting the ground running, "getting city hall out of city hall," and embracing both legacy and innovation. She also gives us The Good, The Bad and The WTF of being the mayor of Boston.

Woman Dies After Being Pushed Onto Subway Tracks

40-year-old Michelle Go was "suddenly pushed" in front of an oncoming train.



In New York, a woman died after she was pushed onto the subway tracks and struck by an oncoming train. The incident occurred on Saturday morning at the Times Square-42nd Street station while she was standing on the southbound R-Q train platform. According to witnesses, a man "suddenly pushed" the woman in an unprovoked attack shoving her onto the tracks as the train pulled into the station, killing her.

Woman Dies After Being Pushed Onto Subway Tracks in Times Square

The victim was identified as 40-year-old Michelle Go, who was Asian. The attacker, identified as 61-year-old Simon Martial, fled the scene and rode the subway to Lower Manhattan, where he told officers at the Canal Street station that he had pushed a woman onto the tracks. Martial reportedly has a history encounters with the authorities related to mental health problems. He is expected to be arraigned on murder charges.

Police are calling the attack "random" and said there was no indication that Go had been targeted because of her ethnicity. I have to say that offers very little comfort. These mounting "random" attacks against victims who just happen to be Asian, during a sharp surge of violence against Asians... at some point, "random" really doesn't seem like a sufficient way to categorize a tragedy like this. We do not feel safe.

More here: Woman Pushed Onto Subway Tracks 'Never Saw' Her Attacker

Read These

The Fight for Asian American Studies
After a year that put a spotlight on anti-Asian racism, students around the country have been petitioning their schools to create curriculums that reflect the moment.

* * *
Nearly a third of Asians in San Gabriel Valley report experiencing racism during the pandemic
A recent survey found that many San Gabriel Valley residents feel less safe than before the pandemic, many of whom cited feeling vulnerable to racist attacks when they leave home.

* * *
Americans are just learning what people in East Asia already know about masks.
The CDC recently conceded that cloth masks do not protect against the coronavirus as effectively as surgical masks or respirators. In East Asia, a pronouncement like that would not be necessary because it is already common knowledge.

* * *
Processing Anti-Asian Violence, through Corky Lee's Lens
Nearly one year after photojournalist Corky Lee's death from COVID 19, we still have so much to learn from him.

* * *
You Are Not Entitled To Our Deaths: COVID, Abled Supremacy & Interdependence
"You are not entitled to our deaths. You are not entitled to the deaths of our loved ones in the name of capital, privilege and “normal.” You are not entitled to our silence about our pain and suffering and the wet tar grief that envelops us. You are not entitled to our fear and terror at the worsening conditions and chaos of this pandemic, wondering if we will ever be able to safely leave our homes again."

* * *
When comfort television gets uncomfortable
Horrified by "Japan Week" on the Great British Baking Show? You're not the only one.

* * *
Mitski in 9 Acts
If Mitski has to reveal herself at all, she’d rather do it one short burst at a time.

* * *
Redefining their Korean American identity through a new deli
It wasn't until chef couple Katianna and John Hong took a trip to South Korea together that they noticed a shift in thinking about Korean cuisine.

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."

* * *
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."

* * *
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.

* * *
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.

* * *
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.

* * *
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.

* * *
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."

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

* * *
'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.

* * *
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.

* * *
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.

* * *
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.

* * *
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.