Read These

The High-Risk Feat of Bringing 'American Born Chinese' to TV
For years, Gene Luen Yang was convinced a single character in his groundbreaking graphic novel American Born Chinese would doom any attempt at an adaptation. What changed?

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Ke Huy Quan's Role in 'American Born Chinese' Scared the 'Sh**' Out of Him
In American Born Chinese, Ke Huy Quan plays Freddy Wong, an actor from a popular '90s sitcom whose character was based on painful Asian stereotypes.

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Stopping Asian American Hate Stemming From the COVID-19 Pandemic
"During Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we celebrate the contributions that our community has made and continues to make in this country. However, we also understand that there is much work to be done in eradicating Asian American hate. And doing so requires every elected official to be honest about the long struggles of Asian Americans and finally set the record straight about COVID-19."

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How one woman fought bigotry and helped change the way Asian Americans see themselves
Helena Zia has waged a decades-long campaign against anti-Asian violence, encouraging Asian Americans to unite, organize, and agitate.

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Star Ballroom – site of Monterey Park mass shooting – on brink of closing for good, owner says
This community dance studio, social hub, and safe haven was shattered when a shooter entered and opened fire, killing eleven people. Now it may close for good.

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Food blogging reminds me of what I'm capable of and how my heritage is my own
"I don't want to brag, but my food is pretty good. Soon enough, everyone was asking me for the recipes, which is how Bun Bo Bae, my Vietnamese cooking blog, came to be in 2019."

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XO, Kitty star Anna Cathcart is ready to take the lead
Anna Cathcart stars in XO, Kitty, a spinoff of the To All the Boys trilogy.

They Call Us Bruce 199: They Call Us Tze Chun

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 back Tze Chun, showrunner behind not one, but two new shows: the animated prequel series Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai and the Boots Riley-created absurdist coming-of-age comedy I'm a Virgo. He talks about spinning new lore from a classic franchise, putting Chinese characters at the center ("unless otherwise noted"), getting to tell "weird" stories about people of color, and making sure fellow Asian American creators get a boost.

All The Asians On Star Trek 33: Christopher Aguilar

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 33, we welcome actor Christopher Aguilar. When he was 12 years old, he guest starred on Star Trek: Voyager, in the season three episode "Before and After," in which he played "Andrew Kim" -- the future son of Ensign Harry Kim and the grandson of Lt. Tom Paris and Kes. Wait, what? It's all very confusing and Christopher helps us clear it up. He talks about getting his start as a kid actor in Hollywood, channeling is own inner Kes while shooting Voyager, as well as his job eventually working as a cast member for Star Trek: The Experience in Las Vegas. He also gets real about his journey, sharing about his work as a writer, performer and mental health advocate.

They Call Us Bruce 198: They Call Us Connie

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 two of the legions of Asian American women of a certain age who were named after journalist Connie Chung: writer Connie Wang, whose New York Times piece "Generation Connie" put a spotlight on this phenomenon, and cartoonist Connie Sun, one of the many namesakes of the trailblazing newswoman who participated in the "Con Con." They talk about this unique sisterhood, the aspirational qualities of naming your kid Connie, and The Good, The Bad and The WTF of being named Connie.

They Call Us Bruce 197: They Call Us Girl Taking Over

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 Sarah Kuhn and artist Arielle Jovellanos, whose new original DC young adult graphic novel Girl Taking Over: A Lois Lane Story re-imagines Lois Lane as an Asian American teen tackling a summer internship in the big city. They talk about finding your people, putting an Asian American twist on a beloved legacy character, the dreaded drawing of cars and crowds, and re-directing the scent of stinky lunchbox moments.

Read These

Generation Connie
Growing up, Connie Wang thought being named after Connie Chung made her unique. Little did she know that there was a whole generation of Asian American women named after the same iconic news anchor.

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Asked to Delete References to Racism From Her Book, an Author Refused
Maggie Tokuda-Hall declined Scholastic's offer to license her book, Love in the Library, on the condition that she edit her author's note to remove a description of past and present instances of racism.

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Philadelphia Mayoral Candidate Helen Gym Wants to Change How People Live
In advance of the May 16 primary, Philadelphia mayoral candidate Helen Gym Gym talks about her years of work in the community, organizing alongside young people, and what progressives are up against in 2023.

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The Last Gamble of Tokyo Joe
Ken Eto rose through the ranks of the Chicago mob, and then it tried to kill him.

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In the U.S., a weak support system erodes Asian traditions of intergenerational caregiving
The clashing of cultural norms with American systems is especially clear to Asian American and Pacific Islander women -- the most likely group to be caring for elderly parents in the United States.

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To Court SF Voters, Politicians Give Themselves Flowery Chinese Names
San Francisco political candidates who are not of Chinese ancestry have traditionally appeared on ballots with a Chinese name based on their English names' phonetic transliteration, but aspiring officeholders are now being much more deliberate about selecting an "authentic" Chinese name.

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Constance Wu Put Mental Health In Asian Communities In The Spotlight. Here’s What's Next.
"Though Constance Wu’s transparency about her mental health has opened up a conversation around the pressures of being an Asian American woman, there’s still a long way to go in terms of people of Asian diasporas getting the help they need to ensure their mental well being. And, we need to be talking about it."

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She Wrote a Blistering Satire About Publishing. The Publishing Industry Loves It.
In her latest novel Yellowface, R.F. Kuang draws on her own experiences to tackle issues like cultural appropriation and representation. "I hate the feeling of being read just because somebody's trying to tick off a diversity check box," she says.

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Being an Honorary White Person Doesn't Make Us More Powerful
Beef reminds us that choosing proximity to whiteness often means doing harm to ourselves and others.

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Randall Park's Big Plans
Longtime actor Randall Park talks to GQ about his directorial debut, Shortcomings, what real creative freedom looks like, and why he's been working out so much.

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For Helen Park, 'KPOP' nod 'feels like an encouragement to continue.'
Helen Park, the first Asian American female composer on Broadway, was nominated for a Tony Award for best original score for the short-lived musical KPOP.

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'This is the golden age': How the Class of 1997 changed Asian American filmmaking forever
With feature films from Justin Lin, Quentin Lee, Rea Tajiri and Michael Idemoto, 1997 was a banner, signal year for independent Asian American cinema.

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Ashley Park Is Finally in the Driver's Seat
With Joy Ride, Ashley Park is officially putting her quirky-best friend past in the rearview.

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How Diana Lee Inosanto Of 'The Mandalorian' Is Shaking Up The Entertainment Industry
Diana Lee Inosanto is a veteran actress, director, and stuntwoman who appears in the Star Wars series The Mandalorian and the forthcoming Ahsoka.

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The Curator: FFC Interviews Brian Hu
Walter Chaw interviews film programmer Brian Hu.

They Call Us Bruce 196: They Call Us Ten Thousand Things

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 Shin Yu Pai, award-winning poet, museologist, and host of Ten Thousand Things, a podcast about modern-day artifacts of Asian American life. We discuss the personal objects and collections that say who we are and where we've been, from Rep. Andy Kim's now-famous blue suit to our precious stuffed loved ones. We also play a special show-and-tell version of The Good, The Bad and The WTF featuring our own Asian American artifacts.

They Call Us Bruce 195: They Call Us Shib Sibs

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 the awesome sibling duo Alex and Maia Shibutani, two-time Olympic medalist ice dancers and authors of the children's picture book Amazing: Asian American and Pacific Islanders Who Inspire Us All. They discuss their unique journey growing up as brother/sister teammates on the ice, their evolution as role models and community advocates, and The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of working with your sibling.