Read These

Why Bruce Lee Still Matters...
Any of us who grew up Asian or Pacific Islander in the U.S. can mark time by Bruce Lee. For us there was Before Bruce, and After Bruce.

* * *
Fifty years on, Bruce Lee's legacy squares up to modern life in Hong Kong
Fifty years after the death of Bruce Lee, who galvanised the imaginations of generations of young people worldwide with feats of kung fu immortalised on screen, it sometimes seems as if his legacy of the martial art he practiced is fading in Hong Kong.

* * *
A Raunchy Comedy's Subtle Wisdom
Joy Ride knows that visiting one's homeland isn't an easy fix for feelings of loneliness at home.

* * *
A night at the club where queer Asian Americans no longer feel like 'black sheep'
LGTBQ+ Asian Americans have created club parties and other gatherings to connect with one another free of judgment.

* * *
A message for Asian American students in affirmative action's aftermath
"You can think whatever you want about affirmative action, and it’s OK if you’re still trying to figure it out. But when you decide whether to support any policy such as affirmative action, here’s my advice: Know that you are not just forming an opinion in a vacuum, but making a real world choice about who your community is."

* * *
Asian American advocates slam DeSantis for land law that they say 'will legalize Asian hate'
Governor Ron DeSantis introduced new legislation to ban Chinese citizens from owning land in Florida.

* * *
The Magic of My Harabeoji's Avocado BLT
"My harabeoji had many secrets, and one of them was tucked inside his BLT."

* * *
Outcry After Smithsonian Cancels Asian American Literature Festival
Over 1,000 artists and writers have signed a letter demanding the “immediate resignation" of Asian Pacific American Center Acting Director Yao-Fen You.

* * *
The 100 Greatest Songs in the History of Korean Pop Music
BTS, Blackpink, NewJeans, and many more.

They Call Us Bruce 206: They Call Us Hoon Lee (+The Official Warrior Podcast)

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 actor Hoon Lee, who stars as Wang Chao on the action drama Warrior. He talks about playing a character situated between several worlds, getting in on the action, and the unique bond that forms between an all-Asian cast. Also: stay tuned for a special bonus edition of The Official Warrior Podcast, hosted by Lisa Ling and Hoon Lee, on the life and legacy of Bruce Lee. (NOTE: This episode was recorded before the start of the SAG-AFTRA strike. They Call Us Bruce fully supports the actors and writers unions and their fight for fair contracts.)

They Call Us Bruce 205: They Call Us Nicole Chung

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 Nicole Chung, author of All You Can Ever Know, which tells the story of her adoption and search for her birth family, and A Living Remedy, her memoir about grief and the death of her adoptive parents. They discuss grieving under capitalism, writing and enduring through loss (and a global pandemic), If John Cho Were Your Boyfriend, and why you should never ever ever tell casual strangers that you're a writer. Also: They Good, The Bad, and The WTF of writing your life.

Read These

For Asian American Actors, Playing a Hot Mess Is Liberating
Forget the pious immigrant family drama. Mainstream movies and shows like Joy Ride, Beef and Shortcomings are finally exploring all dimensions of the Asian American experience.

* * *
How second-gen owners of 99 Ranch are turning the Asian supermarket into a national powerhouse
Siblings Alice and Jonson Chen are at the helm of one of the largest Asian supermarket chains in America. The first 99 Ranch was opened in 1984 in Westminster by their father, Roger Chen, a Taiwanese immigrant from the western city of Taichung.

* * *
Asian Americans feel particularly targeted by new laws criminalizing those who assist voters
Recent legislation in mostly Republican-led states have created new restrictions and penalties for individuals and groups that assist voters -- barriers that have hampered voting access for Asian communities in particular.

* * *
No longer suffering in silence: Asian Americans denied tech leadership roles go to court
A growing number of Asian Americans in the tech industry are breaking their silence and going public with charges of discrimination and retaliation.

* * *
Mapping a Radical Legacy of South Asian Activism in the Bay Area
On the Berkeley South Asian Radical History Walking Tour, visitors learn about the people and sites that laid the groundwork for social movements that still resonate in California today.

* * *
I became Miss Texas to spotlight diversity. But my state leaders are living in denial.
If Texas truly desires to be "bigger and better," Gov. Greg Abbott and his Republican allies must cease its assault on DEI policy.

* * *
How Joy Ride Pulls Off a Delightfully Messy Mix of Raunch and Heart
Joy Ride is deliciously filthy, but buried beneath the dirty jokes is a genuine story of friendship, identity, and belonging.

* * *
Stephanie Hsu Is on the Ride of a Lifetime
Stephanie Hsu, breakout star of Everything Everywhere All at Once, talks about her raunchy new comedy Joy Ride, her Oscar nomination, and Theragun sex.

* * *
Celine Song on How Making 'Past Lives’ Led Her to Fall "So Hard in Love With Filmmaking"
Writer/director Celine Song explains how her theater background helps her with writing dialogue, why her story is so universal, and her request for people who go see Past Lives.

* * *
Indiana Jones: Why Short Round Doesn't Show Up In Dial Of Destiny
Seeing how Dial of Destiny is likely Harrison Ford's final outing as legendary explorer Indiana Jones, it wouldn't have been out of the question to bring back some familiar faces from his past. But alas, there's no Ke Huy Quan reprising his role as Short Round in the latest film.

They Call Us Bruce 204: They Call Us Joy Ride

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 director Adele Lim, screenwriters Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao, and stars Ashley Park, Stephanie Hsu and Sherry Cola -- the team behind the hilarious new comedy Joy Ride. Recorded the morning after the film's world premiere at South by Southwest in Austin, they talk about The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of making Joy Ride -- a discussion that included, among many things, K-pop, Kumon, Settlers of Catan, Squid Game, trauma outfits, Vancouver weather and what joke went too far.

Read These Blogs

For most Asian Americans, diversity is a core value – even if a loud minority contests it
Edward Blum's group used Asian Americans for display to serve a longstanding anti-affirmative action agenda.

* * *
Affirmative action divided Asian Americans and other people of color. Here's how
Ed Blum's winning anti-affirmative action strategy pitted Asian Americans against Black and Latino communities, using both real issues and false narratives, to end policies that had helped diversify college campuses.

* * *
A question for Asian Americans celebrating affirmative action’s end: What have we won?
An easier question to answer is what we have lost.

* * *
Asian Americans Have Been on Both Sides of the Affirmative Action Debate
To Asian Americans involved in past battles for affirmative action, cases like Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard adds to divisions in the community over prioritizing merit and tests.

* * *
Translator Calls Out British Museum's "Erasure" of Her Work
Yilin Wang, whose translations of Chinese poems were used without permission, claims the British Museum mishandled the issue and has not properly compensated her.

* * *
Appreciation: Pioneering L.A. poet Amy Uyematsu showed that words could move mountains
Sesshu Foster remembers the life of poet and Asian American movement activist Amy Uyematsu, who died last week.

* * *
'My Films Had So Much Anger'
John Woo reflects on a career driven by action, ambition, and artistry. Andrew Koji worked for this
Ah Sahm, played by Andrew Koji in Warrior, was written by Bruce Lee, designed to be played by Bruce Lee, and now lives in a show produced by Bruce Lee’s daughter. An actor hoping to do the martial artist justice could easily fall into another Bruce Lee impression as the easy way out. But that is not Andrew Koji.

* * *
Bruce Le, Bruce Li, Bruce Lei – ‘Bruceploitation’ martial arts actors tracked down for documentary about how they imitated Bruce Lee after his death
As the 50th anniversary of martial arts icon Bruce Lee's death approaches, a new documentary investigates a bizarre phenomenon that erupted in the wake of the Little Dragon’s untimely passing.