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The Parents Trying to Pass Down a Language They Hardly Speak
"Losing your family's language can feel like an inevitable side effect of immigration -- but it’s one I want to prevent."

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Saving Chinatown, While Also Making It Their Own
A younger generation of Asian Americans are fighting to keep the history and culture of the Manhattan neighborhood alive — and for the very idea of what an ethnic enclave can be.

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Former enslaved Calif. sweatshop worker recalls captivity, honored by Labor Dept.
Last week in Washington DC, 81 Thai garment workers were inducted into the Department of Labor's Hall of Honor for exposing their former employer's abusive practices in 1995 -- a landmark case that was considered the first recognized case of modern-day slavery.

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As Haley and Ramaswamy Rise, Some Indian Americans Have Mixed Feelings
For the first time in the nation's history, two Indian Americans -- Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy -- are serious presidential contenders who regularly invoke their parents' immigrant roots. But their deeply conservative views make it difficult for some Indian American voters to fully celebrate the moment.

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Facing eviction, a beloved Little Tokyo cafe charts its survival in a gentrifying city
After more than half a century serving Los Angeles' Little Tokyo, an eviction lawsuit has forced family-run Japanese restaurant Suehiro Cafe to relocate, spurring community discussions over the future of legacy businesses in the historic Japanese American neighborhood.

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Mitski says she doesn't feel either fully Asian or American, and fans say they identify with that
Some Asian American fans say they recognize themselves in the lyrics of Mitski's latest album.

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Sung Kang's Lightsabers Are Cooler Than Yours
Sung Kang, who makes his feature film directorial debut with the indie horror flick Shaky Shivers, talks about how starring in Obi-Wan Kenobi sparked a new passion.

They Call Us Bruce 212: They Call Us Magnificent Jerk

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 Maya Lin Sugarman and James Kim, producers behind the podcast Magnificent Jerk, "the true story -- of a fake story -- about a real life." They talk about the fascinating life and career of Maya's late uncle Galen Yuen, and the box of his belongings that sent Maya on mission to discover her family’s biggest secrets -- including the truth behind the possibly autobiographical screenplay that eventually became a bad B-movie starring.... Rob Lowe, Burt Reynolds, and Ice-T. Also: The Good, The Bad and The WTF of making Magnificent Jerk.

Wing Luke Museum Windows Smashed in Hate Crime

Seattle museum targeted by man with a sledgehammer who said "the Chinese ruined my life."

Seattle's Wing Luke Museum was targeted in a hate crime last week when a man smashed the outside windows of the museum with a sledgehammer. The suspect later apparently told police, "the Chinese ruined my life."

Link: Shattered windows and nerves, Seattle's Wing Luke Museum targeted in alleged hate crime

According to the police report, 76-year-old Craig Milne used a sledgehammer to break the windows of the museum along Canton Alley South on Thursday evening, as dozens of patrons were inside touring an exhibit.

After the attack, Milne apparently remained outside the building, and was heard saying he had come to the Chinatown International District to cause damage because, ahem, "the Chinese ruined my life."

You fucking fool, you ruined your own life. And the good people at this museum didn't do shit to you.

The True Story of a Fake Story About a Real Life

New podcast 'Magnificent Jerk' explores the eccentric life and career of actor/writer Galen Yuen.



The way most people probably remembered Galen Yuen -- if they knew or knew of him at all -- was as a working actor with a few dozen minor movie and TV roles, playing characters like "Yakuza Member," "Smuggler" or "Low Life #1." He also had a sprinkle of screenwriting credits, including an episode of the short-lived TV series Vanishing Son, and a direct-to-video movie called Crazy Six. Yuen died in 2015 at 63.

Fast forward a few years later, when journalist Maya Lin Sugarman finds a box of forgotten screenplays -- written by her late uncle, Galen -- that sets her on a journey to uncover the truth about his tumultuous life. She discovers, among other shocking things that may or may not be true, that Galen was a leader of a Chinese gang, that he went to jail, and, in a final twist, that he poured his life story into a screenplay that was turned into a 1990s Hollywood action movie... starring Rob Lowe, Burt Reynolds, and Ice-T.

Maya shares her journey to discover the truth about Galen in the new podcast Magnificent Jerk, "the true story -- of a fake story -- about a real life." Listen to the trailer:

Read These

Engineering student run over by Seattle police remembered as 'brilliant' and 'full of hope'
Indian American leaders are calling for justice after a Seattle police officer said 23-year-old Jaanhavi Kandula, a student at Northeastern University, had "limited value."

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Asian American U.S.-born children of immigrants are most likely to have hidden part of their heritage
Fear of ridicule and a desire to fit in are common reasons they give for doing this, according to a Pew Research Center survey.

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World's Largest 'Baby Exporter' Confronts Its Painful Past
South Korean adoptees have been returning to the country to hold the government accountable for what they call a corrupt adoption system that went largely unchanged until recent decades.

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How big-name concerts became unlikely places for immigrant parents and kids to bond
From Taylor Swift to Beyoncé to the Spice Girls, many children of immigrants say these big acts have helped bridge divides across generations.

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Hasan Minhaj's "Emotional Truths"
In his standup specials, the former Patriot Act host often recounts harrowing experiences he's faced as an Asian American and Muslim American. Does it matter that much of it never happened to him?

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The Bold, 96-Minute Episode That Defines Lulu Wang's Approach to Expats
Debuting at the Toronto Film Festival, the TV series Expats gained controversy for centering on wealthy expats in Hong Kong. But creator Lulu Wang aims to tell a much more impactful story.

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Clarissa Wei Knows All Too Well That Food Is Political
In her debut cookbook, Made in Taiwan, journalist Clarissa Wei uses recipes to tell the story of the island's people, and take a stand on its sovereignty.

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Bruce Lee's "Warrior," and the Politics of Kung Fu
The Max series Warrior makes a radical argument for what constitutes American history.

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Fighting kung fu
From chopsocky films to disco earworms, Asian caricatures have proliferated since the 1970s. Can Hollywood kick the habit?

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Hollywood Chinese Actor Had an Unknown Past as a San Francisco Gangster
Late actor Galen Yuen, who played minor roles in movies and occasionally wrote screenplays, also had a largely unknown past as a Chinatown gangster. His niece, journalistmMaya Lin Sugarman, has launched a new seven-episode podcast about her uncle, entitled Magnificent Jerk.

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Let's Be Neurotic Together: A Conversation with Cathy Park Hong
Cathy Park Hong, author of Minor Feelings, talks about the interrelations between activism and grief, how best to combat burnout, and what it meant for her to be designated "the liberal pundit of Asian Americans."

They Call Us Bruce 211: They Call Us Liquor Store Dreams

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 So Yun Um, director of the feature documentary Liquor Store Dreams, an intimate portrait of two Korean American children of Los Angeles liquor store owners. She talks about confronting popular media depictions of Korean American store owners, turning the camera on herself to tell this deeply personal story, and hitting record during some very tough, heated conversations with her family members. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of making Liquor Store Dreams.

They Call Us Bruce 210: They Call Us Dear Alana

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 Simon Kent Fung, creator and host of the podcast Dear Alana, an eight-part limited series that tells the story of aspiring nun Alana Chen, who tragically ended her life at the age of 24 after seven years in conversion therapy. Simon talks about telling this gripping, intimate story through the dozens of journals Alana left behind, his own shockingly similar parallel experience with conversion therapy, and The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of being open about who you are. Also: stay tuned for the first episode of Dear Alana from Tenderfoot TV.

Read These

UNC police got the wrong Asian while searching for suspect, intensifying fears of racial profiling'
For many students of Asian descent, the initial confusion in identifying and apprehending the wrong person in last week's fatal shooting at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill dredged up ever-present fears of racial profiling.

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The History of Asian American Labor Activism Is Essential for Today's Students'
Despite centuries of racially discriminatory laws, Asian immigrants and Asian Americans have consistently engaged in labor resistance.

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My grandma in Wuhan is philosophical about COVID, life and her favorite topic: death'
In 2020, graphic artist and memoirist Laura Gao wrote about a trip she had planned to her birthplace in Wuhan, China to see her beloved grandparents. COVID caused her to cancel the trip. How are her grandparents now faring today? She checked in her with her grandma via WeChat.

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A Chinese grocery store opening in West Los Angeles represents a cultural shift'
Chinese food and groceries are so rare on the west side of Los Angeles that it's become something of an urban legend. But a 99 Ranch Market is coming to Westwood.

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‘Made in Taiwan' is the cookbook that couldn't have existed 20 years ago'
When Clarissa Wei moved to Hong Kong from the U.S. and began covering more Chinese cuisine and, occasionally, politics, it dawned on her that Taiwanese and Chinese foods were distinct from each other.

* * *
TV writer talks "Breaking Bad," writers strike and the toxicity of the "auteur genius showrunner"'
Patty Lin, author of the new memoir End Credits: How I Broke Up with Hollywood, praises writing on Freaks and Geeks and reveals why she loves that a show like Beef finally exists.

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Wong Kar Wai's In The Mood For Love'
Wong Kar Wai's 2000 masterwork In the Mood for Love has influenced filmmakers ranging from Barry Jenkins to Sofia Coppola -- and innumerable teens on TikTok.

They Call Us Bruce 209: They Call Us On Strike

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/SAG-AFTRA member Parvesh Cheena and writer/WGA member Liz Hsiao Lan Alper to discuss the respective unions' ongoing strikes, which has brought the entertainment industry to a standstill. They discuss the conditions and contract issues that necessitated these labor actions, what work stoppage and picketing has meant for the average (and most marginalized) Hollywood workers, and The Good, The Bad and The WTF of being on strike.