They Call Us Strangers in the Land

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 Michael Luo, executive editor at The New Yorker and author of the book Strangers in the Land: Exclusion, Belonging, and the Epic Story of the Chinese in America, an epic narrative history of the Chinese in America, and their more than century-long struggle to belong in the face of bigotry, persecution, exclusion and racial terror. Michael talks about the real-life racist incident that partially inspired the project; the complexities and quirks of Chinese American immigration history; some of the fascinating stories and characters he uncovered during his extensive research for Strangers in the Land; and the alarming parallel connections between past and current debates on immigration, citizenship, and our multiracial democracy.

They Call Us Sinners

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 Dolly Li, documentary filmmaker, journalist and cultural consultant on Ryan Coogler's epic vampire blockbuster Sinners. We discuss Dolly's documentary on The Untold Story of America's Southern Chinese, and the deep-rooted origins of the Mississippi Delta's Chinese American community; how Ryan Coogler's own family connection to the Delta Chinese inspired the Chinese characters in Sinners; and how Dolly worked with the filmmakers to make the movie historically accurate and authentic as possible -- right down to that one horny line of Chinese dialogue. And of course, we offer our own hot takes on Sinners.

They Call Us Ten Times Better

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 Jennifer Lin and producer Jon Funabiki to talk about their documentary Ten Times Better and the incredible untold story of George Lee, a pioneering dancer with an unheralded place in ballet and Broadway history. We discuss the sensational skill and artistry that landed George the role he originated in The Nutcracker with the New York City Ballet; the filmmakers' search for the former dance prodigy that tracked him down in Las Vegas, where he was working in relative obscurity as a blackjack dealer; the ongoing struggle for recognition and inclusion in the performing arts; and the film's efforts to honor and preserve George's story, especially in this moment as diverse narratives face the threat of suppression and erasure.

They Call Us Heritage Month?

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.

It's May, and that means it's AANHPI Heritage Month -- possibly the last one ever, if certain people get their way. In this episode, we check in and discuss the significance of Heritage Month, reflecting on community resilience, cultural celebrations, and the challenges faced by Asian Americans in this moment. By way of The Good, The Bad, and The WTF, they explore the impact of recent events on mental health within the community, the ongoing importance of representation in media, and the troubling perceptions of Asian Americans in U.S. society as revealed by recent surveys.