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 poet/author/activist Bao Phi and Minnesota Star Tribune columnist Laura Yuen to discuss the ongoing and escalating crackdown by federal immigration operations in Minnesota. They talk about Laura's recent piece about her family and their citizenship; the temperature on the street, particularly in the wake of recent killings by ICE agents; the widespread fear and uncertainty among community members just trying to move through their lives; and the kindness of everyday Minnesotans who are helping each other survive the siege. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of being in Minnesota right now. This episode is sponsored by Chinese Republicans, a new play from Roundabout Theatre Company.
"All of this calculation of distance and I can’t reconcile the most important space of all: the distance between myself and some of my fellow American citizens, who believe that the actions of ICE—from the racial profiling, imprisonment, and detainment of people on American soil, to the killing of Good and Porter—are acceptable. I have felt sick all week. This vast gulf between us, not just as Americans but as human beings, has drained me of hope." Poet, author, and lifelong Minnesotan Bao Phi on the outrage in his community.
In Instagram video posted on Monday, St. Paul Councilmember Hwa Jeong Kim said that she has received first-hand accounts from constituents about ICE agents knocking on doors and asking whether the residents know their Hmong or Asian neighbors.
In Philadelphia, police are searching for suspects in a string of violent thefts targeting Asian women in during the holiday season. Investigators say the attacks occurred between Christmas Day and New Year's Day, all within the same area in Northeast Philadelphia and under similar circumstances. All of the victims were Asian women who got their purse snatched in broad daylight by men in ski masks. Police believe the crimes are connected, with three men involved in most, if not all, of the thefts, including two attackers and a getaway driver.
Hwang Dong-hyuk, the creator of Squid Game, is following up the biggest Netflix show of all time with his next series, The Dealer, a crime Korean drama set in a casino that follows a card dealer who is roped into a seedy underworld of gambling. Produced by Hwang for Netflix, the series stars Jung So-min leads the cast as the titular dealer. Here's the official synopsis:
"The Dealer" centers on Geonhwa, a gifted casino dealer whose life is upended when her wedding plans collapse after she becomes entangled in a housing scam. Forced back into a world she had deliberately left behind, Geonhwa plunges into the shadowy underworld of illegal gambling — and is compelled to tap long-suppressed supernatural abilities that give her an unnatural edge at the tables as she fights to reclaim control of her future.
The Moon Without Stars, the new book from New York Times bestselling, Newbery Honor–winning author Chanel Miller, hits shelves this week. In this household, we are big fans of her 2024 children's book Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All. Her new middle school novel explores the way growing up, finding friends, and discovering who you are can be both awkward and empowering. From the back of the book:
At the beginning of seventh grade, Luna knows who she is: an observant, quiet girl who loves writing and making zines with her best friend, Scott. But when one of their zines takes off, Luna is somehow swept up into the popular group and learns just how much of herself she’s going to have to compromise to stay there. Will she give up her writing? Her best friend? What about her own beliefs about who she is and what she stands for?
Featuring author-illustrator Chanel Miller’s signature line drawings, The Moon Without Stars is a deeply personal and often funny novel about what it means to lose and then find yourself again during the vulnerable, life-changing years of middle school.
Award-winning poet opens up about his latest collection 'Thousand Star Hotel.' By tk lê.
Photo Credit: Anna Min
Bao Phi is a performance poet and writer based in Minneapolis. His second poetry collection, Thousand Star Hotel skillfully weaves a range of topics -- police brutality, Asian American representation, masculinity, fatherhood, and his immigrant experience growing up in Minnesota, to name just a few. In this interview, Bao talks in-depth about what the process of writing this book has been for him and elaborates on some of the heavier subject matter. Also, kittens.
RadAZNs TC (TC standing for Twin Cities) is a Minnesota Asian American activist group that conducted a series of door knocking campaigns in low income communities with Asian residents to talk about police brutality, anti-Blackness, and discrimination. Though many members of RadAZNs TC had been activists in myriad groups and causes for quite some time, many of them came together through movements and actions related to the shooting of Jamar Clark, a 24-year-old African American man who was shot and killed by Minneapolis police on November 15, 2015, in North Side Minneapolis.
Below is an interview I conducted with several members who were involved in the door knocking campaign -- Eunha Jeong Wood, Txoov Vaaj (Chong Vang), MK Nguyen, and contributions by Linda Her.
Now check out this awesome photo/story project, Don't Buy Miss Saigon: Our Truth Project, created by real people with real stories to counter the racist, sexist, colonialist musical's lies.
Here's some more information from Bao about the project:
Miss Saigon is scheduled for a one-week engagement in St. Paul's Ordway theater next month, and has already been met with considerable objections from the community because, well, it's a really friggin' racist show. And dude, this ain't the first time: Twin Cities is home to long legacy of protest of 'Miss Saigon'
I'm going to be completely honest: I've never had the opportunity to see Miss Saigon. I heard there's a helicopter on stage. Yay. But I'll take Bao's word for it. I definitely don't need to see this show.
Hello, good people. It's that time again. Time to meet the Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is Bao Phi.
We're getting poetic up here. It's time for another installment of the Angry Poetry Corner, a semi-regular spotlight where we present the work of various poets from the AAPI community -- not necessarily angry poems (though there are certainly some of those too) -- curated by Cara, our Angry Asian Intern. Because you could use a little more poetry in your life.
Orange County! Bao Phi is coming to town. This Saturday, November 8, come to the Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association in Santa Ana for an evening of readings and conversations with poets and writers Bao Phi, Lan duong, Isabelle Thuy Pelaud, and Caroline Kieu-Linh Valverde.
The night will end with a special spoken word performance by Bao Phi, who will read and sign his new book of poetry, Song I Sing. Here's what you're in for:
A couple of weeks ago, I posted Lin. Sanity., a great spoken word piece by Giles Li, talking about what's so darn great about Jeremy Lin. Turns out, it was part of a spoken word trilogy. Here's part two: Lin 467 to the Future, written and performed by the incomparable Bao Phi. Video by Joua Lee. Take a look:
We're getting poetic up here. It's time for another installment of the Angry Poetry Corner, a semi-regular spotlight where we present the work of various poets from the AAPI community -- not necessarily angry poems (though there are certainly some of those too) -- curated by Cara, our Angry Asian Intern. Because you could use a little more poetry in your life.
