They Call Us Dylan Park-Pettiford

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 Dylan Park-Pettiford -- TV writer, combat veteran and author of the memoir Roadside: My Journey to Iraq and the Long Road Home. He talks about growing up as a Black/Korean American kid in Campbell, California; getting swept up in the post-9/11 patriotism that sent him to Iraq, where his days alternated between boredom and terror; losing his brother to gun violence; uncovering a part of his identity through family history; and the kinds of topics you might want to avoid writing about if your mom might eventually read your book.

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 Vicki Tan

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 Vicki Tan, digital product designer and author of Ask This Book a Question: An Interactive Journey to Find Wisdom for Life's Big and Little Decisions, a one-of-a-kind guide to smarter decision-making based in the science of cognitive bias and the wisdom of storytelling. Vicki shares her journey of writing the book, the significance of diversity in storytelling, and how her background in product design informs her approach to helping others navigate life's big and small questions -- including that immediate, persistent question: what should we have for dinner tonight? (Answer: mapo tofu, of course.)

They Call Us Bruce: They Call Us The Manicurist's Daughter

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 and performer Susan Lieu, author of The Manicurist's Daughter, a memoir about her search for answers after her mother dies during plastic surgery. She talks about grief, trauma, body image, her family's strident unwillingness to discuss what happened, and her attempts to find acceptance and purpose elsewhere -- including what turned out to be a cult. A yoga cult. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of writing The Manicurist's Daughter.

They Call Us Bruce: They Call Us OiYan A. Poon

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 and race scholar OiYan A. Poon, author of Asian American Is Not a Color: Conversations on Race, Affirmative Action and Family. She talks about breaking out of her comfort zone to write a sincere and heartfelt exploration of race relations and affirmative action, the interviews she conducted with Asian Americans who have been actively engaged in policy debates over race-conscious admissions or affirmative action, and the not-so-simple question from her daughter that inspired the title of her book.

They Call Us Bruce 241: They Call Us Rising from the Ashes

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, recorded live at Village Well Books & Coffee in Culver City, Jeff and Phil celebrate the book launch of Rising from the Ashes: Los Angeles, 1992. Edward Jae Song Lee, Latasha Harlins, Rodney King, and a City on Fire with author Paula Yoo and Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Hyungwon "HK" Kang. They talk about Paula's drive to tell a nuanced and empathetic account of the 1992 Los Angeles uprising, the three families at the center of the unrest -- beyond the headlines and soundbites -- and some of the incredible and heartbreaking untold stories from this incendiary moment for Los Angeles' Black and Korean American communities. (This episode is sponsored by the HBO original limited series The Sympathizer and the official Sympathizer companion podcast.)

They Call Us Bruce 240: They Call Us K-Drama School

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, stand-up comedian and media studies PhD Grace Jung, author of the book K-Drama School: A Pop Culture Inquiry into Why We Love Korean Television. They discuss the explosion of Korean dramas from bootleg VHS tapes to DramaFever (R.I.P.) to the most popular shows on worldwide streaming services; the wildest K-drama tropes from amnesia to leukemia to kimchi slaps; what makes these shows so irresistibly bingeable, and what can we learn about our societies and ourselves from watching them.

They Call Us Bruce 220: They Call Us The Golden Screen

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, recorded live at Bās Bookshop in Honolulu, we celebrate the release of Jeff's new book The Golden Screen: The Movies That Made Asian America, which explores the history of Asian Americans on the silver screen, and the iconic films that have shaped Hollywood, representation, and American culture. We talk about why this moment in representation seemed like the right time for this book, how Jeff chose the movies that "made the cut," and a reconsideration (or reimagining) of Long Duk Dong. Also, in The Good, The Bad and The WTF, we offer some unpopular opinions about Asian American cinema. Special thanks to Aly Ishikuni-Sasaki and the team at Bās Bookshop.

They Call Us Bruce 208: They Call Us Love Boat Revisited

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 rewind and revisit our 2019 conversation with filmmaker Valerie Soe, director of the documentary Love Boat: Taiwan, and writer Abigail Hing Wen, author of the bestselling young adult novel Loveboat, Taipei -- now adapted for the screen as the feature film Love in Taipei, starring Ashley Liao and Ross Butler. They discuss the Taiwanese summer cultural program notoriously known as "Love Boat" and why it was the perfect, long overdue moment to tell these stories.

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.

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.

They Call Us Bruce 178: They Call Us Maulik Pancholy

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 welcome back award-winning actor and writer Maulik Pancholy, who talks about his latest middle grade novel Nikhil Out Loud, a sweet coming-of-age story about a gay Indian American teen. He talks about the anti-gay backlash he received for his first book The Best at It that inspired this new novel, what it's like to get your book banned by school districts, and the important question at the center of all this controversy that nobody seems to be asking: who's listening to the kids?

New Comic Reimagines Lois Lane as an Asian American Teen

First look at 'Girl Taking Over: A Lois Lane Story' by Sarah Kuhn and Arielle Jovellanos.



If you were like me, growing up as an Asian American consumer of comic books, you sometimes had to crane your neck to find representation within those four-color panels. And sometimes, intended or not, it was right there in front of you in plain black ink. I can't be the only one who interpreted Superman's canonically black hair as a signifier of Asian-ness -- by way of Krypton, of course. (Kal-El is an immigrant, don't ya know?)

For writer Sarah Kuhn, it was Lois Lane, intrepid reporter for the Daily Planet.

"Lois Lane is my idol — as a kid, I imprinted on her immediately and dreamed of becoming a hard-charging reporter on a quest for the truth (who also gets burgers and freshly squeezed orange juice delivered to her desk at 9 am)." Sarah says. "I was always desperately searching for some tiny scrap of representation in the stories I loved and Lois had dark hair, so sometimes I'd fantasize that she was Asian American -- like me."

Sarah, whose previous work includes the Cassandra Cain story Shadow of the Batgirl, gets to realize that fantasy in her upcoming original graphic novel, Girl Taking Over: A Lois Lane Story, due out in April 2023. Part of the DC Graphic Novels for Young Adults line, with art by Arielle Jovellanos, the book reimagines Lois Lane as an Asian American teenager -- a small town girl with a big city summer internship trying to get a handle on friendship, romance and a burgeoning career.

I'm pleased to share this first look at preview pages from Girl Taking Over:

They Call Us Bruce 168: They Call Us Wesley Chu

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, recorded live at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena, we welcome novelist Wesley Chu, author of the epic fantasy The Art of Prophecy. He talks about writing fight scenes, allowing his characters to do what they want to do, and why this wuxia-inspired novel is the story he's been wanting to tell his whole life. This episode is paid for by the U.S Department of Health and Human Services. Find boosters near you at vaccines.gov.

"An immigrants' kid punched Hitler in the mouth while cosplaying the American flag"

Gene Luen Yang on the corniness and coolness of Captain America -- the hero who is a flag on the move.



"The hero who dresses like the American flag. You can't get much cornier than that." As a young comic book reader, Gene Luen Yang didn't think much of Captain America. To be honest, he summarily dismissed Marvel Comics' star-spangled superhero as a dork -- and certainly nowhere near as cool as the X-Men.

But over time, Gene's relationship to Cap has evolved -- much like the flag, and America itself. In his foreword to the new Penguin Classics Marvel Collection edition of CAPTAIN AMERICA, the award-winning comic book creator shares about coming around to the appeal of Captain America's undeniable dorkiness, and his connection to Cap as a fellow child of immigrants. We're delighted to share Gene's foreword here:

Call For Submissions: AAPI Poetry Anthology

Upcoming anthology of AAPI spoken word, slam, and poetry of oral traditions to be published in 2024.



Attention, poets! Haymarket Books invites Asian American and Pacific Islander poets, spoken word poets, slam poets, and poets who consider themselves part of various oral traditions to submit their work for an anthology of AAPI spoken word, slam, and poetry of oral traditions to be published in 2024.

This anthology (title pending) seeks to celebrate poetry from the space where Asia, the Pacific, and “America” meet. This project seeks to interrogate what we mean when we say “AAPI poetry,” lean into the complexities of solidarity-building, and highlight what connects our stories. Gathering prominent spoken word artists of the 80s and 90s with contemporary voices in literary publishing, this collection makes a case for the importance of the oral tradition in accountings of Asian/Pacific American literary histories and futures. We seek an aesthetically, demographically, and politically diverse range of poetic work, with an ultimate commitment to fighting—and imagining beyond—imperialism across our diasporas. The editorial team of this anthology are Franny Choi, Terisa Siagatonu, No'u Revilla, and Bao Phi.

You can submit up to three poems for consideration. The deadline is July 1, 2022. For further information, go here: OPEN CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

RISE: Help Us Celebrate the Release of Our Book

Friday, March 4 at the Japanese American National Museum


If you're in Los Angeles, I invite you to help us celebrate the publication of RISE: A Pop History of Asian America From the Nineties to Now, the book I wrote with Jeff Yang and Philip Wang. It's been a long road getting this book to the finish line, but at long last, you can hold it in your grubby hands and read the dang thing.

RISE Is a love letter to our community, chronicling the ups and downs, struggles and triumphs, personalitis and ideas that have shaped who we our today. Through intimiate recollections, exclusive interviews, graphic essays, annotated illustrations and more -- thanks, in part, to an amazing squad of contributors -- we assembled a chronicle of the last three decades of Asian America that we hope will inspire delight, nostalgia and exploration.

Please join us Friday, March 4 at the Japanese American National Museum for a book talk, signing and reception with me, Jeff, Philip and a bunch of a amazing folks who made this book possible.

Martial Arts Are Magic in Wesley Chu's 'The Art of Prophecy'

Exclusive cover reveal and excerpt from the bestselling author's upcoming martial arts fantasy epic.



The Art of Prophecy, the newest book from acclaimed bestselling author Wesley Chu, is an epic fantasy ode to martial arts and magic -- the story of a spoiled hero, an exacting grandmaster, and an immortal god-king. And we are pleased to present this exclusive cover reveal and an excerpt from the novel.

The first book in the "War Arts Saga" trilogy, The Art of Prophecy is set in a world where martial arts are magic. A prophecy has foretold that a child will rise to defeat the Eternal Khan, a cruel immortal god-king, and save the kingdom. But the prophecy was wrong. Because when Taishi, the greatest war artist of her generation, arrives to evaluate the prophesied hero, Jian, she finds a spoiled brat unprepared to face his destiny. But the only force more powerful than fate is Taishi herself. Possessed of an iron will, a sharp tongue -- and an unexpectedly soft heart -- Taishi will find a way to forge Jian into the weapon and leader he needs to be in order to fulfill his legend.

While the book doesn't hit shelves until next year, the "War Arts Saga" already has a TV series adaptation in the works from Neal H. Moritz's Original Film and Sony Pictures Television.

The Art of Prophecy is due out August 9, 2022 from Del Rey. Here is a first look at the book's gorgeous cover, from artist Tran Nguyen and designer Cassie Gonzales:

They Call Us Bruce 137: They Call Us Kat Chow

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 and friend Kat Chow, author of Seeing Ghosts, a memoir about grief, intergenerational loss, reclaiming your family's story... and taxidermy. She talks about The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of seeing figurative and/or literal ghosts.

Netflix to Adapt K-pop Rom-Com 'Somewhere Only We Know'

Maurene Goo's young adult novel is described as 'Roman Holiday' meets 'Before Sunrise.'

Netflix has picked up the film rights to Maurene Goo's young adult novel Somewhere Only We Know, a romantic comedy set in the world of K-pop. Adapted by writer Lana Cho, the story is described as Roman Holiday meets Before Sunrise, following a massive K-pop star and a tabloid photographer as they wander through the neon streets of Hong Kong, finding both adventure and love.

More here: K-Pop Rom-Com 'Somewhere Only We Know' Set at Netflix