Dialogue: Two Asian American Fantasy Authors Talk Identity, Representation, and "Bad Role Models"

Guest Post by Sarah Kuhn and Paul Krueger

Paul Krueger and I met because we're part of a very exclusive club: Hapa Authors With Debut Urban Fantasy Novels Starring Asian American Protagonists Out Summer '16.

Paul wrote Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge, which chronicles the adventures of recent college grad Bailey Chen as she's inducted into a secret society of bartenders who fight demons using alcohol magic. And I wrote Heroine Complex, which is all about Evie Tanaka, the put-upon personal assistant to glamorous superheroine Aveda Jupiter (aka Annie Chang), and her epic battles against demonic cupcakes, supernatural karaoke stars, and her own feelings.

As we wrap up our debut summers -- and prepare to appear in a show featuring geeky Asian American writers at LA's second annual Comedy Comedy Festival -- Paul and I thought it would be fun to sit down and talk writing, representation, and how our Asian American identities play into our work.

-- Sarah Kuhn

That Random Asian Guy

Guest Post by Konrad Ng



Two terms. Two terms of that random Asian guy. The one in the background, usually walking a few steps behind the President. Why is he there? What does he do? Who is this guy?!?

Well, that guy could have been me; he probably was. My hope for the random Asian guy is that he does not end up becoming Allison Ng in any movie about the life and times of Barack Obama because there is a long list of talented actors who are more than capable of background acting.

5 Things I Learned Watching My Mom's YouTube Cooking Show

Guest Post by Sahra Vang Nguyen



About a year ago, my mom called me and said (in Vietnamese), "I want to make a cooking show for YouTube. I heard there's a lady who's teaching people to make pho using canned chicken broth -- NO!"

I was delighted by my mom's enthusiasm. It was the first time I heard her talk about starting a passion project purely for herself. Growing up, my mom never pursued any hobbies or personal projects. Her entire life was dedicated to providing for her family. Every morning, she woke up early and got the kids ready for school, dropped us off at the bus stop, worked 10-12 hours in the laundromat, ran errands, came home and made dinner, did the dishes, cleaned the house, got the kids ready for bed, watched a little TV, went to sleep, and did it all over again the next day.

Now, with all three kids out of the house, she finally has time to do something for herself. Together, we started my mom's YouTube dreams. I helped film and edit her cooking videos, and she shined naturally and effortlessly on camera. I never saw this side of my mom before -- carefree, charming, a student to the craft of performing. Watching my mom pursue something outside of her comfort zone and embrace the camera with such confidence and courage, I was inspired.

In addition to cutting onions and egg rolling techniques, here are 5 things I learned from watching (and filming) my mom's YouTube cooking show:

A Trend of Wrongful Prosecutions

Hear from Professor Xiaoxing Xi, August 9-11 in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Irvine



Recently, the U.S. government has wrongfully prosecuted several Chinese American scientists with espionage-related crimes, including Professor Xiaoxing Xi of Temple University.

These American citizens were widely labeled as spies for China before the government dropped all charges with no explanation, apology, or compensation. Their cases highlight a trend of overzealous targeting of Asian Americans in the name of national security, something these Chinese American scientists share with Muslim Americans post-9/11 and Japanese Americans during World War II.

Most of these recent cases have arisen in the Midwest and East Coast, but from August 9-11, Professor Xi will be making special appearances in California to raise awareness of this case and the broader issue of scapegoating specific immigrant communities due to economic or national security concerns.

There's No 'Right' Way to Pursue the American Dream

Guest Post by Traci G. Lee



We never talked about it. The word "undocumented" was nerve-wracking, confusing, and -- as it's been argued in my grandfather's circumstances -- not exactly true. Growing up, my sister and I were told many stories about our family history, but we had also been taught a moderately conservative stance when it came to immigration, about the "right" way to do things and the hard word that comes with that journey.

Which is why when, during a visit to California in April, I sat down with my mother to talk about this in-depth, she didn't use the word -- at least, not at first. Let me explain.

Taking Time Out

Be like water and all that stuff.


Hello, good readers! I'm out. Starting today, for rest of this month (and perhaps a little more), I'll be taking an extended, much-needed break from the usual proceedings of this blog to attend to some personal matters.

But don't worry! While I'll be temporarily stepping back from regular updates, I've enlisted the help of many cool friends to keep things going around here with a solid lineup of guest posts. We've got you covered.

Have a great summer. I'm hoping nothing too earth-shattering happens while I'm away, because I'd hate to miss it. But sometimes you just have to unplug, re-prioritize, and re-focus. Be like water and all that stuff.

Thanks. I'll see you on the flip side. Stay Angry, my friends.

- Phil

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Seven Minutes That Shook the Convention: How Khizr M. Khan, the father of a slain Muslim U.S. soldier, shamed Donald Trump, upstaged Hillary Clinton and gave the country a lesson in values.

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A Letter From Young Asian-Americans To Their Families About Black Lives Matter: In the flood of news coverage of the continued police murders of Black people, Christina Xu initiated a crowdsourced letter for young Asian Americans to talk about getting justice for Black families.

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The Sikh Project

Portraits of Sikh American men and women explore the style and significance of the Sikh articles of faith.



New York! The Sikh Coalition invites you to The Sikh Project, the first-ever art exhibition exclusively featuring Sikh Americans. From acclaimed British photographers Amit and Naroop, the exhibition will feature 40 portraits of Sikh American men and women that explore the style and significance of the Sikh articles of faith.

The exhibition, which will be free to the general public, highlights generations of Sikh American history that embodies perseverance and progress as we commemorate the 15-year anniversary of 9/11. The Sikh Project will run September 17-25 at 530 Broadway in Manhattan.

Here are some more details about the exhibition:

San Diego police officer killed in shooting

Officer Jonathan "JD" DeGuzman, a 16-year police veteran, was shot multiple times during a stop.



In San Diego, a veteran police officer was shot and killed and another was injured as they tried to make a stop on Thursday night, leading to one suspect's arrest and an extensive hunt for other suspects.

Police identify 2 officers shot overnight in Southcrest

Officer Jonathan "JD" DeGuzman, a 16-year-department veteran and father of two, was killed. Officer Wade Irwin, a nine-year veteran, was shot and hospitalized in serious condition, but is expected to survive.

53-year-old Jesse Michael Gomez was charged in the shootings. He was shot during the confrontation and was in critical condition at the hospital. Another man, 41-year-old Marcus Antonio Cassani, was arrested after a standoff with police and is being held as a potential second suspect.

Angry Reader of the Week: Quincy Surasmith

"I'm a believer that folks have space for all sorts of intersecting and overlapping identities."



Hello, good people of the internet! You know what time it is. It is 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 Quincy Surasmith.

Two women sought in subway hate crime assault

Suspects punched the victim in the head while making anti-Asian remarks.



In Manhattan, the NYPD's Hate Crime Task Force is investigating a subway attack in which an Asian woman was assaulted by two woman who punched her while making anti-Asian statements.

2 Women Sought In Possible Bias Attack On 1 Subway Train

The two suspects, seen in a video released by the NYPD, assaulted a 29-year-old Asian woman who was with her parents on a northbound 1 train on the Upper West Side the night of June 26.

According to investigators, the two women boarded the train at 86th street. One of the suspects screamed and shouted profanities at the victim. Both suspects then pulled her to the floor and punched her in the head while making anti-Asian comments. Then the two ran off the train at the Cathedral Parkway-110th Street station.

Police have released surveillance images of the women walking past 545 West 11th St. following the attack:

Jennifer Murphy doubles down with a crappier, even more racist version of the "Neenja" song

Oh, it gets much worse.



At the risk of giving this person yet more attention... she's back. Jennifer Murphy doesn't appear to be interested in putting this whole "Neenja" fiasco to rest. Instead, she's doubled down and decided to dig herself a deeper hole with her latest video, an even shittier, even longer version of this racist tune.

It's the remix!

Spliced together with the live footage from the "Pink Carpet Launch Party" that set this whole thing off, the new video boasts "never before seen foootage," filling in some of the backstory of the "Neenja" song -- as if context could help this situation -- and unfurling the song's narrative around the now-infamous "Chow." It's basically an Asian guy doing a fairly awful impression of Ken Jeong's character from The Hangover movies.

That's barely even the worst of it.

68-year-old man on life support after road rage incident

Chun Tse was assaulted after getting into a minor traffic accident in Queens.



In New York, a 68-year-old man is hospitalized and on life support after being assaulted in an alleged road rage confrontation following a minor traffic accident. The incident was caught on dash cam video.

68-Year-Old Man On Life Support After Alleged Road Rage Incident In Queens

Chun Tse was involved in a fender bender last week in Queens. Dash cam video shows him walk to the front of the car to check the damage, then exchange words with the other driver, 44-year-old Cleaman Anderson. Moments later, Anderson punched Tse, causing him to fall to the ground and hit his head.

Matt Damon saves China from dragons in 'The Great Wall'

The latest movie in the grand cinematic tradition of the Special White Person.



It turns out the Great Wall of China was erected to keep out dragons. Behold, the trailer for The Great Wall, a fantasy action monster movie about an epic battle against dragons in ancient China... starring Matt Damon. Yes, a thousand years ago, Jason Friggin' Bourne saved the Chinese from dragons.

Directed by Zhang Yimou, and touted as the most expensive Chinese movie of all time, the movie stars a long-haired Matt Damon alongside Chinese superstars like Andy Lau, Luhan and Jing Tian, in a crazy-ass smoke and spears and fire and arrows battle on the Great Wall against fire-breathing dragons.

This looks as ridiculous as it sounds:

Watch Judy Chu and a squad of AAPIs reppin' at the DNC

Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus take the stage in support of Hillary Clinton.



On Wednesday, if you were watching the proceedings at the Democratic National Convention, you may have seen a squad of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders take the stage, repping the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and talking about their support for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

Rep. Judy Chu, Chair of CAPAC, recalled that there was a time, not too long ago, that seeing an Asian face in the U.S. Capitol was a rare sight. But there are now a record number of API members of Congress.

"We have gone from being marginalized to becoming the margin of victory in key swing states and districts all across our nation," Chu said. "America needs a president who will fight for us. Someone who rejects the hateful rhetoric too often used to divide us and believes that America's diversity is our greatest strength. That is why we've got to elect Hillary Clinton as our next President of the United States."

Chu highlighted how CAPAC's membership includes Rep. Doris Matsui and Rep. Mike Honda, who both spent part of their childhoods incarcerated in internment camps as Japanese Americans -- a dark chapter of our country's history that Donald Trump doesn't seem to have any problem with. The congresswoman also paid tribute to the late congressman Mark Takai, who died last week after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Watch the trailer for the award-winning drama 'Spa NIght'

Andrew Ahn's debut feature opens August 19 in New York and August 26 in Los Angeles.



The award-winning indie coming-of-age drama Spa Night opens in limited theatrical release next month from Strand Releasing. Writer/director Andrew Ahn's debut feature tells the story of one Korean American family's dreams and realities as each struggles with the overlap of desire, disillusionment and sense of tradition.

I attended the world premiere of Spa Night at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, where it won a Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Performance for lead actor Joe Seo. The film also recently took home the U.S. Grand Jury Prize at Outfest, the Los Angeles LGBT film festival. It's an incredible, heartfelt, deeply personal film.

Here's the official Spa Night trailer, which just premiered on Vulture:

Joe Montano, Regional Director for Sen. Tim Kaine, dies at 47

Virginia Democrat is remembered as a passionate community activist and public servant.



Sad news out of Virginia... Joe Montano, the Northern Virginia regional director for Democratic vice presidential candidate and Senator Tim Kaine, died suddenly this week at his home in Falls Church. He was 47.

Joe Montano, regional director for Sen. Kaine's office, dies at 47

Described by many as the face of Senator Kaine's office, Montano is remembered as a passionate community activist, committed public servant, advocate for immigrants and champion of the Filipino American community.

"My staff and I are deeply saddened by the death of our Northern Virginia Regional Director," Senator Kaine said in a statement. "Joe was an outstanding representative of this office, enthusiastic servant of the people of Northern Virginia, and admired colleague by all who worked with him. We will remember him by his positive energy, tireless work ethic, and infectious smile. Our thoughts and prayers are with Joe's family."

At a DNC breakfast on Wednesday, Kaine remembered Montano's friendship, service and spirit, calling him a "proud, patriotic American" who was about "outreach, bridge-building and bringing people together."

APIOPA's Farm to Chopsticks 2016

Thursday, August 18 at API Obesity Prevention Alliance



Los Angeles! Check out this fun event for a worthy cause. APIOPA empowers Asian and Pacific Islander communities to improve their health by proactively addressing social, cultural, environmental, and political factors that contribute to the growing rates of obesity among API residents in Los Angeles County.

You are invited to APIOPA's annual Farm to Chopsticks event, bringing together friends, family and their Roots community-supported agriculture farmers. Hosted by comedian/writer Jenny Yang, it'll be a fun night of tasty Asian cuisine, specially sourced from Asian farmers, and cooked by hip, local chefs in Los Angeles.

It's happening Thursday, August 18 in downtown Los Angeles. Here are some more details:

More Bald Tilda (and Wong!) in the new 'Dr. Strange' trailer

Director Scott Derrickson says he feels "tremendous empathy" for Asian American audiences.



Over the weekend, as part of its barrage of content reveals at San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel dropped the second trailer for Doctor Strange. Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Dr. Stephen Strange, who journeys to Mystical Asia to learn Mystical Asian Stuff, and eventually fights evil with Mystical Asian Stuff.

The first teaser trailer gave us a glimpse of Tilda Swinton in all her baldness as the Sorcerer Supreme's mentor, The Ancient One, who has been traditionally depicted in the comic books as an old-ass mystical Asian man. Whatever you want to call it -- whitewashing, racebending, yellowface -- that shit looks pretty wack.

Well, there's more bald wackness where that came from in the latest trailer:

Visual Communications presents Uprooted From The Scenes

Thursday, July 28 at the Tateuchi Democracy Forum in Little Tokyo



If you're in Los Angeles, here's a cool screening event happening this week... Our friends at Visual Communications invite you to Uprooted From The Scenes, the latest installment for the Summer Intern Screening Exhibit. Curated by VC's summer interns, the screening event showcases works by Asian American and Pacific Islander filmmakers that were part of the 32nd Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival.

It's happening Thursday, July 28 in the Tateuchi Democracy Forum at the Japanese American National Museum. in Little Tokyo. Here are some more details about the screening: