023 - Changing Places, New Spaces (from Mid Pacific)
May 31, 2023
Featured story from “Mid Pacific” podcast:
For Chinatowns, Japantowns, K-Towns, and other Asian-American communities in the United States, the only constant these days is change. But our need for cultural connection remains the same. Take a tour with Mid Pacific host Sarah Mizes-Tan to see what these spaces mean today.
Books & Boba - from the Potluck Podcast Collective
May 19, 2023
For Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we’re bringing you an episode from Books & Boba, one of our fellow podcasts from the Potluck Podcast Collective.
Books & Boba is a book club podcast featuring books by Asian and Asian American authors. In addition to discussing books from a wide range of genres, they also bring you interviews with Asian authors and monthly book news updates.
Asians in Baseball - from the Potluck Podcast Collective
May 12, 2023
For Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we’re bringing you an episode from Asians in Baseball, one of our fellow podcasts from the Potluck Podcast Collective.
Each week, hosts Naomi Ko, Scott Okamoto, and Kim Cooper break down what’s notable with the Asian players in the MLB and then take a deeper dive into the Asians and Asian Americans who have shaped baseball as it is today.
022 - Whose Chinatown? (from A Better Life?)
May 25, 2022
Featured story from “A Better Life?” podcast:
In Los Angeles Chinatown, local shops and restaurants eagerly welcome back customers as they return to business after the height of the pandemic shutdown. But the neighborhood’s rebound from Covid has been uneven. The pandemic has shone a light on the divide separating the successful and the struggling, as well as concerns about the varied nature of anti-Asian violence.
Producer Quincy Surasmith explores the starkly different visions for the future of L.A. Chinatown and the organizations promoting these competing ideas.
Read the full story and see other episodes at A Better Life?
021 - I Want To Stay Here, Just Not Forever (from A Better Life?)
Apr 18, 2022
Mohammed Ahsanul and his wife Tropa on their trip across the U.S. Photo courtesy of Mohammed Ahsanul.
Featured story from “A Better Life?” podcast:
Mohammed Ahsanul is an international student at the University of Wyoming. Once he finishes his Ph.D., he expects to return home to Dhaka, Bangladesh—but not before his family reunites with him for the first time since the pandemic began.
Producer Naina Rao joins Mohammed and his family for a trip to see America as she examines the ways a better life in the U.S. doesn’t always mean a permanent stay.
You can find out more about Feet in 2 Worlds and apply to their Editing Fellowship at their website fi2w.org.
020 - Searching For Solace (from A Better Life?)
Mar 30, 2022
Jasmine Jiwani lays roses at her the grave of her husband Asif Parbatani in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Photo by Zulekha Nathoo.
Today we’re featuring a story from the “A Better Life?” podcast:
Jasmine Jiwani is part of Atlanta’s large Ismaili Muslim community. Covid restrictions prevented the community from gathering for the funeral of her husband, who died of Covid-19. Producer Zulekha Nathoo reports on how the pandemic has created unique challenges for Jiwani and other Ismaili Muslims.
You can find out more about Feet in 2 Worlds and apply to their Editing Fellowship at their website fi2w.org.
019 - Country Music for a Baan Nok Boy
Nov 16, 2021
Photo courtesy Timothy Singratsomboune
Timothy Singratsomboune had a complicated relationship to country music. How did his own experiences bring him away from and eventually back to the genre? And how does country music connect Tim to both Lao culture and the Lao communities he grew up around?
In this episode, we explore the connections between Asian Americans, country music, and rural life.
Five years ago in Spring of 2016, we launched Asian Americana. For our fifth anniversary, we take a moment to revisit all of the stories we’ve done from our first episode through the end of 2020. What happened after we stopped recording? What are those people doing now? Listen and find out.
The piece “1965-1970: Filipino Farmworkers lead the Delano Grape Strike” in Time’s “11 Moments From Asian American History That You Should Know” was credited to “Dawn Bohulano Mabalon, Associate Professor, History, San Francisco State University; Gayle Romasanta, Founder and Writer, Bridge and Delta Publishing; Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales, Professor, Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University”
Learn more about Cambodian Rock Band’s run at Oregon Shakespeare Festival on the OSF website, and see the trailer for the Signature Theatre run in New York:
Here’s their show with the LA Public Library that drew everyone’s attention:
017 - Until it Happened To Us
Mar 25, 2021
The Covid-19 pandemic has been in the United States for over a year, but the way we each think about it is shaped heavily by how it does or doesn’t directly affect us individually. For some people, they’ve become all too familiar with the impact of the coronavirus. Contributor Denise Chan shares her family’s experience with Covid-19 from her podcast, Until it Happened to Us, which originally ran in December of 2020.
016 - Comfort Food, part 2
Feb 15, 2021
Shin Ramyun with cheese. Photo credit: Quincy Surasmith
This is the second part of our comfort food episode. In the previous episode, we focused on the ways food traditions get passed down through families, communities, and cookbooks, and the way they adapt over time. Today, we look at how simple foods, convenience foods, and even fast food restaurants can become part of our cherished memories and culture.
Check out Soleil Ho’s twitter thread on comfort food to see all the responses she got. You can find Soleil Ho’s current writing on The San Francisco Chronicle.
A plate of Thai-Chinese style pork and rice. Photo credit: Quincy Surasmith
The past several months of pandemic have been really hard on all of us, and have kept a lot of us at home. For those of us that can afford to, that means a lot of finding solace in taking care of ourselves and others with some comforting meals.
This is the first of two episodes about Asian American comfort foods: the traditions we’ve passed down in our families, as well as the adaptations and substitutions different communities have picked up along the way.
I present to you: the Weiner dinner, a Migaki family staple. Invented by my grandmother when she was was raising 3 kids with no money. Cut up hot dogs, potatoes, soy sauce + sugar served over rice. Asian-American fusion at its humblest and finest. A comforting meal always. pic.twitter.com/w6YVAcMmzL
The Stockton cookbook Kelly’s family owned:Treasured Recipes from Two Cultures–American and Chinese. Photo credit: Kelly Fong
From VAALA’s website:
“The Illuminated Recipes project’s purpose is to contribute to diversifying the story of the Vietnamese American refugee experience and the larger American immigrant narrative through the mediums of storytelling and oral history, photography, and mixed media art with food as the compelling connection.”
VAALA’s Illuminated Recipes project can be found on the VAALA website.
Music from this episode included:
Jason Chu ft. Olivia Thai - Grandma’s Kitchen David Tran aka applesauce - Song for Mom Peter Su - Before You Get Too Old
014 - Kala Bagai
Oct 19, 2020
Image of Kala Bagai used with permission, courtesy Rani Bagai
What was it like for a South Asian woman immigrating to the US in the early 20th century, and how did she build a community over her lifetime? And why name a street in Berkeley after Kala Bagai — especially since she may not have spent much time living there, if she did at all?
Community historians Barnali Ghosh and Anirvan Chatterjee have founded Berkelely South Asian Walking tour with a wonderful mission, ie to bring the South Asi...
Learn more about the Berkeley South Asian Radical History walking tour on their website.
013 - That's Just The Way The Ball Bounces
Aug 11, 2020
The language and phrases passed down in our families can reflect our specific cultures, heritage, and journey. But sometimes, they’re a way to cope with something darker and can belie hidden histories. Contributor Julianne Parker explores the depth and meaning of her grandmother’s signature saying in That’s Just the Way the Ball Bounces.
012 - Letters for Black Lives
Jul 17, 2020
How do we act as allies to the Black community when we see injustice? How do we start those actions and intentions from our homes and communities? We explore the story of how hundreds of people came together from all around the world to work on a letter — a letter that would be translated into 40 plus languages and help everyone start talking to their families and communities about supporting Black lives.
The supplemental resource document, featuring a guide to follow-up conversations, can be found here.
First, this is not an open letter to all Black people from all the AZNs telling them how much we love them and asking for a cookie in return. It's also not even a letter *for* Black people. The letters aren't addressed to *them*.
We're not utilizing words as weapons in the service of "being right" or simply showing we are down for the cause. We're using them to try to open some very complicated, messy, stuck doors. pic.twitter.com/hw11gfllBB
One of the organizers, Gary Chou, has written an in-depth twitter thread further explaining the intentions and philosophy of the Letters for Black Lives project. We encourage you to read it to get a better sense of the project beyond our episode.
National Bail Fund Network: https://www.communityjusticeexchange.org/nbfn-directory Know Your Rights Camp: https://www.knowyourrightscamp.com/ Campaign Zero:...
In this episode, Aishwarya mentioned watching a special clip from Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj. You can watch the full video above.
Finally, here are some links to other resources that may be helpful to you. We’ve not checked every single resource linked, but hopefully these are useful starting points for you to learn more and do further work.
011 - Helpers in the Time of Coronavirus
May 07, 2020
Photo credit: Bryan Sih / CCED
We explore the stories of Asian Americans working to defend our communities from attacks, the volunteers organizing direct aid to vulnerable populations, the people translating information into terms and languages so more can understand, and the local businesses helping each other and their communities survive during Covid-19.
We can’t stress enough, though: Asian Americans are doing all these things because we care about our communities — not because we need to prove to anyone our right to belong. This is a continuation of the work that’s long been happening in our communities.
We mentioned a lot of projects, campaigns, and organizations in today’s show. You can find information about all of them below.
And we know there are SO many more happening across the country. If you’d like to share about some efforts, organizations, and communities you know about, I’d love to hear them.
Just send me a voice recording at quincy [at] asianamericana.com with your name, where you’re at, and the efforts you’d like to share; maybe I’ll use it on the show!
#HateisaVirus
HateisaVirus is one of many campaigns spreading awareness and information about how to respond to hate incidents. Learn more about #Hateisavirus on their website. Other awareness campaigns out there include #WashtheHate and #Racismisavirus.
A3PCON and Stop AAPI Hate - Hate Incident Reporting
A3PCON is collecting data about hate incidents targeting Asian Americans. They have created a multilingual incident reporting form and provided other resources about how to respond to such incidents. All these can be found on their website at Stop AAPI Hate.
Photo credit: Bryan Sih / CCED
SEACA and CCED - Mutual Aid and Chinatown
SEACA and CCED are organizations providing mutual aid in Los Angeles’ Chinatown and nearby neighborhoods. Their work includes food and cleaning supply deliveries, in-language check-ins with residents, businesses, families, and seniors, along with community organizing efforts. You can support SEACA and CCED’s mutual aid efforts by donating on SEACA’s website — be sure to note the donation as “LA Chinatown Mutual Aid Fund.”
The SEAD Project - Southeast Asian language resources
The SEAD Project has resources available on their website, including materials in English, Burmese, Hmong, Karen, Khmer, Lao, and Việt. You can support their work through their shop or donations.
Malaka Gharib - Comic/Zine about Coronavirus
Malaka Gharib’s comic zine helping to explain the Coronavirus to children can be found on NPR’s website. A version that can be printed out and folded into a zine is also available here. It is also available in Chinese here.
Little Tokyo
Organizations like Little Tokyo Service Center, Little Tokyo Community Council, and others have been providing aid and assistance in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo neighborhood. Little Tokyo Service Center’s Covid-19 resources can be found on their site. They also have a site detailing their small business assistance.
James Choi, owner of Cafe Dulce in Little Tokyo, made an Instagram post that helped inspire Kouraku, a restaurant in Little Tokyo, to reach their customers by joining Facebook.
Feed the Frontliners delivers food to medical workers. Photo from The Park’s Finest.
The Park’s Finest - Feed the Frontliners
After their restaurants The Park’s Finest BBQ and Thunderbolt LA were impacted by Covid-19 public policies, shelter-in-place, and social distancing, they turned their efforts to feeding medical staff, firehouses, and other frontliners during the pandemic. Information about their Feed the Frontliners project can be found on their website. You can donate to Feed the Frontliners on their GoFundMe page.
Windmill, by Connie Lim; her current music can be heard as MILCK.
Chinatown, as performed by Nobuko Miyamoto, Nancy Sekizawa, and Benny Yee at the Tuesday Night Cafe. The song is written by Benny Yee and copyrighted to EmploYee Music.
Croptender, by the Fighting Cocks as recorded at the Tuesday Night Cafe.
010 - What We Inherit: Marie Kondo and the Security of Stuff
Mar 26, 2020
Christina Ong with her mom. Photo courtesy Christina Ong
Marie Kondo’s book, show, and KonMari decluttering method got popular in the past couple years, but her methods may not apply the same way to immigrant families. Contributor Christina Ong explores family and belonging in her piece, What We Inherit: Marie Kondo and the Security of Stuff.
You can find more of Christina Ong’s work on her website. At the time of this episode, she’s studying how political activism and artistic production around anti-imperialism, anti-racism, and anti-sexism influenced the development of Asian America in the 1970s-1980s through an in-depth case study of New York City’s Basement Workshop.
The episode of Tidying Up with Marie Kondo we referenced is Season 1, Episode 2: Empty Nesters.
009 - Facial Hair
Feb 03, 2020
Producers Ada Tseng and Caroline Chang don't have a lot of personal experience with facial hair, but they hear Asian American men — in media and in their lives — talk about it all the time. So they decided to investigate: who can or cannot grow it, what are the stereotypes, and the ways it can signify Asian American identity, masculinity, marketability, and resistance.
008 - Dawn Mabalon Is In The Heart
Nov 15, 2019
Dr. Dawn Bohulano Mabalon is a groundbreaking scholar, historian, and community organizer who made sure the world would know the stories of Filipino Americans and Stockton’s Little Manila.
007 - Claudia Kishi
Mar 11, 2019
Claudia Kishi is an Asian American literary icon that went beyond being a fun, artistic, and stylish character. She became an inspiration and point of connection for a ton of young Asian Americans. We explore her influence on a generation of Asian American readers.
006 - Filipino American Podcasts
Nov 15, 2018
Following Filipino American History Month in October, we explore three Filipino American podcasts: This Filipino American Life, Balikbayan, and Long Distance — each sharing their own slice of Filipino American discussions, experiences, and stories.
005 - Cambodian Rock Band
Mar 22, 2018
We explore the play Cambodian Rock Band, and how this piece of Asian American theatre weaves together a story of Khmer American music, history, and family on stage.
Support Asian Americana on Patreon
Aug 31, 2017
When Asian Americana launched in 2016, I had one driving vision:
I want to tell audio stories that center the diverse experiences, histories, and cultures of Asian Americans.
Now I need your support to make more. We've launched a Patreon for the show, and we're asking you to contribute monthly at whatever amount you're able to. Even just a single dollar a month makes a difference.
It takes a lot of time, effort, and resources to make rich, inclusive audio reporting and storytelling that centers Asian American voices and experiences. I want to present stories that are ethnically, geographically, and historically diverse. Most importantly, I want to amplify stories from Asian Americans, not just about them.
In the past year, I've done stories on the indie zine-turned-art institution Giant Robot, the Roots CSA program that connects Hmong American farmers and Asian American communities in California, the Chinese Americans who developed the Sacramento Delta and built their own town to call home, and the culture surrounding the ever-favorite boba/bubble tea.
But I want to make more than four episodes a year. I'm bringing on a new team of producers, and I want to provide them equipment, training, software, and resources needed to grow our work. You can make that happen.
If you believe in sharing and amplifying Asian American stories, please consider supporting us. We're offering stickers and shirts as incentives, but we hope you'll think of the podcast itself as the gift you're making possible.
Whatever amount you can contribute will make a difference. With your help, we can keep learning, keep reporting, and ultimately, keep telling more stories of Asian Americana.
004 - Boba/Bubble Tea
Aug 22, 2017
We explore the unique pearl of Asian American culture that is boba/bubble tea. We’ll take a look at its origins, hear folks from all over the country sharing their experiences with it, learn about some cool boba businesses and projects, and figure out what people across the country are calling it: from boba to bubble tea and a slew of other names in between.
Below is a graphical representation of the boba/bubble tea name survey.
The disproportionate presence of California transplants among respondents may have affected the preference toward the term "boba" in the states of Georgia, Maine, Massachusetts, South Dakota, and Utah.
Seattle with NextGenRadio
May 09, 2017
Seattle poet and law student Troy Osaki (Photo Credit: Quincy Surasmith)
We bring you three stories by me (Quincy Surasmith), Diana Nguyen, and Adwoa Gyimah-Brempong from Next Generation Radio's week at KUOW in Seattle. We talk law and poetry, development in Seattle's Little Saigon, and smoked herring.
Chinese Americans shaped the physical landscape of California during its early history in a way that still impacts us today. We explore how Chinese Americans developed the Sacramento delta, their role in California's growth, and visit Locke, a town founded by Chinese Americans.
Below are a few pictures from my trip to Locke. The episode references a few of these sites.
Pin Winners
Aug 05, 2016
Thanks to everyone who filled out the boba/bubble tea survey! We had over 2000 responses from all over the country and beyond, so we'll be digging through this data in preparation for this episode.
In the meantime, I'd like to announce the winners of the boba pins:
Cynthia from New Jersey Grace from California Jed from Illinois Sharon from Massachusetts Nancy from Hawaii
002 - Roots CSA
Jul 30, 2016
Roots CSA is a program that connects Hmong farmers in California’s central valley with Asian American communities in Southern California. How does this program empower communities in determining their own path to health and economic sustainability? We’ll find out by visiting both ends of our food’s journey from farmer to consumer.
Asian Americana is doing an episode about the perennial favorite--tapioca pearl milk tea--and we need your help!
We've created a special survey. Whether you call it boba, bubble tea, or something else, I want to learn about how this drink is named and enjoyed all over the country. Share your names, flavors, fillings, and anything unique about the beverage from your area! Everyone is encouraged to fill out the survey, but I especially want to hear from those not living in California's major cities. That includes those living in the Midwest, Southwest, South, Pacific Northwest, Mid-Atlantic, New England, Mountain states, Alaska, Hawaii, and anywhere in between!
I'll then take your results and disaggregate the data by region, ethnic background, age, and all sorts of things to figure out once and for all what people call this drink.
As an extra bonus, I'll giving away some pins from Giant Robot to a few randomly picked winners! Make sure to enter your email at the beginning of the survey if you hope to win! The survey will close Monday, August 1st, so you've got all of July to fill it out and share it widely. Thank you, and may your drinks be delicious!
Update: The survey has ended! Winners will be picked soon, and stay tuned for the episode in the near future!
001 - Giant Robot
May 16, 2016
Giant Robot started as this small punk-rock zine featuring Asian and Asian American alternative and pop culture, but grew to become a celebrated art and cultural institution. How did Giant Robot survive? How have its founders maintained their passion and lifestyle throughout all their life changes and challenges?
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