Ten Thousand Things with Shin Yu Pai

Latest Episodes:

Deck of Cards Jun 03, 2026

Show notes

As a Filipina American woman, Maritess Zurbano didn’t have it easy making her way through the Las Vegas magic circuit. For decades, as she honed her skills, she endured the racism and sexism that were often treated as normal facets of the magic scene. At first, she stomached it. But now, she’s breaking free. She may be a master at sleight of hand, but mastering assimilation? That’s a magic trick she’s no longer interested in.

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A Translation May 27, 2026

Show notes

Poet and translator Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma first picked up Juan Rulfo’s book, Pedro Páramo, while learning Spanish in Oaxaca, Mexico. The novel–which tells the story of the living and the dead speaking across time–became something he turned to again and again. But when he searched for an English translation, he discovered that while the plot remained, the spirit of the language felt lost. Through memories of his great-grandmother, the mentors that shaped him, and more than 20 years spent translating the novel, Thomas reflects on what it means to carry another person’s voice without distorting it. Even if the work itself may never be published.

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Meal Card May 20, 2026

Show notes

Putsata Reang was 11 months old when her family escaped Cambodia on a boat in 1975. When they arrived in San Diego after 23 days at sea, each member of her family was given a meal card at Camp Pendleton. More than a ticket to three free meals a day, it was a ticket to prosperity in America. But the American dream has a downside, where accepting help can be seen as an accrual of debt. Now as an adult, Putsata is reckoning with this sense of indebtedness, and finding a sense of agency after years of shaving off pieces of herself in order to assimilate.

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Magic Mushroom May 13, 2026

Show notes

As a child growing up on Cape Cod, Amy Wong Hope learned to assimilate, stay useful, and avoid being seen. Years later after grief, burnout, and a major career shift, a single chocolate mushroom becomes the catalyst for an unexpected journey into ancestry, identity, and psychedelic education. But in a moment where Asian culture has become trendy and consumable online, Amy confronts what assimilation buried and asks what it truly means to reclaim her heritage.

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A Gourd May 06, 2026

Show notes

After years of experimenting with all kinds of mediums and materials, Korean-American artist Rob Rhee found his calling in bricolage—a practice of artmaking that uses whatever's at hand. And what proved to be at hand… were gourds. In working with gourds, Rob trains his living plants with new routines, giving birth to fantastic new forms never before imagined—just as so many children of immigrants, faced with narrative scarcity, shape their own ways of being from otherwise incoherent fragments.

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Coming Soon: Season 5 of Ten Thousand Things Apr 22, 2026

Show notes

Ten Thousand Things is back for its fifth and final season. Shin Yu talks to artists, authors, a magician, and a psychedelic educator about the objects that help them reclaim and redefine identity, in all its complexities. New episodes start May 6.

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Bonus: The Musical Castle Jan 07, 2026

Show notes

The season one finale of Field Notes explores the life and legacy of Seattle music producer Gary Mula and the musical castle he built at The Dutchman Studios. The podcast features archival interview recordings with Mula where he recalls how The Dutchman became a diverse, welcoming mecca for various genres, from grunge to early hip-hop. Ultimately, this episode celebrates Mula's unwavering, community-driven spirit as reflected in his final project, The Rabbit Box, which continues his commitment to providing uncompromising artistic space.

This episode is hosted by Tony Williams and features guest Shin Yu Pai.

Curated HistoryLInk article set for this episode includes:

The Dutchman (Seattle) by Shin Yu Pai
Rock Music - Seattle by Clark Humphrey
Women of Northwest Rock: The First 50 Years (1957-2007)by Peter Blecha

Additional HistoryLink resources for this episode:

Crocodile Cafe: Seattle's Icon of the Grunge Rock Era by Peter Blecha
Cobain, Kurt (1967-1994) by Peter Blecha
Kurt Cobain posts a "Drummer Wanted" classified advertisement in Seattle's The Rocket on May 1, 1988. by Peter Blecha
Nirvana debuts brand-new grunge-rock anthem "Smells Like Teen Spirit" at Seattle's OK Hotel all-ages club on April 17, 1991 by Peter Blecha
Central Tavern and Saloon (Seattle) by Peter Blecha
Seattle's "underground" hip-hop scene breaks out with big Exhibition Hall gig on August 17, 1984 by Peter Blecha
KJR Radio (Seattle) by Peter Blecha

For more from Shin Yu Pai check out:

Track List for This Episode

Gary Mula – Maraca’s CL (2002?)
Gary Mula – Don’t Mind (2002)
Thrust – What Do I Have To Do (1978)
Thrust – Bombs Away (1978)
Dumb Thumbs – Nothing Ever Lasts (2020)
Nirvana – Blew (1989)
Common Language – Cover Me (1989)
Playerz on Wax – Down with P.O.W. (1991)
Amateur Boyfriend – Deceiving (2004)
Gary Mula – She’s The One (1998)
Muckner – You Think You Know (2004)
Gary Mula – Smoke Stack (2002)

To visit The Rabbit Box

The Rabbit Box

For more Field Notes episodes and other HistoryLink podcasts visit the:

HistoryLink.org Podcast Page

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Bonus: They Call Us Gold Star Trophy Jul 23, 2025

Show notes

Hosts of They Call Us Bruce, Jeff and Phil, welcome back Shin Yu Pai to talk about the latest season of Ten Thousand Things, along with fellow podcaster Yowei Shaw (Proxy, NPR's Invisibilia). They talk about the objects that help us move forward -- like a gold star trophy; how layoffs can be like breakups that unravel your sense of identity, purpose, and self-worth; finding healing and reinvention in the wake of professional setbacks; and The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of going independent.

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Archives Jun 17, 2025

Show notes

Earlier this year, author Amy Tan sold her personal archives — 62 boxes worth — to the University of California, Berkeley. When Shin Yu heard the news, she knew she wanted to hear Amy’s thoughts on literary legacy and the stuff she was stashing in her garage. What were the most important things to her to preserve? How did she deal with the discomfort of excavating decades of emotional memory to finally allow herself to let go of control? And what does it mean to her that she’ll be studied by scholars and students, and legions of fans who may be searching for the real Amy Tan?

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A Diagnosis Jun 10, 2025

Show notes

When award-winning journalist Stephanie Foo was diagnosed with Complex PTSD, the information she found felt cold and clinical. What she needed was something warmer–more human. So she took her diagnosis into her own hands…literally. In this episode, Stephanie and Shin Yu trace a path to healing; from childhood trauma to the power of first-person storytelling. Along the way, they explore what it truly means to be seen, and how telling your story can help you, and others, survive it.

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