Like everyone else, I charge my phone on my nightstand. Within minutes of waking, I reach for it and from the cozy warmth of my bed, I check my personal emails, respond to texts, look through my news alerts, dawdle over Instagram, and scroll through Facebook to see what’s been going on in my sphere […]
On Friday afternoon, without much fanfare, the White House revealed a surprise: an Isamu Noguchi sculpture had been acquired for its Rose Garden, making the work the first piece of art by an Asian American artist to enter the White House’s art holdings. The sculpture, titled Floor Frame (1962), features an angular abstract geometric form that appears to jut out of […]
South Korean Oscar sensation Parasite was the big winner at this year’s Asian Film Awards, which were held today in an online format due to continued pandemic challenges. The movie won Best Film, Best Screenplay for co-writers Han Jin Won and director Bong Joon Ho, Best Production Design and Best Editing. Bong Joon Ho was pipped to the […]
Like many people, Donald Trump’s election to high office four years ago set me on a path of political redemption, penance for previously having been so apolitical. I wanted to be more engaged, not only on the volunteering front, but also in starting productive conversations about politics with my family members and close friends. Specifically, […]
The Asian American poetry scene is booming. Not only are Asian American poets publishing new collections, but in some cases they’re also publishing prose. (And anytime a poet writes prose, it’s something to pay attention to!) While there are nearly 50 countries in Asia, Asian Americans often get lumped together into one supposedly homogenous group. […]
For a while, though rarely now as I get older, white women used to tell me I was “good-looking for an Asian”. I used to believe it myself. Until I moved to Korea when I was 23, visiting for the first time since my adoption at age two, I dated only white women. As an […]
Like so many events this year, the Boston Asian American Film Festival opening Wednesday is a brand-new gig. “People in our community are living in intergenerational households with elderly people,” noted Susan Chinsen, founding director of BAAFF. “We’ve gone totally virtual this year out of consideration of COVID regulations for our staff members and audiences.” […]
SAN FRANCISCO – Mandy Rong was terrified her 12-year-old daughter had COVID-19. It was 2 a.m. and the young girl was hours into a fierce fever and a racking cough. She was weak and didn’t want to eat. What few medications were on hand had expired. She sipped warm water instead. “Mommy, why are my eyes on […]
With nationwide protests against police brutality, rising incidents of anti-Asian racism and the selection of Sen. Kamala Harris as the Democratic vice presidential nominee, race relations within and between the Asian American and Black communities have quickly shifted into focus. Conversations surrounding these groups, their subgroups and how they relate to one another have been […]
In 2016, I was careless with my vote. At the time, I lived in New Delhi, and mostly, I did what I was supposed to do: I printed my ballot, filled it out and dropped it off at the American Embassy in a wooden box labeled “Vote Here.” Since I turned it in three weeks […]