Asian American History 101

Welcome to Season 6, Episode 2 !  Have you been caught up in the ube craze? For many people, especially in Southeast Asia, it's not a trend, it's a beloved food staple. This is most true in the Philippines where Ube is ubiquitous with many of their sweets. So in this episode, we talk ube… What is it? How is it used? What contributed to its rise in popularity, and more.   We also take time to expla...

Welcome to Season 6, Episode 01!  Happy New Year! Our guest today is Peter Jae, a multi-hyphenate performer in Hollywood. Peter Jae is an actor, stunt performer, producer, and multidisciplinary creative with over two decades of experience working across film, television, and independent projects. Born in Brooklyn and raised primarily in the Bronx—with time spent in Queens as well—Peter grew up nav...

  Welcome to Season 5, Episode 52!  This is it, the final episode of Season 5! As we close out 2025, we take a moment to reflect on the guests we've had on the show as well as the different topics we've talked about. We'd link them all here, but it would take a LOT of space to honor everyone. So let's just say that we've had a great year, highlighted by some very special guests. Our guests this se...

Welcome to Season 5, Episode 51!  Our guest today is the award-winning children's book author, Andrea Wang . She's written several books and been recognized with many awards including The Newbery Honor and Caldecott Medal.   Andrea's latest picture book is  Worthy: The Brave and Capable Life of Joseph Pierce , a notable Chinese American who fought during the Civil War and, beyond all odds, earned...

Welcome to Season 5, Episode 50!  Our guest today is doing important work in researching educational change. Dr. Ann M. Ishimaru is an award-winning scholar, writer, educator and the Killinger Endowed Chair and Professor of Educational Foundations, Leadership and Policy at the University of Washington College of Education. Her latest book is Doing the Work of Equity Leadership for Justice and Syst...

Welcome to Season 5, Episode 49! Vroooommmm!!! We're exploring the story of Asian Pacific Islanders in Formula 1… and this is something we actually know a bit about. This is a sport long dominated by Europeans and a handful of South Americans, but there has been a small group of drivers of Asian Pacific descent who have made an impact in recent years.   We'll share a little about F1 racing in gene...

Welcome to Season 5, Episode 48!  Our guest is Karin K. Jensen. She's a local news writer for the Alameda Post and the author of the moving memoir The Strength of Water: An Asian American Coming of Age Memoir. It's an award-winning memoir that was recently re-released on November 7th by Sibylline Press. The memoir follows her mother, King Ying, and her Asian American journey… from her childhood in...

Welcome to Season 5, Episode 47!  We're huge fans of East West Players , and our guest this episode, Dom Magwili , has worked with them since 1974. If that's all he did, it would be an amazing career. However, Dom has also been an actor, director, educator, and author. His latest work is Scientific Dragons: The Adventure of Ensun Castle . It's an entertaining and thrilling adventure that mixes his...

Welcome to Season 5, Episode 46!  Many of our guests are multi-hyphenates when it comes to their impact in the world, and today's guest can definitely be described that way. Satsuki Ina is a Trauma Therapist, Activist, Filmmaker, Educator, and the Author of the Memoir The Poet and the Silk Girl which was released on September 9, 2025.   Satsuki is a survivor of the Japanese incarceration during Wo...

Welcome to Season 5, Episode 45!  Today's episodes takes us back in history to the first "great war." We're focused on the forgotten participants in World War I… This is the story of the Chinese Labour Corps. During World War I, over 140,000 Chinese men crossed oceans to support the Allies. Their story is often forgotten and kind of ended in betrayal. China hoped to earn respect and reclaim lost t...

Welcome to Season 5, Episode 44!  Our guest today is Thien Ho , the Sacramento District attorney and long time prosecutor. He's also the author of the upcoming book, The People vs. The Golden State Killer which will be published by Third State Books and releases on November 11th. This true crime memoir follows Thien's experience as the lead prosecutor on the case against Joseph DeAngelo, one of th...

Welcome to Season 5, Episode 43!  This episode's guest is Sheilah Jane . She's a writer, entrepreneur and wellness advocate. Her latest work is a heartfelt memoir called Shadows and Sunrises: A True Story of Shame, Strength, and Rebirth Across Continents. In it she brings lived experience and lyrical prose to tell the story of her life and family. Her book is a powerful memoir that was released on...

Welcome to Season 5, Episode 42!  Our guest today is Brenda Do . She's a copywriter who has spent nearly two decades helping businesses communicate in a more humanistic way which helps them connect more meaningfully with the people they serve. She's also the author of a fun and meaningful picture book called It's Okay Not To Know .   It's Okay Not To Know is a picture book that helps readers under...

Welcome to Season 5, Episode 41!  Today's guest is award-winning author Beth Lew-Williams . She's a Professor of History and the Director of the Program in Asian American Studies at Princeton University. She's best known for her work on migration, violence, and ethnic studies. She's also a 2025 winner of the Dan David Prize that honors innovative research on the human past. It's the largest histor...

Welcome to Season 5, Episode 40!  In this episode, we explore the flavorful transformation of teriyaki—from its roots in Edo-period Japan as a fish-glazing technique to a global flavor phenomenon. We trace how teriyaki made its way across the Pacific, evolved in Hawaiʻi through Japanese immigrant innovation, and exploded in popularity thanks to the Seattle-style chicken teriyaki plate introduced b...

Welcome to Season 5, Episode 39!  In this episode, we sit down with Ashley Du, founder and CEO of Meaningful Beginnings Childcare . From launching a modest home-based daycare during her pregnancy to growing multiple licensed "home-like" childcare centers in San Francisco, Ashley's journey is fueled by empathy and purpose. With demand for quality childcare far outpacing supply—especially for infant...

Welcome to Season 5, Episode 38!  How time flies! Its been almost two years since we last spoke to this episode's guest, author Jamie Jo Hoang ( S04E05 ). She's back to talk about her latest book, My Mother, the Mermaid Chaser, which releases on 23 September 2025 (so either pre-order it if you're listening to this episode right when it comes out or order it if you waited a few days).   In a follow...

Welcome to Season 5, Episode 37!  Today we continue with the second part of The History of The Secret War in Laos. We highly recommend going back to listen to Part 1 . That's where you'll hear about the Cold War motivations behind U.S. involvement in Laos, the rise of General Vang Pao and the Hmong Secret Army, and the massive bombing campaign that made Laos the most heavily bombed country per cap...

Welcome to Season 5, Episode 36!  Our guest this episode is the New York Times bestselling author Abigail Hing Wen . She's probably best known for the book Loveboat, Taipei and its two companion novels Loveboat Reunion and Loveboat Forever, as well as Kisses, Codes, and Conspiracies. Her latest work is The Vale which will be released on September 16th.   The Vale is Illustrated by Yuna Cheong and...

Welcome to Season 5, Episode 35! In today's episode, we confront the stereotype that Asian Pacific Islanders are docile or apolitical—and replace it with powerful stories of immigrant women sewing their way into labor history. We shine a spotlight on the garment industry's deepest struggles—from the grueling piecework and unsafe conditions to the solidarity that transformed sweatshops into symbols...

Welcome to Season 5, Episode 34!  Before reading Table for 51 , we had no idea what a "Friendship Expert" was. After meeting Shari Leid for this episode's conversation, we think everyone could use a Friendship Expert! Her newest book, Table for 51, shares her journey on the 50 States Project, where she committed to having a meal and conversation with one woman in every state. The book is a combina...

Welcome to Season 5, Episode 33!  Our guest today is Ada Tseng . She's a journalist, editor, podcaster, runner, wellness advocate and karaoke enthusiast. She is the co-author of the new book Breaking Into New Hollywood: A Career Guide to a Changing Industry . It just came out on August 12 2025, and it's co-written with Jon Healey and published by the Los Angeles Times and Simon & Schuster.   Break...

Welcome to Season 5, Episode 32!  We love having conversations with a lot of amazing authors of a lot of fabulous books. It's even more fun when we're able to invite an amazing author who's also a long-time friend or family member. So this episode is exciting for us because our guest is Kimberly Tso , the author of the new picture book Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken which is published by Third State Books (o...

Welcome to Season 5, Episode 31!  Our guest today is Daniel Tam-Claiborne , a writer, multimedia producer, and nonprofit director. His latest work is the novel Transplants released by Simon & Schuster. It's a coming of age story following two young women—Lin, who is Chinese and Liz, who is Chinese American. They're both navigating the journey to find their truest selves in a world that doesn't kno...

Welcome to Season 5, Episode 30!  Today's guest is Camey Yeh, an established artist who has a cute and whimsical artistic style. Her latest work is her first picture book entitled We're Different and It's Totally Cool , published by Crown Books for Young readers. It was released on July 22nd, 2025.   Camey is a Taiwanese American artist and author, and she was inspired to create We're Different an...