Dear Asian Generation

Let's chat! In this newest off-season episode of Dear Asian Girl, all five of our co-hosts, Abi, Eden, Isabel, Meghna, and Naina dive into an insightful discussion about their personal struggles with identity and how they use different artistic outlets to resolve these internal conflicts. Join them as they explore various forms of creative expression, from literature and comics to poetry and c...

Take a food tour around the world! In this episode, Eden, Meghna, and Abi launch into a delicious journey. Traveling from restaurants all over, the co-hosts (and researcher Mei) tell you about the importance of rice and spice to Asian cuisine, and their favorite places to chow amidst Asian enclaves in cities everywhere. Stay tuned for the rest of the episode where Abi interviews siblings Yenvy and...

Trigger Warning: Brief mention of eating disorders In this episode, Isabel and Naina dive into the realities and experiences of BIPOC individuals and communities in the field of agriculture. The first segment is a discussion with Chhaya Kolavalli who has a PhD in applied anthropology specializing in equitable city development, race and sexism, and urban agriculture. She shares her research on the...

In this episode, Meghna and Eden sit down to unpack the lore behind their own and others' Asian lunchboxes. From the lunchtime anxiety of growing up in primarily white spaces to the disparity of diversity in free meals for kids, the two co-hosts look far and wide to understand how Asian food is perceived through the white gaze. Later in the episode, hear more from the rest of the team (researc...

This episode is a deep dive into the complex relationship between memory and food. Naina and Isabel interview Professor Nhung Tuyet Tran who is an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto where she teaches a course on gender, religious, and regional histories in the Indian Ocean world through the prism of food. Professor Tran shares her insights on how individuals versus the collective hol...

In this episode, Naina and Isabel savor warm cups of tea and join in conversation with Maggie Xue the founder of Us Two Tea, a tea company that encourages the next generation of Asians to have pride in their culture and cherish the joyful moments shared with one another over tea. Maggie shares her experiences starting a company, sourcing high quality tea in Taiwan, and how she uses Us Two Tea to s...

In the first episode of season 6, Abi introduces the new co-hosts, Eden and Meghna, to the Dear Asian Girl family. From discussing their personal passions, family recipes, and even their Asian foodie hot takes, listen in as they explore the beginnings of DAG’s food journey for the rest of an all new season!

In this episode, Genesis talks with Chris and Pri about what it is like dating now in 2022. What were their expectations as a kid, what's it like now? All these are answered in this episode.  Pri is a current senior at Berklee College of Music and she just released her latest single "Prove I'm Lying" that's out now on all streaming platforms. You can find her single through this link here . Y...

In this off-season episode, Genesis and Abi talk about the importance of food in Asian cultures. From translating familial love to understanding food as a piece of history with cultural weight, this episode covers the many facets of how culinary and culture combine. Later on, listen to anecdotes from the rest of the Dear Asian Girl team about what food they love the most from their respective cult...

CW: Mental illness, suicide, trauma. In this episode, Isabel and Naina talk to Diana Chao, a Dear Asian Youth Changemaker Awardee who was recognized for her mental health advocacy work as the founder of Letters to Strangers. Listen to hear about Diana's experience as a first generation Bouyei Chinese American, her mental health journey including dealing with psychosomatic symptoms, and her perspec...

In this episode, Isabel and Naina meet with Rhea Shetty to continue their conversation on South Asian representation, specifically from the perspective of a South Asian creator on Tiktok. Rhea shares her experiences and relationship with her South Indian identity, how her personal expression is influenced by South Asian and Western styles, and how she navigates creating content to discuss issues i...

On this episode, Naina and Isabel are joined by Mohuya Khan. She is a first-generation Bangladeshi American and founder of the Labyrinthave clothing brand which combines storytelling and art to empower the Desi community. She's also a co-host of the Difficult-ish podcast where she discusses a range of topics from a South Asian perspective such as mental health, cultural appropriation, etc. In this...

CW: Cancer In Dear Asian Girl’s first offseason episode, our co-hosts Naina and Isabel sit down with a DAY book club co-lead to review Michelle Zauner’s memoir, “Crying in H-Mart” which dives into the musician’s memory and experiences of losing her mother to cancer. Our co-hosts discuss everything from how food can be seen as a source of comfort and connection in times of loss, and the role that Z...

In this episode, Eryn discussed monuments and the Filipina diaspora with our guests Jaclyn Reyes and Xenia Diente. They talk about Monument Lab, a non-profit art and history studio, and the Re:Generation project. They go on to discuss Tandang Sora’s legacy, the reasons to build her a monument, and ponderings regarding if monuments should be built to be long lasting and how the implementation of mo...

On this episode, Eryn sits down with Kimberly McKee, a Korean adoptee and author of "Disrupting Kinship," and Grace Ping Hua Newton, a Chinese adoptee and author of "Red Thread Broken", to discuss their experiences as Asian adoptees in white dominated cultures. Listen for stories on reconnecting with their birth culture, journeys of self-empowerment, and upcoming plans for their future projects!&n...

 In this episode, Naina and Eryn meet with Janette Wu, the author of her memoir, "Letters to Home" to discuss her experiences as an American born Chinese (ABC). They unpack topics such as the different love languages seen in Western versus Asian families, the expectations placed upon the eldest daughter in family dynamics, what a "collective beehive" and "survival mentality" looks like, and m...

In this week's episode, Abi and Genesis talk to Patricia Park, an author with an acclaimed debut novel, Re Jane, about depictions of romance within Asian culture. They talk about it through Park's novel and how Park utilizes her novel to showcase familial love but also interracial love and the potential for fetishization and a power dynamic. They also talk about novels in films, movies, and more a...

 In the first episode of Dear Asian Girl's "A World Connected," Naina and Eryn talk with Dahee Lee, the Youth Organizer at the MinKwon Center for Community Action. As a youth organizer, Dahee combines her passions of education and social justice in order to help undocumented immigrant youth in New York City, and this episode dives into how one's relationship to citizenship directly affects th...

In this episode of Dear Asian Girl, Abi, Anika, Mei, and Genesis gather around the campfire to talk about folktales from their region. 

In this episode, Naina, Abi, and Genesis read personal letters written for their future selves where they describe relevant experiences they're currently undergoing, and have heartfelt mental health checks while contemplating what the future entails. Listen to hear advice they give for themselves, questions they ask about the future, as well as thoughtful reflections over their present-day lives!

In this episode, Naina and Izzie share advice and experiences related to navigating their identity, knowing their worth, and other topics you listeners wanted to hear about! Listen for some friendship storytimes, rants about social life struggles, and laughs over shared interests!

Genesis sits down with Nikhitha Balijepalli, the Chapter Director of Dear Asian Youth, to sit down and talk about the Chapter program at Dear Asian Youth. They talk about how it got started, some of the cool events that the chapter leads do and have done in the past, and how to get involved. Currently, the chapter program applications are closed but check @dearasianyouth for future updates. If you...

Dear Asian Girl introduces our freshly onboarded hosts and researchers to the podcast! Alongside assistant director, Sunna, and podcast manager, Annette, meet the two new co-hosts, Izzie and Abigail, who will be joining Genesis and Naina, as well as Ellie, Eryn, Anika, Kim, and Mei who are all the podcast researchers helping behind the scenes. Get excited for season 5 with this team! 

Alina sits down with Pashmina, a rising freshman at NYU studying journalism, to talk all things relating to negative tropes in film regarding Muslims, specifically women practicing the Hijab. The two, passionate about film, tackle this subject through their creative and personal lenses, both as Muslim women and film creatives. Pashmina starts by discussing herself and her journey with filmmaking a...

For the last episode of season 4, Alina and Gen discuss internalized sexism: where it derives from, how it's shown in our everyday lives and communities, and how internalized sexism manifests into our everyday world. They dive deep into how cultural factors, television and cinema, everyday language, and more influences their perspective of internalized sexism.