Hybridia

Saki and Kirby reflect on how it was to record and release the second season of Hybridia. They discuss becoming more comfortable in their roles as hosts and also how they're continuing to engage with their cultural heritages. Kirby's new dog, Kiwi, makes a special guest appearance. They also mull on ideas for next season, like exploring Hybridia through food culture, or even experimental s...

Our guest today is traci kato-kiriyama, and we were fortunate enough to speak with such a self-professed hybrid as we close out our second season. tkk is a transdisciplinary artist, recognized for their work as a writer/performer, theatre deviser, cultural producer, and community organizer based in the Los Angeles Area. We came across them when listening to a panel linking Japanese Incarceration t...

Our guest today is Prima Jalichandra-Sakuntabhai. They were born in Thailand and are now based in St Paul, MN, but they’re a true citizen of the world, having lived and studied in many places in between. We discuss their path to performance art, from their upbringing in England to their study at the Sorbonne in Paris, and their eventual move to the U.S., landing first in Chicago, but really coming...

Our guest today is paparouna. They are a queer non-binary disabled storyweaver, worldbuilder, writer, translator, and educator, born and raised in Athens, Greece and currently living in Colorado, USA. They are a soon-to-be graduate of Antioch University’s MFA in Creative Writing, with a dual concentration in translation and fiction. They’re the current lead editor of translation for antioch’s jour...

Our guest today is Tiffany Smith. Tiffany is an interdisciplinary artist from the Caribbean diaspora working in photography, video, installation, and assemblage. In this episode we talk about Tiffany’s upbringing in the Bahamas and Miami, her long and winding journey to photography, how to advocate for yourself, how to escape the hustle and find a place that is right for you, and the complex dynam...

Our guest today is Shyaporn Theerakulstit, a Thai-American born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and based in New York City. He is a man of many labels: actor, writer, director, new media creator, martial artist, cosplayer and fake science lecturer. We tried to tell him we think he is cool, but he prefers to call himself “relentlessly interesting.” We talk about his various acting roles, especially his...

When we spoke to Bela she was on a summer break from teaching at the University of Iowa, and was visiting family in the Chicagoland suburbs. She had just returned from an epic trip to Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and the Greek island of Gavdos. In this episode, we talk about the perks and perils of illegibility within a dominant culture–both as an artist and as a Soviet Jewish immigrant, the diversity...

In this episode we talk to Bonnie Han Jones, a Korean-American improvising musician, poet, and educator working primarily with electronic sound and text. Her work explores noise, sonic identity, listening, and sound as knowledge. We talked to Bonnie in spring 2025 when she was finishing up her PhD at Brown University. She has since moved to Chicago where she is now Assistant Professor at the Schoo...

In this episode we spoke with Joseph M. Pierce, a writer and professor at Stony Brook University, where he is the founding director of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative. We talk about his new book, Speculative Relations: Indigenous Worlding and Repair . Joseph is a citizen of the Cherokee nation and he shares his personal journey in relating to his heritage, from discovering hi...

Saki and Kirby reflect on what it feels like to release the first season of Hybridia. They also discuss future dreams for the show and make a humble plea to Keanu Reeves to become Hybridia's producer. Credits: Theme music by The Necklace, a project by Taylor Shields and Morgan Võ.

In this episode we spoke with writer Ahsan Butt. We discuss his hometown of Brampton, Ontario then versus now, living in the US as a Muslim post 9/11, watching horror movies to process grief, the feeling of being watched, and how being an outsider can be a superpower – especially as an artist. Ahsan is currently working on a collection of short stories (some of which we link to in our show notes b...

In this episode we spoke with Nigerian British filmmaker Ayo Akingbade, who was visiting Los Angeles for a screening of her film “Keep Looking.” We discussed several of her films, including her experience shooting on location in Lagos, Nigeria, after which we compared how it feels to visit our relatives in their respective home countries. We also spoke about nepotism in the film industry, how peop...

In this episode, we spoke with Colombian-American artist, Catalina Alvarez, who visited Saki at her apartment for this interview. Catalina’s first language is Spanish and we talk about her choice to continue speaking her mother tongue with her child. We discuss the advantages of not knowing the prevalent language of a city, how bodies move through space differently depending on the cultural norms...

In this episode, we spoke with Colombian-American comedian, performance artist, writer, and filmmaker Kat Toledo. We talk about Kat’s experience in alt-comedy and how many of her characters are hybrid entities, like the girl who’s trapped in a duvet cover or Tia Luz, who’s inspired by her Colombian aunties. We also discuss the mystery of her parentage, how she defines her identity without knowing...

In this episode we spoke with Salvadoran-American writer Darrow Farr, also known as Darri, who was visiting New York and stopped by my apartment for the interview. We talk with Darri about reconnecting with her biological father later in life, what it’s like to date white partners, how and where we gain access to our heritage, and how we’d like to raise children with exposure to these cultures. Gu...

In this episode we spoke with Vietnamese-American artist and writer Morgan Võ, who generously agreed to be our first guest. We met Morgan while studying art at the Cooper Union and discuss growing up in our respective suburbs, the significance of names, the challenges of seeking information from our immigrant parents, and “the yearning.” We also discuss a short essay by Kimberly Alidio called “My...

In this episode we talk about the confusions and joys of being biracial. We introduce ourselves by talking about our basic history, why we wanted to start this podcast, and our Asian parents’ love of gatekeeper sports like tennis and sailing. Join us on our first foray into the world of Hybridia! Show notes: Feeling Asian - “A podcast where two asians talk about their feelings” Asian Not Asian - A...