The Bánh Mì Chronicles

Award-winning Korean Author Bora Chung ( Cursed Bunny , Your Utopia , The Midnight Timetable ) joins me to discuss how fiction warns, resists, and reimagines our world. What if fiction isn’t just storytelling, but a foreshadow of things to come? In this episode of The Bánh Mì Chronicles , I’m joined by acclaimed Korean author Bora Chung , best known for her award-winning collection Cursed Bunny ,...

Trigger and Content Warning:  This episode will discuss topics involving self-h*rm, s*icide, mental health, genocide, and involuntary hospitalization. In this “bonus” episode, we take the time to recognize S*icide Awareness/Prevention Month this September. My good friend and longtime activist, Jung Han (they/them) and I had a conversation revolving around the challenging capacity in community acti...

Chatting with keynote speaker, activist, and award-winning author Michelle Mijung Kim on what it means to build courage in speaking out in today's political climate. She was a previous guest of mine in 2020 when we discussed what the DEI landscape looked like in the aftermath of George Floyd, and why Asian communities must stand in solidarity with the Black community. Since 2020, she has relea...

On this episode of The Bánh Mì Chronicles Podcast, I invited guest Tony DelaRosa to share his current work and knowledge about what is happening with DEI in the K-12 public education and in higher learning at both the local and national level in the US. As DEI is getting dismantled by the federal government, and in certain states and local governments, Tony sheds some light on what DEI practitione...

I sit down with my friend Ed Do for this important discussion on the current US political landscape and what progressives are facing and needing during this very critical time. Ed currently works for a US Democrat Congressman from Texas, representing his district that includes the Dallas and Ft Worth area. In our long conversation, we talked about Ed’s upbringing as a queer, mixed Korean American,...

I recently chatted with the creator of the IG Page PhoDaCulture (the creator asked to remain anonymous. We talked about his journey in creating content that reflects the humor and pride of the Vietnamese diaspora and Vietnamese identity. Pho Da Culture now has 480,000 followers on Instagram, and he shares about how the diaspora and native Vietnamese community have responded to his page. He also ho...

My Journey to Learning Vietnamese as a Geriatric Millennial I decided to record another solo episode, this time about my recent journey to learn Vietnamese as a now 42 year old. I recently wrote about it on my Substack and I got several wonderful feedback from folks who are also learning their family tongue for the first time. I share my early experiences in dealing with the lifelong shame and res...

Content/Trigger Warning: Mentions of s*icide, mental health, and grief. My return back to the podcast, this time through Substack. What led me to come back, my journey since August 12, 2024, and what to expect moving forward---all here in this episode! Subscribe to my Substack at randykim.substack.com

Well, this is the last episode of The Banh Mi Chronicles Podcast. I am joined by my friend and podcast host of The Vietnamese, Kenneth Nguyen who interviewed me about the process of the podcast and what to look forward to next. Many thanks to my guests, past sponsors, and listeners for making the last 4 years a wonderful ride. Special thanks to Huythang Tran for designing the logo and season theme...

My good friend and fellow Cambodian American Tola Livesey joins us for this episode as we talk about the effects of assimilation and her understanding and curiosity of her Cambodian identity and heritage. She also talks about her passion for archiving stories, and its importance to the Cambodian community and more! Bio: Tola is a 1.5 generation Cambodian American who currently lives in in the Los...

(S9, EP 8) Joined by my good friend and internationally acclaimed artist Anida Yoeu Ali, we talked about Anida's journey as a Muslim Khmer American, her years-long work as an artist, and the challenges she's experienced along the way including the forced disappearance of her Red Chador. Anida shared the process in developing her critically acclaimed Buddhist Bug that has been seen in exhib...

S9, EP 7. Pulitzer Prize winner Viet Thanh Nguyen is back on my podcast again, this time to talk about his latest book, A Man of Two Faces, the political and socio issues among Vietnamese Americans, and so much more! Bio: Viet Thanh Nguyen’s novel The Sympathizer won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and numerous other awards. His most recent publication is his memoir, A Man of Two Faces . His other...

Catching up with my friend Alec Phan about his experience as a Chicago stage actor in a queer/trans-centered production, and his mom's experience as a Vietnamese singer and how it influenced Alec's work as an artist, and more! Bio: Alec Phan (he/they) is a queer, trans, Viet-American theatre artist based in Chicago. He was last seen as Jon in an all-trans and gender non-conforming producti...

Dolly Ave joined us for this episode as she talks about her recently released debut album, the impact of her mom's passing, and her life and vision as an artist. Bio: Dolly Ave has received radio airplay on powerhouse 103.5 KISS FM Chicago, influential KEXP and tastemaker station 88Rising Radio on SIRIUS XM. She has appeared at two major music festivals, and received press in Forbes, The NY Ti...

In this week's episode, I chatted with journalist and author of her memoir, "Ma and Me", Putsata Reang. We talked about the process in writing her memoir, her queerness and Khmer identity and how that affected her relationship with her mother and more! Bio: Putsata Reang is an author and journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Politico, The Guardian, The San Jose Me...

(S9, EP 3) Rahimeh Ramezany discusses the lack of Muslim and religious groups in DEI work, and her advocacy in raising that awareness through her work. We talk about the current state of DEI, and Rahimeh shares important practices with listeners on how to be proactive as advocates and be an agency for change. Bio: Rahimeh Ramezany (she/her) is a multiethnic, neurodiverse, Muslim American woman, an...

(S9, EP 2) Kahmora Hall chats about her upbringing as a queer Viet American, and the challenging conversations she had with her parents about getting into drag performance. She spoke about her experience being on RuPaul's Drag Race, the current drag ban and anti-LGBTQ legislation happening in recent times, and so much more! Bio: Kahmora Hall is a Chicago-native and Drag Artist of over 10 years...

Retired Chicago veteran news anchor Linda Yu kicks off my season 9 opener as we talk about her decades-long career in Chicago news television, what it was like to navigate the news media industry as an Asian American woman, and more. Bio: Linda Yu has been called a trailblazer, mentor and award- journalist. She recently stepped back from daily broadcasting after more than forty years in television...

(S8 Finale) Check out my interview with Tuan Huynh, founder of VietFive Coffee which is the featured sponsor of the 8th season of the podcast. Bio: Tuan Huynh, founder of VietFive Coffee, is also an award-winning Creative Director, business man, and community organizer. He fled to the U.S. as a toddler and refugee from Vietnam after the fall of Saigon. Growing up in the Midwest, he has developed a...

(S8, EP 12) Meet Ginger Leopoldo, Executive Director of Circa Pintig, sponsor of the 8th season of The Banh Mi Chronicles, and learn about Circa Pintig's work in Chicago. Bio: Ginger Leopoldo is an educator, actor, director, producer, and community organizer. She is the founding Artistic Director of the Center for Immigrant Resources and Community Arts (CIRCA), and Executive Director of CIRCA...

(S8, EP 11): On this week's episode, I invited past guest and poet Dr. Joshua Nguyen to be a special guest host. He interviewed Susan Nguyen, author of her poetry collection, "Dear Diaspora" about heroes and villains during this conversation. Bio: Susan Nguyen's debut poetry collection, Dear Diaspora (University of Nebraska Press, 2021) won the Prairie Schooner Book Prize in Poet...

(S8, EP 10): For this week's episode, former guest Tony Ho Tran takes my place as a special guest host, and interviews Lan Samantha Chang, author of her latest novel, "The Family Chao". Bio: Lan Samantha Chang’s new novel, The Family Chao, was published by W. W. Norton in February 2022. She is the author of two previous novels, All Is Forgotten, Nothing Is Lost and Inheritance, and a...

(S8, EP 9) For this week, I invited Ko Chandetka, an award-winning body builder to the show.  We talked about his family’s resettlement in Elgin, IL after the Lao Civil War, his development as a body builder, and his recovery from addiction and more.  You won’t want to miss this episode! Thank you and enjoy the listen! Bio: Born in Mukdahan, Thailand, Ko Chandetka spent his early years l...

(S8, EP 8) For this week's episode, I am honored to bring in critically-acclaimed and best-selling author Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai as a guest.  We discussed her latest book, "Dust Child", and the issues surrounding AmerAsians who were left behind during the Vietnam War, the discrimination that ethnic minorities face in Vietnam, and the stigmas that is covered in her book. Don't miss out on this ep...

(S8, EP 7) For this week's episode, my good friend Amy M. Le who has appeared in two of my episodes is back again on the podcast, this time as a guest host as she interviews our friend and writer, Christina Vo.  Amy chats up with Christina about the loss of her mom when she was a teenager, her writing journey, and her debut memoir, “The Veil Between Two Worlds” set to come out in April. Bio:...