The Bánh Mì Chronicles

Trigger Warning: Content will include topics on PTSD / intergenerational trauma (S6, EP 6) Ly Ky Tran, Viet-American millennial based out of NYC, and author of her recently released memoir, "House of Sticks" joined me for this week's episode.  We talked back in late June as she was promoting her debut memoir.  We discussed about her parents' trauma from the Vietnam War and how it affecte...

Trigger Warning: Discussions of parental death and PTSD trauma (S6, EP 5) Rose Khun is a guest for this week's episode as part of the 6th season theme, "Unfinished Business". Rose is a Cambodian-American Holistic Nutritionist and Lifestyle Coach based out in Northern California. In this episode, we talk about her upbringing during her family's resettlement in the US after the Khmer Rouge genocide....

(S6, EP 4) Virginia Nguyen and Stacy Yung, two longtime secondary Ed history teachers from Southern California joined me for this episode as we talk about Asian Americans educators in K-12 and pushing for racially equitable and inclusive curriculums, including Asian and Pacific Islander history. Learn more about the work that they are doing in this episode.  ----------------------------------...

(S6, EP 3) Akemi Kochiyama joined in for this week's episode.  Akemi is the granddaughter of late Japanese-American activist icon Yuri Kochiyama. In this interview, we talk about Yuri's activism that began when she and her family were forcibly sent to the Japanese incarceration camps during WWII. In her activism work, Yuri connected with Malcolm X, Assata Shakur, and other Black activists to...

(S6, EP 2)  Eric Nguyen (He / Him) is a queer Viet-American author based in DC.  He recently released his debut fiction novel, Things We Lost To The Water which is a story about a Vietnamese single mother raising her two teenage sons in Louisiana in the late 80s - early 90s.  His book was named by former President Obama as his top 2021 summer reading list.  We talk about the ge...

(S6, EP 1) To kick off Season 6, Andy Marra (she / her / hers) joined me for this episode.  Andy is currently the Executive Director with Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF).  She has been a visible force in the Asian & trans community. We sat down and talked about the current anti-trans legislation that's been introduced in several states across the US, and what T...

We have reached the conclusion of Season 5 "Our Becoming: An Asian LGBTQ Experience" and Season 6 is about to get started! Thank you to the following Season 5 guests: Kevin Stea, Alex Jenny, Helen Zia, Hunny Hach, Rohan Zhou Lee, Ishani Chokshi, Vichet Chum, Alex Torres, Deepankar Tripurana, Danielle Tanimura, Steven Wakabayashi, and Joshua Nguyen The theme for Season 6 will be "Unfinished Busines...

(S5, EP 12) Joshua Nguyen (He / Him) joined me as the final guest of Season 5's theme, "Our Becoming: An LGBTQ Asian Experience".  He is fresh off from his mini chapbook debut release, "An American Lục Bát For My Mother" this past Spring, and is now set to release his full length poetry debut book, "Come Clean" this October which explores issues of sexual trauma, personal identity among other...

(S5, EP 11) Steven Wakabayashi (he / him) joined me as my guest for Season 5's "Our Becoming: An LGBTQ Asian Experience".  He is the host and creator of the podcast, "Yellow Glitter" and has been proactive on social media sharing his takes on LGBTQ Asian American issues, social justice, and healing. This recording was done on May 19th. In this episode, we talk about Asian male allyship during...

(S5, EP 10) In honoring queer Cambodian-American writer Anthony Veasna So who suddenly passed away in December 2020 and to celebrate his posthumous short-stories fiction book, "Afterparties", I invited Anthony's long-time partner Alex Torres to be a guest on my show.  In this episode, Alex shared many fond memories of Anthony during their travels together. He recalled many conversations that...

(S5, EP 9) Danielle Tanimura (She / Hers) joined me for this episode as part of the Season 5 theme, "Our Becoming: An LGBTQ Asian Experience." This episode was recorded in mid-April.  In this episode, Danielle talked about her family's past leading up to the Japanese American incarceration camps during WWII and the trauma that would affect her family for decades long after that period.  ...

(S5, EP 7) Trigger Warning: Episode will contain topics on personal Anti-Asian violence.  Queer Khmer American playwright Vichet Chum joins me as part of Season 5's "Our Becoming: An LGBTQ Asian Experience" for this week's episode.  This episode was recorded back in April 15th during Khmer New Year's.  We talk about the ongoing anti-Asian violence and his family's own experience wit...

(S5, EP 6) Ishani Chokshi (She / They) joins me for this episode as she speaks on the recent challenges she experienced as a South Asian trans woman studying in law school, and names the barriers that current policy and law makers have enforced that harms queer and transgender communities.  We talk about her own becoming as a trans woman of color, and her close bond with her communities to ce...

(S5, EP 5) In honoring Pride Month, Rohan Zhou Lee (They/Siya/祂 (Tā)), artist, activist, and founder of the Blasian March, joined me for this episode as part of the 5th season theme "Our Becoming: An LGBTQ Asian Experience).  They took the time out of their busy schedule to chat with me about the creation of the Blasian March, and how critical it was to have a movement that included Blasian...

(S5, EP 4) In celebrating Pride Month, Khmer-American DJ and community leader, Hunny Hach (she / her) joined me for this episode.  Currently based in Long Beach, Hunny Hach is also the co-founder of Qhmer, an LGBTQ Khmer / Khmer American organization. In this episode, we talked about her recent struggles as a caregiver to her mother who is battling dementia, and making the difficult decision...

(S5, EP3) Helen Zia (She / Hers) joined me for this episode of the 5th season theme, "Our Becoming: An LGBTQ Asian Experience." Helen is a longtime queer Asian-American journalist, author and activist.  During the time of Vincent Chin's murder in a racial violent attack in 1982 in Detroit, she and many APIA community members and leaders ignited movements nationally to call for justice and add...

(S5, EP2): Alex Jenny (She / They) joined me for this episode as part of the 5th season theme, "Our Becoming: An LGBTQ Asian Experience".  Alex is a Chinese-Vietnamese American trans woman, licensed psychotherapist, social worker, drag artist, host of "The Moment" produced by A Queer Pride and is known as "The Drag Therapist" through her social media platform.  In our conversation, we ta...

(S5, EP 1) As we wrap up #AAPIMonth and begin #PrideMonth Longtime dancer, artist and model Kevin Stea kicks things off as my 1st guest for this Season 5's "Our Becoming: An Asian LGBTQ experience" on The Banh Mi Chronicles Podcast.  This interview was recorded in mid March right after the Atlanta shooting.  Kevin is of biracial, mixed Chinese American descent who danced for Madonna's wo...

Welcome back for a new 5th season coming your way!  In this preview, I talk about what this 5th season will dive into, as well as honoring the LGBTQ identities and experiences in our AAPI communities. I interview a number of amazing guests from our LGBTQ Asian community folks who will take us on their journey.  Each episode of this season will be released weekly to kick off Pride Month a...

Trigger Warning:  Discussions of child abuse (S4, EP 12) Viet-American best-selling and critically acclaimed author Phuc Tran joined me for the Season 4 finale for this episode. Last Spring, he released his award-winning memoir, "Sigh, Gone" which traced back to his upbringing in Carlisle, Pennsylvania in the 80s and early 90s after his family fled from Vietnam after the war. I spoke with Phu...

(S4, EP 11) Longtime Korean-American community organizer & activist Steve Moon joined me for this week's episode.  For years, Steve has been cultivating Asian / Black and Brown community solidarity on issues with immigration, police brutality, gentrification, among others in Chicago.  He speaks about his experiences in community organizing and youth development, and how he has since...

(S4, EP 10) Filipino-American casting director / actor / theatre veteran Emjoy Gavino joined me as a guest for this week's episode.  Emjoy is also the founder of The Chicago Inclusion Project, a start-up organization seeking to facilitate inclusive experiences and hiring practices throughout Chicago theatre.  We spoke on racial, gender, and other forms of discrimination in the theatre sc...

(S4, EP 9) Viet-American self-published author Amy M. Le joined me for this week's episode.  She is the author of three recently published novels partly based on her mom's escape from Vietnam and Amy's upbringing in America, "Snow In Vietnam", "Snow in Seattle", and "Snow's Kitchen: A Novella and Cookbook". We talk about the process of writing her novels and her decision to self-publish. She...

(S4, EP 8) Rebecca and Phillip Ozaki joined me for this week's episode.  They are two of 4 children born and raised in Chicago, and of Japanese and Filipino descent.  Both Rebecca and Phillip talked about their grandfather's trauma from living in the Japanese-American prison camps during WWII.  Both their grandfather and father became long-time activists in the Chicago Japanese comm...

(S4, EP 7) Award winning Lao-American artist and poet Catzie Villayphonh joined me as a guest for this week's episode.  Catzie spoke about her work with fellow Lao artists on amplifying the voices and history of the Lao American experience through her organization, Laos in the House.  Catzie shared about the challenges that Laos in the House, and other nonprofits in refugee / immigrant c...