In our second bonus episode, our hosts: Ting Ting and Sandy, interview Tina Cane about her upcoming debut novel, Alma Presses Play. Tina Cane grew up in downtown New York City during the 70s and 80s, surrounded by artists and writers and musicians, and she draws much of her creative inspiration from that era. She is the founder and director of Writers-in-the Schools, RI, for which she works as a visiting poet. She currently serves as the Poet Laureate of Rhode Island where she lives with her husband and their three children. In 2020, Cane was named a poet laureate fellow with the Academy of American Poets. Her books include The Fifth Thought, Dear Elena: Letters for Elena Ferrante, Once More With Feeling, and Body of Work. Alma Presses Play is Tina's debut novel-in-verse for young adults readers. To pre-order her novel, use the link: https://www.rhcbooks.com/books/609918/alma-presses-play-by-tina-cane

This is the first bonus episode of our second series, RepresentASIAN in Literature. In this episode our hosts, Ting Ting and Sandy, interview Irene Chun, a recent graduate of Georgetown University and author of the upcoming book, Coloring Ivory: The Intersection of Minority Politics, Business, & the Law. This discussion includes Irene's academic interests, college life as an Asian American, how her book Coloring Ivory came to be, and more! To learn more about Irene and her book, you can visit her linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ireneychun/ and reach out through instagram @ireney.chun. Thank you for listening to this episode! 

We have a double interview in today's episode! Abigail is the New York Times Best Selling Author of Loveboat, Taipei, a romantic comedy following the journey of Ever Wong in her summer in Taipei. Loveboat, Taipei has been optioned for film by ACE Entertainment. For more information: www.abigailhingwen.com or follow IG/Twi: @abigailhingwen. Kelly is the author of the recently-released WHEN WE WERE INFINITE, PICTURE US IN THE LIGHT, which was a winner of the California Book Award and an LA Times Book Prize finalist, and CONVICTION, which was a finalist for the Morris Award. Check out her website https://kellyloygilbert.weebly.com // In our last episode for this series, hosts Ting Ting, Kaitlyn, and Sandy interview Abigail and Kelly about their friendship, writing journey + process, and more! Thank you to our team for making this series possible and to our listeners for supporting our podcast!!

Debby Nguyen is the author of the upcoming book 'Pills, Teas, and Songs.' Her book is a collection of 11 stories about diverse medicine practices from China, India, Vietnam, to Russia, Nigeria, and the United States. It combines Debby's love for healthcare, people, culture, and history. Understanding the cultural and historical context of Asian medicine is crucial, rather than blindly following wellness trends. In this episode, we talk about the westernization/appropriation of Asian medicine practices, the importance of diverse storylines to educate people, and much more! You can check out Debby's website: www.debbynguyen.com and @debbyiswriting on Instagram for book updates. Thank you for listening! 

Kaitlyn and Ting Ting host this week's episode, an enriching and thoughtful conversation. This interview highlights Natasha Sondakh, the author of 'She Smells of Tumeric,' which is set to release later this April. She shares her thoughts on how the American education system has failed us, self love, and how stereotypes have fueled the recent rise in anti-Asian hate crimes. 'She Smells of Turmeric' is a journey of finding and loving yourself. The book was born out of a desire to represent Indonesia in Western literature. Natasha was largely inspired by the Indonesian people that she has grown alongside. Follow @natasha.sondakh on Instagram and her website https://tashasondakh.com for updates on her soon to be released novel.💜 Thank you for supporting our podcast! Come back next Saturday to hear more from us 💜

This week's episode features Wooseok Ki, author of 'K-POP: The Odyssey (Your Gateway to the Global K-Pop Phenomenon)'. Kaitlyn and Sandy discuss with Wooseok on the rise of K-POP in Western media/entertainment...is it an accurate depiction of the Asian community? Wooseok also shares his thoughts on recognizing and celebrating the differences within the Asian community itself. Listen in on this insightful episode that will have you reflecting on the stereotypes embedded from KPOP onto the Asian community. Check out 'K-POP: The Odyssey' on Amazon and Barnes & Noble or @kpop.odyssey on Instagram!

"Not That Rich" is a dramatic and fun novel about a group of private high schoolers in an affluent Southern Californian suburb. The author of this 'Gossip Girls x Crazy Rich Asians' book joins hosts Lisa and Sandy in today's episode. Belinda Lei shares her diverse experiences as a writer, software engineer, the managing director of Act to Change, and more. Listen in as Belinda shares how her book "Not That Rich" came to be, as well as her thoughts on the lack of representation in the publishing industry. You can purchase "Not That Rich" on Amazon or Barnes & Noble, and learn more at https://notthatrich.com. Thank you for listening to this episode of our series RepresentASIAN in Literature!!

Sandy and Lisa interview Sara Guo, our first Canadian guest (and the youngest) on our podcast! Sara gives us some insight on her self publishing journey and how she wrote and illustrated her book "One Point in Time: To All East Asian Youth." We also have some fun talking about the differences between the Canadian and American university/college application process and those tin cookie boxes that turn out to be sewing kits... More importantly, Sara addresses her motivations for creating her book and why it's essential to have a diverse bookshelf. It's vital to have books represent Asian identity!  Thank you for listening 🤍

In our new series called RepresentASIAN in Literature, we'll be interviewing Asian authors and highlighting moments in their career. Literature, from poems to novels, is a powerful part of sharing stories and new ideas. Having representation of Asian culture through these stories and the authors who write them is crucial to the way we, as Asian youth, see ourselves in American culture. This series' second episode features Giboom Park, the author of 'Not Your Yellow Fantasy'. In this interview with hosts Lisa and Sandy, she shares why she decided to write a novel highlighting the reality of yellow fever along with her own personal experiences. She also gives some insight on the writing process and obstacles while balancing a student life.  You can find her on Instagram @notyouryellowfantasy and purchase her book on Amazon and Bookshop!

Welcome back to Asians in the Spotlight! We're starting off the new year with a new series called RepresentASIAN in Literature, where we'll be interviewing Asian authors and highlighting moments in their career. Literature, from poems to novels, is a powerful part of sharing stories and new ideas. Having representation of Asian culture through these stories and the authors who write them is crucial to the way we, as Asian youth, see ourselves in American culture.  In our pilot episode of our second series, we interview poet Calista Ogburn, a senior in University of Maryland. Hosts Lisa and Kaitlyn talk with Calista about her latest poetry collection 'This Is It', her experience living in Korea and Vietnam, and how she channels her experiences into powerful poetry. Check out her website calista-ogburn.com for more info about her writing and publications!  Thank you to our listeners for supporting us into our new series. We can't wait for what's to come for our podcast in this new year!