Bestselling novelist R. O. Kwon joins us to explore Big Korean Energy in literature and how she writes her desire (and freedom) onto the page.  She shares what it was like growing up in a mostly Korean town in L.A., why Squid Game still feels astonishing, and the relationship between Koreanness, Christianity, and sexuality. Also: An extremely high stakes game of F*ck, Marry, K*ll.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

From bootleg VHS tapes to a Tony-winning Broadway musical and Netflix megahits, Koreans have gone from “who?” to “whoa!” In this episode of our Big Korean Energy season, we sit down with Phil Yu, creator of Angry Asian Man, and talk about the seismic shift of K-culture going global, what it feels like to win Olympic gold alongside Queen Yuna, and owning our stories is SO important.  What’s at stake when the whole world suddenly has Big Korean Energy?? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We’re living in Big Korean Energy. From Kdramas to ramen hacks, skincare routines to fandom rituals, Korean influence is everywhere, shaping how we connect, celebrate, and imagine the world. This season, we unpack what makes something feel Korean (whether or not it actually is), why that feeling resonates globally, and what it all means for Mash-Up America. Featuring Phil Yu, R.O. Kwon, Joanne Lee Molinaro, and more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We can repair by writing new stories for ourselves and the world.

Cristina Jimenez talks healing and belonging and what passports have to do with it.

We're learning how to win with great community organizer, George Goehl.

There is nothing certain but uncertainty.

What do you do to repair your corner of the world? This season of The Mash-Up Americans we’re talking to a Rabbi, an Immigrant Justice activist, a Community Organizer and a Writer about how we can help the world and ourselves, especially when the world feels so chaotic. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In January 2023, Saadia Khan sat down with Amy Choi and Rebecca Lehrer for her weekly podcast Immigrantly. The conversation centered on their series on grief. The interview focused on grief, how we can understand it without over-pathologizing the sentiment, and why it’s both universal and personal. What is most remarkable about the conversation is that the trio kept it light and honest. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We wrap with reminder of how to take care of each other IRL.

Will people get offended? Sure. Will that stop us? No.

We go inside the mind of the magnificent Min Jin Lee.

It's time to live your achievable dreams and do some starfishing!

Kimchi and Tortillas with Turkey, and cosplaying American! Throwback conversation!

Millennials will never know a world without hip hop, and frankly, we’re all better for it. Author, journalist, scholar, and all-around visionary Jeff Chang joins Amy and Rebecca to share about his first introduction to hip hop, how it serves as a guide to liberation and how it’s just a part of who we all are now. He also weighs in on which album is better: The Low End Theory or Midnight Marauders?  Jeff Chang is a writer, thinker, and cultural organizer. His Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation was named one of the best U.S. nonfiction books of the last quarter century. His other books include Who We Be: A Cultural History of Race in Post Civil Rights America and We Gon' Be Alright: Notes On Race and Resegregation. He is a Lucas Artist Fellow and has received the American Book Award, the Asian American Literary Award, and the USA Ford Fellowship in Literature. He is the host of the podcast, Edge of Reason. He is finishing Water Mirror Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Boundaries are self love and self care. The real kind.

Jonathan Menjivar rewrites his story of class, and what it means to be classy.

Rainn Wilson is starting a Spiritual Revolution

Lisa Ling has found the beauty and joy in the chaos of her multigenerational home.

The Internet's favorite astrologer, Chani Nicholas, reads the stars and, well, all of us.