Playwright & writer Velina Hasu Houston talks about her upcoming play "Little Women" at the Pasadena Playhouse. She also discusses her mixed-race upbringing, what it means to live in a "no-passing lane", and why diversity is not just for white people. (Intro: Trojan Ken)
If you've seen a Japanese tourist in film or TV, most likely it's Rodney Kageyama! He shares about how he's survived in a "white people" world, as well as internment camp stories, battles with HIV, and his acting demons. (Intro: Colorblind Pho)
Film Director Lee Isaac Chung talks about making his first film MUNYURANGABO, attending the Cannes Film Festival, learning to deal with failure, and combining cinema with theology. (Intro: Judge Ken)
Suffering Olympics withdrawal? Then you gotta listen to our interview with Bryan Clay, Gold Medal winner of the Decathlon event from Beijing 2008, and hear what it takes to be the world's greatest athlete. (Intro: Better Brain)
Hip-hop and spoken word artist Jason Chu is on a mission to speak hope, healing, and justice in a broken world. Hear about his story, how music became his salvation, and the new Kickstarter campaign for his fresh new album ARRIVALS. (Intro: Oh Canada!)
No one outworks Bill Fujioka! As the first non-white CEO of Los Angeles County, Bill shares stories of his battles against the mayor, how he inspired city workers, and what public service is all about. (Intro: Same Race)
Writer, actor, and artist Michael Yichao's life is a never-ending story. Listen in as he introduces us to his adventures in improv, standup comedy, fantasy writing, and oh yeah, his dating life! (Intro: Great White Wall)
Look into the abyss with Leland Cheuk, novelist and cancer survivor. Leland shares about his book, The Misadventures of Sulliver Pong, his ongoing cancer battle, and the lack of Asian American stories. (Intro: ESPN Radio)
The new superman is Chinese?!? Yup, and graphic novelist Gene Luen Yang is here to tell us how that happened. Gene also talks about AsianAm superheroes, his faith journey, and a non-fiction project about basketball. (Intro: Hiroshima)
Writer Cindy Wang Brandt talks about how she sees faith in the irreverent, miracles in the ordinary, and beauty in the margins. Cindy also shares about her blog, intersectionality, and a new book on parenting. (Intro: Black & White)
John Chung is living the dream: he gets to be both a firefighter and a band manager. As a member of the SF Fire Department, John shares about the intricacies and dangers of firefighting. John also talks about what it's like to be the manager for the jazz fusion band Hiroshima. (Intro: Japan Trip)
Musician Chucky Kim talks about his life in music. He also shares about his fascination with philosopher Foucault, the central place that suffering plays in the Korean narrative, and a crazy camel ride through Morocco. (Intro: True Value)
Dr. Anthony Ocampo talks about his new book "The Latinos of Asia: How Filipino Americans Break the Rules of Race." He also discusses the recent killings at a gay bar in Orlando, as well as his own faith journey. (Intro: Orlando)
Actress Lynn Chen talks about her career in film & television. She also discusses how she got into blogging about food and body image. Lynn gives her opinion on whitewashing in the entertainment industry. (Intro: Whitewashing)
Will Wang Graylin talks about his long business career operating tech startups. Also detailed are exploits in the US Navy as a Nuclear Submarine Officer, his record-setting class schedule at MIT, and his conversion to Christianity. (Intro: Peter Liang sentencing)
June Kuramoto is a master of the koto, an ancient Japanese instrument which she started playing as a 6-year-old. She discusses how she found her musical voice, and the deep connection between instrument and player. (Intro: Driving Lessons)
Fans of "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Prison Break" will immediately recognize actor Reggie Lee, currently starring as Sergeant Drew Wu on "Grimm". He talks about his career, his first big break, dancing for Prince, and his choreography for East West Players' production of "La Cage Aux Folles". (Intro: Beautiful)
Filipino American Rapper OffWhyte talks about how he first earned his "street cred", how competition made him a better artist, and how visiting his motherland connected him to his true identity. OffWhyte also discusses his new album "Dialogue", released under hip-hop label Galapagos4. (Intro: Contribution)
Award-winning Arthur Dong talks about his storied career of making documentaries about Asian Americans. He also discusses the #OscarsSoWhite controversy, the offensive 2016 Oscar award show telecast, and his new film THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR. HAING S. NGOR. (Intro: The Wall)
It's the very first anniversary of ASIAN AMERICA: THE KEN FONG PODCAST! In this episode, we reminisce about the amazing guests and stories we covered in this first year, and what we are looking forward to in the second year. Hope you like the new music! (Intro: Passion & Purpose)
Film and television actor Hank Chen discusses how he has managed to carve out a successful career in Hollywood despite being both Asian and openly gay. Hank also talks about his own spirituality and how he navigated his way through three years at a Christian college. (Intro: Lights Out!)
Documentary Film Director Christopher Wong talks about what it's like to tell true-life stories of ordinary Asian Americans accomplishing extraordinary things. Chris also discusses his latest short film BE ABOUT IT, and his growing frustration with film festivals. (Intro: Childlike)
Dr. Bob Suzuki shares about his time in the internment camps, and his leadership of a successful nationwide campaign that led to the Congressional repeal of the Emergency Detention Act of 1950. He also discusses his groundbreaking role as one of the few Asian Americans to serve as college president. (Intro: Diversity Search)
Dr. Joshua Swamidass discusses what it means to be both a devoted Christian and a serious scientist. He specifically calls Christians to return to the core of their faith rather than concentrating on anti-evolutionism. (Intro: Scientific Christianity)