Asian Americana
30 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 year ago - ★★★★ - 228 ratingsA show about slices of distinctly Asian American culture and history.
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Episodes
023 - Changing Places, New Spaces (from Mid Pacific)
May 31, 2023 13:00 - 41 minutes - 56.6 MBFeatured story from “Mid Pacific” podcast: For Chinatowns, Japantowns, K-Towns, and other Asian-American communities in the United States, the only constant these days is change. But our need for cultural connection remains the same. Take a tour with Mid Pacific host Sarah Mizes-Tan to see what these spaces mean today.
Books & Boba - from the Potluck Podcast Collective
May 19, 2023 13:00 - 1 hour - 93.4 MBFor Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we’re bringing you an episode from Books & Boba, one of our fellow podcasts from the Potluck Podcast Collective. Books & Boba is a book club podcast featuring books by Asian and Asian American authors. In addition to discussing books from a wide range of genres, they also bring you interviews with Asian authors and monthly book news updates. You can learn more about Books & Boba and our other Potluck Podcasts by going to podcastpotluck.com.
Asians in Baseball - from the Potluck Podcast Collective
May 12, 2023 13:00 - 1 hour - 101 MBFor Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we’re bringing you an episode from Asians in Baseball, one of our fellow podcasts from the Potluck Podcast Collective. Each week, hosts Naomi Ko, Scott Okamoto, and Kim Cooper break down what’s notable with the Asian players in the MLB and then take a deeper dive into the Asians and Asian Americans who have shaped baseball as it is today. You can learn more about Asians in Baseball and all our other Potluck Podcasts by going to podcastpotluck.com.
022 - Whose Chinatown? (from A Better Life?)
May 25, 2022 11:00 - 32 minutes - 45 MBIn Los Angeles Chinatown, local shops and restaurants eagerly welcome back customers as they return to business after the height of the pandemic shutdown. But the neighborhood’s rebound from Covid has been uneven. The pandemic has shone a light on the divide separating the successful and the struggling, as well as concerns about the varied nature of anti-Asian violence. Producer Quincy Surasmith explores the starkly different visions for the future of L.A. Chinatown and the organizations prom...
I Want To Stay Here, Just Not Forever (from A Better Life?)
April 18, 2022 11:00 - 42 minutes - 58.5 MBMohammed Ahsanul is an international student at the University of Wyoming. Once he finishes his Ph.D., he expects to return home to Dhaka, Bangladesh—but not before his family reunites with him for the first time since the pandemic began. Producer Naina Rao joins Mohammed and his family for a trip to see America as she examines the ways a better life in the U.S. doesn’t always mean a permanent stay.
021 - I Want To Stay Here, Just Not Forever (from A Better Life?)
April 18, 2022 11:00 - 42 minutes - 58.5 MBMohammed Ahsanul is an international student at the University of Wyoming. Once he finishes his Ph.D., he expects to return home to Dhaka, Bangladesh—but not before his family reunites with him for the first time since the pandemic began. Producer Naina Rao joins Mohammed and his family for a trip to see America as she examines the ways a better life in the U.S. doesn’t always mean a permanent stay.
020 - Searching For Solace (from A Better Life?)
March 30, 2022 23:03 - 36 minutes - 50.2 MBFeatured story from “A Better Life?” podcast: Jasmine Jiwani is part of Atlanta’s large Ismaili Muslim community. Covid restrictions prevented the community from gathering for the funeral of her husband, who died of Covid-19. Producer Zulekha Nathoo reports on how the pandemic has created unique challenges for Jiwani and other Ismaili Muslims.
019 - Country Music for a Baan Nok Boy
November 16, 2021 20:43 - 28 minutes - 39 MBTimothy Singratsomboune had a complicated relationship to country music. How did his own experiences bring him away from and eventually back to the genre? And how does country music connect Tim to both Lao culture and the Lao communities he grew up around? In this episode, we explore the connections between Asian Americans, country music, and rural life.
018 - Fifth Anniversary
June 24, 2021 13:00 - 1 hour - 130 MBFive years ago in Spring of 2016, we launched Asian Americana. For our fifth anniversary, we take a moment to revisit all of the stories we’ve done from our first episode through the end of 2020. What happened after we stopped recording? What are those people doing now? Listen and find out.
017 - Until it Happened To Us
March 25, 2021 01:17 - 58 minutes - 80.7 MBThe Covid-19 pandemic has been in the United States for over a year, but the way we each think about it is shaped heavily by how it does or doesn’t directly affect us individually. For some people, they’ve become all too familiar with the impact of the coronavirus. Contributor Denise Chan shares her family’s experience with Covid-19 from her podcast, Until it Happened to Us, which originally ran in December of 2020.
016 - Comfort Food, part 2
February 15, 2021 15:00 - 53 minutes - 73.4 MBThis is the second part of our comfort food episode. In the previous episode, we focused on the ways food traditions get passed down through families, communities, and cookbooks, and the way they adapt over time. Today, we look at how simple foods, convenience foods, and even fast food restaurants can become part of our cherished memories and culture.
015 - Comfort Food, part 1
February 08, 2021 15:00 - 59 minutes - 81.4 MBThe first of two episodes about Asian American comfort foods. We explore the traditions we’ve passed down in our families, as well as the adaptations and substitutions different communities have picked up along the way.
014 - Kala Bagai
October 19, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 88.4 MBWhat was it like for a South Asian woman immigrating to the US in the early 20th century, and how did she build a community over her lifetime? And why name a street in Berkeley after Kala Bagai — especially since she may not have spent much time living there, if she did at all?
013 - That's Just The Way The Ball Bounces
August 11, 2020 11:00 - 59 minutes - 81.3 MBThe language and phrases passed down in our families can reflect our specific cultures, heritage, and journey. But sometimes, they’re a way to cope with something darker and can belie hidden histories. Contributor Julianne Parker explores the depth and meaning of her grandmother’s signature saying in That’s Just the Way the Ball Bounces.
012 - Letters for Black Lives
July 17, 2020 23:02 - 1 hour - 93.1 MBHow do we act as allies to the Black community when we see injustice? How do we start those actions and intentions from our homes and communities? We explore the story of how hundreds of people came together from all around the world to work on a letter — a letter that would be translated into 40 plus languages and help everyone start talking to their families and communities about supporting Black lives.
011 - Helpers in the Time of Coronavirus
May 07, 2020 12:00 - 1 hour - 106 MBWe explore the stories of Asian Americans working to defend our communities from attacks, the volunteers organizing direct aid to vulnerable populations, the people translating information into terms and languages so more can understand, and the local businesses helping each other and their communities survive during Covid-19.
010 - What We Inherit: Marie Kondo and the Security of Stuff
March 26, 2020 07:54 - 32 minutes - 44.7 MBMarie Kondo’s book, show, and Konmari decluttering method got popular in the past couple years, but her methods may not apply the same way to immigrant families. Contributor Christina Ong explores family and belonging in her piece, What We Inherit: Marie Kondo and the Security of Stuff.
009 - Facial Hair
February 03, 2020 02:00 - 1 hour - 91.5 MBProducers Ada Tseng and Caroline Chang don't have a lot of personal experience with facial hair, but they hear Asian American men — in media and in their lives — talk about it all the time. So they decided to investigate: who can or cannot grow it, what are the stereotypes, and the ways it can signify Asian American identity, masculinity, marketability, and resistance.
008 - Dawn Mabalon Is In The Heart
November 15, 2019 07:16 - 1 hour - 91.5 MBDr. Dawn Bohulano Mabalon is a groundbreaking scholar, historian, and community organizer who made sure the world would know the stories of Filipino Americans and Stockton’s Little Manila.
007 - Claudia Kishi
March 11, 2019 09:25 - 54 minutes - 75.2 MBClaudia Kishi is an Asian American literary icon that went beyond being a fun, artistic, and stylish character. She became an inspiration and point of connection for a ton of young Asian Americans. We explore her influence on a generation of Asian American readers.
006 - Filipino American Podcasts
November 15, 2018 07:29 - 39 minutes - 54.7 MBFollowing Filipino American History Month in October, we explore three Filipino American podcasts: This Filipino American Life, Balikbayan, and Long Distance — each sharing their own slice of Filipino American discussions, experiences, and stories.
005 - Cambodian Rock Band
March 22, 2018 11:37 - 28 minutes - 38.8 MBWe explore the play Cambodian Rock Band, and how this piece of Asian American theatre weaves together a story of Khmer American music, history, and family on stage.
Support Asian Americana on Patreon
August 31, 2017 07:52 - 2 minutes - 2.89 MBWhen Asian Americana launched in 2016, I had one driving vision: I want to tell audio stories that center the diverse experiences, histories, and cultures of Asian Americans. Now I need your support to make more.
004 - Boba/Bubble Tea
August 22, 2017 11:33 - 52 minutes - 72.4 MBWe explore the unique pearl of Asian American culture that is boba/bubble tea. We’ll take a look at its origins, hear folks from all over the country sharing their experiences with it, learn about some cool boba businesses and projects, and figure out what people across the country are calling it: from boba to bubble tea and a slew of other names in between.
Seattle with NextGenRadio
May 09, 2017 06:49 - 13 minutes - 18.8 MBWe bring you three stories from Next Generation Radio's week at KUOW in Seattle. We talk law and poetry, development in Seattle's Little Saigon, and smoked herring.
003 - Sacramento Delta
November 12, 2016 11:31 - 39 minutes - 53.8 MBChinese Americans shaped the physical landscape of California during its early history in a way that still impacts us today. We explore how Chinese Americans developed the Sacramento delta, their role in California's growth, and visit Locke, a town founded by Chinese Americans.
Pin Winners
August 05, 2016 22:19Thanks to everyone who filled out our boba/bubble tea survey! Now to announce the winners of the pins.
002 - Roots CSA
July 30, 2016 08:35 - 28 minutes - 38.6 MBRoots CSA is a program that connects Hmong farmers in California’s central valley with Asian American communities in Southern California. How does this program empower communities in determining their own path to health and economic sustainability? We’ll find out by visiting both ends of our food’s journey from farmer to consumer.
Boba/Bubble Tea Survey
July 01, 2016 16:00Boba? Bubble Tea? What do you call it? How do you enjoy it? Fill out our survey on this favorite drink to help us out and a chance to win a tea pin from Giant Robot!
001 - Giant Robot
May 16, 2016 15:00 - 44 minutes - 61.2 MBGiant Robot started as this small punk-rock zine featuring Asian and Asian American alternative and pop culture, but grew to become a celebrated art and cultural institution. How did Giant Robot survive? How have its founders maintained their passion and lifestyle throughout all their life changes and challenges?