My good friend and fellow Cambodian American Tola Livesey joins us for this episode as we talk about the effects of assimilation and her understanding and curiosity of her Cambodian identity and heritage. She also talks about her passion for archiving stories, and its importance to the Cambodian community and more!

Bio:

Tola is a 1.5 generation Cambodian American who currently lives in in the Los Angeles by way of Chicago. She...

(S9, EP 8) Joined by my good friend and internationally acclaimed artist Anida Yoeu Ali, we talked about Anida's journey as a Muslim Khmer American, her years-long work as an artist, and the challenges she's experienced along the way including the forced disappearance of her Red Chador. Anida shared the process in developing her critically acclaimed Buddhist Bug that has been seen in exhibits across the globe, and her upcom...

S9, EP 7. Pulitzer Prize winner Viet Thanh Nguyen is back on my podcast again, this time to talk about his latest book, A Man of Two Faces, the political and socio issues among Vietnamese Americans, and so much more!

Bio:

Viet Thanh Nguyen’s novel The Sympathizer won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and numerous other awards. His most recent publication is his memoir, A Man of Two Faces. His other books are the The Sympathizer, ...

Catching up with my friend Alec Phan about his experience as a Chicago stage actor in a queer/trans-centered production, and his mom's experience as a Vietnamese singer and how it influenced Alec's work as an artist, and more!

Bio:

Alec Phan (he/they) is a queer, trans, Viet-American theatre artist based in Chicago. He was last seen as Jon in an all-trans and gender non-conforming production of TICK, TICK...BOOM!, an ...

Dolly Ave joined us for this episode as she talks about her recently released debut album, the impact of her mom's passing, and her life and vision as an artist.

Bio:

Dolly Ave has received radio airplay on powerhouse 103.5 KISS FM Chicago, influential KEXP and tastemaker station 88Rising Radio on SIRIUS XM. She has appeared at two major music festivals, and received press in Forbes, The NY Times, Paper and was named Live Nat...

In this week's episode, I chatted with journalist and author of her memoir, "Ma and Me", Putsata Reang. We talked about the process in writing her memoir, her queerness and Khmer identity and how that affected her relationship with her mother and more!

Bio:

Putsata Reang is an author and journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Politico, The Guardian, The San Jose Mercury News, and the Seatt...

(S9, EP 3)

Rahimeh Ramezany discusses the lack of Muslim and religious groups in DEI work, and her advocacy in raising that awareness through her work. We talk about the current state of DEI, and Rahimeh shares important practices with listeners on how to be proactive as advocates and be an agency for change.

Bio:

Rahimeh Ramezany (she/her) is a multiethnic, neurodiverse, Muslim American woman, and a diversity, equity, inclusion,...

(S9, EP 2)

Kahmora Hall chats about her upbringing as a queer Viet American, and the challenging conversations she had with her parents about getting into drag performance. She spoke about her experience being on RuPaul's Drag Race, the current drag ban and anti-LGBTQ legislation happening in recent times, and so much more!

Bio: Kahmora Hall is a Chicago-native and Drag Artist of over 10 years. Known for her fashion, beaut...

Retired Chicago veteran news anchor Linda Yu kicks off my season 9 opener as we talk about her decades-long career in Chicago news television, what it was like to navigate the news media industry as an Asian American woman, and more.

Bio:

Linda Yu has been called a trailblazer, mentor and award- journalist. She recently stepped back from daily broadcasting after more than forty years in television news.

Yu began her career in ...

(S8 Finale) Check out my interview with Tuan Huynh, founder of VietFive Coffee which is the featured sponsor of the 8th season of the podcast.

Bio:

Tuan Huynh, founder of VietFive Coffee, is also an award-winning Creative Director, business man, and community organizer. He fled to the U.S. as a toddler and refugee from Vietnam after the fall of Saigon. Growing up in the Midwest, he has developed a uniquely diverse sense of creati...

(S8, EP 12)

Meet Ginger Leopoldo, Executive Director of Circa Pintig, sponsor of the 8th season of The Banh Mi Chronicles, and learn about Circa Pintig's work in Chicago.

Bio:

Ginger Leopoldo is an educator, actor, director, producer, and community organizer. She is the founding Artistic Director of the Center for Immigrant Resources and Community Arts (CIRCA), and Executive Director of CIRCA Pintig. Her work includes per...

(S8, EP 11): On this week's episode, I invited past guest and poet Dr. Joshua Nguyen to be a special guest host. He interviewed Susan Nguyen, author of her poetry collection, "Dear Diaspora" about heroes and villains during this conversation.

Bio:

Susan Nguyen's debut poetry collection, Dear Diaspora (University of Nebraska Press, 2021) won the Prairie Schooner Book Prize in Poetry, a New Mexico-Arizona Book Awar...

(S8, EP 10): For this week's episode, former guest Tony Ho Tran takes my place as a special guest host, and interviews Lan Samantha Chang, author of her latest novel, "The Family Chao".

Bio: Lan Samantha Chang’s new novel, The Family Chao, was published by W. W. Norton in February 2022. She is the author of two previous novels, All Is Forgotten, Nothing Is Lost and Inheritance, and a story collection, Hunger. He...

(S8, EP 9) For this week, I invited Ko Chandetka, an award-winning body builder to the show.  We talked about his family’s resettlement in Elgin, IL after the Lao Civil War, his development as a body builder, and his recovery from addiction and more.  You won’t want to miss this episode! Thank you and enjoy the listen!

Bio:

Born in Mukdahan, Thailand, Ko Chandetka spent his early years living in Savannakhet, Laos. His fat...

(S8, EP 8) For this week's episode, I am honored to bring in critically-acclaimed and best-selling author Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai as a guest.  We discussed her latest book, "Dust Child", and the issues surrounding AmerAsians who were left behind during the Vietnam War, the discrimination that ethnic minorities face in Vietnam, and the stigmas that is covered in her book. Don't miss out on this episode, and order your copy of "...

(S8, EP 7)

For this week's episode, my good friend Amy M. Le who has appeared in two of my episodes is back again on the podcast, this time as a guest host as she interviews our friend and writer, Christina Vo.  Amy chats up with Christina about the loss of her mom when she was a teenager, her writing journey, and her debut memoir, “The Veil Between Two Worlds” set to come out in April.

Bio:

Guest: Christina Vo is a writer who...

(S8, EP 6)  For this week's episode, Nisha Mody steps in as guest host, and chats with Fiza Pirani, the founder of Foreign Bodies, an award-winning newsletter on immigrant mental health. Hear them discuss the meaning of immigrant mental health, and what it means for our Asian communities.  Tune in to hear this amazing discussion!

Bio:

Fiza Pirani is an Atlanta-based freelance writer and editor, and the founder of Foreign ...

Trigger Warning:  Medical Scare

(S8, EP 5)

Meet Darro Chea, a Khmer American emo pop-punk artist originally from Brooklyn, NY.  Hear his story about what got him into music, and his survival from a threatening brain tumor a few years back.  Learn and follow his work now!

Bio:

Hailing from Brooklyn, NY, Asian-American artist Darro is fusing together the strongest and catchiest elements of emo and pop-punk to form his ...

S8, EP 4:  Sara Blanchard and Misasha Suzuki Graham, co-hosts of the Dear White Women Podcast join me for this week's episode as we talk about the genesis of putting together their podcast, what unlearning white supremacy and recognizing privilege means, and offering anti-racism tools. 

Bio:

Misasha Suzuki Graham: A graduate of Harvard College and Columbia Law School, Misasha Suzuki Graham has been a practicing litigator ...