EP 530: Documentary Filmmaker Claudia Katayanagi On Why Contagious Courage Is Still Needed Today
ASIAN AMERICA: THE KEN FONG PODCAST
Release Date: 04/21/2025
EP 555: Kaila Yu On Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Feminism, and Beauty in Her Book "Fetishized"
ASIAN AMERICA: THE KEN FONG PODCAST
Fetishized is a memoir-in-essays by Kaila Yu--a former pin-up model and lead singer of the all-Asian American female rock band Nylon Pink. The book delves into her personal journey as she confronts--and unpacks--the complexities of being both the object and agent of fetishization in a media landscape shaped by stereotypes and colonial mindsets. Her memoir interrogates harmful portrayals--from geishas in Memoirs of a Geisha, to the Austin Powers twins in Goldmember, to the character in Full Metal Jacket, and even pin-up iconography figures like Sung-Hi Lee. These archetypes--and...
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EP 554: Dr. Jeff Chang On Bruce Lee & the Making of Asian America
ASIAN AMERICA: THE KEN FONG PODCAST
Water Mirror Echo is Dr. Jeff Chang's ambitous and deeply empathetic cultural biography of Bruce Lee that goes beyond myth, revealing the man behind the legend while tracing how Lee's life helped shape the emergence of Asian America. Chang's storytelling deftly intertwines Lee's personal narrative with broader social currents--highlighting Asian American student activism, racial solidarity, and cultural resistance. By drawing from in-depth interviews, newly released personal papaers, and rare family photographs, Chang is able to pierce the iconography and reveal Lee's complexity--his...
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EP 552: Jackie Dallas On Netflix Hit "The Hunting Wives" & Her Decision to Leave Medicine to Pursue Acting
ASIAN AMERICA: THE KEN FONG PODCAST
Jackie Dallas was only a year from finishing her residency in pathology when she decided to leave medicine, move to California, and pursue acting. Through hardworking and perverance, she has appeared on many hit shows, including playing "Jen Woo" (science teacher Mr. Clarke's girlfriend) in Season 1 of "Stranger Things." You can see her now in The Hunting Wives, which is currently the No. 1 show on Netflix. You'll also get to know how she's using her current platform and her training as a medical doctor to help countless women understand the importance of pelvic health and to get...
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EP 553: The Two Kens On Concerns About the Focus of the Late Dr. James Dobson
ASIAN AMERICA: THE KEN FONG PODCAST
For nearly 50 years conservative Christian psychologist Dr. James Dobson influenced countless couples, families, and churches through his globally ubiquitous Focus on the Family broadcasts, books, videos, and lectures. In the immediate aftermath of his death last week at the age of 89, podcasters Fong and Kemp talk openly about the way his influence impacted them and their ministries, the unspeakable harm his teaching did to countless children and queer people, and the little-known fact that it was all shaped by the debunked racist theory of eugenics.
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EP 551: Sabrina Wang On Attaining Eagle Scout Rank as an Asian American Female
ASIAN AMERICA: THE KEN FONG PODCAST
Teenaged Sabrina Wang has the distinction of being one of the first girls--Asian American or otherwise--to earn the coveted rank of Eagle Scout in what is now known as Scouting America. Formerly known as the Boy Scouts of America, the organization recently fully embraced a significant rebranding, opening its programs now to girls and LGBTQ+ youth while retaining traditions like the Scout Oath and mission. Sabrina's enthusiasm for becoming a Scout speaks volumes to the success of this effort. And her attaining the rank of Eagle Scout speaks volumes to her leadership abilities and determination....
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EP 550: Sean Dulake On New Amazon Prime "Butterfly" Spy Series & Third Culture Content
ASIAN AMERICA: THE KEN FONG PODCAST
Actor Sean Dulake is part of the stellar cast of Amazon Prime's new Butterfly series, an espionage thriller set in Seoul, ROK, starring and executive produced by Daniel Dae Kim. What's unique about this spy show is that it revolves around the dynamics between a father and daughter, and a mother and son. Which of course, makes an already immensely complicated situation even more convoluted. As a hapa Korean American (from Arcadia, CA), Sean is also the co-founder of the highly successful Third Culture Content production company.
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EP 549: The Two Kens On America's State of Disaggregation
ASIAN AMERICA: THE KEN FONG PODCAST
In this latest installment of the collaboration between podcasters Fong and Kemp, they describe America's state of "disaggregation" and implications for this country's future, given that it's only going to keep increasing. They also explain the mounting threat to the separation of church and state posed by the growing prominence and power of the Christian nationalist movement, e.g., Pastor Doug Wilson, SecDef Pete Hegseth.
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EP 548: Jesse Q. Sutanto On Re-imagining Mulan as a Contemporary Rom-Com Novel
ASIAN AMERICA: THE KEN FONG PODCAST
Best-selling novelist Jesse Q. Sutanto's latest offering is a present-day re-imagining of the ancient Chinese folktale about a daughter who masquerades as a man in order to battle China's enemies. It's the most recent book in the Disney Hyperion's "Meant to Be" series, which is a contemporary romance collection featuring reimaginings of classic Disney stories, written by various authors. @jesseqsutanto
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EP 547: Kenny & Chizuko Endo On Celebrating His 50 Years As a Taiko Drumming Artist & Innovator
ASIAN AMERICA: THE KEN FONG PODCAST
Kenny and Chizuko Endo met in 1976 a year after he'd embarked on what would become his lifelong passion for Japanese taiko drumming, ultimately using it to honor its role in the past, but also using it as a springboard to innovate compositions and collaborations that have established these ancient Japanese drums as clearly belonging to the future of music as well. Now celebrating his 50th year with taiko, Kenny and wife Chizuko reflect on how their personal and professional lives have been shaped and sharpened by their mutual love of taiko drumming. To find out more about the 50th...
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EP 546: Podcaster Mari Fong On the Dire Need to Help Pro Musicians with Their Mental Health
ASIAN AMERICA: THE KEN FONG PODCAST
Mari Fong is a music journalist who not long ago launched the "Check Your Head" podcast because of being deeply troubled by the number of professional musicians who struggle with their mental health and addictions, with some even choosing to take their lives. Her show provides these artists a safe and empathetic space to share their stories honestly, and she then brings on different mental health professionals who can articulate what needs to happen in order for them not just to recover, but to thrive as people and as musicians.
info_outlineIn this episode Bay Area filmmaker Claudia Katayanagi goes into great detail about the myriad little-known incarceration camps that the federal government created to keep Japanese American "troublemakers" away from those confined in the larger and better known incarceration camps following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, HI. Her first two documentaries--"A Bitter Legacy" and "Community in Crisis" offer a fresh retelling of the courageous efforts of the Japanese Americans to endure terrible injustices and hardships, while fighting back against the forces of anti-Japanese racism. Today, many Japanese Americans are pushing back against the unjust deportation and incarceration policies of the Trump administration aimed at brown-skinned people.
You can find out how you can watch her first two films by going to www.abitterlegacy.com. And you can also learn about her third film "Exiled" by visiting https://www.gofundme.com/f/doj-film-fund-raiser