Asian American History 101

Welcome to Season 6, Episode 41! Our guest today is E. L. Shen, an acclaimed author and children's-book editor. Her novels have been recognized by the New York Public Library, the American Library Association, the Junior Library Guild, and Bank Street College of Education.

Elizabeth "E. L." Shen is a Chinese American writer and children's-book editor whose fiction spans middle-grade, young-adult, and historical storytelling. Raised in the suburbs of Albany, she has described experiences of racist bullying while growing up. Her debut was The Comeback, and it was released in 2021; she is also the author of The Queens of New York and Maybe It's a Sign.

Her latest novel is Foreigners, which was released on September 22, 2026. It expands those themes into a multigenerational historical novel. It follows the Chin family through three timelines: Duanfang in 1878, protecting his Manchu family's legacy; Zheng Yi in 1965, arriving from Taiwan for college in New York and confronting prejudice, romance, and a life-altering decision; and present-day Dawn Chin, whose assignment to interview her grandmother exposes centuries of family secrets and a foundational lie.

In our conversation, Elizabeth shares a little about her journey to being a professional author, the inspiration for Foreigners, what she hopes readers consider when it comes to identity, the challenges and benefits writing from multiple perspectives, and so much more. To learn more about E.L. Shen, you can visit elshenwrites.com, follow her on Instagram @elshenwrites, and purchase your own copy of Foreigners or any of her other titles.

If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or our links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at [email protected].

Welcome to Season 6, Episode 40! In this episode, we begin a multi-part series on Asian Pacific Vaudeville Performers. Vaudeville was a fascinating outlet for people who wanted to be entertained back in the early 1900s. Historians have called it America's first mass entertainment industry because almost everyone, regardless of age or social class, had some connection to it. At its height during the early 1900s, thousands of performers toured hundreds of theaters across the United States and Canada.

Although the acts were dominated by white Americans, Asian American and Pacific Islander performers were present, even if their stories have largely been forgotten. In Part 1, we talk about Vaudeville in general and focus on two performers… Lee Tung Foo and Princess Jue Quon Tai. They worked hard to break out of the restrictive stereotypes of Chinese Americans that many people held.

In our recurring segment, we do another installment of "What Are We Reading?" This time we focus on the books Paper Performance by Ju Yon Kim and Taipei Story by R.F. Kuang.

If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or our links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at [email protected].

Segments

• 00:25 Intro… Talking About Theatre
• 05:21 The History of Asian Pacific Vaudeville Performers, Part 1
• 23:24 What Are We Reading? Paper Performance by Ju Yon Kim and Taipei Story by R.F. Kuang

Welcome to Season 6, Episode 39! Our guest today is acclaimed author Autumn Krause. Her books blend fantasy, gothic storytelling, folklore, romance, and history… often with characters trying to find their place in their world while encountering forces much bigger than themselves.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Autumn has described herself as a gothic romantic at heart. She's our first guest who has worked in the bridal industry, a background she talks about a little in the conversation. Her experience as a bridal gown stylist in Beverly Hills helped inspire her first novel, A Dress for the Wicked, published in 2019, which transported the glamour and competition of high fashion into a fantastical Victorian-inspired world.

She's also the author of Before the Devil Knows You're Here, that combines American folklore, horror, romance, and Mexican American identity in a reimagining of legends like Johnny Appleseed as well as Grave Flowers, that is a gothic fantasy filled with twin princesses, murder, court intrigue, and some very dangerous flowers.

Her latest work, The Gods Will Sing Our Song mixes mythology, history, romance, and her own Japanese American family story. Set during the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, the novel has already earned starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal. The story follows Ren and Violet, two teenagers who have varying outlooks on life, family, and more. As they meet and grow closer during their time at Manzanar, they also encounter supernatural beings, racism, Japanese folklore, and ancient magic.

In our conversation, we talk about Autumn's background, what inspired her to write The Gods Will Sing Our Song, what she hopes readers get out of it, her family's experience in the Gila River "camp", the challenges of writing a dual perspective book, and so much more. To learn more about Autumn, you can visit her website autumnkrause.com, follow her on instagram @autumn__krause, and purchase The Gods Will Sing Our Song. Don't forget to checkout the Conversation Resources which are great for the classroom or for the family. Enjoy the Conversation.

If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or our links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at [email protected].

Welcome to Season 6, Episode 38! In this episode, we're looking at a diaspora that most people probably don't associate with Asia at all: the Romani people, or Roma. Previously known as "Gypsies" this is a term that's become degrading for some, and it's not the identity term that most Roma people choose.

The ancestors of today's Romani people actually came from South Asia. From there, their descendants traveled through western Asia and eventually into Europe, and later to North and South America and other parts of the world… including the U.S. and Canada. We'll look at different Romani communities, their traditions, what remains from their South Asian origins, and the remarkable ways Romani culture adapted to the places where people settled.

In our recurring segment, we'll celebrate some of the U.S. Open players of Asian descent as well as the recent Emmy wins for Hiro Murai.

If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or our links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at [email protected].

Segments

• 00:25 Intro
• 02:09 A History of the Romani People… Roots in India and Routes Around the World
• 27:24 Celebration of the Emmy Awards and U.S. Open

Welcome to Season 6, Episode 37! Our guest today is Cassandra Lam, the Founder of Mama Lam's, the first American business to produce, package, and distribute a Malaysian curry paste. Raised in New York City, Cassandra launched the company to create a taste of their homeland in their new home in America.

We were inspired to learn about how their self-funded, self-produced venture could take the various sauces and authentic flavors that Mama Lam made at home to create a unique taste that honors their Malaysian heritage for anyone to try. Since launching their Malaysian Traditional Medium Curry Paste in 2016, they've also added a peanut satay paste, a sambar belecan (aka hot sauce), chili oil, and pandan kaya. They even have several vegan variations too!

You can order directly from their website or find them through their store locator. They're sold through about 137 locations across the U.S. Once you get some of their high quality sauces, then you can visit their Recipes page to see how others are using them.

In our conversation we talk about how they got their start, expansion of products, some of the challenges of scaling to sell consumer packaged goods, difficulties with creating vegan versions, plans for focusing on different cities, and so much more. To learn more about Mama Lam's authentic Malaysian sauces, you can visit their website mamalams.com, follow them on instagram @mamalams, purchase some of their sauces, and even just get inspired by their recipe section. Enjoy the conversation.

If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or our links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at [email protected].

Welcome to Season 6, Episode 36! Our guest today is children's book author, Jasmine Fang who's here to talk about her debut picture book Beneath the Same Round Moon, published by Beaming Books and released on September 1st. Jasmine writes stories rooted in heart and wonder.

Beneath the Same Round Moon is a touching story that focuses on a family celebrating the autumn moon festival, AKA the Mooncake Festival. Pearl is eager to welcome loved ones to her house for the traditional Mooncake Festival dinner. But her family is spread far and wide, and this year they won't be able to travel to reunite over the special dinner. Her big sister is away at college, her dad is working as an airline pilot, and her grandfather, Yéye, has passed away. Pearl wonders if it will still be a special day if it's only herself, her mother, and her grandma.

The book is also beautifully illustrated by Rồng Phạm & Vinh Nguyễn. Jasmine includes some a discussion guide as well as instructions for making mooncake and paper lanterns. Other than Beneath the Same Round Moon, she also has the forthcoming book Our Chinatown Market (set to release Spring 2028).

In our conversation Jasmine shares her journey to publishing, the inspiration for the story, what she hopes people get from the book, and much more. To learn more about jasmine, you can visit jasmineifang.com, follow her on instagram @jasmineifang, and purchase Beneath the Same Round Moon.

If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or our links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at [email protected].

Welcome to Season 6, Episode 35! Our guest today is the critically acclaimed UK #1 Sunday Times bestselling writer June CL Tan, author of the Darker By Four Duology, including her latest novel Brighter Than Nine.

A Singaporean who now resides in New York City, June obtained degrees in communications, education, and film before she fulfilled her childhood dream of becoming a published author. She's known for creating fantastical worlds that lean in to her love of drawing upon the traditional and modern worlds to create something entirely new.

In her latest novel, Brother Than Nine, June continues the story with the colorful and moving characters of Rui, Zizi, Yiran, and others… as well settings and groups that include traditional exorcists, Hell, and more. Building on the previous book, Darker By Four, readers continue to get a glimpse of a modern world where Chinese mythology, the underworld, and the familiar are all merged.

In our conversation, June discusses how her upbringing has influenced her writing, how the Darker by Four duology came to her, how she decides when to explain some of the Chinese mythology to her audience, humanity, and so much more. To learn more about June, you can visit her website junecltan.com, follow her on instagram @junescribbles, and purchase Brighter Than Nine.

If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or our links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at [email protected].

Welcome to Season 6, Episode 34! This might be the world's easiest trivia question, but what multibillion dollar sport began as a fun pastime in Hawaii? If you guessed surfing, you'd be right, and that's our main story this episode.

Long before surf shops, professional competitions, or the Beach Boys songs Surfin' USA and Surfer Girl, people across Polynesia had been riding waves for generations. And Hawaiʻi became the cultural center of surfing. Hawaiians developed surfing, preserved it, and ultimately helped teach much of the rest of the world how to do it.

In this episode we talk about the early history of surfing, how it developed over the years, some of the important people who spread enthusiasm about surfing, and more. In our recurring we discuss what we've been watching and talk about Hadestown in theaters and Beef on Netflix.

If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or our links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at [email protected].

Segments

• 00:25 Introduction
• 05:08 The Early History of Surfing, From Heʻe Nalu to the World
• 24:13 What Are We Watching? Hadestown and Beef

Welcome to Season 6, Episode 33! Our guest this episode is the award-winning broadcast journalist Carol Lin. Her career has placed her at the center of some of the most consequential moments in modern American history. Other than being a broadcast journalist Carol is also an author and educator, and her work has spanned more than two decades at the local, regional, and national levels of TV News.

A Los Angeles native and UCLA graduate, Carol began her career covering politics in Washington, D.C., before reporting and anchoring in Los Angeles and eventually joining the national ranks at ABC News and CNN. Throughout her career, Carol reported on many of the defining stories of the 1990s and early 2000s, covering everything from presidential politics and natural disasters to international conflicts and breaking news that shaped the nation.

Her memoir, When News Breaks: A Memoir of Love and War, offers an intimate look at the person behind the headlines, exploring not only the excitement of a remarkable journalism career but also the deeply personal experiences that shaped her life away from the camera. It's an honest and beautifully written memoir and it gives insight into how she overcame both personal and professional challenges to become one of the most recognized faces on TV.

Along the way, her work earned some of journalism's highest honors, including a National Emmy Award, a George Foster Peabody Award, and the prestigious Alfred I. duPont–Columbia Award. She has also been recognized by the Los Angeles Press Club and became the first recipient of the Organization of Chinese Americans' National IMAGE Award for her contributions to journalism and the Asian American community.

In our conversation, we talk about the differences between being a correspondent and an anchor, some of the difficulties that Asian American women faced in broadcast journalism, the challenges with breaking news like 9/11 when you're sometimes learning just before reporting, the beauty of living in Hawaii, and so much more. To learn more about Carol, you can visit her website carollinnow.com, follow her on instagram @carollinnow, buy her memoir When News Breaks, or follow her substack to read about stories of 9/11 whennewsbreaks.substack.com.

If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or our links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at [email protected].

Welcome to Season 6, Episode 32! It's food time again!In this episode, we're talking about a dish that may not be as widely known… Yakamein. It's one of those dishes that feels inseparable from New Orleans, but it does show up throughout the U.S. South as well as the Eastern seaboard. In New Orleans, where it may be best known, it shows up at second line parades, food festivals, neighborhood corner stores, and pop-ups.

We love it's nickname… "Old Sober"… which it gets from its reputation as a hangover cure. But more than that, it's a dependable comfort food that may be Chinese in origin, but it's been adapted and influenced by the area both in and outside of New Orleans.

We'll talk about where Yakamein or variations of it show up across the South and Eastern U.S. as well as some of the different chefs who are known for making versions of it… including NOLA's Miss Linda.

In our recurring segment, we talk about the Southern Foodways Alliance, an organization that documents, studies and explores the food culture in the American South. They have some great articles on how Chinese Americans and other Asian Americans have impacted food in the South. To learn more, you can visit southernfoodways.org, follow them on Instagram @southfoodways, and donate at southernfoodways.org/donate.

If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or our links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at [email protected].

Segments

• 00:25 Introduction
• 02:47 The History of Old Sober… The Chinese, Black, and Creole Origins of Yakamein
• 18:53 Organizations to Know: Southern Foodways Alliance