Talking Taiwan

This week's episode of Talking Taiwan features part two of my conversation with Eileen Lin-Goutier and Rolla Chng about raising Blasian kids. This was definitely the longest interview that I've done for Talking Taiwan to date, which is why we split it up into two parts. In this episode, Eileen talks about the Facebook group for Taiwanese Moms with Blasian kids, and Rolla talks about her son and daughter's cross-country road trip and the different concerns that she, their father Frantz and their uncle Tim had.

While much of conversation focused on parenting, we also got into a discussion about racism, the understanding of the Black experience amongst Taiwanese and Taiwanese Americans, and human rights.

About Eileen Lin-Goutier:

Eileen was born and raised in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and moved to U.S. when she was in high school. While at the University of Virginia she founded the Taiwanese Language Club and served as the president of Taiwanese Student Association. She later kicked off her nonprofit career by working at the Formosan Association of Public Affairs (FAPA) for three years (2010-2013) managing FAPA's Young Professionals Group (FAPA-YPG). Eileen has also served on the board of Taiwanese American Association of America's (TAA) Greater Washington Chapter for several years by helping to plan local cultural events and Taiwanese American Heritage Week. Her nonprofit career was been guided by her belief in fighting for social justice, equity and human rights. Eileen met her Haitian American husband, Edwin through a love for food, family and passion for social and environmental causes. She currently lives in Washington D.C. with her family.

About Rolla Chng:

Rolla Chng was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. While at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, she established the Taiwanese American Students Club (TASC) and helped to found the Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association (ITASA). Rolla has been involved with the Taiwanese American Conference- East Coast (TAC/EC) in the 90s and early 2000s. She organized the second generation program for TAC/EC in 1998 and 2003, and has been a strong supporter of TAC/EC's new iteration, Taiwanese American Next Generation (TANG). She raised her Haitian-Taiwanese American daughter and son in Baltimore City with their father, Master Frantz Cadet, owner of Cadet Martial Arts and Fitness. She began teaching math in Baltimore City Public Schools and community college when her children reached school age. After her children graduated from high school, she returned to her pre-family career of civil engineering.

About Rolla's children:

Her daughter, Uiseng Francois, is on pandemic hiatus from her New York City gig playing a Jet in the Broadway revival of West Side Story. She is a second year BFA student in dance at Peabody Institute, and is currently continuing her studies, virtually, as she travels cross country. Rolla's son Evains traveled with Uiseng during the first week of her cross-country trip, before entering his second year of a bachelor's degree in civil engineering at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL.

Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

• The Facebook group for Taiwanese Moms with Blasian kids that Eileen is a member of and what she's learned from it
• Topics commonly discussed in the Facebook group for Taiwanese Moms with Blasian kids
• Skin colorism
• How Eileen and Rolla balance educating their kids about both of their cultural backgrounds
• How Rolla wanted to make sure that her kids were exposed to the Taiwanese language at an early age and that they visited Taiwan
• How Eileen plans to teach her kids Taiwanese with the help of her parents and by planning to take them to Taiwanese school
• The importance of language in understanding and connecting to one's culture
• Thoughts on the term "color blind" and raising kids to be "color blind"
• People's different reactions to using the term "Black"
• Incidents that Rolla's kids have had with the police or authorities
• How Rolla's kids feel about the police
• The advice that Frantz would give his and Rolla's kids and how it is different from Rolla
• The concerns that Tim, Rolla's brother and Frantz her partner have about Uiseng and Evains' cross-country trip
• How Rolla and Frantz co-parent
• The importance of teaching your kids negotiation skills
• Asian Black relations
• The racism that Asians have toward Blacks
• The understanding of the Black experience amongst Taiwanese and Taiwanese Americans
• Minority relations
• How doing the right things and having an education does not exempt you from experiencing racism
• Advice for parents of Blasian kids
• Rolla's advice for parents and her parenting philosophy
• What the job of a parent is in raising their kids

Related Links:

Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association (ITASA): https://itasa.org/

Taiwanese American summer camps and conferences:

Taiwanese American Next Generation (TANG): http://tangeneration.org/

Taiwanese American Foundation (TAF): https://www.tafworld.org/

Formosan Association of Public Affairs (FAPA): https://fapa.org/

Formosan Association of Public Affairs- Young Professionals Group (FAPA- YPG) on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fapaypg

FAPA- YPG LA/OC Chapter Facebook Group: https://facebook.com/groups/54085939954

FAPA- YPG NY/NJ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nynjypg

FAPA- YPG San Francisco/Bay Area Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fapaypgsf

Taiwanese Association of America (TAA): https://www.taa-usa.org/

Taiwanese American Conference- East Coast (TAC/EC): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwanese_American_Conference

My guests on this episode of Talking Taiwan are Eileen Lin-Goutier and Rolla Chng. Both are Taiwanese American women with Black partners and are parents of Blasian kids. Eileen is a relatively new parent with a two-year-old daughter and Rolla has two grown children who are 19 and 20 years old. I thought it would be a good idea to bring together these two women at very different stages of the parenting journey to have a conversation about their perspectives on raising Blasian children.

There was so much to discuss that we've decided to split up the conversation into two parts. Join us next week for the second part of the conversation when Eileen will talk about the Facebook group for Taiwanese Moms with Blasian kids that she's a part of, and what she's learned from being a part of that group. Rolla will talk about her son and daughter's cross-country road trip and the discussions that she, their father Frantz had their uncle Tim had with them about it, beforehand.

About Eileen Lin-Goutier:

Eileen was born and raised in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and moved to U.S. when she was in high school. While at the University of Virginia she founded the Taiwanese Language Club and served as the president of Taiwanese Student Association. She later kicked off her nonprofit career by working at the Formosan Association of Public Affairs (FAPA) for three years (2010-2013) managing FAPA's Young Professionals Group (FAPA-YPG). Eileen has also served on the board of Taiwanese American Association of America's (TAA) Greater Washington Chapter for several years by helping to plan local cultural events and Taiwanese American Heritage Week. Her nonprofit career was been guided by her belief in fighting for social justice, equity and human rights. Eileen met her Haitian American husband, Edwin through a love for food, family and passion for social and environmental causes. She currently lives in Washington D.C. with her family.

About Rolla Chng:

Rolla Chng was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. While at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, she established the Taiwanese American Students Club (TASC) and helped to found the Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association (ITASA). Rolla has been involved with the Taiwanese American Conference- East Coast (TAC/EC) in the 90s and early 2000s. She organized the second generation program for TAC/EC in 1998 and 2003, and has been a strong supporter of TAC/EC's new iteration, Taiwanese American Next Generation (TANG). She raised her Haitian-Taiwanese American daughter and son in Baltimore City with their father, Master Frantz Cadet, owner of Cadet Martial Arts and Fitness. She began teaching math in Baltimore City Public Schools and community college when her children reached school age. After her children graduated from high school, she returned to her pre-family career of civil engineering.

About Rolla's children:

Her daughter, Uiseng Francois, is on pandemic hiatus from her New York City gig playing a Jet in the Broadway revival of West Side Story. She is a second year BFA student in dance at Peabody Institute, and is currently continuing her studies, virtually, as she travels cross country. Rolla's son Evains traveled with Uiseng during the first week of her cross-country trip, before entering his second year of a bachelor's degree in civil engineering at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL.

Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

• How their parents/families first react to learning that their partner was Black
• When their parents' perceptions changed
• How to deal with people's reactions to them and their Blasian kids
• Dealing with people's perceptions of their kids as primarily Black
• Acknowledging that as a parent you may unintentionally do things that hurt your kids
• How they co-parent with their partners
• Learning about the Black experience through their partner's personal experiences
• The Taiwanese experience and the role social justice in Eileen and Rolla's lives
• The importance of acknowledging the privilege that you have compared to other groups of people
• Preparing their kids for encounters with the police or authority figures
• The importance of instilling confidence in your kids to be comfortable with who they are
• How to prepare your kids for any racism or bias they may encounter and make sure that they are safe
• "The talk" that Black parents have with their kids
• How Asian identity is perceived in the U.S.
• The acceptance of Blasian people's Asian identity
• The participation of Rolla's kids in Taiwanese American conferences and summer camps
• Dealing with microaggressions that they have experienced
• Eileen's parenting questions for Rolla and Rolla's advice

Related Links:

The Watts Riots (aka Watts Riots): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watts_riots

http://history.com/topics/1960s/watts-riots

Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association (ITASA): https://itasa.org/

Taiwanese American summer camps and conferences:

Taiwanese American Next Generation (TANG): http://tangeneration.org/

Taiwanese American Foundation (TAF): https://www.tafworld.org/

Formosan Association of Public Affairs (FAPA): https://fapa.org/

Formosan Association of Public Affairs- Young Professionals Group (FAPA- YPG) on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fapaypg

FAPA- YPG LA/OC Chapter Facebook Group: https://facebook.com/groups/54085939954

FAPA- YPG NY/NJ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nynjypg

FAPA- YPG San Francisco/Bay Area Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fapaypgsf

Taiwanese Association of America (TAA): https://www.taa-usa.org/

Taiwanese American Conference- East Coast (TAC/EC): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwanese_American_Conference

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

September is National Suicide Prevention Month. Unfortunately, suicide is a very real issue for the Asian American community. According to the Office of Minority Health, in 2017 the leading cause of death in young Asian Americans in the US was suicide. My guest on this episode of Talking Taiwan is passionate about promoting emotional wellness and a prevention model for mental health.

Dr. Eunice Yuen is, a child and adult psychiatrist who specializes in Asian American mental health. She sat down to speak to me about the stigma of mental health and the reluctance of Asian Americans to seek help. Dr. Yuen noted that prevention through mindfulness of emotional wellness are especially important for teenagers and young adults, which is the age at which mental illness often first manifests.

Dr. Yuen is working on an innovative tool called CHATogether that helps to resolve conflicts between Asian American parents and children. More than ever, tools like CHATogether are useful to address heightened child-parent conflicts during COVID-19, and discussions about racism. Please note that any of the advice or content shared in the episode is not meant to be taken as medical advice or psychiatric treatment.

Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

• Why Dr. Yuen decided to enter the field of child and adult psychiatry and where her special interest in promoting emotional wellness in the Asian American community comes from
• The difference between emotional wellbeing and a mental health issue
• How building emotional resilience is important to help deal with everyday stress
• How daily routines and structure is important for emotional wellbeing especially during the Coronavirus pandemic
• How to identify when someone is dealing with a mental health issue and needs to seek help
• Some individuals may display physical symptoms e.g. a stomachache, diarrhea, headache, while being able to function
• What should you do if you think that someone you know (e.g. a friend or family member) is in need of help with a mental health issue
• What the project Dr. Yuen CHATogether is about
• How CHATogether is based on a paper published by Brazilian theater director, Augusto Boal in the 1980s called "Theater of the Oppressed"
• What ages CHAT has been developed for
• The concept of mentalization
• The CHATogether community
• What type of feedback CHATogether has gotten from its' participants
• How Chatogether has addressed child-parent conflict during COVID-19, talking about Black Lives Matter and racism
• The concept of regulating emotions
• The 3 R's: Recognize your emotions, Realize where the emotions are coming from, Regulate your emotions
• The importance of labeling your emotions and talking about your feelings
• How to overcome the stigma of mental health within the Asian American community

Related Links:

Dr. Eunice Yuan's bio: https://medicine.yale.edu/profile/eunice_yuen/

CHATogether website: https://yale.edu/chatogether/

CHATogether Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CHATogetherWithUs/

CHATogether Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRX2Nzv65ekzHikAaiyG6YQ

QR Code to connect to Cchatogether on social media:

A bio of Augusto Boal, the Brazilian dramatist who created the Theatre of the Oppressed:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Augusto-Boal

An article about Theater of Oppressed in medical education:

http://www.ijme.in/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/1909-5.pdf

Yale School of Medicine Magazine article about CHATogether: https://medicine.yale.edu/news/yale-medicine-magazine/chating-about-problems-before-they-turn-toxic/

Woodblock press article about CHATogether: https://www.woodblock-press.com/asianvoices/chatting-through-vignettes-with-dr-eunice-yuen

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

A relationship between mother and daughter that was so stonewalled that it took 20 years and a camcorder to make a breakthrough- this was the subject of Huang Hui-chen's first feature documentary film, Small Talk. Small Talk is one of two documentary films being screened at the Austin Asian American Film Festival's Prismatic Taiwan (September 4-13), a virtual, six-film series celebrating the past and present of queer Taiwanese cinema. Hui-chen spoke candidly about this deeply personal film that she described as a letter to her mother. She also revealed what's happened in the aftermath of the film. Her film and personal story give hope to others dealing difficult parent-child relationships. Special thanks to the Austin Asian American Film Festival and Stacey Pai for providing translation.

To purchase tickets to watch Small Talk and learn about the other films featured in Prismatic Taiwan visit: www.aaafilmfest.org/ Talking Taiwan listeners will get $2 off when they use the code TALKING. The Prismatic Taiwan Queer Film Series, features six LGBTQ Taiwan films spanning from 1970 to 2016. You can watch all six films for under $15. To learn more Prismatic Taiwan check out last week's episode, episode t.

Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

• Hui-chen's work as an activist
• When she got interested in documentary filmmaking
• How it took her so long (20 years) to make Small Talk into a movie that her mother and relatives didn't think she'd actually be able to do it
• The footage of her nieces discussing whether their grandma (Hu-Chen's mother) is a boy or a girl
• How she got her mother to finally talk
• How she got other family members and her mother's girlfriends to talk in the film
• The one person who she would have like to interview for the movie, but did not
• How the film, Small Talk is like a letter to her mother
• Why Hui-chen's husband doesn't appear in the film
• While Hui-chen's now ex-husband doesn't appear in Small Talk he will be in her next film which will be about the relationship between love and social activism
• Hui-chen's mother's reaction to the film after watching it
• How Hui-chen's mother's reacted when Small Talk was screen at Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards
• How the film Small Talk has affected her and mother's relationship with their relatives
• What was Hui-chen's sister's reaction to Small Talk
• How the film Small Talk has affected Hui-chen's relationship with her mother
• How Hui-chen's relatives reacted to and dealt with to her mother's lesbianism
• How Hou Hsiao-hsien took a leap of faith when he got involved and became the executive producer of Small Talk
• What filmmaking advice Hou Hsiao-hsien gave her
• How Hui-chen feels about Small Talk having been selected as the Taiwanese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards
• Hui-chen's book about her mother that reveals more that the film did not

Related Links:

PURCHASE tickets to watch Small Talk

LEARN More About Prismatic Taiwan and the September 5th live, virtual roundtable discussion event with Asian Cinevision and director Zero Chou, entitled "Creating Transnational Queer Asian Spaces": https://www.aaafilmfest.org/prismatic-taiwan

Huang Hui-chen's book, about her mother, 我和我的T媽媽 (available in Chinese):

https://readmoo.com/book/210085132000101

https://www.books.com.tw/products/E050053049

Austin Asian American Film Festival: https://www.aaafilmfest.org/

Austin Asian American Film Festival Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AAAFF/

Austin Asian American Film Festival on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aaafilmfest/

Austin Asian American Film Festival on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AAAFF

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Prismatic Taiwan, is a virtual, six-film series celebrating the past and present of queer Taiwanese cinema, co-presented by the Austin Asian American Film Festival (AAAFF). I recently spoke with Hanna Huang, the Executive Director of the Austin Asian American Film Festival and Josh Martin of the special programs team about the lineup of films that span 1970-2016. As you'll hear in the interview, a lot of research and thought went into the film selections. The films offer a different perspective on Taiwan's history and insight into Taiwan's LGBTQ history. You can watch all six films for under $15 and Talking Taiwan listeners can also get an additional $2 off when they use the code: TALKING.

Next week's episode will feature my interview with one of the film directors, Huang Hui-chen about her film, Small Talk, a deeply personal documentary that was 20 years in the making.

Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

• How the Austin Asian American Film Festival has screened many Taiwanese films throughout the years
• The retrospective of six Hou Hsiao-hsien films at the Austin Asian American Film Festival in September 2018
• How a Taiwan Queer Film Retrospective has actually been in the works since 2018
• The Austin Asian American film festival started in 2004, but was known as the Austin Asian film festival until 2007 when an Asian American organizer, Masashi Niwano stepped in
• The mission of the Austin Asian American Film Festival, which is to bring to light Asian and Asian American stories through cinema
• Their programming is year round
• The main film festival is usually held in June, but this year they had a short film online festival featuring 36 short films
• Prismatic Taiwan, a six film retrospective of queer films spanning 1970-2016
• A retrospective of Asian American films is being planned for the late fall (November)
• The meaning behind the name Prismatic Taiwan
• How they translated the word prismatic with the Chinese word for kaleidoscope, therefore Prismatic Taiwan A Queer Film Series has been translated into Chinese as: 萬花同志電
• How the first film of Prismatic Taiwan, The End of the Track from 1970 was thought lost but has been recovered and is being reintroduced to audiences
• How they narrowed down the film selection from over 20 films to 6
• The one film that they couldn't include in Prismatic Taiwan when the Austin Asian American Film Festival went online, Ang Lee's The Wedding Banquet
• The second film in the series, Outcasts (aka The Outsiders) as made in 1986 right before martial law in Taiwan was lifted
• How they selected films that were not that easy to find
• The River, was set in 1997 around the emergence of the gay club scene in Taipei
• Not Simply a Wedding Banquet, set in 1997 is a documentary
• Spider Lilies (2007) and Small Talk(2016) feature female gay characters whereas The River and Not Simply a Wedding Banquet feature male gay characters
• September 5th live event, a Transnational Queer Activism Panel featuring Film Director Zero Chou in collaboration with Asian Cinevision along with others from the U.K. and Taiwan
• Small Talk (2016) is a documentary film that was 20 years in the making and was executive produced by Hou Hsiao-hsien and Taiwan's submission to the Academy Awards
• These films tell the story of Taiwan's history and queer history
• How Director Tsai Ming-Liang, made the film I Don't Want To Sleep Alone in Malaysia but it was banned there
• Previously Tsai Ming-Liang had said that he wasn't comfortable having his films in a queer film festival but that has changed since the legalization of gay marriage in Taiwan
• How there were film distributors or filmmakers who didn't want their film to be a part of the queer series
• The background of Mou Tun-Fei the director of The End of The Track
• How the design of the poster for Prismatic Taiwan was inspired by Kaohsiung's Love River
• Prismatic Taiwan is offering a SPECIAL DISCOUNT to listeners of Talking Taiwan, just use the code: TALKING to get $2 off when you purchase your tickets from August 38-September 13

Related Links:

Austin Asian American Film Festival: https://www.aaafilmfest.org/

Purchase tickets to Prismatic Taiwan and for more info on the September 5th live event, virtual roundtable discussion event with Asian Cinevision and director

Zero Chou, entitled "Creating Transnational Queer Asian Spaces": https://www.aaafilmfest.org/prismatic-taiwan

Austin Asian American Film Festival Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AAAFF/

Austin Asian American Film Festival on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aaafilmfest/

Austin Asian American Film Festival on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AAAFF

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Jaleea Price, spoke with me about a broad range of topics beginning with her arrival and time in Taiwan. While in Taiwan she worked on the ICRT morning news show, co-founded D.A.P. (Descendants of African Peoples) with Elissa Russell (who was a guest on episode 88), and had two daughters. Now an arts educator based in Thailand, Jaleea she had recently gone through quarantine in Thailand and the U.K. when we spoke. She also spoke to me about TCKs, the racism that she's experienced in the U.S. and Taiwan as a biracial woman and her thoughts on the Black Lives Matter movement.

Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

• Jaleea talks briefly about quarantining in Thailand and the U.K.
• What brought her to Taiwan
• Her connection to the Cloud Gate Dance Theater of Taiwan
• Arriving in Taiwan alone without a cell phone and going to Internet cafes to communicate with her friends and family
• What it was like working on the ICRT morning show
• What it was like having young children in Taiwan
• People's reactions when they asked where she was from and she said that she was American
• Her involvement with D.A.P. The Descendants of African Peoples group
• The different ways that Black people from other parts of the world (e.g. Canada, France) identify themselves vs. American
• The racism and discrimination that she's experienced in the U.S. and Taiwan
• Her thoughts on the murder of George Floyd and Black Lives Matter
• Her experience of the Black Lives Matter movement in the U.K. and Thailand
• Her privilege as a light-skinned woman of color
• K-pop group BTS's support of Black Lives Matter and takeover of #whitelivesmatter
• What a TCK is
• The Eastern and Western cultural differences in the birthing process
• What she misses most about Taiwan

Related Links:

Jaleea on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jaleea-price

Jaleea on Instagram: instagram.com/jaluthegreat

Jaleea on Facebook: www.facebook.com/jaleeajoie

Taipei Times article about D.A.P. (Descendants of African Peoples): https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2004/07/12/2003178672

BBC New article about the K-pop group BTS that donated $1m to the Black Lives Matter movement and took over the hashtag #whitelivesmatter: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-52960617

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

In this episode of Talking Taiwan, we'll be sharing two different perspectives on the Taiwan quarantine experience in this time of the Coronavirus pandemic. I spoke with Diana Lee, the co-founder and president of Asian in New York and one of the founders and organizers of Hello Taiwan. She recently traveled back to Taiwan with her two young children and was quarantined with them in Kaohsiung at her parents' home. We'll also hear from JD Chang who went back to Taiwan earlier this year. JD was a guest on Episode 80 of Talking Taiwan. He had a very different experience since he traveled and quarantined alone. He spoke with us about his quarantine experience back in May.

Special thanks to Jane Wang for providing the recording of JD.

Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

• Hello Taiwan and what it does
• How Diana prepared for her trip back to Taiwan with 2 young kids (the travel and quarantine preparations)
• Permits required for entry into Taiwan at the time
• The Facebook group Diana consulted for advice on how to prepare for her trip back to Taiwan
• The PPE Diana prepared for her and her kids to wear during their travel back to Taiwan
• JD's travel preparations and quarantine experience as a solo traveler
• The different types of quarantine accommodations that people can opt for
• The most important tip for anyone traveling back to Taiwan and undergoing quarantine, which Diana mentioned and that ended up delaying JD for an extra hour at the airport
• The procedure upon arrival at the airport and before getting transported in a quarantine taxi or bus to your final destination
• What happens once you're in quarantine
• How Diana kept her kids occupied during quarantine
• How JD kept himself occupied during quarantine
• The US $33,000 fine for breaking quarantine

Related Links:

Asian In New York: http://www.asianinny.com/

Asian In New York Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AsianInNYFans

Hello Taiwan: http://www.hellotaiwan.us/

Hello Taiwan Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HelloTaiwanWorld/

Taiwanese COVID-19 Traveling Back to Taiwan Facebook Group (台灣海外Covid-19自救會): https://www.facebook.com/groups/889736338130271/?ref=share

Episode 80 with JD Chang Founder of Crushing The Myth: https://www.talkingtaiwan.com/jd-chang-founder-of-crushing-the-myth-ep-80/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Elissa Russell and Elizabeth Williams are my guests on this episode of Talking Taiwan. We spoke about their experiences of living in Taiwan, the racism that they've experienced in Taiwan vs. the U.S. and Black Lives Matter. One thing that's abundantly clear is that Taiwan has a very special place in their hearts. Liz and Elissa spoke candidly on the topic of Black Lives Matter and the state of race relations in the United States. Thank you Liz and Elissa for your open-heartedness and for inviting my audience to continue the conversation with you. Contact info for Elissa and Liz is listed below in the Related Links section.

Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

• What brought Elissa and Liz to Taiwan
• Elissa and Liz talk about their experiences living in Taiwan
• The racism that Liz and Elissa have experienced in Taiwan vs. the United States, and how they have handled it
• Elissa and Liz share their perspectives on the segregation in Atlanta, Chicago and Los Angeles
• Liz and Elissa offer their perspectives on Black Lives Matter
• Elissa and Liz discuss how the killing of Ahmaud Arbery felt especially personal
• The anti-racism initiative that Liz is working on
• Being an ally vs. an accomplice
• What actions people can take to support the Black Lives Matter and too educate themselves
• How to have conversations with others about the Black Lives Matter movement

Related Links:

Elissa Russell's contact info:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/janquilrussell/

https://www.instagram.com/im_readi/

https://www.facebook.com/elissa.j.russell

Elissa Russell's business info:

www.consultreadi.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/consultreadi/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/readi-consulting-llc

Elizabeth Williams' contact info:

Personal website: https://www.theycallmeliz.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-williams-370510/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizzyworld/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liz.williams.52090 An article about the arrest and jailing of Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.: https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/21/us/21gates.html

An Open Letter for Black Lives Matter (which has been translated into over 30 different languages): https://lettersforblacklives.com/

An article about the arrest and jailing of Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.: https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/21/us/21gates.html

Liz's appearance on the Taiwan TV show Super Idol: https://youtu.be/vzQpANhYAeI

Liz singing a bit of Peking Opera during her appearance on the Taiwan TV show Super Idol [Start watching at 4:09]: https://youtu.be/cFEz19varyo

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

July is Black, Indigenous, People of Color Mental Health Awareness Month, so I thought this would be good time to invite Dr. Ilene Wong, who writes as I.W. Gregorio on to Talking Taiwan to talk about her latest novel, This is My Brain in Love. Dr. Wong has described the novel as a happy book about mental illness across cultures. We spoke about how she balances her medical and writing careers and her first book, None of the Above.

Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

• Why she writes under the pen name "I.W. Gregorio"
• How she went from being a doctor to a YA author and which came first
• How she balances her career in medicine with her writing
• How her medical career informs her writing
• How much of her novel draws from her personal life
• Her thoughts on the model minority myth and stereotypes
• What she thinks of the media's focus on suicide as the endpoint of depression
• YA books and movies that romanticized death by suicide
• The difference between being down in the dumps and clinically depressed
• How difficult was it for Ilene to come out about her mental health issues
• Why she felt compelled to write this book now
• How her family dealt with her depression
• The paradoxical views that some doctors have about medicating for mental health issues
• How we might de-stigmatize mental health
• The difference between passive and active suicide ideation
• Her writing process and the importance of having critique partners
• The feedback that she's received on the book
• Her first book None of the Above
• What the term "intersex" means
• Why she writes for YA audiences
• Her advice for aspiring authors
• Ilene's connection to Taiwan

Related Links:

Ilene's website: www.iwgregorio.com

I.W. Gregorio on social media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/IWGregorio

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iwgregorio/

Tumblr: https://iwgregorio.tumblr.com/

Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) Mental Health Awareness Month: https://www.mhanational.org/BIPOC-mental-health-month

Suicide hotlines:

Crisis Text Line (Text HOME to741741 from anywhere in the USA, at any time)

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255)

The Trevor Project (1-866-488-7386)

For suicide hotlines by country: International Association for Suicide Prevention https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/

Mental Health Resources:

Mental Health America https://screening.mhanational.org/screening-tools

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (1-800-662-4358 https://findtreatment.samhsa.gov/)

The Anxiety and Depression Association of America https://adaa.org/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

In 2015, I spoke with Gordon Chang, author and political commentator about his views on China and his books, The Coming Collapse of China, and Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes On the World. I recently invited him back on Talking Taiwan, to listen to that episode, check out episode 85.

Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

• How Gordon went from practicing law to writing The Coming Collapse of Chinaand becoming a political commentator who focuses on news about China
• How Gordon's views of China changed after he worked and lived there from 1996-2001
• How the Chinese Communist Party is going in the wrong direction
• What kind of reactions Gordon's book, The Coming Collapse of Chinareceived
• What's going to happen if China does collapse?
• China's predatory trade policies
• How China's ban of certain websites and social media platforms delegitimizes the Chinese Communist Party
• Gordon's impressions of Taiwan
• How Hong Kong's Umbrella Movement was inspired by Taiwan's Sunflower Movement
• Dissent in Hong Kong, Tibet and the Uighurs in Xinjiang
• Gordon's book Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes On the World
• How Gordon believes that the U.S. should be calling out China on North Korea
• Gordon's thoughts on the premise of the film The Interviewand the cyber hacks on Sony
• If Gordon has another book in the works

Related Links:

Gordon Chang on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gordongchang

Gordon Chang's website: www.gordonchang.com

Gordon's book Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes On the World: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400062942/qid=1134270260/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-9747648-7111228?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

Gordon's book, The Coming Collapse of China: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/037550477X/qid=1134270217/sr=8-2/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i2_xgl14/002-9747648-7111228?n=507846&s=books&v=glance

Hong Kong's Umbrella Movement: https://qz.com/1714897/what-was-hong-kongs-umbrella-movement-about/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umbrella_Movement

Taiwan's Sunflower Movement: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-asian-studies/article/inside-taiwans-sunflower-movement-twentyfour-days-in-a-studentoccupied-parliament-and-the-future-of-the-region/DB4A7B57538A6F06DC6C8CF0058C8040

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunflower_Student_Movement

The Interview: https://www.netflix.com/title/70305895

https://www.cnn.com/2014/12/27/world/asia/north-korea-the-interview-reaction/index.html

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/08/-sp-north-koreans-review-the-interview