Vulgar Geniuses

We’re pulling out the heavy hitters for this exclusive episode of The Vulgar Geniuses Podcast. Co-authored by Jeff Yang, Philip Wang, & Phill Yu comes the New York Times best-selling book RISE: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now. Jeff & Phil join us in conversation to talk about their groundbreaking book that covers significant moments in Asian American History that are the cornerstone of the foundation of America and announces to the world that Asia is Rising! Let's get this month-long celebration started as we celebrate AAPI Heritage Month on this episode of The Vulgar Geniuses Podcast!  

Live from Orlando, Florida, it is the 2nd Annual Vulgar Geniuses Awards! Join us as we honor this past year’s spectacular literary masters, emerging filmmakers, groundbreaking artists and musicians for their extraordinary works.

We're joined by writer Minda Honey, founder, and creator of the digital alt-indie magazine TAUNT. We talk with her about her forthcoming memoir, AN ANTHOLOGY OF ASSHOLES, from Little A. Minda talks to us about what life was like navigating through her twenties, exploring the wonderfully messy world of dating and heartbreak, and how coming back to Kentucky allowed her to reconcile the restlessness of wanting to return home. Grab your charcuterie board and your favorite cocktail, and get ready to laugh away the next hour on this episode of the Vulgar Geniuses Podcast. 

In the New York Times bestselling novel Olga Dies Dreaming, we are brought into the world of champagne wishes and caviar dreams. Olga Acevedo is a wedding planner whose keen eye for detail and savviness fuels her superpower to curate the most beautiful weddings for New York's elite. While she spends her time helping others take a new step into love, Olga struggles to find footing. 

On this episode of The Vulgar Geniuses Podcast, we talk to the hilarious debut author Xochitl Gonzalez about her the creation of her novel and her undying love for Brooklyn. 

The PBS animated short, Jelly, Ben & Pogo, premiered in Oct. 2021. It made waves in television as the first cartoon to feature Filipinos as lead characters on a major children's network. The show centers around a sister and brother, who embark on spectacular adventures with their sea monster friend, Pogo. Creator & writer Jalysa Leva sits down with us to talk about answering the call to be daring and creative in her work, the inspiration behind her vibrant and hilarious characters, and what this series means to Filipinos in America. 

It's the most wonderful time of the year! April is right around the corner, and we're are gearing up to celebrate a major milestone. That's right! The Vulgar Geniuses will be crossing the threshold of a new year, as we are turning two years old!  On today's special episode of the Vulgar Geniuses Podcast, we fill you in on our plans for a month-long celebration. We're having a party, and you are all invited! There will be giveaways, special podcast episodes, and more! 

After captivating readers with her debut memoir Reading Lolita in Tehran, Azar Nafisi returns with her fifth book, Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times. Nafisi implores the reader to look to the power of literature as America wrestles with censorship in the aftermath of the Trump presidency. In our conversation with Azar Nafisi, she makes her case for us to be diligent in our pursuit of defending our freedom to read books that challenge us, encourage our growth, and call us to play in the limitless waters of imagination.  

Jason Mott's award-winning novel HELL OF A BOOK is a bold and imaginative story that takes readers through a multidimensional universe where magical realism, humor, and breaking of the fourth wall, examine love and grief. Mott's protagonist embarks upon a book tour, but soon the unnamed author finds himself followed by a young Black boy who may or may not be imaginary.  On this episode of The Vulgar Geniuses Podcast, we talk with National Book Award winner Jason Mott about writing without constraints, his love of Streetfighter, and how an inside joke among friends about Nicolas Cage made its way into his novel.

Set in a fictional suburb of New Orleans, THE LAST SUSPICIOUS HOLDOUT dissects the lives of African Americans during the 15 years between the Reagan era to the night before Obama is elected president. Each story finds itself connected by threads of recurring characters exploring the effects of the emergence of crack cocaine in the early 90s to neighborhoods ravaged by gentrification. In this episode, we speak with Ladee Hubbard about the creativity behind this gripping book, her relationship with examining the lives of those in the South, and what it was like to be guided by the hands of the magnificent Toni Morrison. 

LEONOR WILL NEVER DIE took audiences by surprise this year at the Sundance Film Festival. This debut film came from the creative mind of Director and Screenwriter Martika Ramirez Escobar. Combining magical realism and action reminiscent of the 80s, we meet Leonor, a once-prominent name in the film industry, who now finds herself struggling to make ends meet. When attempting to work her way back into the film world, a tv falls on her head putting her in a coma, where she has a dream in which she is the star of her own movie.