Podcast appearances and mentions of claudia kishi

A weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists. Happy Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month! Even though the Trump Administration has eliminated recognizing cultural heritage months, we are still celebrating diversity and inclusion here at APEX Express and KPFA. We believe in lifting up people's voices and tonight on APEX Express the Powerleegirls are focusing on “Asian American Children's book authors”. Powerleegirl hosts Miko Lee and daughter Jalena Keane-Lee speak with: Michele Wong McSween, Gloria Huang, and Andrea Wang   AAPINH Month Children's Books part 1 transcript Opening: [00:00:00] Apex Express Asian Pacific expression. Community and cultural coverage, music and calendar, new visions and voices, coming to you with an Asian Pacific Islander point of view. It's time to get on board the Apex Express.   Ayame Keane-Lee: [00:00:49] Happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Even though the Trump administration has eliminated recognizing cultural heritage months, we are still celebrating diversity and inclusion. Here at Apex Express and KPFA, we believe in lifting up people's voices. And tonight on Apex Express, the PowerLeeGirls are focusing on Asian American Children's book authors. PowerLeeGirl hosts Miko Lee and daughter Jalena Keane-Lee. Speak with Michele Wong McSween, Gloria Huang and Andrea Wang. Thanks for joining us tonight on Apex Express. Enjoy the show.   Miko Lee: [00:01:21] Welcome, Michele Wong McSween to Apex Express.    Michele Wong McSween: [00:01:26] Thank you, Miko. It's nice to be here.    Miko Lee: [00:01:28] I'm really happy to talk with you about your whole children's series, Gordon & Li Li, which is absolutely adorable. I wanna start very first with a personal question that I ask all of my guests, which is, who are your people and what legacy do you carry with you?   Michele Wong McSween: [00:01:45] I would say my people are really my family starting with, my great, great grandparents who came here down to my grandparents, my parents, and onto my children because, to me family is. The reason why I created Gordon & Li Li in the first place, it was really to bridge that connection for my children. I didn't grow up feeling that connected with my culture because as a fourth generation Chinese American, I was really in the belief that I'm American. Why do I need to know anything about my culture? Why do I need to speak Chinese? I never learned. As a sidebar to that, I never learned to speak Chinese and it didn't really hit me until I had my own kids that I was really doing a disservice to not only my kids, but to myself. my people are my family. I do this for my kids. I do this to almost apologize to my parents for being so, Disrespectful to my amazing culture and I do it for the families who really want to connect and bridge that gap for their own children and for themselves.    Miko Lee: [00:02:53] And what legacy do you carry with you?    Michele Wong McSween: [00:02:55] Again, my family. My, great grandparents. Really. Started our family's legacy with the hard work and the prejudices and all the things that they endured so that we could have a better life. And I've always felt that it is my responsibility to teach my own kids about the sacrifices that were made and not to make them feel guilty, but to just make them appreciate that we are here. Because of the the blood, sweat, and tears that their ancestors did for them. And so we are, eternally grateful for that. I think it's important for us to continue that legacy of always doing our best, being kind and doing what we can do to further the experience of not just our family, but the people in our community that we connect with and to the greater world.    Miko Lee: [00:03:43] when you were growing up, were your parents speaking with you in Chinese and did you hear about your great grandparents and their legacy? Was that part of your upbringing?    Michele Wong McSween: [00:03:52] I heard about my great grandparents in the stories that my mom told us, but to be quite honest, I wasn't receptive to really digging deep in my cultural understanding of. my great-grandfather and what he went through. I know mom, I know he came over in 19 whatever. I know he brought over all these young sons from his village, but I really didn't fully take it in and. No, I didn't hear Chinese spoken in the house much. The only time my parents spoke it was to each other so that we didn't know what they were talking about. They had like this secret code, language. My experience with my language was not, That positive. we did attempt to go to Chinese school only to be teased by all the other kids because we didn't speak it. It didn't end up well. my mom ended up pulling us out and so no, we were really not connected all that much to the language.   Miko Lee: [00:04:48] I can really relate to what you're saying. As a fifth generation Chinese American, and my parents their ancestors came from different provinces, so their dialects were so different that they even spoke to each other in English. 'cause they couldn't understand each other in Chinese. So it happens so often. Yeah. Yeah. And so I really relate to that. I'm wondering if there was an epiphany in your life or a time where you thought, oh, I. I wish I knew more of those stories about my ancestors or was there some catalyst for you that changed?   Michele Wong McSween: [00:05:17] All of this really kind of happened when I moved to New York. I, you know, raised in Sacramento, went to college in the Bay Area, lived in San Francisco for a while with a job, and then I eventually moved to New York. And it wasn't until I came to New York and I met Asians or Chinese Americans like me that actually spoke Chinese and they knew about cool stuff to do in Chinatown. It really opened my eyes to this new cool world of the Chinese culture because I really experienced Chinatown for the first time when I moved to New York. And it was just so incredible to see all these people, living together in this community. And they all looked the same. But here's the thing, they all spoke Chinese, or the majority of them spoke Chinese. So when I went to Chinatown and they would look at me and speak to me in Chinese and I would give them this blank stare. They would just look at me like, oh my gosh, she doesn't even speak her own language. And it kind of made me feel bad. And this was really the first time that it dawned on me that, oh wow, I, I kind of feel like something's missing. And then it really hit me when I had my kids, because they're half Chinese and I thought, oh my gosh, wait a minute, if I'm their last connection to the Chinese culture and I don't speak the language. They have no chance of learning anything about their language they couldn't go that deep into their culture if I didn't learn about it. So that really sparked this whole, Gordon & Li Li journey of learning and discovering language and culture for my kids.    Miko Lee: [00:06:51] Share more about that. How, what happened actually, what was the inspiration for creating the Children's book series?    Michele Wong McSween: [00:06:58] It was really my children, I really felt that it was my responsibility to teach them about their culture and language and, if I didn't know the language, then I better learn it. So I enrolled all of us in different Mandarin courses. They had this, I found this really cute kids' Mandarin class. I went to adult Mandarin classes and I chose Mandarin because that was the approved official language in China. I am from Taishan, My parents spoke Taishanese, but I thought, well, if Mandarin's the official language, I should choose that one probably so that my kids will have at least a better chance at maybe some better jobs in the future or connecting with, the billion people that speak it. I thought Mandarin would be the way to go. When I started going to these classes and I just realized, wow, this is really hard, not just to learn the language, but to learn Mandarin Chinese, because we're not just talking about learning how to say the four different tones. We're talking about reading these characters that if you look at a Chinese character, you have absolutely no idea what it sounds like if you're, if you're learning Spanish or French or German, you can see the letters and kind of sound it out a little bit. But with Chinese characters. No chance. So I found it extremely difficult and I realized, wow, I really need to support my kids more because if I am going to be the one that's going to be bridging this connection for them, I need to learn more and I need to find some more resources to help us. when we would have bedtime story time, that whole routine. That was always the favorite time of my kids to be really, quiet and they would really absorb what I was saying, or we would talk about our days or just talk about funny things and I realized, wow, these books that they love and we have to read over and over and over again. this is the way that they're going to get the information. And I started searching high and low for these books. back in 2006, they didn't exist. and so I realized if they didn't exist and I really wanted them for my kids, then I needed to create them. That's the impetus, is there was nothing out there and I really wanted it so badly that I had to create it myself.   Miko Lee: [00:09:09] Oh, I love that. And I understand you started out self-publishing. Can you talk a little bit about that journey?    Michele Wong McSween: [00:09:15] I'm glad I didn't know what I know today because it was really hard. luckily I had, A friend who used to work for a toy company, it was all through connections. there was nothing really on Google about it. there was no Amazon print on demand. There were none of these companies that provide these services like today. So I just kept asking questions. Hey, do you know a toy manufacturer in China that maybe prints books? Do you know a company that could help me? get my books to the states. Do you know an illustrator that can help me illustrate my books? Because I had gone to fashion design school, but I had not learned to illustrate characters or things in a book. So asking questions and not being afraid to ask the questions was really how I was able to do it because, Without the help of friends and family, I wouldn't have been able to do this. I had all my friends look at my books, show them to their kids. I had my kids look at them, and I kind of just figured it out as I went along. Ultimately when I did publish my first book, I had so much support from my kids' schools. To read the books there, I had support from a local play space for kids that we would go to. I really leaned on my community to help me, get the books out there, or actually it was just one at the time. Two years later I self-published two more books. So I had three in total. no one tells you that when you self-publish a book, the easy part is actually creating it. The hard part is what comes after that, which is the pr, the marketing, the pounding, the pavement, knocking on the doors to ask people to buy your books, and that was really hard for me. I would just take my books in a bag and I would explain my story to people and I would show them my books. sometimes they would say, okay, I'll take one of each, or Okay, we'll try it out. and slowly but surely they would reorder from me. I just slowly, slowly built up, a whole Roster of bookstores and I kept doing events in New York.    I started doing events in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and through that I gained some following, some fans and people would tell their friends about me. they would give them to their nieces they would give them to their cousin's kids, or, things like that. I knew that I had to do it because my ultimate goal was to have Scholastic be my publisher. That was my ultimate goal. Because they are the publisher that I grew up with, that I love that I connected with, that I was so excited to get their book club, little flyer. I would check off every book that I wanted. And my mom never said no. She always let me get every single book I wanted. I realize now that that's what really Created the love of books for me is just having access to them and, going to the libraries and seeing all these books on the bookshelves and being able to take them out and read them on the spot. And then if I loved them enough, I would check them out and take them home and read them over and over. So it was really, my experience, having that love for books that I thought, oh gosh, it would be a dream. To have Scholastic become my publisher. So after 10 long years of events and community outreach and selling to these bookstores, I finally thought, okay, I've sold, about 17,000, 18,000 books. Maybe, maybe now I can take my series to them. I also had created an app. Maybe I can take this to them and show them what I've done. Maybe they'll be interested in acquiring me. And I got an appointment with the editor and I pitched my books on my app and within a couple of days they offered to acquire my books, which was my dream come true. So anyway, that was a very long story for how self-publishing really is and how ultimately it really helped my dream come true.    Miko Lee: [00:13:08] Now your books are on this Scholastic book, fair Circuit, right?    Michele Wong McSween: [00:13:13] Yes, they are. Well, it's actually just one book. They took the three books, which were everyday Words. Count in Mandarin and learn animals in Mandarin. They took all three books and they put them in one big compilation book, which is called My First Mandarin Words with Gordon & Li Li. So it's a bigger book. It's a bigger board book. Still very, very sturdy and it's a great, starter book for any family because it has those three first themes that were the first themes that I taught my own boys, and I think. It just, it's very natural for kids to want to learn how to count. animals were, and my kids were animal lovers, so I knew that that's what would keep them interested in learning Mandarin because they actually loved the topic. So, yes, my first mandarin words with Gordon & Li Li does live on Scholastics big roster.   Miko Lee: [00:14:01] Fun. Your dream come true. I love it. Yeah. Thanks. And you were speaking earlier about your background in fashion design. Has there been any impact of your fashion design background on your voice as a children's book author?   Michele Wong McSween: [00:14:14] I don't know if my background as a fashion designer has had any impact on my voice. I think it's had an impact on how I imagined my books and how I color my books and how I designed them because of working with, you know, color palettes and, and putting together collections I can visually see and, can anticipate. Because I have that background, I can kind of anticipate what a customer might want. And also, you know, speaking with people at my events and seeing what kids gravitate to, that also helps. But I think there's so much more to being an author than just writing the books. You know, when I go to my events, I have a table display, I have setups, I have props, I have, I actually now have a, a small. Capsule of merchandise because I missed designing clothes. So I have a teeny collection of, you know, sweaters, hoodies, onesies, a tote bag, and plushies   Miko Lee: [00:15:04] they're super cute by the way.    Michele Wong McSween: [00:15:06] Oh, thank you. So, you know, fashion has come in in different ways and I think having that background has really helped. kind of become who they are    Miko Lee: [00:15:17] Can you tell us about the latest book in the series, which is Gordon and Li Li All About Me. Can you tell a little bit about your latest?   Michele Wong McSween: [00:15:25] Gordon & Li Li All About Me is really, it's, to me, it's. I think my most fun interactive book because it really gets kids and parents up and out of their chairs, out of their seats and moving around. And you know, as a parent, I always would think about the kind of books that my kids would gravitate towards. What would they want to read and what as a parent would I want to read with my kids? Because really reading is all about connection with your kids. That's what I loved about books is it gave me a way to connect with my kids. And so a book about body parts to me is just a really fun way to be animated and get up and move around and you can tickle and, and squeeze and shake it around and dance around. And, you know, having three boys, my house was just like a big energy ball. So I knew that this book would be a really fun one for families and I have two nieces and a nephew, and I now, they're my new target market testers, and they just loved it. They had so much fun pointing to their body parts and the book ends with head, shoulders, knees, and toes in English and in Mandarin. And so of course. Every kid knows head, shoulders, knees, and toes in English. So we sing that. We get up, we point to our pottered parts, we shake it around, we dance around. And then the fun part is teaching them head, shoulders, knees, and toes in Mandarin because they're already familiar with the song. It's not scary to learn something in Mandarin. It just kind of naturally happens. And so I think the All About Me book is just a really fun way to connect with kids. I've actually launched it at a couple of events already and the response to the book has been overwhelming. I was at the Brooklyn Children's Museum and even the president of the museum came and did the head shoulders. Knees and toes, songs with us. It was so much fun. Everybody was dancing around and having a great time. So I'm just really, really excited for people to pick up this book and really learn about the body. It's, you know, body positivity, it's body awareness, and it's just a great way to connect with your kids.   Miko Lee: [00:17:31] So fun. I, I saw that you're recently at the Asian American Book Con. Can you talk a little bit about that experience?    Michele Wong McSween: [00:17:38] Oh, that was great. That was the first of its kind and. I led the entire author segment of it. I would say individual authors. There were, there were, publishing companies that brought in their own authors, but I was responsible for bringing in the independent authors. And so I think we had about eight of us. There were Indian, Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese, and we all came together for this one really special day of celebrating our voices and lifting each other up. And there was so much energy and so much positivity in that event, and I. Actually was just thinking about reaching out to the organizers last year and seeing if we could maybe do, part two? So, I'm glad you brought that up. It was a really positive experience.    Miko Lee: [00:18:27] So we're celebrating the end of Asian American Pacific Islander Native Hawaiian month. Can you tell us why this month is important to you?    Michele Wong McSween: [00:18:36] When you have something designated and set aside as, this is the month that we're going to be celebrating Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander heritage all month long, I think it kind of perks up. People's ears and they think, oh wow, this is a great opportunity for me to see what's happening in my community. I think it just brings the awareness to. The broader community and ultimately the world. And I think when we learn about each other and each other's cultures, it brings us closer together and makes us realize that we're really not that different from each other. And I think when there are so many events happening now it peaks the interest of people in the neighborhood that might otherwise not know about it and it can, really bring us closer together as a community.   Miko Lee: [00:19:27] Michelle Wong McSween, thank you so much for joining me on Apex Express. It's great to hear more about you and about your latest book Gordon & Li Li and the entire series. Thank you so much.    Michele Wong McSween: [00:19:39] Thank you, Miko   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:19:40] Thank you all so much for joining us. I'm here with Gloria l Huang, author of Kaya of the Ocean. Thank you so much for joining us, Gloria.    Gloria Huang: [00:19:48] Oh, thanks so much for having me here.    Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:19:50] So first off, one question that we're asking all of our guests on our show tonight is, who are your people? However you identify, you know, your community, your ancestors, and what legacy do you carry with you?    Gloria Huang: [00:20:01] Oh, that's such a good question. So I am my heritage is Chinese. My parents were born in China and then grew up in Taiwan. And I myself was actually born in Canada. But then moved the states pretty young and and American Canadian dual citizen and now, but I, my heritage plays a lot into my. Kind of my worldview. It really shaped, how I grew up and how I saw things. And so it features very prominently in my writing and in my stories as you could probably tell from Kaya the ocean.    Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:20:34] Yes. And I love the book so much. It was such a    Gloria Huang: [00:20:37] thank you,    Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:20:38] amazing read. And I'm also half Chinese and love the ocean. Just love the beach so much and have always felt such a connection with the water. I don't wanna give away too much things about the book, but I was wondering if you could talk about your inspiration for writing it and a little bit about, setting and everything.   Gloria Huang: [00:20:56] Of course. So the inspiration for the book actually started I came up with the idea when the world was first emerging from the pandemic and I was seeing a lot of people obviously experiencing a lot of anxiety, but a lot of children very close to me in my life. And they were experiencing it for the first time, which was can be so difficult. I remember when it happened to me and there's just this tendency to. Worry that there's something wrong with you or that you've done something and you feel so alone. And so I remember standing by the ocean one night actually and thinking that I'd really love to write a book about a girl who is struggling with. The anxiety just to be able to send a message to all these kids that there's nothing wrong with them. They're not alone and really all parts of who they are. Even the parts they might not love so much are important parts of these amazing, beautiful, complicated people. They are. So that was the inspiration for that part of the story, the setting. I was very inspired. As you mentioned, the ocean is a huge inspiration to me. It actually comes into my mind, a lot of my stories and someone pointed that out once and I was like, you're right, it does. And I think part of it is that I love the ocean. I love the beach. I love being there, but I'm also so in awe of this powerful thing that, you know, where we know so little about it. It is. There's so much mystery to it. It can look so beautiful on the surface and be so dangerous underneath. I love it as a metaphor. I love it as a part of nature. So I think that was a huge part of why I wanted to incorporate that, especially because I think it also plays well into the metaphor for how some people experience anxiety and you can be calm on the surface, but so much is happening underneath.    Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:22:29] Absolutely. Yeah. Those interplay with each other and are metaphors for each other in such a beautiful way, mirror the experience. Yeah. I wanted to talk a little bit more about anxiety and particular, as a young Asian American girl the cultural specificity of having anxiety as a young Asian American woman.    Gloria Huang: [00:22:46] Yes I definitely think it's no coincidence. I think that anxiety often goes hand in hand with perfectionism and pressure and I, many people feel that kind of pressure, but certainly a young Asian girl especially with immigrant parents, will feel specific kind of pressure. And so I was really trying to portray that, Somebody once said to me, they were like, oh, I really like how Kaya on the surface seems so put together. She's, got really good grades. She works really hard at school. She's close to her parents, but there's all this going on underneath. And I actually think that's not unusual in terms of that experience for Asian American children of immigrants, and especially if you're female I was really trying to. Tease that out. And then in addition I think there's a tendency, and this might exist in other cultures as well, but in Asian culture, at least in my family history there's a tendency not to really want to talk about mental health. There was a, there's a joke in my family that my parents thought anything could be solved with good sleep and good nutrition, like anytime you had any problem. And I think that there is a, there's a. resistance to feeling like your child can be struggling in a way you can't help them. So I, really wanted to touch on that, part of the cultural pressures at play in kaya's life.    Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:23:59] And you did so beautifully and it was very relatable, as a anxious Asian girly. And also just, the discussion of big feelings and somehow, having inklings that you may be more powerful than you even realize, but the kind of like emotions that come with that too.    Gloria Huang: [00:24:15] Yes. I think that's a huge part of it is that like when you experience these huge feelings they feel powerful, know, in a negative way. But what I was really trying to get at was, there is also power in accepting these parts of yourself and realizing that They can make up this powerful being that you are, even if you might not love them in that moment.    Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:24:34] Yeah. I felt very seen by the book and I, couldn't help but wonder wow, what would it have been like if I had read this when I was, 13 or 12 or kind of Closer to the age of the characters in the book.   Gloria Huang: [00:24:45] Thank you so much for saying that it actually means a lot because a lot of my motivation when I do write these books is to write for people who are either of that age or, wish they had a book like that at that age, which is also how I feel a lot about books nowadays and oh, I, I'm so glad that exists. I wish that had been around when I was that age.    Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:25:03] Yes. Were there any books that really set an example for you that either you read, maybe when you were, in the young adult. Age range or that you've read now as an adult where you're like, okay, this is definitely the audience that I wanna be writing for.   Gloria Huang: [00:25:17] Definitely. I actually love this question 'cause I'm a big reader and so I love talking about books . When I was a kid, middle grade books were my gateway into my love of reading. So I still remember a lot of my favorite books, but I would say a recent book, it's actually maybe not that recent now, it's maybe a couple years old, but a book that really. Had an effect on the middle grade book was when you trap a tiger by Tae Keller and it explores. The kind of Korean experience, but also through the prism of kind of understanding generational grief. And it was just so beautifully done and really made an impact on me. So that was one recently that I thought was really powerful. And, I was like, this is an important book. This is definitely a book I would've loved as a child. When I was younger and I was reading books, there were three books that meant a lot to me. One was called the true confessions of Charlotte Doyle, and it was like a swashbuckling adventure story starring a girl, which was, at that time not very common. And it was, it meant, it was so earth shattering to me to be able to see a female character in that role. So that was great. There's a book called. Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt. And it's an adventure story and it also stars. The main character is a very strong female character and Tuck everlasting, which I just think is a beautiful book. It's also female characters. Now I'm saying it out loud. They are all female main characters. And all about, existentialism and adventure and things that, it was important for me to see. Female characters exploring. But I did also wanna say that when I was reading middle grade books, some of my favorite books included a series called, babysitters Club, which I think that they've redone now as a graphic novel. And that was actually really important, not necessarily for the stories, but because there's a character named Claudia Kishi who. Was a Japanese American character and she absolutely shattered the minds of, I think all kids that age were Asian descent and female in reading these books because there just wasn't a character like her before that, she was so cool and artistic but she had immigrant parents and she had a sister who was very good at math and they didn't get along and she loved junk food and she was. So incredibly nuanced and it was just not something that we saw back then. So that really inspired me, I think, to want to add to the diversity of voices. And thankfully there are many more diverse voices now than when I was reading.    Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:27:30] I love that. And I also feel like books that you read at that age, they stay with you forever.   Gloria Huang: [00:27:35] They really do.    Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:27:35] And they shape so much of like your worldview and your friendships. And I'm curious, 'cause I know the book was released this year in January. Mm-hmm. So what has it been like for you on your book tour and what's been some other responses that you've heard? I.    Gloria Huang: [00:27:48] It's been really great. It was so exciting to do the book launch and then just the amount of support from the writing community from, my, my kind of network, my agents and my publisher and editor. And also just readers. It's been really great. But one thing I think I wasn't expecting to love quite so much, not because I was expecting to not love it. I just said, it occurred to me that I would feel this way is getting feedback from, child readers is amazing because, I think as writers we love feedback no matter what. And if it's positive feedback, that's even better. But having a child reach out and as some of my friends will send a video of their. Children reacting to the book or they'll, their, let their child type out a text messages and just to hear how the book hits with them and to hear their excitement or to hear that they were moved or to have them want to know what happens next. It meant so much to me because it was, they're the target audience and to have them feel seen in that way was just, it's just the ultimate kind of powerful feeling.    Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:28:51] That is so sweet. Oh my gosh. I can only imagine. And so you're talking about the young readers. Yes. But I'm also curious if you have any advice or thoughts for young writers who might be wanting to share and get similar stories out to the world?   Gloria Huang: [00:29:05] Yeah I definitely do. And one of the. Experiences I've had that's been great is I've been doing, some school visits and I go and I talk about the book, but I actually talk about the writing process. And when I do that, I really talk to the kids. As if they're writers. The one of the first questions I ask is, hold up your hand. If you love writing or you think you want me, you might wanna be a writer someday. And a lot of hands go up and I tell them like, what the publishing process is, what are, the different genre options, what you might wanna consider, how you come up with an idea, how you sit down and write it, how you reach out to an agent. And I am surprised at how. Intensely, they're hanging onto every word and they're insightful questions after it. It shows me that a lot of them are really thinking about this. I think for one of the school visits, I remember someone held up her hand and she said what is the youngest age I. Someone has been able to be published. And I thought that was great. Because they're so inspired and you can tell that, that they're thinking for the first time this is a possibility. I have all kinds of advice during the school visits, the main piece of advice is really. Just that it can be a tough industry. writing is a very isolated process usually. There's a lot of kind of obstacles and there's a lot of gatekeeping. And so I tell 'em that the most important thing they can do is just keep pushing through and not to let any, setbacks stop them, because the ultimate goal is to reach even just one person.    Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:30:24] Absolutely. And what kind of advice do you give around learning how to hone your own voice and also having discipline when it comes to an artistic practice?   Gloria Huang: [00:30:33] Yeah, I think that's such a great question. And I was gonna say this piece of advice is probably more for I. Older writers, but adult writers, I guess I should say. The one thing that I've really been thinking about having published a middle grade book is the very specific and unique experience of writing for middle grade audiences. I think a lot of my friends who write for older audience groups, young adults, adults, They have their own challenges, but one of the things that is different is when they're writing, they are writing for the same target audience. That's also the decision makers. So generally, adults and young adults are picking their own books, and they're speaking to someone who will. Ultimately be the ones to pick up the books where when you're writing for middle grade audiences they're not usually the decision makers. at bookstores, they may or may not be in charge of which book they buy, in. Schools, usually it's a librarian or a teacher. So in some ways you're writing for one audience, but you're also writing a subject matter that you're hoping the decision makers will decide is worthy to put in front of your ultimate readers. So that's one challenge. And then the other challenge is I think middle grade audiences are so. fascinating because they're going through this amazingly unusual time in their lives, whether it's eventful and there's new experiences and that can be exciting, but also scary. So there's a lot to mind in terms of topics, but they are also a mixture of being very sophisticated readers who are on the cusp of being teens. And so there's a healthy dose of, skepticism, but they're still young enough that they. Believe in magic, at least in the literary world. So you, there's a lot of room to play with that. But they also. They sound different. They speak differently than adults. So it's important to get the dialogue, for me I, turn to children in my life, including my own, just to do a check to make sure that the dialogue sounds authentic and something that, people, that kids would say. So a lot of thoughts there, but I think, I've been thinking a lot about middle grade and writing for middle grade, and what a unique experience it is.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:32:26] Yeah, that's such a good point about the decision maker and having the multiple audiences, and I'm sure sometimes the decision makers are reading the books too, right? Or reading it with their kids or what have you. For your personal writing practice, are there any upcoming projects that you can share with us? And how do you stay inspired for what I imagine is like the long haul of writing something.    Gloria Huang: [00:32:45] I'm happiest when I have like several projects in the pipeline. So as soon as I am done a book or it's, outta my hands, it's with my agents or my editors. I'm looking to write another book. And I think sometimes I probably overwhelm my amazing book before agents. 'cause I'm like, I'm ready to start another story. And they're like, we're still looking at the book you just sent us. But I, that's very much how. I am happiest. I would definitely say that everybody finds their own rhythm. I'm in some writers groups and some people are incredibly fast drafters and just need multiple projects at a time. And some people are like, no, I need to work on one project and I need to have it to perfection and I'm gonna work on it for a year or two. And I think whatever works for the individual artist, I think is the best kind of process for them. But yes, for me it's very much about having multiple projects. I think I'm most inspired when I have different projects going at the same time. finding your own rhythm, I think is my advice.    Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:33:40] kaya of the ocean has, strong themes and storylines about, myths, mythology, Chinese mythology, and goddesses. I'm curious if you wanna talk any more about that and then also if that shows up in any of the other projects you're working on    Gloria Huang: [00:33:54] Yes, the Chinese mythological water goddess that features. Pretty prominently in Kaya of the Ocean is Matsu. And I find her to be such a fascinating character. She is a real goddess who's worshiped still in Asia. I think. Fishermen often will, pray to her for safe passage when they go out on the water. And my father told me about her when I was younger he told me like the side stories and I thought that was really interesting. But it was only when I started thinking about this book that I thought, I'd love to, I'd love to incorporate her. I hadn't heard about her too much in, in the fictional world, even though I knew she was still like a revered goddess. But I thought it was so cool that she was this strong. I. Strong female figure in a space that didn't always have that, hundreds of years ago. And so I dove into her story a little bit and found out, the story is that she was once a human child who loved to read and then she was afraid of swimming in water until she was older and then she drowned, saving, trying to save some relatives and it was interesting 'cause I'd already started plotting out Kaya and writing Kaya. And so much of her story wove easily into what I had already come up with. Like there, I think she has two sidekicks that were one time enemies that she, made into her friends and I'd already had Kaya written with two friends, Naomi and Ana. So I, there was just so much that I felt was kismet. And it was really fun to be able to weave that story together and fictionalize it. But I think it was also meaningful for me to be able to do that because. When I was younger, I loved reading Greek mythology. the stories are beautiful and they've been redone in beautiful ways, but it definitely was an area where I didn't necessarily see myself reflected. As part of my goal to add to the diversity of voices, I really wanted to feature Chinese mythology and bring those stories in so that. Kids can either see themselves reflected in those stories and or understand a new kind of set of mythology and learn about a new culture.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:35:46] Yes. I'm so glad you put it that way because it is, it's such a privilege to have access to, our own I. Cultural stories and knowledge through these, like fun and modern interpretations. Definitely. So I'm so glad that this can provide that.    Gloria Huang: [00:36:00] Oh, thank you. I did realize I didn't answer your other question, which is does it feature my other works? Which so I have sold another middle grade novel and I'm, it's not announced yet. I'm hoping to announce it soon. And I have some other. Books. I'm working on a young adult novel so far. They have not featured Chinese mythology, but I do definitely have a type that my most of my books tend to be contemporary settings, but with elements of speculative. Fantasy, just like the light touch of that and sometimes a little bit of historical elements as well. So they, they definitely all have that similar motif, but so far chi of the ocean is the only one to feature a Chinese mythological goddess.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:36:43] Thank you so much for sharing that. I love that. And I really love the relationship that Kaya had with her two friends and just and then also like the cousin that comes and just capturing like the banter amongst, amongst the girls.    Gloria Huang: [00:36:56] Thank you so much. that was really important to me, I think because at the stage that Kaia is in her life the loves of her life really are her two friends, Naomi and Ana, and they feature very prominently in how she learns to cope with her anxiety and her symptoms of anxiety. And so I really, I think that I really wanted to center her their friendship as much as possible. So I'm I'm glad that you saw it that way too.    Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:37:19] Yeah. And I feel like, I mean, it truly is the most important relationship. And so it's nice when works of fiction and yeah, works of fiction, can reflect that in such a beautiful way. I know you mentioned that you have daughters or have children?    Gloria Huang: [00:37:32] I do, yes. I have a son and a daughter. And my daughter actually was quite involved because when I first started writing Kaya, I think she was exactly of the age that she would be the target reader group. And so she actually helped Beta read it. She provided a lot of feedback. She became like a cheerleader. She was definitely involved in the process and I think that was really exciting for her. my son became of the reading age once it came out, so he reads it and he's a big fan too,   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:38:00] that's so sweet. I love that your daughter was part of the editing process too. That's amazing.    Gloria Huang: [00:38:04] Yeah. Yeah. She loves writing and always says she wants to be a writer herself, so it was really special that she got to be part of this and see it up close.    Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:38:13] Oh wow. Do you think you would do any collaborative projects with her in the future?   Gloria Huang: [00:38:16] It's so funny that you say that. She always suggests that. And then sometimes they'll actually start a Google doc and they'll say, let's write a story together. And we all have, of course, very different writing styles. And then at some point they both actually usually just start reading what I'm writing. And at that point I'm like, this is not collaborative. You have to write as well. So we've had a couple of false starts, but that's always a joke that we're gonna do that together.    Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:38:39] that's so sweet. What else is upcoming for you? I know this is, Asian American and native Hawaiian Pacific Islander month right now, and the episode will come out towards the end of May. So if there's anything else coming up from you for this month or for June or the summer. Yeah. We'd love to hear what you have going on.    Gloria Huang: [00:38:57] Oh, yeah. Today actually Kaya's audio book was released people can listen to it. It was narrated by this amazing, narrator, Cindy K. And so anywhere you find audio books is available. And that was really cool. I've listened to a little bit of it and you, when you write, you hear the words in your head one way, and then it's amazing to hear like another artist do their take on it. So that's really cool. I will be at the Bay Area book Festival at the end of the month of May. There. Doing like different panels and I'll be on a panel. it's about Fantastical Worlds. I'm really excited about that. hopefully we'll be able to announce this other book soon. As you, you may know publishing is a very long lead time it will be a while before it's released, but I think the hope is to release it during, a API month as well just not this year. And working on a young adult novel that hopefully we can go on submission with at some point. But it's an exciting time for sure.    Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:39:51] Wow, that does sound so exciting. I can't wait to hear about your new projects and to continue to read the work that you put out into the world. Is there anything else that you'd like to discuss or talk about?   Gloria Huang: [00:40:01] I think just to say a thank you to you for, having me on here and reading Kaya of the Ocean and really anyone who's been interested in joining Kaya and her friends on their journey. It's just, it's so amazing, I think, to create these characters that become real to you, and then have them become real to other people. I don't have the words to describe how meaningful it is to me, but thank you.    Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:40:24] Thank you for letting us join into the world of Kaya for a little bit 'cause it was very fun and healing and all of the amazing things. And thanks so much for joining us today on Apex Express.    Gloria Huang: [00:40:36] For sure. Thanks so much.   Miko Lee: [00:40:38] Welcome, Andrea Wang, award-winning children's book author to Apex Express.    Andrea Wang: [00:40:43] Thank you, Miko. I'm so happy to be here.    Miko Lee: [00:40:46] Happy to have you. I'd love to start first with a personal question, which is, who are your people and what legacy do you carry with you?   Andrea Wang: [00:40:57] My people are from China. My mother's family belonged to an ethnic minority, called the Haka or the Kaja people, and she and her siblings were. A military family, and we're each born in a different province. And when the Chinese Civil War ended in 1949, they went to Taiwan where she grew up and immigrated to the United States in 1965 or 1966. My father's family are from Guangdong Province, and so I'm Cantonese on that side, although I don't speak any Cantonese. And he went to Hong Kong after the Chinese Civil War. So I am the daughter of Chinese immigrants, second generation Chinese American.    Miko Lee: [00:42:01] And what legacy do you carry with you?   Andrea Wang:[00:42:03]  I carry the legacy of their stories, both the ones that I know and the ones that I don't know yet.    Miko Lee: [00:42:12] Ooh. It sounds like there's lots of juicy things for you still to discover. That is fun.    Andrea Wang: [00:42:16] Yes.    Miko Lee: [00:42:17] Today we're talking about your new book, watercress, can you share what the audience, what the book is about, and then what is your inspiration for this book?    Andrea Wang: [00:42:25] So the book is about a Chinese American girl who is growing up in rural Ohio and her parents spot watercress growing in a ditch by the side of the road, and they immediately pull over and make her enter older brother, get out of the car and get down into the ditch with them and collect this. Vegetable, but to her it's a weed. And so when they serve it to her and her family at dinner, she really is unhappy about this and. For her, picking food out of a ditch has a really different meaning than it does to her parents who survived a lot of hardship in China. And it's not until her mom tells her a story about her childhood growing up in China and spoiler alert, loses a sibling to the famine that the girl begins to understand and better appreciate her parents, her culture, and her heritage.   Miko Lee: [00:43:29] And the inspiration for this book.    Andrea Wang: [00:43:32] So the inspiration is largely my own life. this is a semi autobiographical story. The memory of picking watercress by the side of the road was just something that I couldn't forget, I don't know why this memory continued to haunt me into adulthood. And then after my mom passed away, I started writing down, memories and stories of being with my family in order to maintain a connection to her. When I wrote this, at first it was a personal essay and it just wasn't working. I would put it away and I would occasionally take it out and I would put it away and take it out and work on it again. And it wasn't until I decided to pursue writing for young people that I completely changed the manuscript from a personal essay into a picture book. But at that point it still wasn't working. It was in third person and it wasn't very personal It took me several more years to figure out the heart of the story for me. So it was largely based on my own memories and my mother's childhood stories that she shared with me.   Miko Lee: [00:44:39] Can you share more about the power of memory and the artistic process? 'cause you've written many books and in different genres as well, but can you talk a little bit more about memory and its impact on your work?   Andrea Wang: [00:44:52] Yeah, that's a great question. I tend to write primarily for myself. And to figure out how I felt about certain experiences, how they've changed me, to try and process things I feel like I remember a lot about my childhood. parts of it are very vivid and I like to go back to those. Moments that have stuck with me all these years and explore what it means to me. Like I'm just very curious about why I remember certain things watercress was largely my way of processing my childhood feelings of shame about my family and my culture. I have leaned into that and am still writing stories about identity and the struggle to find our identity. Memory has a lot to do with it. I put myself in every single book.    Miko Lee: [00:45:45] Ooh, that's so interesting. And you're talking a little bit about shame and overcoming that. I'm wondering if you could speak more on, if you feel like memories hold the power to heal.    Andrea Wang: [00:45:56] I firmly believe that memories hold the power to heal. I think that writing watercress and talking about these feelings has really helped me, , heal from, that sort of trauma of not feeling like I belonged as a kid and also that I may have been. Not the nicest kid to my parents, not the most filial, right? And so writing this story was, as I say in the author's note, sort of an apology and a love letter to my parents. So it's been very healing and healing to hear about from all the. People who have read the book and had it resonate with them, the things that they regretted in their lives and hoped to, heal as well.    Miko Lee: [00:46:42] Oh, have you heard that story a lot from adult readers?   Andrea Wang: [00:46:46] I have. They will often tell me about the things that their parents did that embarrassed them. A lot of foraging stories, but also stories about, relatives and ancestors who were sharecroppers or indigenous peoples. And it's just been fascinating how many people connect to the story on different levels. There is that theme of poverty. I think recognizing. That's not often talked about in children's books, I think makes people feel very seen.   Miko Lee: [00:47:14] Yeah. That feeling of shame is really showcased by the illustrator Jason Chin. I mean your young you character kind of has a grumpy look on their face. And it was just so fun. Even in the book notes, Jason Chin, the illustrator, writes about how he combined both the western and eastern style of art, but also his similar cross-cultural background. I'm wondering when you very first saw the artwork and this was kind of young you did anything surprise you by it?    Andrea Wang: [00:47:42] I mean, it's amazing, gorgeous artwork and I was really struck by how he dealt with the flashbacks because when I sold this manuscript, I. Had no idea how an illustrator would deal with how interior it is and, , and how they would tackle those flashbacks. And there's one spread where on the left hand side of the page, it shows the main character's current time and then it morphs across the gutter of the book into. The moms past and her childhood memories in China, and it was just exquisite is really the only way to describe it. It was, it's just brilliant, and amazing. We don't, as picture book authors typically get to work with our illustrators. We often do not have contact with them through the making of a picture book. But in this case. Our editors said since it was such a personal story for me, that he, , felt that Jason and I should collaborate. And so I provided photos, family photos, photos of Ohio, lots of different, , source materials to Jason and would talk to him about the feelings that young me in the book went through. And so the fact that, he was able to take all of that and put it on the page, it was just. Spectacular.    Miko Lee: [00:49:01] Oh, that's so fun. I also understand that you love mythical creatures as you I, and one of your children's books is the Nian Monster, which I love. I'm wondering what is your favorite mythical creature and why?   Andrea Wang: [00:49:15] I. Have been sort of fascinated with the qilin, the, or they call it the Chinese unicorn. Right. Although it looks very different from what we think of a, a European unicorn looks like. Yes. And I think it's because they're supposed to be this really benevolent, creature and Have all sorts of powers and I would love to do more research about the qilin and, you know, incorporate that into a book someday.   Miko Lee: [00:49:42] Ooh, fun. Next book. I love it. you have so many books and I'm really curious about your upcoming book Worthy about Joseph Pierce. I love these as Helen Zia talks about these. MIH moments that are missing in history. And Joseph Pierce was the highest ranking Chinese American man who fought in the Civil War. Some people might recognize this picture of this Chinese American guy in a kind of civil war, uniform. Can you tell us one, when is the book being released and a little bit more about it?    Andrea Wang: [00:50:11] Sure. The book is being released on September 9th, 2025, and it is. A picture book, which we typically think of as for younger readers, but it is 64 pages. So you know, it's an all ages picture book. I think my editor and I would like to say, and it is the story of a Chinese boy born in the, First half of the 18 hundreds in China in Guangdong province, and was sold by his father to an American ship captain named Amos Peck. the reasons for that are, lost to time, right? He left no primary sources behind, there was so much going on in China at the time. Famine war, you know, all of these, Difficult things that his father probably sold him in order to keep the rest of the family alive and as well as give him the opportunity to have a better life. And he did end up in Connecticut. He was raised with the captain's, siblings and sent to school and treated almost like a member of the family except for the fact that he was. Clearly Chinese and there were very few Chinese people in, Connecticut at that time. he joined the Union Army when he came of age and was able to leverage his service into gaining citizenship, which really people of color, weren't really able to do successfully back then. And so. He gained a citizenship. He married, he had a family. He was able to own property and accomplish all these amazing things. Sort of right before the Chinese exclusion Act was, enacted. So he was a very brave guy.    Miko Lee: [00:51:45] It's a wild story and you sent me on a little bit of a rabbit hole, which is fun. Just, looking at Ruth Ann, McCune's. historical piece that there were 10 different Chinese American men in the Civil War, but he was exceptional because he rose to such high ranks. And I just think it's so interesting that, in the 1880 census, he registered as Chinese. But then after the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, he listed his race as Japanese in the 1890 census. but he was racialized as white so that he could buy property and everything. Yeah. Can you just talk a little bit about that, like talk about code switching? He like literally changed his race,    Andrea Wang: [00:52:26] right. And people at that time could not tell the difference. Similar to now, people often can't tell different Asian, ethnicities apart. Right. I found actual newspaper articles where Joseph Pierce was interviewed about the battles, that the United States was having with Japan or the battles that Japan was having. He was asked his opinion on what the Japanese government was doing because he told these reporters he was Japanese and that was really the only clue that I had that he, Was code switching that after the Chinese exclusion Act was passed, he felt like he needed to protect himself and his family and he must have cut off his cue because otherwise, you know, that would've identified him immediately as Chinese. So that went into the book. I think it's a powerful moment, right, where he's doing what he has to do to survive and ensure his protection and his family's safety,   Miko Lee: [00:53:25] You have a, a really interesting background. Just having No really, I mean, having done all these different things and I, you know, I think you have a science background too, right? Can you talk about the times that we're living in right now, the political times that we're living in, where our government is banning books that don't align with certain conservative ideologies, where right now certain words are forbodden suddenly. And can you talk a little bit about how that impacts you as a children's book author?    Andrea Wang: [00:53:59] it is very disheartening and discouraging that the current climate is against, people who look like me or other people of color. And as a children's book author, we are experiencing a huge decrease in the number of teachers and librarians who are asking us to come and visit schools, to talk to students, which is horrible because. These young people are the ones who need to learn from books, right? Knowledge is power. And if we are not keeping them informed, then we are doing them a disservice. I think the attacks on our freedom to read are really unjust. and. personally as an author of color, I understand that books like Worthy may end up on some of these banned book lists because it does talk about racism. but these are the stories that we need now, and I'm going to continue writing these stories about the Hidden History, And to talk about these difficult subjects that I think kids understand on some level. but if they're not reading about it in books, then it's hard to spark a conversation with, educators or adults about it. So I think these books that I'm writing, that many of my friends and other children's book authors are writing are providing that. Sort of gateway to talk about, the topics that are so important right now.    Miko Lee: [00:55:29] Thank you so much for sharing, and thank you so much for being on Apex Express today. We appreciate your voice and the work that you're putting out there in the world. Is there anything else you'd like to say?   Andrea Wang: [00:55:39] you know, there's so much to say, I think just to. Stand up for what we all believe in and to, I encourage people to stand up for their intellectual freedom and that of their children.   Miko Lee: [00:55:56] Thank you, Andrea Wang. I appreciate hearing from you and hearing your voice and seeing your work out there in the world.    Andrea Wang: [00:56:03] Thank you so much, Miko. It was a pleasure.   Miko Lee: [00:56:05] Please check out our website, kpfa.org. To find out more about our show tonight. We thank all of you listeners out there. Keep resisting, keep organizing, keep creating and sharing your visions with the world because your voices are important. Apex Express is created by Miko Lee, Jalena Keane-Lee, Preti Mangala-Shekar, Swati Rayasam, Aisa Villarosa, Estella Owoimaha-Church, Gabriel Tanglao, Cheryl Truong and Ayame Keane-Lee.   The post APEX Express – 5.29.25 AAPI Children's Books appeared first on KPFA.

OMG, Mallory's found a ghost cat! Or a reincarnation cat? Or possibly just a regular cat? This book definitely comes down on the side of “ghosts are real”, but is EXTREMELY vague on what ghosts actually are and whether they can use a litterbox. Also, the Pikes learn about Alzheimer's! Merry Christmas, folks! On today's agenda: a litany of crimes against food; the cool lesbian biker auntie we all wish we were; Mallory and Jessi's shameful secret; it's not crop theft if you know the farmer; some remarks about aging that are frankly uncalled-for; cut-rate ectoplasm detectors are a false economy; Claudia Kishi, old-person whisperer; Esther's cat chooses violence. Our theme song is ‘The Incredible Shrinking Larry' by Matt Oakley and ‘Big Band Jingle A' is by Lobo Loco, both on the Free Music Archive. If you like our show, tell a friend, rate and review on your podcast app of choice, drop us an email, or come say hi on Instagram! We also have a ko-fi and we're real self-conscious about it!

OMG, there's a genius in Stoneybrook and it's not Janine! Janine WISHES she was as talented as this kid. Meanwhile, we experimet with a pivot to audio drama. On today's agenda: mandatory Disneyworld representation; unspeakable crimes against God and nature; Chekhov's Toupee; Karen's son makes Esther insecure; leave Mckenzie Clarke alone; Alan Gray surprises and delights us; Uncle Andy's Tar Machine; Claudia fails third-grade fox biology; an infestation of art pseuds; crosswords as a spectator sport; nobody needs to know more than one (1) cricket player. Our theme song is ‘The Incredible Shrinking Larry' by Matt Oakley and ‘Big Band Jingle A' is by Lobo Loco, both on the Free Music Archive. If you like our show, tell a friend, rate and review on your podcast app of choice, drop us an email, or come say hi on  Instagram! We also have a ko-fi and we're real self-conscious about it!  

The pop culture of April 1990 blew our young minds: Sinead O'Connor! Fire Marshal Bill, Homey the Clown, AND the Log Lady! The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie and its soundtrack (the perfect gift)! A ripped-from-the-tabloids Very Special BSC starring Claudia Kishi that isn't as problematic as you fear! Dreams really CAN come true, y'all...Brooke and Kaykay discuss Claudia and the Great Search's exploration of alienation and attunement, with loving digressions on the respective joys of recording songs off the radio and browsing through microfiche.Visit us at our website, and follow us on:FacebookTwitterInstagram

Ryan joins me for a short film review of this Baby-Sitters Club inspired documentary.wnwypodcast@outlook.com, Instagram, wnwypodcast.com

Come along with Maria and her guests Nicki, Emma, and Kelly: we're going to Camp Moosehead with THE BABY-SITTERS CLUB (2020-present)! When Dawn Schafer and Claudia Kishi discover that only campers who can afford to pay a steep t-shirt fee are allowed to tie-dye, they set out to create an inclusive art class. Their attempts at making things right set off a revolution that includes civil disobedience, political prisoners, a Les Mis-esque barricade, and a campwide general strike. Digressions include anecdotes about camp recycling activism, cliquey Girl Scout troops, and the time Kelly's campers protested her. We also briefly discuss other highlights from Season 1 of THE BABY-SITTERS CLUB. For this episode, we recommend you watch THE BABY-SITTERS CLUB, Season 1, Episodes 9 and 10, ‘Hello, Camp Moosehead!' Part 1 and 2, streaming on Netflix FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL | instagram, tumblr, tiktok: @leftistteendrama | twitter: @leftyteendrama | website: leftistteendrama.com _ ABOUT US: MARIA DIPASQUALE (she/her; host/editor) is a Brooklyn-based union communicator and writer who watches too much TV. Follow Maria on Twitter @Maria_DiP26, IG @mdzip, and tiktok @marialovesunions. In addition to Leftist Teen Drama, Maria hosts Bodysuits For Bughead: A Riverdale Podcast | tumblr: @bodysuitsforbughead twitter: @B4B_Podcast instagram: @bodysuits4bughead NICKI MORRIS (she/her; recurring guest) is a union staffer who loves cats, corn, and comrades. Her favorite teen show is Degrassi because she knows we can "make it through" with solidarity! Enjoys watching criminal syndicate shows in all forms: The Wire, Claws, Good Girls, Killing Eve. Follow her on Twitter @NickiMorris321.  EMMA ROSE (she/her; recurring guest) watches a lot—and she means a lot—of reality tv, with the occasional teen drama or murder mystery or sci-fi thriller thrown in for good measure. When she's not watching said television, you can find her listening to podcasts and diving into internet content about said television. Sometimes she posts on instagram @emmaaaaaroseeeee (5 a's and 5 e's) KELLY GILBERT (she/her; guest) is a medical worker and union/teen drama stan living in Brooklyn. Follow her @baeblade5 on insta and @yungworker69 for sporadic, unhinged tweets! MADDY WIRYO (they/them; art) is an artist who works all around New England. You can find more of their work at: maddyworldfr.wordpress.com JEFF MCHALE (he/him; producer) is an extremely online guy who plays games, streams sometimes, and loves talking old TV. Maria and Jeff's good union cats CLARENCE and VINNY may make an appearance and/or be mentioned.  intro song: Stomping the Room by Delicate Beats  All opinions shared on this show are that of individuals and do not represent the views of any organization we may be affiliated with. _ SOURCES DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE: Babysitters Club is a union tweet _ SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Labor Notes' Secrets of a Successful Organizer guide The Baby-sitters Club book series, of course, if you never read them like all our guests!

Lake Street Dive's singer, Rachael Price, and drummer, Mike Calabrese, have been buddies since college, when they formed their first band together at Boston's New England Conservatory of Music. Years and years of touring, and eating every meal together on the road, means they know each other's eating habits inside out. But there was one thing they didn't know about each other: their last meals! Through Rachael's last meal we'll learn the history of America's favorite snack food and then, inspired by Mike's last meal, we'll hop down a babysitting rabbit hole. Sittercity.com founder, Genevieve Thiers, answers every babysitter's question: can you really help yourself to anything you want in your charge's fridge and pantry?! And we discuss the role of food in The Baby-Sitters Club books with Marisa Crawford, co-editor of a new book of essays and art, We Are the Baby-Sitters Club, and writer Jennifer Epperson who wrote a critical essay about Claudia Kishi, the series' beloved junk food junky. Follow 'Your Last Meal' and host Rachel Belle on Instagram! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

December 1988: Power ballads ruled the music charts, camp Christmas classics dominated television, and a precocious new charge with a sadistic streak put Claudia Kishi in the hospital. COMEDIANS, amirite?Brooke and Kaykay discuss Claudia's emotional trauma and Betsy Sobak's potential conduct disorder, with digressions on what passed for comedy in the '80s (anyone wanna see a guy smash a watermelon?), the queer subtext of Kristy's pie fetish, and Kaykay's future career as a Hollywood stuntwoman.Visit us at our website, and follow us on:FacebookTwitterInstagramSpotifyPLUS: As promised in the episode, here's Matt Baume's fabulous tribute to the queerest/best thing ever to air on television, Christmas at Pee Wee's Playhouse.

EPISODE 112 : Die Laughing Records Radio Podcast . . . Hosted by Rob Trisler • Die Laughing THEME song by Born Sick • PBR by The Next • Happy When I Drink by Whining Pussys • Triple Shot Of The Week!!! (Segment) • Pocket Full Of Good Luck by honeychain • Vacation by The Hellflowers • Blue Skies • THIS WEEK IN MUSIC HISTORY • go go go girl Jillian Elizabeth Commercial • NEWS with Dave Dalton (Segment) • NEWS : Rodney on the Rock LOVE • Lonely Fantasy by The Carvels NYC • That Punk Rocker’s Me by Amy Angel and the HellRaisers • Lola by Crimson Riot • NEWS : Rodney on the Rock LOVE pt 2 • Shake by Hot Laundry • NEWS : Blackstar Amps • Welcome to the Revolution • What’s Going On by Michael Des Barres and The Mistakes • AMY ANGEL and the HELLRAISERS - INTERVIEW • I’d Do It Again by Amy Angel and the HellRaisers • DLR Merch Store (www.dielaughingrecords.com) • Dave Klein Recording Commercial • How To Submit Your Music! • CELEBRITY STALKER PRESENTS w/ Larry Prosser (Segment) The Defendant by Amerikan Made • Murder by Police by The Pawns • End of Hour 1 TOP OF HOUR 2 • Die Laughing commercial • Falling Down by Well Places Whoas • Girl All The Bad Guys Want by Addalemon • High Cost Of Living by Orphan Riot • Murderology (LIVE FROM HOME) by Yard Of Blondes • HEAR THIS WITH HILLARY FROM honeychain : Claudia Kishi by The Linda Lindas • Monica by The Linda Lindas • DAVE DALTONS VINYL WALL : The Kinks and other favorites • Dead At Birth by Authorities • In The Way by Let It Bleed • PHONO SELECT RECORDS Commercial • JAGGERS (from ‘The Kids’) PLAYLIST (Segment) • Rock n’ Roll Is Getting Louder by Gilby Clarke • Army Store by Kids Of Skids • Dirty Bomb by Dizzy Reed • The Culture Industry by Middle Aged Kids • Bounce Back by Horsehead • Sidewinder by Electric Howlers • Moto Psycho by Bite starring Chelsea Rose • THE LAST WORD w/ Go Go Go Girl (segment) : Jennifer from Women In Stereo • Thanks and See You Next Week! • Die Laughing commercial, Podcast Intro and Segment intros by Lord Prosser // Die Laughing Records Radio Podcast Official Episode #112 . . LISTEN TO US ON THE RADIO! FRIDAY’S at 4pm-6pm (pst) on Kaotic Radio https://rb.gy/z7mtqn SATURDAY'S at 12 NOON-2pm (pst) on www.localmusicexperience.com . . FULL INTERVIEW of Amy Angel and the HellRaisers: https://youtu.be/bwvJ9jW591o . . DIE LAUGHING RECORDS - NEW DIGITAL RELEASES: Amy Angel and the HellRaisers “Do It Again” https://orcd.co/dlrd2032 Hot Laundry “SHAKE” https://orcd.co/dlrd2030 Fang “MINNEAPOLIS” https://orcd.co/dlrd2033 The Dogs “WELCOME TO THE REVOLUTION” https://orcd.co/dlrd2028 Yard Of Blondes “DO YOU NEED MORE?” https://orcd.co/dlrd2027 Michael Des Barres and The Mistakes “LIVE” EP https://orcd.co/dlrd2026 The Carvels NYC “LIVE at the Cutting Room” https://orcd.co/dlrd2025 The Venomous Pinks “I WANT YOU” shorturl.at/yOP59 The Killer Smiles “RAISING THE STAKES” http://smarturl.it/DLRD2012 honeychain “POCKET FULL OF GOOD LUCK” https://orcd.co/dlrd2017 The Unfortunate Bastard “MAUDIE” https://orcd.co/dlrd2019 . . LISTEN ON YOU’RE FAVORITE PODCAST PLATFORM: www.facebook.com/DLRPodcast Podcast merch: https://www.zazzle.com/store/dlrpodcast/products . . LABEL & PODCAST WEBSITE: www.dielaughingrecords.com www.goldenrobotrecords.com Band & Label Merch: https://bit.ly/2DYyXQt DLR YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/dielaughingrecords . . #punkrockshow #podcast #gogogogirl #jillianelizabeth #punk #radio #alternative #spotify #dielaughingrecordsradiopodcast #punkrock #radiolife #hardcorepunk #rocknroll #dielaughingrecords #vinyl #poppunk #metal #rock #hillaryburton #radioshow #lp3 #goldenrobotrecords #robtrisler #robfather #davedalton #lordprosser #larryprosser #celebritystalkerpresents #jaggersplaylist

This week, we go inward. We didn't pay much attention to the world outside of ourselves. We asked each other in-depth questions, and we talked about the Big 3 of six of our favorite characters on The Babysitters Club, which recently came into pop cultural resurgence with the latest Netflix series. Paola updates us on Mercury Rx, the Mercury-Uranus Opposition, and the New Moon in Libra. Janice reads Rachelle Cruz's poem "Self-Portrait as Claudia Kishi, Vice President of the Babysitters' Club." -- 00:00:00 - Intro 00:26:05 - Game 00:56:16 - Babysitters Club 01:41:10 - Pao’s Reading: New Moon in Libra, Mercury Rx-Uranus opposition (part 2) 01:54:59 - Janice’s Reading: “Self-Portrait as Claudia Kishi, Vice President of the Babysitters Club” by Rachelle Cruz 02:04:40 - Shout-outs!

We bring back one of our favorite segments called Tiny Bites where we talk about literature found in television and film. This week we review Netflix's newest addition,

Kate and Lauryn are joined this week by Anna Nguyen, a PhD student in rhetoric and composition who also uses her Instagram (@whatwouldclaudiawear) to document her own sartorial choices and meta-literary commentary on the Baby-Sitters Club. We discuss Sue Ding’s documentary, The Claudia Kishi Club, and the Netflix series generally and touch on some specifics from the book series as well. In our discussion, we examine the model minority myth and the othering of Claudia in descriptions related to such myth. Anna notes that the legacy of Claudia for Asian Americans is largely positive and shares her concerns on why she feels differently. In doing so, she unpacks the significance of identity categorizations and the tendency to universalize experiences in monolithic ways. We dive into the cultural impact of the new Netflix series, the general reception and reactions since its release, and why we (as a culture) might not be viewing it as critically as we watch and discuss. The concepts of “white excellence,” the “white savior complex,” and “black shows” vs. “white shows about black characters” come up in our discussion of the series and the books themselves when we deconstruct Kristy’s characterization in particular, including a discussion of how changing the race of some of the characters for the show had broader implications in the interpersonal reactions. We round out the conversation with an examination of the opportunities in our future discussions related to socioeconomic issues, racism, and the use of Native American imagery and names. One small correction: In a reference to the problematic Asian character in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Anna mentions Mickey Rourke as the actor in that role. Mickey Rooney appeared in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Follow us! Instagram and Twitter: @generationbsc Contact us! E-mail: generationbsc@gmail.com Generation BSC logo created by Jordyn Hunter.

We're excited to announce our new name: A BRIGHTER LENS! In this time of reflection and learning, we wanted to have a more inclusive and expansive name. We're still committed to spotlighting women in the film industry, but also want to feature more trans and non-binary folks as well and wanted our name to reflect that. For our first episode of Season 3, we chatted with Sue Ding, director of The Claudia Kishi Club. Sue is a documentary filmmaker and new media producer based in Los Angeles. As a freelance filmmaker, Sue directs and produces nonfiction media—from feature documentaries to VR—for a wide range of clients, including The New York Times and PBS. Her documentary work explores the intersection of identity, storytelling, and visual culture. Her short documentary explores the legacy of Claudia Kishi, the iconic (and all too rare) Asian American character from the hit Baby-Sitters Club book series. Claudia inspired a generation of young readers of color, many of whom are now successful writers and artists creating new stories of their own. The film was an official SXSW selection and is now available on Netflix.

We're doing it, we're recapping the new Netflix series The Baby-Sitters Club! As Claudia Kishi would say “I'm good at a lot of things” including podcasting, so we're diving in to this new series episode by episode. Up first is a quick recap of episode 1 (listen to our episode on "Childhood Faves" for a deeper five on the series premier) and then we jump right in to episode 2 with author Allison Dickson. We touch on many of the the themes that pop up in the episode, such as the importance of having self-confidence even when you hit a speed bump, family expectations and pressure, and what exactly is a Krakatoa?  Follow Allison:Twitter: @MsAllieD Instagram: @allisonmdicksonFollow us:Twitter: @wysr_podcastInstagram: @wysr_podcastGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/115539912-what-you-should-read-podcastYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCfNtid_b0R14otSPRZTkmQwww.whatyoushouldread.com

Jeff and Phil facilitate a deep appreciation of an Asian American icon: Claudia Kishi of THE BABY-SITTERS CLUB. They welcome Naia Cucukov, Executive Producer of the new Netflix series; Jade Chang, writer of "Claudia and Mean Janine"; and Sue Ding, director of the documentary short THE CLAUDIA KISHI CLUB.

Attention, villagers! Welcome to another episode of Resident Services! This week, we discuss our newfound popularity after our podcast debuted, Miranda learning that she doesn't have to wear a scuba mask to swim, our new sticker enterprise, Casey and Judy's bad taste in tights, RJ's rock garden, which villager type is each Baby-Sitter Club member, and Adam finally letting his first villager go! Goodbye, Annabelle! And we close the show by each giving our villagers a proclamation with our TOWN HALL! If you enjoyed the show, please give us a subscribe and a 5-star rating or review in Apple Podcasts! Thanks this week to nolen02 for leaving us a review! Don't forget - you get a special Resident Services sticker if you leave us a review and let us know who you are on Instagram or Twitter! Join our AC community on social media! Instagram.com/residentspod Twitter.com/residentspod This and other podcasts are all available under Not A Bit Network! Instagram.com/NotABitNetwork The Hosts: Miranda from FantasyCay (Kristy) Instagram.com/themagicalmiranda Casey from Lollywood (Claudia) Instagram.com/caseyandthebear RJ from Iloilo (Dawn) Twitter.com/artsyRJ Adam from Horizons (Stacey) Twitter.com/AdamNoecker Our new theme music is Animal Crossing New Horizons (Closed on Sunday Lofi remix), thanks to them for letting us use it! Listen to their music on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/1LwjR2mIm78OJRTYdkMLl3 Contact DM Instagram.com/closedonsundayy Obtain Item Fanfare, Shop Closing, and Dodo Airlines Fanfare music rights reserved by Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Composed by Yasuaki Iwata, Yumi Takahashi, Shinobu Nagata, Sayako Doi, Masato Ohashi. Copyright 2020 Nintendo. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/residentspod/message

Are you a Claudia, a Kristy, a Mary Anne, a Stacey, or a Dawn? Brenna certainly has her dream answer (and her reality) as we nostalgically revisit one of the most enduring YA series of the 90s. As a novice to the series, Brenna walks Joe through the format of each book, why these characters played such a significant role in her life and why Logan is so dreadful!Questions for discussion include whether the Netflix revival should have wrapped after 8 episodes instead of 10 and why Alicia Silverstone is such an asset as Kristy's mom. Plus: which episodes/plot lines made us cry? Why the series is libel to be called "woke" and why that's not a bad thing and the unexpected queerness of the text.Wanna connect with the show? Use #HKHSPod on Twitter:Brenna: @brennacgrayJoe: @bstolemyremoteHave something longer to say or a minisode topic? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com. See you on the page and on the screen!  

“It all started at the very beginning of seventh grade.” Sound familiar? To millions of Baby-Sitters Club fans, Kristy Thomas, Claudia Kishi, Mary Anne Spier, Stacey McGill, and Dawn Schafer are favorite childhood friends. In this episode, the breakout stars of the new Netflix TV show—Sophie Grace (Kristy), Momona Tamada (Claudia), Malia Baker (Mary Anne), Shay Rudolph (Stacey), and Xochitl Gomez (Dawn)—answer questions from our Scholastic Kid Reporters. We also spotlight author Ann M. Martin, who created the beloved book series. Host Suzanne McCabe spoke with Ann in 2016, amid celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the best-selling series, which began in 1986 with the publication of Kristy's Great Idea. You can learn more about The Baby-Sitters Club book series, including the graphic novels, here and the Netflix TV show here (https://kids.scholastic.com/kids/books/baby-sitters-club/). Special thanks: Music composer: Lucas Elliot Eberl Producer: Bridget Benjamin Associate producer: Mackenzie Cutruzzula Sound engineer: Daniel Jordan

Ya viste, los nuevos Audífonos Inalámbricos LG además Series y Películas en Netflix para el mes de Julio. No puedo creerlo, LG anuncia nuevos auriculares inalámbricos con un estuche que los desinfecta con luz ultravioleta. Los LG TONE Free son los nuevos auriculares inalámbricos de la compañía, que integran un estuche de carga con luz ultravioleta que los desinfecta.La compañía LG Electronics ha anunciado dos modelos de auriculares inalámbricos con tecnología Meridian Audio: el HBS-FN4 y el HBS-FN6, este último con un estuche que desinfecta los auriculares de forma automática mientras se cargan.Los nuevos modelos HBS-FN4 y HBS-FN6 cuentan con ecualizadores personalizados desarrollados por Meridian con cuatro preajustes para ofrecer una experiencia auditiva adaptada: natural, inmersivo, refuerzo de graves y refuerzo de agudos.A continuación, las series y películas en Netflix en Latinoamérica.Series en Netflix Julio 2020Maldita – 17 de julioThe Umbrella Academy: Temporada 2 – 31 de julioOscuro deseo – 15 de julioLas chicas del cable: Temporada final: Parte 2 – 3 de julioZac Efron: Con los pies sobre la tierra – 10 de julioVis a vis: El oasis – 31 de julioThe Protector: Temporada 4 – 9 de julioChicas buenas: Temporada 3 – 26 de julioLa celestina de la India – 16 de julioHow to Sell Drugs Online (Fast): Temporada 2 – 21 de julioInside the World's Toughest Prisons: Temporada 4 – 29 de julioEl desafío del beso – 17 de julioGet Even – 31 de julioKarppi: Temporada 2 – 1 de julioJU-ON: Orígenes – 3 de julioThe Blacklist: Temporada 7 – 18 de julioJane The Virgin: Temporada 5 – 6 de julioHola, ninja: Temporada 3 – 10 de julioChico Bon Bon: Un mono con herramientas: Temporada 2 – 1 de julioLos Jóvenes Titanes en acción: Temporada 5 – 1 de julioAbby Hatcher: Temporada 1 – 1 de julioYu-Gi-Oh!: Temporadas 1 y 2 – 8 de julioPelículas en Netflix Julio 2020La vieja guardia – 10 de julioEl stand de los besos 2 – 24 de julioBajo el sol de Riccione – 1 de julioUna mente canina – 3 de julioAtrapa ese email – 3 de julioEncuentro fatal – 16 de julioGalletas de animalitos – 24 de julioOfrenda a la tormenta – 24 de julioLos infieles – 15 de julioExtraordinario – 31 de julioHarry Potter y la cámara secreta – 30 de julioSpider-Man: De regreso a casa – 16 de julioLa lista de Schindler – 1 de julioBilly Elliot – 1 de julioUna pandilla de pillos – 1 de julioEl juego de la fortuna -1 de julioLeyendas de pasión – 1 de julioMinority report: Sentencia previa – 1 de julioTop Gun: Pasión y gloria – 15 de julioViviendo con mi ex – 1 de julioLigeramente embarazada – 1 de julio¿Cómo sobrevivir a mi ex? – 3 de julioTres son multitud – 1 de julioPitch Perfect 3: La última nota – 27 de julioEl descanso – 1 de julioHistoria de fantasmas – 1 de julioSecretos íntimos – 1 de julioFrancotirador – 1 de julioLa ciudad de las tormentas – 1 de julioNo respires – 1 de julioJigsaw: El juego continúa – 2 de julioDeslizando a la gloria – 1 de julioMichael: Tan solo un ángel – 1 de julioNiños y familiaAshley Garcia: Genius in Love – 20 de julioEl club de las niñeras – 3 de julioDragones: Equipo de rescate: Secretos de un Ala Musical – 24 de julioLas épicas aventuras del Capitán Calzoncillos en el espacio – 10 de julioAstro Boy – 15 de julioJapón se hunde: 2020 – 9 de julioTransformers: La guerra por Cybertron – Trilogía – 30 de julioPokémon: Sol y Luna – Ultraleyendas – 1 de julioDocumentales y especiales en Netflix Julio 2020Street Food: Latinoamérica – 21 de julioMisterios sin resolver – 1 de julioWalter Mercado: Mucho, mucho amor – 8 de julioCiudad del Miedo: Nueva York vs. La mafia: Miniserie – 22 de julioLast Chance U: Laney – 28 de julioEl negocio de las drogas: Miniserie 1- 14 de julioEl club de Claudia Kishi – 10 de julioDescubriendo a Anna Frank: Historias paralelas – 1 de julioMOVO Photo - Accesorios para celularhttps://bit.ly/36GfsJPAcast (PC)https://www.acast.com/Acast Podcast Player (Android)https://bit.ly/2XBz3XbAcast Podcast Player (iOS)https://apple.co/2TNAxfRNo olvides de suscribirte!YouTube: https://bit.ly/2y1aU3yVisítanos: https://www.tendencias.techProtege tu Privacidad y Seguridad70% de descuento en NordVPNUn mes completamente GRATIShttps://nordvpn.org/tendenciastechPalabra clave: TendenciasTechDonaciones en PayPalhttps://www.paypal.me/tendenciastechSígueme:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TendenciasTechTwitter: https://twitter.com/tendenciastechInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/tendenciastechMixer: https://mixer.com/TendenciasTechTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/tendenciastechPeriscope: https://www.pscp.tv/TendenciasTechPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/tendenciastechPodcast:Acast: https://bit.ly/2ZmGiF6Apple: http://apple.co/2CtwnidGoogle: http://bit.ly/2lQHnDaSpotify: https://spoti.fi/2lJKPzyContacto: tendenciastech@outlook.comEnglish or Spanish#Podcast #Tecnología #AudífonosInalámbricosSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/tendenciastech. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Special guest Beth joins Jody in the virtual cocoon to discuss chapters 18-20 of Judy Blume's 1987 YA novel, "Just as Long as We're Together." Steph, Rachel, and Alison dress like raver witches to impress Jeremy Dragon and we learn that JEREMY KNOWS RACHEL'S NAME! Rachel has been keeping a dark secret (hint: she's in advanced math), but Steph finds out and is not pleased. Jody provides the scoop (get it?) on TCBY and Westport's very own Onion Alley, and Beth shares her spatchcocking technique. There's also some hilarious impromptu diary reading, dramatic reenactments, and middle school memories. Thank you to Blume Head Sue for her letter about 7th grade frenemies!

Our intrepid Time Babies take another trip back to save the future, this time into Claudia Kishi's past, where the Great One (She Who Lurks in the Darkness and Devours the Innocent) lurks. It's all pretty scary and this is a scare warning!

Author Sarah Kuhn talks about “the lunchbox moment,” Claudia Kishi, the word “hapa,” and the waves of immigration to Hawaii that led to its current cuisine. Smart Mouth is on Patreon: www.patreon.com/smartmouthpodcast www.instagram.com/smartmouthpodcast/ www.facebook.com/groups/268127480409103/ Please subscribe to (and rate & review) this podcast in iTunes or any podcast app so you never miss an episode! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/smart-mouth/id1171755407

Take a nostalgic look back at some of the most popular children's book series published in the '80s and '90s. First, we interview Gabrielle Moss, author of Paperback Crush. Then we talk with Destinee Sutton, a children's librarian at KCLS. We chat about school book fairs, free pizza, and the books that made us lifelong readers. Spoiler alert: We all wanted to be as cool as Babysitter's Club member and style icon Claudia Kishi.

It's Cake Week this week, and our star bakers – Claudia Kishi, Mary Anne Spier, and Shea Rodowsky – are getting ready to wow the judges with their rat poison and salt chocolate-cherry gateau.

Kathleen and Bethany reminisce on the awful fashion sense of Babysitter’s Club member Claudia Kishi (socks over socks over a unitard?). Kathleen has some great business ideas if you already own a 15 mile wide dome. And Bethany is ready to move past self-care and start pushing toward her bigger goals. Are you ready, too? Grab your salad frosting and cheese orphans and have a seat! It’s a new episode of An Acquired Taste! Please support the companies that support us! LegacyBox - There’s never been a better time to digitally preserve your memories. Plus, for a limited time they’re offering our listeners an exclusive discount. Go to Legacybox.com/TASTE (http://legacybox.com/TASTE) to get 40% off your first order! Purple - You’re going to love Purple mattresses! And right now our listeners will get a FREE Purple pillow with the purchase of a mattress! That’s in addition to the great free gifts they’re offering site wide. Just text TASTE to 84-888. The ONLY way to get this free pillow is to text TASTE to 84-888! OpenFit - Right now during the Openfit 30-day challenge, our listeners get a special extended 30-day free trial membership to Openfit by texting the word Taste to 303030.You will get full access to Openfit – all the workouts and nutrition information--- TOTALLY FREE!

Claudia Kishi is an Asian American literary icon that went beyond being a fun, artistic, and stylish character. She became an inspiration and point of connection for a ton of young Asian Americans. We explore her influence on a generation of Asian American readers.

The Baby-Sitters Club Super Special #4: Baby-Sitters' Island Adventure chronicles the peripatetic appointments and encounters of Claudia Kishi and Dawn Schafer in Stoneybrook in the course of an ordinary day, 10 June 1991.

We're not trying to tell you how to live your lives, but you're going to disappoint a lot of people if you refuse to read Infinite Jest, watch Videodrome, and familiarize yourself with all of the great works of Stone Cold Steve Austin, and instead spend your time doing whippets, watching SportsCenter, and throwing big blow-out parties when your parents are away like Claudia Kishi decided to do this week. This one's for fans of Janine Kishi, aka “The Janenius,” people who think Sense and Sensibility was written in the ‘90s, and anyone who's ever huffed whipped cream to see what might happen.  “Speakeasy,” by Sound Ideas “Stardust,” by Fox Beat Stock Music “Throw the Coins,” by Patrick Doyle “Lovely Memories,” by CreativeMedias_net “Without Limits,” by Ross Budgen Thanks as always to original Baby Boy Scott Lamb for the intro music, and to Superbrat for the outro music.

A Babysitters Club or Baby-Sitters Club podcast for all you Kristy Thomas, Mary Ann Spier, Claudia Kishi, etc fans out there. We love you Ann M. Martin!

Sofie talks to “well-tolerated” comedian, activist, femme-Daddy and Sparklepuppy Muppet Dominatrix Lisa Skye about what exactly all that means, “weird sex stuff”, the inspiration that is Claudia Kishi, inhaling consensual suffering, getting asthma from activism, “edgy” comedy and religion, kinks, polyamory, audience participation traffic lights, hecklers controlling the room, working at a phone dating agency, how bugs bunny got her into BDSM, a need of excess and pleasure, why the Finns love Shibari bondage, inclusivity and radical kindness, bullying, kink clubs and being “too much”. Trigger warnings: Sexual harrassment   Artwork by Linda Brinkhaus Jingle by Bailey Lenart Produced by Sarah Garvey A huge thanks to Phoenix Artist Club in London for letting me record my podcast and do my shows with them. Special thanks to Peter Dunbar.   Made of Human Podcast online: Twitter: @podmoh Facebook: facebook.com/madeofhumanpodcast Web: madeofhumanpodcast.com Patreon: patreon.com/mohpod   Sofie Hagen online: Twitter: @SofieHagen Facebook: facebook.com/sofiehagen.komiker Web: sofiehagen.com Instagram: @sofiehagendk See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

One day in 1999, a man named Bill Bannerman and the five members of a soon-to-be-VERY-famous pop punk outfit sat in a basement room with a dogeared copy of a little book called "Abby the Bad Sport." What they discovered in that tome would be the stuff of legend. Listen in as your favorite podcast boys recreate that heady conversation, delving into Abby's rotten attitude, Shannon Kilbourne's confusing extracurricular activities, Jackie Rodowsky's travels through the universe, and Claudia Kishi's most daring outfit yet. And to make matters even more fascinating this week, Tanner loses a battle with peanut butter, and Jack learns how to do a knock-knock joke, so there's plenty of good stuff to balance out Abby's shoddy behavior. Music credits: “The Energetic Rock,” by InflectionPoint “Eternity,” by Whitesand “Chopstick Slapstick,” by OurMusicBox “Slash,” by Arc North  Thanks as always to original Baby Boy Scott Lamb for the intro music, and to Superbrat for the outro music.

Surprise! It's a mini episode! We are busy making dip, dip and more dip for our live show, May 19 but we thought we'd take a break and give a few updates, visit Chex mix corner, and learn what incredible trick Alissa has devised for remembering dip recipes.  If you can't be at our live show, please join us in a virtual dip party! Make dip, buy dip, order dip at a restaurant, just EAT DIP Saturday night and share a photo on your social media platform of choice. Use the hashtag #NightOfAThousandDips and tag @lizandalissa to be sure we see it! And if you're reading this in the future? Be kind to yourself, make some dip for dinner tonight. You're worth it.

Parental advisory: There is a lot of kissing talk and smooching talk right up front and there's honestly no way to avoid it this week because this was a book about kissing and smooching. Claudia kisses and then smooches an annoying but handsome and swoopy-haired boy named Mark Jaffe. The boys kiss the sweet feet of sweet Pete Lerangis (metaphorically speaking). And Claudia's new friend Josh is kissed by greatness in a star turn as this week's Baller of the Week. And even if you don't like kissing or smooching all that much, stick around, because you might just learn what an answering machine is.  Music credits: “Beautiful Dawn,” by AshamaluevMusic “A Myriad of Wonders,” by Aeterne Music “Chopstick Slapstick,” by OurMusicBox “The Prophecy,” by Fox Beat Thanks as always to original Baby Boy Scott Lamb for the intro music, and to Superbrat for the outro music.

Welcome to episode #3 of the new Baby-Sitter's Club Club podcast, now in the darkest timeline where Claudia is back in the 7th grade, Kristy is only capable of generating bad ideas, Stacey is single, and Jackie Rodowsky is but a boy. The Sitterverse is now a dark and scary place and all the girls and residents are only in it for themselves. Abandon hope all ye who enter here. Music Credits:"Seasons of Love"(Karaoke Version) from Rent"Motion” by Borrtex"Breathing"(Karaoke Version) originally performed by Lifehouse“My Sharona” (MIDI Version) originally performed by The Knack"Ave Generosa” by Hildegard von Bingen, performed by the Cantata Singers of Ottawa"Dream Forever” by Raven & Kreyn x Moji x Illusion Thanks to original Baby Boy Scott Lamb for the intro music and Superbrat for the outro music.

Jeff and Phil welcome CB Lee, author of the YA superhero novel Not Your Sidekick. They discuss Claudia Kishi of the Babysitters Club, the questionable curious true identity of Akira Yoshida, and the complexities of authorship and authenticity.

To really get this week's episode, you're going to need to remember a lot of the plot details from Inception, and you're going to need to know A LOT about the short lived meme that was Dawn Siff's Vine video resume. Oh, you'll also probably want to have heard at least a few episodes of This American Life. So, a lot of prerequisites for this one, but it's really worth it. Claudia gets a radio show on WSTO, Tanner delivers some very interesting factoids about terrestrial broadcast standards, Jack goes about six segments deep at one point, and we get a very special visit from a character we haven't seen in quite some time who is taking some time off from blipping through spacetime. Music Credits:"My Sharona" MIDI"mnemonic presence" by lost-radio"Mercury" by Zookeepers & Heuse“This Is How We Do It” (Karaoke Version) originally performed by Montell Jordan"Overture" by Lionheart“You Gotta Have Theremin and Ukulele” by SquidLord"Little Wooden Church" by The Trumpeteers Thanks to original Baby Boy Scott Lamb for the intro music and Superbrat for the outro music.

Sci-fi, fantasy and comics writer Sarah Kuhn talks about “the lunchbox moment,” Claudia Kishi, the word “hapa,” and the waves of immigration to Hawaii that led to its current cuisine - which is fusion, but we mean that in a good way. Please subscribe to (and rate & review) this podcast in iTunes or the Podcasts app so you never miss an episode! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/smart-mouth/id1171755407?mt www.facebook.com/smartmouthpodcast/ www.instagram.com/smartmouthpodcast/

Claudia Kishi may or may not have cheated on a test, but that's not the only crime against humanity we're experiencing this week! Tanner learned a "fun" new kind of Pig-Latin from the Pike children, and Jack literally can. not. shut. up. about what "Theory of Justice" Ann M. Martin subscribes to, so both of these boys are up before the court right alongside cheatin' Claudia, asking that you find it in your deep and expansive hearts to forgive them.  Music credits: “Thunderbolts of Lightning,” by teknoaxe “Battle Cry,” by NGB “Overture,” by Lionheart   Thanks, as always, to original baby boy Scott Lamb for the intro music, and Superbrat for the outro music.

Thirty years ago this month, readers were first introduced to the founding members of The Baby-sitters Club: Kristy, Claudia, Mary Anne, and Stacey. With nearly 250 titles in print, and new graphic novel adaptations by Raina Telgemeier, The Baby-sitters Club remains one of the most beloved series of all time. In this episode, we talk with BSC creator Ann M. Martin and her longtime editor, David Levithan, about the groundbreaking series and its loyal following. Guests: Ann M. Martin's Baby-Sitters Club series has more than 176 million copies in print worldwide. Martin, who lives in upstate New York, is also the author of the Main Street series; the Newbery Honor-winning A Corner of the Universe; Here Today; A Dog's Life; and On Christmas Eve; as well as the much-loved collaborations P.S. Longer Letter Later and Snail Mail, No More with Paula Danziger. David Levithan is an editorial director and publisher at Scholastic, as well as the author of several YA novels, including Boy Meets Boy,Every Day, and (with Nina LaCour) You Know Me Well. Follow David on Twitter at @loversdiction. Additional resources: Read excerpts, play games (we recommend taking the What Type of Baby-sitters Club Member Are You? Quiz), and meet the characters over at The Baby-sitters Club website. Follow The Baby-sitters Club on Facebook for trivia, Throwback Thursday content, and more. Learn more about Raina Telgemeier and her graphic novel adaptations of The Baby-sitters Club here. Read Lenny Letter's ode to BSC, A Mary Anne with Kristy Rising: On the Enduring Legacy of the Baby-Sitters Club Books Don't miss the NBC News article on Claudia Kishi, Looking Back on Claudia Kishi 30 Years After the Debut of 'The Baby-Sitters Club' Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan and Christopher Johnson Produced by Megan Kaesshaefer

Thirty years ago this month, readers were first introduced to the founding members of The Baby-sitters Club: Kristy, Claudia, Mary Anne, and Stacey. With nearly 250 titles in print, and new graphic novel adaptations by Raina Telgemeier, The Baby-sitters Club remains one of the most beloved series of all time. In this episode, we talk with BSC creator Ann M. Martin and her longtime editor, David Levithan, about the groundbreaking series and its loyal following. Guests: Ann M. Martin's Baby-Sitters Club series has more than 176 million copies in print worldwide. Martin, who lives in upstate New York, is also the author of the Main Street series; the Newbery Honor-winning A Corner of the Universe; Here Today; A Dog's Life; and On Christmas Eve; as well as the much-loved collaborations P.S. Longer Letter Later and Snail Mail, No More with Paula Danziger. David Levithan is an editorial director and publisher at Scholastic, as well as the author of several YA novels, including Boy Meets Boy,Every Day, and (with Nina LaCour) You Know Me Well. Follow David on Twitter at @loversdiction. Additional resources: Read excerpts, play games (we recommend taking the What Type of Baby-sitters Club Member Are You? Quiz), and meet the characters over at The Baby-sitters Club website. Follow The Baby-sitters Club on Facebook for trivia, Throwback Thursday content, and more. Learn more about Raina Telgemeier and her graphic novel adaptations of The Baby-sitters Club here. Read Lenny Letter’s ode to BSC, A Mary Anne with Kristy Rising: On the Enduring Legacy of the Baby-Sitters Club Books Don’t miss the NBC News article on Claudia Kishi, Looking Back on Claudia Kishi 30 Years After the Debut of 'The Baby-Sitters Club’ Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan and Christopher Johnson Produced by Megan Kaesshaefer

Your wise-crackin' hosts Jackie and The Weasel are back again with more hilarious banter about their favorite topics from the wide world of "American Sports." And if that's not appealing to you demanding little monsters, they also spend a good chunk of time talking about the BSC's brand-new babysitter Jessi Ramsey, the infinite sadness of Claudia Kishi, and their own deep, heartfelt feeeeeeeelings. And dolls. Demonic, soul-swallowing dolls. Something for everybody in this one.