Author Ed Lin on Tour with New Taiwan-based Novel Incensed

We love smartly-written mystery capers, especially those from the mind of author Ed Lin, who is of Taiwanese and Chinese descent. We completely appreciate that this one is set (yet again) in the night markets of Taiwan! Ed Lin's latest novel, Incensed, has just been released, and he's also on tour to promote and read from the book. Ed Lin, a journalist by training, is the author of several other books: Waylaid, his literary debut, and his Robert Chow crime series, set in 1970s Manhattan Chinatown:…

Priska Working on Debut EP

One of our favorite LA-based Taiwanese American musicians, Priska, is finally working on her debut EP. (What? She didn't have one before?). We introduced Priscilla Liang to our audiences back in 2012 with this personal interview and footage from a performance at the Factory Tea Bar in the heart of San Gabriel Valley: Revisit the 2012 Interview: http://www.taiwaneseamerican.org/2012/05/introducing-singer-songwriter-priska/ We've been a big fan of her since the beginning. She's got a beautiful,…

Through the Glass Ceiling: A Contemporary Ballet Collaboration

As the founder of TaiwaneseAmerican.org, I often meet really talented people in our community doing awesome work in their respective fields and industries. When my friend, ballerina and choreographer Ivy Chow, contacted me one day asking if I knew any composers of Taiwanese heritage that might collaborate with her on a new performance project about "breaking glass ceilings," I immediately thought of another friend, composer George Shaw, known for his many compositions and scores for popular YouTube…

The Hsu-Nami Storm Back Again with New Album

The Hsu-Nami, a progressive rock band that features an electric erhu as its melodic focus, was founded by Taiwanese American Jack Hsu. Based in NYC, this band combines the sounds of traditional Chinese folk music with a strong rock component of heavy guitar riffs, melodic bass guitar lines and punctuating drum beats. TaiwaneseAmerican.org has featured Hsu-Nami previously, and since then, they've done some very interesting things including having one of their songs featured in the 2008 Beijing Summer…

Intersection of Poetry and Movements: An Interview with Author Kenji Liu

As we celebrate Taiwanese American Heritage Week and Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, TaiwaneseAmerican.org is pleased to feature accomplished individuals of Taiwanese descent who have used their voices and talents to highlight the histories and legacies of our community. Kenji C. Liu is author of Map of an Onion, national winner of the 2015 Hillary Gravendyk Poetry Prize. His poetry is in, among other places, American Poetry Review, Action Yes!, Split This Rock’s poem of the week series,…

Taiwan Films at CAAMFest 2016

Each year, TaiwaneseAmerican.org is pleased to support the premier Asian American Film Festival in the San Francisco/Bay Area. CAAM Fest, the Center for Asian American Media’s annual festival features not only amazing works in film, TV, and digital media, but now also includes showcases in music and food. This festival is a treasure trove of great Asian American works from established as well as emerging talent. This year, we proudly co-present one of the Taiwan films during this 10 day festival.…

Meet Jack of All Trades: Actor, Writer, Producer Kelvin Yu

We've been a friend and big fan of Kelvin Yu since his earliest acting roles such as Freddy Gong in the 1999-2001 WB series Popular. He's come a long way since then, accumulating more TV credits with guest spots on Frasier, ER, Las Vegas, Without a Trace, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, CSI: Miami, and Bones. On the big screen, Kelvin can be seen in the 2006 comedy Grandma's Boy and in the 2008 Academy Award-winning biographical political drama Milk. Now, he's gained a larger following than ever…

USC Launches New Taiwanese American Digital Archive

TaiwaneseAmerican.org is pleased to announce our support for a new Taiwanese American Digital Archive hosted by the University of Southern California's Special Collections and Archives and the East Asian Library. Spearheaded by 2nd generation Taiwanese American Joanna Chen Cham, this initiative intends to collect the history and contributions of our community before it is lost. If you are as excited about this project as we are, we encourage you to spread the word and sign on to this document…

Taiwanese Folk Song Re-inspired: Ti-O-O (Dark Dark Skies)

We recently came across this beautifully re-inspired performance of the traditional Taiwanese folk song Ti-O-O 天黑黑: "Dark Dark Sky (With a Touch of Deep Purple)" performed by concert violinist Charles Morey of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (First Violin section! Our Taiwanese grandparents would be proud!). He's also a frequent substitute violinist with the Cleveland Orchestra. It's an energetic and vibrant version of a familiar folk song to all of us. Check it out: Naturally, we were…

Taiwan Film Days in SF featuring Hou Hsiao-hsien

This year's edition of Taiwan Film Days, sponsored by the San Francisco Film Society, features a very special spotlight on master filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien, celebrating his remarkable influence on international art cinema for the last three decades. Director Hou, who received the Best Director prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival, is expected to attend the series kickoff event. Taiwan Film Days takes place from October 12-13, 2015. Visit the San Francisco Film Society website and to purchase…