Wish-Granting and Magic-Making in “When You Wish Upon a Lantern”

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In Gloria Chao’s “When You Wish Upon a Lantern,” wishes don’t magically come true. They are received with kindness, guided, and often painstakingly maneuvered “into the light.”  Born and raised in Chicago’s Chinatown, Liya Huang and Kai Jiang are childhood best friends whose families harbor a mutual dislike not unlike the Montagues and Capulets - if the Montagues and Capulets were passive-aggressive and dueled with their children instead of weapons. Still, Liya and Kai share…

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‘A Tale of Two Islands’ & Fire EX Ignite Community

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Taiwanese Americans had back-to-back reasons to gather this weekend in the Bay Area.  A Tale of Two Islands: Hong Kong x Taiwan Fair In San Leandro, Formosan United Methodist Church, one of the most longstanding Taiwanese churches in the United States, played host to the Hong Kong x Taiwan Fair 台港交流日, named 雙島: A Tale of Two Islands. This was the inaugural collaboration between the Taiwanese American Federation of Northern California, a primary first-gen coalition of organizations…

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Meet the Miss Taiwanese American 2022 Queen, Tiffany Chang

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When Tiffany Chang entered the Miss Taiwanese American Pageant, she embarked on an experience many alumni have described as “life-changing.” The Miss Taiwanese American (MTA) Pageant (台美小姐選拔 ) is an annual competition held by the Taiwan Center Foundation of Greater Los Angeles (大洛杉磯台灣會館基金會) to “find and encourage the next generation of leaders for the Taiwanese American community.” The Pageant offers a seven-week cram course. Chang spent hours each…

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Gathering Taiwanese American community at Emeryville’s “Good to Eat”

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANNA WU PHOTOGRAPHY [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Ho Chie Tsai with Good to Eat co-founder Angie Lin[/caption] On December 4, TaiwaneseAmerican.org founder Ho Chie Tsai gathered round Taiwanese American foodies, media personalities, and community builders for a special "ja ban bae" (呷飽未 / 吃飽沒) tasting menu at Emeryville's Good to Eat Dumplings. Formerly an acclaimed and deeply beloved pop-up (SF Chronicle refers to owners Tony Tung and Angie Lin…

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2022 Taiwanese American Gift Guide: Shop your community!

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If you’re a champion of MIT “Made in Taiwan” shopping principles (or if you need help brainstorming the perfect gift for your "I have everything I need" parents), may we suggest a peek into MBTA “Made by Taiwanese Americans.” We’re so proud to bring back this annual gift guide for the *third* time, highlighting Taiwanese American small businesses, brands, and creators. We know there’s more out there – reach out if that’s you at leona@taiwaneseamerican.org. We’re rooting for each…

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“How We Say I Love You”: Nicole Chen on her picture book & middle grade debuts

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Author Nicole Chen (photo credit to Sarah Deragon) "How We Say I Love You," with illustrations by Lenny Wen, features a Taiwanese American girl who shares how her family expresses their love for one another through actions rather than words. If "How We Say I Love You" is, as Nicole Chen writes, "the story of [her] heart," then Chen is an author and storyteller of our own Taiwanese American heart. Raised in the Bay Area, the author blends her experience of growing up Taiwanese American with…

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Editor’s Review – “Blueprints: Poetry & Prose” by Jeanelle Fu

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“BLUEPRINTS” is finding language for a homeland, the songs of our parents. It is a recollection of grief, and how a people emerge from mourning one day, one breath at a time. As much as these poems honor the author's Taiwanese-American heritage, they are also an invitation into crossing bridges: to celebrate and fight for the tribes adjacent, surrounding us all along. Through endless cups of shay in the Middle East, conversations during suhoor, the dancing on secluded rooftops: Grief is a storm…

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Charles Yu celebrates sophomore year of Betty L. Yu and Jin C. Yu Creative Writing Prizes with fellow judges, participants

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[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6n6OZKNfmA[/embed] We are excited to share, with permission, a recording of the 2022 Betty L. Yu and Jin C. Yu Creative Writing Prize "Meet the Judges" event with authors Charles Yu and Shawna Yang Ryan and Little, Brown Brooks for Young Readers Editor-in-Chief Alvina Ling. TaiwaneseAmerican.org founder Ho Chie Tsai and 2021/2022 finalist Jireh Deng shared remarks. , Grand Prize Winners Ian Tseng and Yakuza Baby and Finalist Kira Tang also read from their…

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Charles Yu, Shawna Yang Ryan, Alvina Ling Select 2022 Creative Writing Prize Recipients

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We are pleased to announce the 2022 cohort of honorable mentions, finalists, and grand prize winners of the Betty L. Yu & Jin C. Yu Creative Writing Prizes, established in partnership with TaiwaneseAmerican.org in honor of Yu’s parents, who are longstanding Taiwanese American community leaders. In its second year, the prize has expanded to include middle school participants and selections. Their work will be published on TaiwaneseAmerican.org throughout the year. The Prizes are named…

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We grieve the May 15th Shooting at Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church

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Editor's note: This is not a think piece or analysis of the situation as it unfolds. We are a small, deeply passionate team of Taiwanese American volunteers and we are grappling with the shock and grief of this tragedy, too. This is not something we were prepared to cover or feature. We only hope that those directed towards our website for support/further resources can find here an organized way to access the Gofundme set up by the church congregation to support victims of the shooting, as…

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