Formosa Betrayed – Giving Voice to History Via the Big Screen

Contributors: Ho Chie Tsai, Shawna Yang Ryan, and Anna Wu February 28th, 2009. 8:12 pm: On a snowy Illinois evening, two mysterious hooded Asian "thugs" approach Professor Wen. They shoot him at point blank range. He tumbles to the icy ground --setting the on-screen instigating episode that inspires the Hollywood political thriller, Formosa Betrayed. Flashback 2 hours... 6:12 pm: The valet pulls our car up to the front of our posh Hollywood hotel, situated next to the famous Kodak…

Exploring Double Consciousness with Professor Carolyn Chen

by Bettina Chang photos by Andrew Lo On Thursday, February 19, at the end of my Sociology of Religion class, my professor said thank you and her 30 students gave her a big round of applause. No, it was not yet the end of the quarter, but we were nearing the end of her third trimester—Professor Chen’s due date is March 3. At the start of the quarter, I was so excited to be in one of Professor Carolyn Chen’s classes again that at first I didn’t even notice that something was different.…

An Afternoon with Girl Geek Angie

In the high-tech arena of Silicon Valley, "techies" and "geeks" are a dime a dozen. So how does one stand out above the white noise in a city so abundant with tech-heavy ideas, industries, and people? Well, one way is to be a girl geek and then gather all the women around you to create a network to support each other professionally. Now that will get guys' heads to turn... I recently sat down with Angie Chang, co-founder of Women 2.0, a San Francisco Bay Area organization committed to increasing…

On the Ice with David Liu

The Ice Theatre of New York is making a mark in the world of artistic figure skating by fusing elements of the contemporary dance, music and art worlds into performance skating. I caught up with Olympian ice skater and choreographer David Liu before a rehearsal for his performance with the Ice Theatre of New York in France on Jan. 29 and Jan. 31. Q: Tell me a little about your background. Where did you grow up? A: I was born in Taiwan and grew up there until I was six when my family…

Turtlist Media Gets a Whole New Shell

Turtlist Media has been on TaiwaneseAmerican.org’s radar for several months, beginning with the release of The Chains of Attractions short films in August 2008. However, Turtlist founder Jason Lee was far from finished with his project. The recent re-launch of the Turtlist Media website (www.TurtlistMedia.com) provides a more interactive and navigable space where Asian Americans can publicize their work, network with each other, and learn about other talented artists like themselves. While Turtlist…

In Tune with Serena and Teresa, the Creators of mymomisafob.com

Serena and Teresa Wu, both ages 20, are the brains behind My Mom is a Fob.com, a popular blog that invites Asian Americans from all over the globe to submit emails, stories and pictures of their parents in typical “Fresh-off-the-boat” form. Fans have overrun the inboxes of Serena and Teresa, eager to tell their FOB mom story, and the site has already passed the 1.2 million mark in hits since Serena and Teresa launched mymomisafob.com on Oct. 18. Though the two communicate daily, correspondence…

Behind the Scenes with Stephanie Chuang

I recently interviewed Stephanie Chuang, an anchor-reporter at the KSBW station, an NBC affiliate in the Central Coast region California. She is an '07 graduate of Northwestern University, majoring in broadcast journalism and Asian American studies. In a business with so much attention and publicity, she shared her experiences both on-screen and off-screen as a young Taiwanese American professional. Lisa: How did you become interested in the field of journalism? Stephanie: It started off with…

A Chat with Actor Kelvin Yu

I recently met up with Taiwanese American actor and friend Kelvin Yu in Los Angeles. I've known him for years, even before he started his acting career, so it has been a privilege to see him find success in Hollywood over the past decade. Kelvin's studies range from the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television to London University at Goldsmiths in New Cross to Carter-Thor Studios in Los Angeles. Television credits include Popular, The Shield, Without a Trace, Gilmore Girls, ER, Studio…

From East to West with Wong Fu Productions

During the past year, I was fortunate enough to hang out with the guys of independent filmmaking company Wong Fu Productions on three separate occasions, in three different cities. As they jet-set from coast to coast, campus to campus, their fans instantly recognize them and never quite allow them to be the international secret agents they hoped to be. Their fans know what I’m talking about. Despite the young crowds that recognize and surround them wherever they go (I even noticed discrete phone…

Taiwanese and American, Democratic or Republican during the 2008 Presidential Election

TaiwaneseAmerican.org recently approached two of the leaders of the Formosan Association for Public Affairs - Young Professional Group to share their perspectives as our nation approaches the 2008 Presidential Elections. As Taiwanese Americans, our views and experiences are multi-faceted, and we must often acknowledge both Taiwanese and American issues. The following is not necessarily comprehensive nor approaches these topics in the depth they deserve, but serves as a starting point for conversation... PART…