A Conversation with Singer-songwriter Dawen

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Taiwanese American singer-songwriter and independent producer Dawen describes his music as "neo-soul with socially conscious lyricism" that he hopes "will further the dialogue on racism and social injustice in American society." And sure enough, if you listen closely to his lyrics, you'll find that it speaks directly from his personal experience as an Asian American and challenges us to reflect on issues that have shaped our collective "American" consciousness. I recently caught up with R&B…

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A Fine Prologue for Singer-songwriter Calista Wu

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I am 15 minutes late to our meeting because LA traffic and passive driving do not mix. I see her across the room and she waves at me, mid-sip from her Chocolate Latte. Halfway through my breathless apology, Calista waves it off and orders me the same drink. "They have the best coffee here," she beams at me. She’s cool and smart-- conversation flows easily. What I like most about Calista is that though she is fully aware about Asian American issues and all the pressures that come with being an Asian…

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In Tune with Singer-songwriter Diana Li

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I've been following Diana Li for some time now since a fellow leader in the Los Angeles Taiwanese American community clued me in to this talented singer-songwriter. After watching her perform on multiple YouTube clips, I instantly became a fan and have since invited her to perform at San Francisco's Taiwanese American Cultural Festival for two consecutive years. Without a doubt, she is always a hit, stopping crowds in their tracks. I'm sure they, too, are captivated by this young performer whose…

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Chris Lin’s Mandy and Pandy Say “Ni Hao Ma?”

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I recently had the opportunity to catch up with Chris Lin, a 2nd generation Taiwanese American who grew up near Ann Arbor, Michigan, who in recent years created the cartoon characters Mandy and Pandy as a means to teach Mandarin to children. Since publishing the books, the entrepreneurial endeavor has taken a life of its own as Chinese animation production powerhouse CCTV Animation and North American production company PorchLight Entertainment have entered a co-development agreement to develop…

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Shawna Yang Ryan Brings Water Ghosts, an Asian American Novel, to Life

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TaiwaneseAmerican.org is excited to share an exclusive personal interview with Taiwanese American author Shawna Yang Ryan whose new novel, Water Ghosts, hit mainstream bookstores starting April 16th, 2009. We caught up with her just after the book release and just before she embarks on a multi-stop reading tour at several bookstores around the west coast! She has been actively supporting the Taiwanese American community in and around the San Francisco Bay area (including this very website!) and…

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Mixing It Up with DJ ShOOey!

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TaiwaneseAmerican.org recently caught up with Jenny Shu, known in the club scene and among the Burning Man crowd as "DJ ShOOey." Perhaps one of the coolest and most colorful DJ's out there, she's definitely all about using her talents to promote non-profit organizations and to increase awareness about various issues. Originally from Chicago, she can now be found in the San Francisco nightlife scene rocking the house at odd hours of the night. I recently sat down with Jenny Shu for a lunch interview…

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Ang Lee & Lust, Caution — a special screening co-presented by TaiwaneseAmerican.org

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Ang Lee defies categorization and baffles critics. The Taiwanese/American filmmaker has created movies as divergent as Sense and Sensibility, Eat Drink Man Woman, The Ice Storm, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but he's probably best known as the Academy Award-winning director of Brokeback Mountain. On Tuesday, March 17, the San Francisco Bay area community got to see Ang Lee in person as part of a special screening hosted by UC Berkeley's On the Same Page program and Pacific Film Archive…

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Formosa Betrayed – Giving Voice to History Via the Big Screen

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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…

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Exploring Double Consciousness with Professor Carolyn Chen

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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.…

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An Afternoon with Girl Geek Angie

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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…

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