Taiwanese Music and the World: Interview with FireEX

By Darice Dan Chang Reprinted by permission of author and Ketagalan Media One of the challenges of writing about musicians from another country is that you have to feel each other out a little, figure out how much you know, or don’t know, about each other. For example, they don’t understand that you haven’t experienced them, that you can’t just Google.tw their names and have lived every nook and cranny their 10+ year career through the power of the internet. They don’t know that…

Taipei Guide: An Illustrated Exploration

Welcome to Taipei, Taiwan / Every year, I pick a month or two between November and February to spend in Taipei. These long trips are made possible by working remotely as a freelance illustrator. But once each day’s work is done, I’m free to grab my sketchbook and explore. This annual trip is my chance to conveniently miss a chunk of Chicago winter and to enjoy daily life in Asia, surrounded by mochi and savory buns. It’s an eating paradise. With vendors hawking sweet and savory treats…

GREEN ISLAND Author Shawna Yang Ryan on Tour

SHAWNA YANG RYAN is a former Fulbright scholar and the author of the novel GREEN ISLAND, a stunning story of love, betrayal, and family, set against the backdrop of a changing Taiwan over the course of the twentieth century. She authored a previous novel, Water Ghosts, and teaches in the Creative Writing Program at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. Her short fiction has appeared in ZYZZYVA, The Asian American Literary Review, Kartika Review, and The Berkeley Fiction Review. We've been…

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:…

Getty Cave Temples of Dunhuang Exhibition with TAP in LA

Experience The Getty Cave Temples of Dunhuang on a special curated-guided tour with Taiwanese American Professionals - Los Angeles (TAP-LA) on Sunday, July 17th! Admission and cost of tour is FREE but spots for the TAP-LA group tour is limited to the first 20 who sign up so please e-mail jeanette.low@tap-la.org to reserve your spot. Tour details and meet up information to be provided upon RSVPing. ABOUT THE EXHIBITION: The Mogao Grottoes, located near the town of Dunhuang in the Gobi Desert…

GREEN ISLAND – A New Novel by Shawna Yang Ryan

A stunning story of love, betrayal, and family, set against the backdrop of a changing Taiwan over the course of the twentieth century. February 28, 1947. Trapped inside their home due to an uprising that has rocked Taipei, Dr. Tsai delivers his youngest daughter, the unnamed narrator of Green Island. A few days later, he is one of the many thousands of people dragged away from their families. Missing for a decade, he eventually returns a haunted man. Feeling a stranger in the midst of his…

Taiwanese Aborigines Culture Tour throughout America

"Finding Us: The Real Face of Taiwanese Aborigines" A cultural dance performance showcasing musical pieces from seven aboriginal tribes in Taiwan. The group is currently on a multi-city USA tour to promote Taiwanese Aborigines culture. Schedule: HOUSTON May 16, 2015, Saturday, 2:00 – 4:00 PM Asia Heritage Society of Houston 1370 Southmore Blvd., Houston, TX 77004 May 16, 2015, Saturday, 7:00 – 9:00 PM Taiwanese Community Center 5885 Point West, Houston TX 77036 May…

Author Charles Yu on Tour for New Novel: “How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe”

video from suvudu.com Taiwanese American author Charles Yu received the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 Award for his story collection Third Class Superhero, and he has also received the Sherwood Anderson Fiction Award. His work has been published in the Harvard Review, The Gettysburg Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, Mississippi Review, and Mid-American Review, among other journals. His critically-acclaimed and highly anticipated new novel, How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional…