ASIAN AMERICA: THE KEN FONG PODCAST

Ken Fong
ASIAN AMERICA: THE KEN FONG PODCAST

Ken Fong gets to the heart of Asian American culture, history, and spirituality. Through interviews with culture-makers and -shapers in the Asian American community -- some you know, others you've never heard of before -- prepare to laugh, cry, and be amazed.

  1. 5 DAYS AGO

    EP 512: David Bradley Lim On Finally Finding His Path As A Successful Actor

    David Bradley Lim grew up in a comfortable Nor Cal suburb. He excelled at most sports, but he knew that he'd never be able to be competitive beyond high school. So he majored in electrical engineering. But after earning his degree, he dove headfirst into the mortgage lending business. Even though he didn't know an escrow from an equity line, he put in the reps and became a top performer. But one day the savings and loan world collapsed all around him. Still not sure what he wanted to do to earn a living, he explored modeling, ultimately being signed by one of the top agencies. But David realized that, deep inside, he wanted to be an actor. So he threw himself into acting classes, again, putting in the reps and hoping for a lucky break. After being part of Season 2 of Quantico, in 2017 he auditioned to be part of the cast of S.W.A.T., an American police action drama television series, based on the popular 1975 television series and the film adaptation of the same name. He impressed the director and producers so much that they created a recurring member of the team who was Chinese American! The show is in its eighth season and the pilot and previous seasons are frequently watched on Netflix now. You can find him @davidbradleylim and the jewelry that he and his wife make @shopmayadavid.

    56 min

  2. 8 DEC

    EP 511: The Two Kens On Unpacking The Unexpected Ending of "Conclave" Film

    Already being mentioned for the Academy's "Best Picture" and "Best Actor" awards, this screen adaptation of Robert Harris' international bestselling novel Conclave is now available to rent on streaming platforms like Amazon Prime, Apple TV, VuDu, and more! Having watched it together the week of Thanksgiving, Ken Kemp and I were chomping at the bit the next day to debrief the major messages, especially in the final scene. If you've already seen it, you may have completely overlooked the symbolism of the turtles, but we didn't! This episode contains major spoilers, so if you'd rather watch the film first, listen to how we unpack it after. Even if you choose not to see this film, I think you'll still gain a great deal listening in on our reactions.

    51 min

  3. 2 DEC

    EP 510: Dr. Samuel Jamier On The New York Asian Film Festival & Being a Korean Adoptee

    Dr. Samuel Jamier was adopted as a 4-year-old from Korea by a strick Catholic family in the Brittany region of France. Growing up, he was an altar boy and into heavy metal music, but later developed an enormous passion for films. Today he's a skilled fundraiser, speaker, arts programmer, and serving as the president of the New York Asian Film Festival, which has become North America's leading festival of popular Asian cinema, and one of the top, most anticipated and critically acclaimed events in New York City. NYAFF brings Asia to New York with an immersive 2-week festival. An energy-filled event designed to bring new perspectives, experiences, ways of thinking and seeing that provoke thought, bring wonder, and new visions to their audience. It presents the roughest, sharpest, and smoothest of today's cutting-edge Asian film scene to sold out audiences each summer.

    1h 1m

  4. 24 NOV

    EP 509: Joanne Howard On Writing "Sleeping In The Sun" Debut Novel

    California-based Asian American writer Joanne Howard discovered her grandfather's journals which he'd written while the family was serving as Baptist missionaries to India in the 1930s. Fascinated by his firsthand accounts of being an American family as India began to push back against being a colony of Great Britain, Howard was inspired to create a story of a family much like his, told from the perspectives of the youngest of four American boys and the family's Indian man-servant. You can find her on Instagram @joannesbooks and visit her webpage (www.joannehowardwrites.com).

    58 min

  5. 18 NOV

    EP 508: Author & Cartoonist Teresa Wong On Latest Graphic Memoir "All Our Ordinary Stories"

    Acclaimed Chinese Canadian author and cartoonist Teresa Wong recently published All Our Ordinary Stories: A Multigenerational Family Odyssey, which is her graphic memoir about the legacies of upheaval, a longing for family, and the barriers one daughter faces in trying to connect with her immigrant parents. www.byteresawong.com and @by_teresawong

    53 min

  6. 15 NOV

    EP 507: Author & Painter Hyeseung Song On "Docile: Memoirs Of A Not-So-Perfect Asian Girl

    Acclaimed painter and now-author Hyeseung Song has written a searing coming-of-age memoir for fans of Crying in H Mart, Minor Feelings, and the film Minari. Entitled Docile: Memoirs of a Not-So-Perfect Asian Girl, it follows the daughter of ambitious Asian American immigrant parents and Hyeseung's own search for self-worth.

    58 min

  7. 7 NOV

    The Two Kens On How We're Feeling & What We're Thinking Following Trump's Victory Over Harris

    After Trump was declared the winner over Harris, long-time friends and podcasters Ken Fong and Ken Kemp felt a need to see how the other was doing. If, like them, you're in shock that more than 70 million fellow Americans chose to give Trump another turn as the most powerful person in the free world, you'll probably find a degree of comfort in knowing that you're not alone.

    40 min

  8. 3 NOV

    EP 506: Tim Dang On Directing "Pacific Overtures" @EastWestPlayers

    East West Players' venerable producing artistic director emeritus Tim Dang came back for a third appearance here to let us all know what's in store for audience members who come to his updated version of Stephen Sondheim's and John Weidman's Pacific Overtures. Previews start Nov. 7th and the musical will run through Dec. 1st. Go to www.eastwestplayers.org to purchase tickets. Set in nineteenth-century Japan, it tells the story of the country's westernization starting in 1853, when American ships forcibly opened it to the rest of the world. The story is told from the point of view of the Japanese, and focuses in particular on the lives of two friends who are caught in the change. Mako, one of EWP's co-founders, starred in the original 1976 Broadway production, and Dang originally directed it in 1998 to celebrate the opening of the new David Henry Hwang Theater in J-Town. Twenty-six years later, Dang has been tasked with directing a slightly refreshed take of this musical. Interestingly, the questions it originally raised about isolationism versus open borders remains quite relevant today.

    42 min
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Ken Fong gets to the heart of Asian American culture, history, and spirituality. Through interviews with culture-makers and -shapers in the Asian American community -- some you know, others you've never heard of before -- prepare to laugh, cry, and be amazed.

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