Nuances: Our Asian Stories

LAZOU
  • 5.0 (10)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Nuances is an award-nominated audio space where guests from a wide range of Asian ethnic groups, careers, countries, and communities explore our often complicated relationships with our culture(s) and how they shape us. It can be a source of validation, a space for healing, a call to self-reflection, or a good laugh, often all at the same time. The current 5th season is a limited series exploring wholesome queer stories from premodern Asia, what they can teach us about our cultures, and why they were forgotten in modern times. It features scholars and guest co-hosts from the queer Asian community. We talk about the careers we’ve pursued: winemaker, writer, actor, musician, politician, activist, brain scientist, care worker, doctor, & so many more. Our intersectional conversations explore how our experiences affect our views on anti-racism, disability justice, feminism, LGBTQIA+ rights, religion, etc., and how we can create change in our own circles to build solidarity across moveme...

  1. FEB 15

    Lunar New Year in Mongolia, Korea, Vietnam, Mauritius & China

    See full show notes for transcript: https://nuancespod.com/2026/02/15/lunar-new-year-episode/ @nuancespod on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook.

    27 min

  2. FEB 1 ·  BONUS

    The evolution of Iran-U.S. relations, from the shah to the 1979 revolution to the Women Life Freedom (Jin Jiyan Azadi) movement

    To participate in our Lunar New Year episode, see instructions on nuancespod.com (final deadline Feb 8) Today's episode is a re-run of my nuanced conversation with Dr. Manijeh Moradian, an Iranian American feminist and professor at Barnard College. The episode originally aired in 2023.  You can view the original full show notes here. https://nuancespod.com/2023/07/02/s3-e03-dr-manijeh-moradian-on-why-iran-isnt-always-considered-part-of-asia-and-how-the-west-may-be-misinterpreting-what-iranians-truly-want-out-of-the-current-feminist-revolution/

    1h 1m

  3. JAN 11 ·  BONUS

    Season 6: Submit your Lunar New Year stories by Jan 25 2026!

    Lunar New Year Hey everyone, it’s your host LAZOU here. You may have followed this feed for our Queering Premodern Asia series, or maybe you’ve heard one of our interviews in the previous seasons. However you came to be subscribed to this feed, thank you so much for sticking around. In addition to the ongoing genocide and 2024 elections, I had a lot of personal things to deal with in 2025, which left me with very little bandwidth or energy to make new episodes. But things are finally looking up, and I think I might be in a place where I can start releasing episodes again and I want you, the listeners, to be a part of it.    I really enjoyed the mix of narrative storytelling and interview snippets in season 5 and I’d like to move the podcast into a more community-based format where each month or so, I’ll let you know the theme of the next episode, and if you have a story to share, you can submit something. You could record it as a video or voice memo on your phone, or if you’re super shy, you could even submit it as text for me to read on your behalf. I will then put them together. And we’ll start right now.    Feb 17, 2026 will be Lunar New Year based on the Chinese Lunar Calendar, which is celebrated in China, Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, Hong Kong. However, many other cultures also have a Lunar New Year that happens on a different date according to different Lunar Calendars. My goal with this episode is to get a sense of how Lunar New Year is celebrated in different cultures, so the more the merrier!   For this episode, I am looking for: Tell me how your family celebrates your culture’s version of Lunar New Year. This could include rituals, or specific foods or superstitions or family activities. Be sure to mention your favorite or least favorite part if you have one.  Tell me about any myths or origin stories or historical facts you were told about Lunar New Year? Tell me about the most memorable Lunar New Year of your life.   You only have to submit to one of these three prompts. Your submission should be no longer than 5 minutes.   If you’re interested in participating, send your script via email to nuancespodcast@gmail.com. This will help ensure that your submission fits what I’m looking for. I might suggest minor edits for length and clarity before you go ahead and record it.    Deadlines:  Jan 25: Last day to send me your script/pitch by email. Feb 01: Last day to send me your final recordings. Feb 15: Episode goes live!   When you are ready to record, make sure you are in a quiet space where there is no background noise like TV, fan, or leaf blowers. If your audio has too much noise, I will not be able to accept your submission. In your car, in your garage is a good backup plan if your house isn’t quiet enough. Cars generally have good sound isolation when all the doors and windows are closed.

    5 min

  4. 12/29/2024

    Introducing: That Scares Me Too

    Welcome back to the Nuances podcast!  I hope you’re having a wonderful holiday week if you celebrate. If not, I hope you get some rest at the very least as we wind down 2024. Last week I told you that my next release will be for you if you’re not into the festive vibe, but would rather hear something spooky! Well, I am here to deliver on that promise with our latest feed drop. Today I’d love to introduce you to the podcast “That Scares Me Too”.  In it, Dr. Sophie Yang and K.A Statz discuss myths and tales of horror from Taiwan and Asia. Together they compare and contrast stories from their cultures and talk about the shared humanity that is fear. In this episode, we’re introduced to unknown entities in the mountains of Taiwan. Enjoy!   If you would like to share input about the upcoming seasons, I’d love to hear from you! Find @nuancespod on socials! Instagram | TikTok | Threads | LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter Subscribe to LAZOU’s Substack Write us a review.   BOOKS - If you’d like to support Asian diaspora authors this holiday season, I gotchuuuuuu!!! Subscribe to That Scares Me Too: https://pod.link/1768039621/episode/5b3588d978a736e7b932c4cd05b9bf26

    37 min

  5. 12/22/2024

    Re-release: Holiday Special!

    Subscribe to LAZOU's Substack Review Nuances: Our Asian Stories   BOOKS!! Support Asian diaspora authors this holiday season! MUSIC “Have You Noticed the Season?” by 23rd Hour  “Let a Day Together Be Christmas” by 23rd Hour Spotify | Apple | Website   CONTACT Instagram | TikTok | Blog | LinkedIn | Twitter   GUESTS     Rahul Borkar - S1 E2 Tonie Nguyen - S1 E3 | S5 E3 Lisa Danaë - S1 E4 Cece Chow - S1 E7 | S4 E7 | S5 E6(2) Edmond Chan - S1 E8 | S5 E1 Ashley Chung-Fat-Yim - S1 E11 Charlene Vela - S2 E2 Tiffany Chou - S2 E3  Rod Kim - S2 E12 Offering Rain - S2 E9

    44 min
  6. 9. In search of the "socially acceptable" (Queering Premodern Asia - series finale!)

    11/10/2024

    9. In search of the "socially acceptable" (Queering Premodern Asia - series finale!)

    Season finale!!!! See full show notes for references & additional info. Queering Premodern Asia is a limited series and the 5th season of the Nuances podcast about Our Asian Stories. Each episode explores different aspects of sexual diversity in premodern Asia with commentary from guest scholars. Episodes are divided into a narrative portion, and a discussion with a guest co-host from the queer Asian community. Ep. 9: In search of the “socially acceptable” Introduction Military makeup and good looks Women in trade & female agency Gender fluidity as a plus Love, marriage and their casual (and recent) relationship Why it all changed Icons and rebels Why premodern Asia? Why me? Discussion with co-host Ryan Ah Seek Credits Spotify playlist Did you enjoy this episode? 🧧 If you would like to help me spread the word about the show, or support it financially, learn more at nuancespod.com/support ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you’d like to tell other people how much they will enjoy this show, please consider writing a review. ☎️ You can even leave me a voicemail! 💌 Subscribe to LAZOU’s substack, where I’ll be sharing some behind-the-scenes + additional essays! Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | LinkedIn | Threads | Facebook Guest co-host bio Ridwan (Ryan) Ah Seek, known as Ryan, is LGBTQIA+ activist in Mauritius. He is the former President and current vice president of Collectif Arc-En-Ciel, the biggest LGBTQIA+ NGO in Mauritius. He challenged Section 250 of the Mauritian Penal Code in 2019 and won the case on 4th Oct 2023, against the State of Mauritius. Instagram | TikTok | Facebook

    1h 18m

  7. 10/27/2024

    8. For the Record... (Queering Premodern Asia - a limited series)

    See full show notes for references & additional info. Queering Premodern Asia is a limited series and the 5th season of the Nuances podcast about Our Asian Stories. Each episode explores different aspects of sexual diversity in premodern Asia with commentary from guest scholars. Episodes are divided into a narrative portion, and a discussion with a guest co-host from the queer Asian community. Ep. 8: For the Record Introduction & content warnings We were here Other sources than official records Power in numbers Who’s missing? Official vs unofficial stance on queerness Court documents Decolonizing history Porn, erotic art Conclusion Discussion with co-host Dr. Izat El Amoor Outro Did you enjoy this episode? 🧧 If you would like to help me spread the word about the show, or support it financially, learn more at nuancespod.com/support ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you’d like to tell other people how much they will enjoy this show, please consider writing a review. ☎️ You can even leave me a voicemail! 💌 Subscribe to LAZOU’s substack, where I’ll be sharing some behind-the-scenes + additional essays! Guest bio Izat El Amoor is an assistant professor of sociology, public scholar, and a queer Palestinian (citizen of Israel). He studies queer issues in Palestine with a focus on education, family life, and the Palestinian Queer Movement. He also studies queer life in the SWANA Region with a focus on political and cultural factors of mobilizing for towards queer change since the Arab uprisings erupted in 2011.

    1h 24m

  8. 10/13/2024

    7. Performing Gender (and Gender Benders)

    Queering Premodern Asia is a limited series and the 5th season of the Nuances podcast about Our Asian Stories. Each episode explores different aspects of sexual diversity in premodern Asia with commentary from guest scholars. Episodes are divided into a narrative portion, and a discussion with a guest co-host from the queer Asian community. Content warnings Introduction Performing gender in Indonesia, Philippines, Japan Cross-dressing in theater in Korea, China, India, Japan Gender bender icons from China, Vietnam, Korea Gender boundaries in premodern China, Japan and Iran Conclusion Discussion with co-host Stella Gold Did you enjoy this episode? 🧧If you would like to help me spread the word about the show, or support it financially, learn more at nuancespod.com/support ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you'd like to tell other people how much they will enjoy this show, please consider writing a review. 💌 Subscribe to LAZOU's substack, where I'll be sharing some behind-the-scenes + additional essays! CONTACT @nuancespod on socials! Instagram | TikTok | Web | LinkedIn | Twitter Host: Lazou   GUEST BIO Stella Gold is a queer and nonbinary Rebirth + Wealth Coach for changemakers and comes from a lineage of activists. They are the founder of My Gold Standard, a believer in wealth activism, pro liberation from all oppressive systems, and collective care. They believe in using business as an ecosystem for financial solidarity for yourself AND the collective. Their ancestors are filipinx, romanian jewish, scottish, irish, chinese, italian, iranian, french, german, british, and likely so much more. They hold values and beliefs in abolitionism, anarchism, decolonization, collective and ancestral liberation, and leftism. Instagram | LinkedIn | Web

    1h 16m
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Nuances is an award-nominated audio space where guests from a wide range of Asian ethnic groups, careers, countries, and communities explore our often complicated relationships with our culture(s) and how they shape us. It can be a source of validation, a space for healing, a call to self-reflection, or a good laugh, often all at the same time. The current 5th season is a limited series exploring wholesome queer stories from premodern Asia, what they can teach us about our cultures, and why they were forgotten in modern times. It features scholars and guest co-hosts from the queer Asian community. We talk about the careers we’ve pursued: winemaker, writer, actor, musician, politician, activist, brain scientist, care worker, doctor, & so many more. Our intersectional conversations explore how our experiences affect our views on anti-racism, disability justice, feminism, LGBTQIA+ rights, religion, etc., and how we can create change in our own circles to build solidarity across moveme...

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