What Did I Miss?: July 2021

Mentions

Meet Alex Chester | Actor & Editor-in-Chief – I got a shout out from Alex Chester, chief editor of Mixed Asian Media and friend, in a profile that was done about her for Shoutout LA.

Published Works

Anime Expo Lite’s ‘Trese’ Panel Talks Origin Story, International Release, and Anime Adaptation – For The Nerds of Color, I provide coverage on this riveting discussion on how a beloved horror comic series from the Philippines came to be and how it’s not reaching the global audience.

Examining an Evolution: Recommended Reading

For this round of Recommended Analyzing, I wanted to recommend an essay written by someone I know.

Where Am I As a Novelist?

This is a post that I’ve been meaning to write for a couple of months, but I feel that now is the right time to finally do it. This will most definitely retract statements I had made in interviews I did earlier this year. And just as a heads up that this isn’t meant to bash or pit blame on anyone in particular, but rather to explain where I’m at and what I’ve been feeling.

What Did I Miss?: June 2021

Published Works

Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner and the Wild Year of Her Dreams Coming True – For the newly rebranded Mixed Asian Media, I have the honor and pleasure of doing the feature story about the latest projects from this musician and newly minted New York Times Bestselling author.

Netflix’s ‘Trese’ Spotlights Filipino Folklore Through Binge-able Storytelling – For The Nerds of Color, I share my impressions of the anime adaptation of this beloved Filipino horror comic book series.

Ming-Na Wen on Exploring Fennec Shand in ‘Star Wars: The Bad Batch’ – For The Nerds of Color, I had the honor and pleasure of getting to talk to this renowned voice and live-action actor about bringing her “Mandalorian” character into the animated world of “Star Wars.”

Review of Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon – For Goodreads, I give my take on the long anticipated third novel of this beloved YA author.

Let the Monsters Roar: Recommended Reading

It’s been a minute since I last suggested something for Recommended Analyzing. This came across my radar this week and I knew immediately to recommend it.

Last month, author Sarah Kuhn released her second YA novel, From Little Tokyo, with Love. It follows a mixed-race Japanese American teenage girl with a hot temper who is suddenly faced with the possibility that her mother, whom she long believed was dead, might actually be alive. Along the way of discovering the truth, she navigates her feelings for both a cute actor she befriends, and about herself and where she fits in the world.

Thoughts About the Process of Adaptation Through Writing

I’ve touched on the subject of adaptations quite a few times in the past, and it’s an act I’m no stranger to either; particularly through my efforts in adapting An Absolute Mind into a screenplay and from adapting “Interview with an Aswang” from a Zoom play into a short film. But there’s this other project of mine that has had its fair share of adaptations as well; a third form of it having taken place recently.

What Did I Miss?: May 2021

Published Works

AAPI Supernatural Recommendations for Fans of Disney’s ‘So Weird’ – For The Nerds of Color, I go through a list of recommended material across mediums, created by and starring Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, for those who grew up on Disney Channel’s ’90’s supernatural series.

Dante Basco Looks Back and Forward at His Career in Storytelling – For the Center for Asian American Media, I once again find myself speaking with this beloved Filipino American actor, as he goes over his career so far and what is ahead for him.

Review of Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala – For Goodreads, I give my take on my first dive into the cozy mystery genre, starring a Filipino American protagonist.

Netflix Gives First Look at ‘Trese’ Anime Series – For The Nerds of Color, I hype up the release of the trailer, as well as the announcement of the cast and release date, of this highly anticipated anime adaptation.

Review of From Little Tokyo, with Love by Sarah Kuhn – For Goodreads, I go over how this latest novel from this author really hit home for me, in more ways than one.

Appearances

ShoPowSho 036: Author/Writer Lauren Lola – I am the latest featured guest on this Filipino American-focused podcast, where I discuss my journey both as a writer and as a mixed-race Filipino American. (Full description can be found here on The Nerds of Color.)

5 Things I Haven’t Written, But Would Like To

Ever since I made the decision several years ago to start taking my writing more seriously, I’ve managed to have written quite a number of projects since then. I’ve written novels, short fiction, plays, films, and the occasional poem or two. However, there is still so much more that I have not written that I would like to try my hand at eventually, and a lot of those mediums are collaborative. As I’ve been told time and time again, the first step to making something happen is by putting it out into the universe. Therefore, I would like to take today to run through five things I have not written, but would like to someday:

Short Film Announcement: “Interview with an Aswang”

After officially announcing it both in my guest appearance on the ShoPowSho podcast as well as on my Instagram, I’m proud to go public with the news here that my one-act play, “Interview with an Aswang,” has been made into a short film and is currently being submitted into the film festival circuit. For those who didn’t catch it when it was featured in Rainy Day Artistic Collective’s Winter Showcase three months ago, it tells the story of a college student who interviews her friend about what her life is like as an aswang for a school assignment. Of course, that’s just the very surface level synopsis of it.

Re-Introduction in Honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

May is recognized as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the United States, where the entire duration of the month is devoted in recognizing the history, culture, and achievements of people from the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. While this annual, month-long celebration has been going on for a couple of decades now, I think it’s fair to say that this year’s will really be one of the first ones where people outside the communities are actually paying attention and learning about the history, in light of the hate crimes that have been happening for over a year now. I’m always going to be dismayed that it took a massacre for the general public to start paying attention to what has been happening, but the positive is that at least they’re finally paying attention. We’ve been here for a long time and we’re not going anywhere.