Submissions are now open for the 30th issue of Hyphen and the theme is Intersections. The theme is open to many interpretations and we're seeking great pitches that encompass the multitude of Intersections that exist in Asian America. For details on pitching a story click here.
It’s back! ABC’s landmark series “Fresh off the Boat” has been renewed for a second season. It’s impossible not to adore incredulous 12-year-old hip-hop fanatic Eddie Huang and his family as they build their lives in Orlando, Florida, with sass, class and a uniquely critical perspective that has never been seen from an immigrant family.
This post contains spoilers.
The plot line dictates, culturally and historically, a dominant narrative told many times in film and media. I wish it were different. With the myriad of racial, cultural, and social stories flooding the media, visibility of API bodies is still so very far behind in the mainstream culture even when it is inserted into film as an aside.
At my very first protest march, as we walked down Broadway from Union Square, tens of thousands of us in the streets demanding justice for Amadou Diallo, the day after the cops who shot him were acquitted, I suddenly found myself alone in the crowd. I had moved to the US only a few months before, and didn’t know many people, and in that moment, there was just the buzz of ten thousand chants, and the throng of bodies. Before panic set in, a woman behind me, part of a contingent of Latinas, looked in my face and smiled -- a big, genuine smile -- and patted my arm.
After months of campaigning by immigrant and LGBTQ rights groups, Nicoll Hernández-Polanco was freed from her detention by ICE. Her story, written by Kris Hayashi of the Transgender Law Center, is a story of a young woman who escaped the broken immigration system, and how she was criminalized and psychologically tortured simply for being young and transgender.
More than a year after delivering a speech to a packed crowd of 20,000 at Madison Square Garden, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a similar performance in the San Francisco Bay Area this past Sunday.
The event drew 18,000 attendants to the SAP Center in San Jose. The Indo American Community of West Coast, a newly formed group responsible for hosting the event released a statement saying, “From taxi drivers and farmers to professionals and CEOs of large companies, the excitement being felt in the Silicon Valley is unprecedented.”
The events of 9/11 created a fork in my life's path that led to a passion that has consumed thousands of hours to date. I have faced a constant fear and loathing from a few fellow Americans who project their ignorance, anger and insecurity in response to my countenance. I found creating cartoons as my weapon of choice to bleed some of these emotions out with a sarcastic edge.
For September we bring you a lovely poem about the Korean abalone divers. The rich imagery of the sea juxtaposed against the current, more pop culture references makes for a surprising characterization that illustrates the strength and grace of these women.
--Karissa Chen, Fiction & Poetry Editor
Haenya (Abalone Huntress) Dancing
Mermaids in tire rubber
Rise from the murk-surf,
More like Rosie than Bo or Ursula—
Who knew deep sea dives,
Domain of sleek seals,
To be a rough profession—