The Universal Asian

An Adoptee’s Reaction to ‘Joy Ride’ (2023)

Available in theaters July 7. “Joy Ride” hits like a solid punch to that white kid’s face: satisfying, but maybe not quite right. For...

Ella Wu

'Everything, Everywhere All at Once'

Warning: possible spoilers ahead! Available in cinemas on March 25th On behalf of The Universal Asian, I had the privilege of attending...

RECENT POSTS

'Interior Chinatown' Pushes You To Step Outside Your Lines

On the Edge of Extinction: 'The Last of the Sea Women'

‘Dìdi (弟弟)’ (2024) Is Quiet, Awkward, but Heartfelt

Holly M. Kaplan Reflects on the Bittersweetness of Youth in 'Sunflower Girl' (2023)

ADOPTEE VOICES

Ella Wu

An Adoptee’s Reaction to ‘Joy Ride’ (2023)

Available in theaters July 7. “Joy Ride” hits like a solid punch to that white kid’s face: satisfying, but maybe not quite right. For...

Cynthia Landesberg

Artificial Habitat

Growing up, I lived in one of those unremarkable suburban neighborhoods everyone has seen and no one remembers. Two-story houses....

Book Review: 'The Global Orphan Adoption System' by Dr. Kyung-eun Lee

OSH

Adoptees

Book Review: 'The Global Orphan Adoption System' by Dr. Kyung-eun Lee

"The Global Orphan Adoption System: South Korea’s Impact on Its Origin and Development" by Dr. Kyung-eun Lee is an informative and...

Living as a Returned Migrant in Korea (Part 2 of 2)

이영숙 Kristin R. Pak

Living as a Returned Migrant in Korea (Part 2 of 2)

Reposted from Ildaro.com As Koreans from the diaspora who have returned to the motherland we are acknowledged by the government as part...

IN THE WORLD TODAY

Introducing Studio ATAO’s ‘Food Systems 101’

Ella Wu

Introducing Studio ATAO’s ‘Food Systems 101’

Studio ATAO is raising funds for their first food education program “Food Systems 101: An Introduction to the Politics of Food &...

OSH

Adoptees

Book Review: 'The Global Orphan Adoption System' by Dr. Kyung-eun Lee

"The Global Orphan Adoption System: South Korea’s Impact on Its Origin and Development" by Dr. Kyung-eun Lee is an informative and...

이영숙 Kristin R. Pak

Living as a Returned Migrant in Korea (Part 2 of 2)

Reposted from Ildaro.com As Koreans from the diaspora who have returned to the motherland we are acknowledged by the government as part...

Human Rights: My life as a migrant adoptee, 2018 (Part 1 of 2)

이영숙 Kristin R. Pak

Human Rights: My life as a migrant adoptee, 2018 (Part 1 of 2)

Reposted from Ildaro.com Introduction: As someone who became a migrant through intercountry adoption, Kristin Pak has a unique...

ASIANS IN ENTERTAINMENT

Ella Wu

'Interior Chinatown' Pushes You To Step Outside Your Lines

All 10 episodes are now streaming on Hulu. At some point, we all wonder: are we the star of our own story or just another face in the...

On the Edge of Extinction: 'The Last of the Sea Women'

Ella Wu

On the Edge of Extinction: 'The Last of the Sea Women'

Now streaming exclusively on Apple TV+. On the rocky shores of Jeju Island, a remarkable culture hangs on by a thread, embodied in the...

‘Dìdi (弟弟)’ (2024) Is Quiet, Awkward, but Heartfelt

Ella Wu

‘Dìdi (弟弟)’ (2024) Is Quiet, Awkward, but Heartfelt

In the summer of 2008, Chris Wang, a 13-year-old Taiwanese-American boy, stumbles his way through friendship, family, and identity. He...

Holly M. Kaplan Reflects on the Bittersweetness of Youth in 'Sunflower Girl' (2023)

Ella Wu

Holly M. Kaplan Reflects on the Bittersweetness of Youth in 'Sunflower Girl' (2023)

Skateboard wheels on asphalt and a mellow, pulsing instrumental ease us into “Sunflower Girl” (2023), a tender yet poignant coming-of-age...

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FINDING OUR CULTURE

Ella Wu

On the Edge of Extinction: 'The Last of the Sea Women'

Now streaming exclusively on Apple TV+. On the rocky shores of Jeju Island, a remarkable culture hangs on by a thread, embodied in the...

How Xenia Deviatkina-Loh Is Redefining Diversity in Classical Music

Ella Wu

How Xenia Deviatkina-Loh Is Redefining Diversity in Classical Music

Many people think of classical music as a thing of the past. Its compositions have stood the test of time, holding a unique place in...

Ana Clancey

Bao Vo's Journey from Refugee to Artist

Can you share a bit about yourself and how your Asian identity shaped who you are? Today I am an artist, music producer, and songwriter...

Korean Adoption Documents: The print portfolio

A.D. Herzel

Adoptees

Korean Adoption Documents: The print portfolio

The meaningful and meaningless documents that make up the story of my adoption inspired this set of digital composites. The first step in...

LIFESTYLE

OSH

Introducing Angela Wu

Angela Wu is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Empowerment Coach who is passionate about de-stigmatizing mental health in the...

Cynthia Landesberg

Choosing Parenthood

“I think, maybe, we should talk about starting a family,” my husband said one day, as we sat on the back porch of a winery north of our...

Haiku Kwon

A #hyphenatedAsians POV: Christine Ha

Christine Ha is a powerhouse of creativity and resilience. She was the first-ever blind contestant and winner of Gordon Ramsey’s amateur...

OSH

Food: Truly colorblind glue

As I walked the streets in the Asian part of Rome near Termini Station, the Asian stores were mostly empty, perhaps as a result of COVID...

IN OUR OWN WORDS

Musings of a Middle-aged Matriarch: Finding my tribe

Heather Lewis

Musings of a Middle-aged Matriarch: Finding my tribe

There’s a sea of different people in this world. While everyone is unique and different, there are enough commonalities between us all to...

What It Means To Be Asian in America: Recognizing and breaking the cycle of trauma

Vanessa Nguyen

What It Means To Be Asian in America: Recognizing and breaking the cycle of trauma

The rise in hate crimes against the AAPI community has left many of us questioning not just our identity as Asian-Americans, but how we...

Cynthia Landesberg

Artificial Habitat

Growing up, I lived in one of those unremarkable suburban neighborhoods everyone has seen and no one remembers. Two-story houses....

Musings of a Middle-aged Matriarch: How do you find joy?

Heather Lewis

Musings of a Middle-aged Matriarch: How do you find joy?

As adoptees, many of us have had to create our own joy. We have to work at joy because it doesn’t come naturally to us. We are too busy...

FICTON & POETRY

Samantha Der

Appearances

That night, as she stood alone on the water’s edge, the expanse of the ocean before her felt as dark and infinite as the universe. A soft...

Lauren Kofalt

Poems

Time Time flies by In the blink of an eye How should I spend my day So many things that I could do But in my bed i just lay Being...

Samantha Der

Are You Me? The Noodles That Tie Us

I loved my shirt With three pockets of color Gym shoes Blue shorts And black hair That flopped over My gold-rimmed glasses I was ready...

Lauren Kofalt