Aug 16, 2021Last Season in ChinatownOn a warm, mid-October day in 2008, Danny Lee set out Oriental jewelry boxes close to the entrance of his store. Tourists filled the block, the backbone of New York City’s old Chinatown. Along this stretch of Mott Street, in between bubble-tea shops and Chinese restaurants, open-air storefronts teamed with…Old New York20 min readOld New York20 min read
Aug 16, 2021Fighting Goliath in ChinatownOriginally published 9/01/2010 New York, NY. To some, Mei Rong Song might seem like an unlikely hero. She’s owns a flower shop in Chinatown’s East Broadway Mall. She’s a mother of three in her late 30s, who doesn’t let her limited English prevent her from being outgoing and talkative. But…New York City4 min readNew York City4 min read
Aug 16, 2021The Hot-Sour-Bittersweet Taste of Memories(Published originally on Spoonwiz.com — a literary food blog that has unfortunately shuttered.) Aug 2, 2013 Editor: Elizabeth McKenzie My sister gingerly sprinkled tiny globs on her plate of rice, ground chicken and vegetables. She was careful not to look too close. I dropped a larger spoonful of hăng hơdŏm…Vietnam War4 min readVietnam War4 min read
Feb 12, 2021Surviving Tết: Luckiest Of the UnluckyMany moons ago, I lived with a local Vietnamese family and taught English in Ho Chi Minh City. For my first celebration of Tết, I learned a few customs for attracting luck — sweep your room, adorn family altars with fresh fruit, and wear red. Less clear, however, was what…Lunar New Year9 min readLunar New Year9 min read
Mar 15, 2017A Few Thoughts on Writing About Your WhitenessI attended 2017 AWP conference in February, and checked out the panel, In Praise of Junot Diaz and Claudia Rankine: Furthering the MFA vs. POC and AWP 2016 Keynote Conversations. The speakers were Allen Gee, David Mura, Faith Adele, Christine Hyung-Oak Lee and Marcus Burke. …Racism7 min readRacism7 min read