Asian Pacific Voices Radio

Cultivating Personal Growth and Legacy │ 2x12

Dr. Emily Letran is a dentist, author, speaker, and life coach. Informed by her experiences fleeing Vietnam, Dr. Letran has optimized her opportunities for herself and for others, always striving for improvement. As a mother of three, she has learned to creatively balance work, family life, after-school life and her personal life as a growing entrepreneur.

Dr. Letran is actively involved in community services, sponsoring multiple local school and charity events. She created the Emily Letran Foundation dedicated to providing basic dental care to veterans and families of disadvantaged background, including the monthly Free Dentistry Day, where she and her dental team work to provide free dentistry for the less fortunate in area communities.

To learn more about her Foundation, her books, and her coaching, visit her website at https://www.dremilyletran.com/

Immigrant Excellence in the Design Industry │ 2x11

Rich Tu, a first-generation Filipino-American designer and artist.

A decorated figure in media, he is also works to uplift BIPOC creatives. He co-founded the COLORFUL grant with the One Club, and he hosts the podcast "First Generation Burden," which focuses on intersectionality and diversity within the creative industry.

He has won various awards and has worked with a number of big name clients and collaborators, and actively supports other emerging AAPI creatives.

In today's episode, he delves into his experiences entering the design industry and navigating the Trump campaign as a first-generation Asian American.

Curating an Experience in Opera │ 2x10

On today's episode of Asian Voices, Sasha Foo sits down with Matthew Ozawa, a renowned stage director, artistic director, and educator dedicated to the world of opera and theatre. They discuss the classical arts as a realm traditionally reserved for the white elite, his experiences navigating it as a Japanese-American, and the importance of expanding opera for POC performers and audience members. 

Ozawa has firmly cemented himself as one of the preeminent creative forces in the opera world today. He has directed for a number of opera houses and theatres across the nation and has won many awards, honors, and fellowships. He is also a decorated educator, bringing the arts of acting and movement to young minds. A lifetime of hard work and learning the business of the industry from the ground up has led to his founding of MOZAWA, a Chicago-based incubator advancing collaborative art and artists.

Playing Yourself for a Living with Kristina Wong │ 2x9

Kristina Wong is a third-generation Chinese-American known primarily for her work as a solo theater performer, performance artist, and actor. As a feminist, her work often tackles themes regarding race, sex, and privilege, often in conjunction with the Asian-American experience, through a satirical lens.

In this episode, Wong also discusses her work and its overlap with social activism. She is an elected representative of Koreatown, Los Angeles and an avid activist. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, she founded the Auntie Sewing Squad, a national mutual aid collective that specializes in making and distributing face masks. 

To learn more about Kristina Wong and Auntie Sewing Squad, visit https://www.kristinawong.com and http://auntiesewingsquad.com. 

The Business of Representation with Alexa Khan │ 2x8

On this episode of Asian Voices Radio, Alexa Khan tells us about her Mongolian background along with her experiences of how she became a film producer from being an actress and a financial advisor.

A Mongolian-born American actress and producer, Khan grew up on stage in Mongolia and has loved the performing arts since she was a child. When Alexa moved to Los Angeles, she immersed herself in the acting methods of Sanford Meisner and Stella Addler at the Ruskin School of Acting.

She has since performed on stage as well as in numerous shorts and feature films. Her ability to portray elegance with power and strength with grace has landed her parts in several films.

Exploring Identity, Community, and Refugitude through Theatre │ 2x7

On today's episode of Asian Voices, artistic director of TeAda Productions Ova Saopeng delves into his origins in theatre and the significance of representation for South and South East Asian faces, histories, and stories.

 

Ova Saopeng is associate artistic director and producer with Los Angeles based TeAda Productions. A refugee from Savannakhet, Laos, he was raised in Hawaii and received a B.A. in Theater from the University of Southern California. Now an accomplished actor, teaching artist, and playwright, his passions for elevating the refugee and immigrant experience on the American stage have shined through his work. Ova is also co-creator of Refugee Nation, the only nationally touring play about the Lao-American experience.

 

Learn more about his creations at teada.org.

Sowing Compassion, Community, and Education from Tragedy │ 2x6

Giving back to the community that lent support in a time of tragedy, the Lingzi Foundation works to help others pursue their own dreams through Lu Lingi's spirit. 

An inspiration sprouted in the aftermath of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing attack, the Lingzi Foundation is a 501 (c) (3), not-for-profit organization based in Boston, Massachusetts. It was formed by the family of Lu Lingzi, who perished during the Boston Marathon bombing attack, to preserve and perpetuate Lingzi’s life example. Through their programs, youth are able to cultivate connections and support one another––which they have adapted to and maintained across this pandemic.

You can learn more about the foundation at https://lingzifoundation.org/ 

 

Diversity from Behind the Scenes with Miranda Kwok │ 2x5

In this episode, writer and executive producer Miranda Kwok dives into her latest project The Cleaning Lady, the U.S. television series adaptation based on the original Argentine series La Chica Que Limpia and the endeavors of creating representation and diversity in her characters and narratives. Her position as an Asian American woman informs her work and integrates an understanding of immigrant perspectives, marginalization, and how that influences their experiences. 

Kwok is a decorated figure in the industry, serving as a Writer and Supervising Producer for "The 100" on the CW Network, working on the Warner Bros. series for four years from Season 4 to Season 7. She also served as a writer and story consultant on several theme park attractions and immersive experiences, including Wanda Movie Park's 4D Film "Streets of Fury" and 5D Film "Ultimate Energy" which was produced by Industrial Light and Magic.

Kwok is an alum of the WGA Showrunner Training Program, the WGA Writer Access Project, the CBS Writers Mentoring Program, and Film Independent's Project: Involve, through which she earned a full tuition scholarship at The Los Angeles Film School for their Feature Development Program. She is an alum of Claude Watson School for the Performing and Visual Arts, and holds an Honors Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Psychology from the University of Toronto.

Cultivating Sense of Self through Science & Art │ 2x4

Krysada Phounsiri is a Lao American professional dancer, award winning poet, engineer, and photographer from San Diego, CA. He is a Physics & Astrophysics double major, with a minor in Creative Writing from UC Berkeley. He published his debut poetry book, "Dance Among Elephants", and 2nd poetry book, "Every Passing Minute", under Sahtu Press.

Krysada is currently a Senior Optical Engineer working in the BioTech industry. His dance resume includes various competition wins around the globe, performing in Jabbawockeez MUS.I.C show in Las Vegas, dancing on movie sets, and other creative projects. Many of his creative endeavors are connected to exploring Lao / Southeast Asian American identity and how it can be integrated in various spaces.

Covid-19 Vaccines and Variants Part III with Dr. Paul Song │ 2x3

Dr. Paul Song, board certified radiation oncologist and co-founder and CEO of Fuse Biotherapeutics, returns to discuss where we are and where we may go as we enter the third year of this COVID-19 pandemic. 

With so much misinformation and hesitation towards vaccines and boosters, Dr. Song shares his insights as a father of young children and as a doctor who has witnessed first-hand the structural issues at the core of the healthcare system. 

Dr. Song graduated with honors from the University of Chicago and received his MD degree from George Washington University. He completed his residency in radiation oncology at the University of Chicago where he served as Chief Resident and did a brachytherapy fellowship at the Institute Gustave Roussy in Villejuif, France. He was also awarded an ASTRO research fellowship in 1995 for his research in radiation inducible gene therapy.

Dr. Song also serves on the board of Physicians for a National Health Program, The Pritzker School for Molecular Engineering, Progressive Democrats of America, and the Center for Health and Democracy.