Interviews
How one UK educator convinced a publishing company to redo their flashcards depicting Asians with slant-eyes
During his fourth year of teaching in the U.K., primary school educator John Luk noticed something concerning about his classroom resources. While looking at a set of phonics flashcards produced by Read Write Inc., he realized that the Asian characters were illustrated with slits for their eyes.
Instead of staying silent, Luk took action. He wrote a letter of complaint, noting that the flashcards in question — a revamp of a previous set of cards that depicted fewer POC characters — are currently being used in schools worldwide. According to Luk, children aged 4 to 7 in the U.K. must learn phonics, and only a few organizations create phonics schemes to be distributed to schools across the U.K., with Read Write Inc. Phonics being one of them. Their popular phonics cards, which are published by Oxford University Press, are used in more than 5,000 schools in the U.K., as well as in nine states in the U.S. and hundreds of schools around the world.
Marie Kondo launches game based on her joyful memories playing ‘Street Fighter’ and ‘Mario Kart’ with her brother
The queen of tidying is back, and it’s not just with a Netflix show — she’s breaking into video games.
Inspired by her time playing “Street Fighter,” “Mario Kart,” “Puyo Puyo” and “Super Robot Wars” with her brother, bestselling author Marie Kondo brings the joy of tidying to mobile gamers in one of her latest ventures.
Three Asian YouTubers spent a day in America’s ‘most racist town’
In July 2020, a Los Angeles-based film producer stood outside a Walmart in Harrison, Ark., with a Black Lives Matter sign. Just moments later, he was on the receiving end of hateful remarks ranging from jeers about his actions to explicit declarations of white supremacy.
Rob Bliss, who is white, had wanted to see for himself whether the word about Harrison was true: that it is the “most racist town in America.”
‘My heart bled for them’: Director Justin Chon’s ‘Blue Bayou’ aims to change the fate of American adoptees facing deportation
In a shotgun home in the Louisiana bayou, a Korean adoptee’s small-town world is rocked when he finds out that in the 30 years he’s lived in America, he is not considered a citizen and is at risk of deportation.
Justin Chon, the writer, director and star behind “Blue Bayou” plays the character Antonio LeBlanc, a financially struggling New Orleans-based tattoo artist who was adopted from South Korea when he was 3. The film peers into the lives of Antonio and his pregnant wife Kathy, played by Alicia Vikander, as parents of Kathy’s young daughter from a previous marriage.
Asian American family opens fundraiser for father whose cancer has spread to his brain
An Asian American family living in Marietta, Ga., has launched a GoFundMe page to help raise money for their elderly father struggling with cancer.
An unfortunate relapse: Ronnie Chin, who recently turned 61, was diagnosed with stage 4 nasopharyngeal cancer in 2017. After receiving radiation and chemotherapy treatments, he became cancer-free for two years until his condition relapsed in July.
Meet Soyon An, the Korean American costume designer who won an Emmy when she was 27
Soyon An, the Korean American costume designer who won her first Emmy at only 27 years old, opened up about her journey to creative success and how her parents were originally disappointed with her career path.
An impressive portfolio: As a three-time Emmy Award-winning costume designer and celebrity stylist, An’s works appeared on a number of stars and in hit shows.
‘We should be proud and unapologetic’: ‘Shang-Chi’ stars celebrate film’s impact on the AAPI community
The stars of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” discussed the lack of AAPI representation in Hollywood, celebrating AAPI culture and why this film is important in our community in an exclusive interview with NextShark.
“Celebrating Asian-ness”: Actors Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Meng’er Zhang and director Destin Daniel Cretton came together to create an anticipated hit movie that is a “celebration of who we are,” said Cretton in the interview.
Simu Liu confesses he cheated on the ‘Marvel Diet’ because Asians just eat better
Simu Liu confessed in an exclusive interview that he didn’t stick to the “Marvel diet” during filming and that the food was better while working with an all-Asian cast.
The “Marvel diet”: Liu began training to get the “Marvel body” from the moment he was cast and spent six months practicing martial arts. He also did strength and conditioning workouts in order to be in good enough physical shape to survive the “grueling” ten months of shooting.
New Marvel actor Meng’er Zhang talks about punching Simu Liu’s face
In an exclusive interview, Meng’er Zhang, the Chinese actor who plays Shang-Chi’s sister Xialiang, shared that she didn’t know she was auditioning for “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and ended up punching Simu Liu in the face on set.
Landing the role: Zhang told NextShark she wasn’t aware she was auditioning for a Marvel movie. She sent her self-tapes after seeing the audition call in a group chat.
Free drinks 24/7 and endless goodies: US athlete Timothy Lam gives inside look at Olympic village
What’s it like to be an Olympic athlete?
NextShark spoke with Timothy Lam, who represented the U.S. in the men’s singles badminton in Tokyo to find out.
Glamnetic founder creates multimillion-dollar lash company for ‘more Asian female representation, empowerment’
The founder behind Glamnetic has opened up about how being bullied, changing her birth name to fit in, and dealing with the lack of Asian representation in the beauty industry led her to create a multimillion-dollar lash company.
Ann McFerran, 28, told Forbes that she “always felt self-conscious about her thin lashes” and often wondered why her eyes didn’t look like the “big blue eyes” of her Barbie dolls.
When 7 Twitch Creators Came Together to Speak on ‘Collective Trauma’ of Anti-Asian Hate
At the height of Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month (APIHM), Asian creatives were spotlighted at the forefront of Twitch, and for many of them, it was their first time celebrating it.
As the uber-popular platform rings in its 10th anniversary, we’re celebrating by learning more about your favorite streamers.