The Memoir I’m Writing
It has been quite a journey writing my memoir, and many of you have read parts of my story through essays published in national outlets over the years. I’m honored that the National Association of Memoir Writers recently featured me and my memoir-in-progress. Here is the profile: During the pandemic, my carefully constructed suburban Los […]
I Was a Baby Jane Doe like the one on The Pitt
This season, the popular HBO series The Pitt gives us a Baby Jane Doe. No name, no explanation why her mother abandoned her. She arrives the way Jane Does always arrive—out of nowhere and unaware that her mother has left her. Noah Wyle’s Dr. Robby picks her up. The show allows itself a stillness here […]
What the Oscars Reveal About the Long Road to the Stage
Growing up I watched the Oscars for the glamour and beauty. Now I watch for something else entirely: the persistence behind the dream. Growing up, I watched the Oscars every year with my mother and begged to stay up long past bedtime to see the final awards announced. Back then I watched for the glamour […]
Why Punch the Monkey Broke the Internet and Broke Me
Like Punch, my birth mother abandoned me. Millions of people have watched the heartbreaking videos of Punch, the baby monkey bullied and rejected by other monkeys in his troop. Many of us felt relief and joy when an older female finally showed him care and protection, essentially becoming his adoptive mother.Punch’s story resonated with people […]
Domestic Violence is Real and Personal
Actor Kristen Bell thought she was making a joke. As a childhood domestic violence survivor and witness, it’s no laughing matter.
Growing up with a mentally ill parent
Relaxing on my bed in suburban Detroit, I was absorbed in yet another escapist novel from the library when my mother suddenly barged into my room. Her face was filled with a familiar madness as she grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the full-length mirror in the master bedroom. She had shears in one […]
Interview with a Bestselling Author
On this last day of Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, I wanted to share my interview with bestselling author Stephane Foo for The Rumpus. Her memoir What My Bones Know about complex PTSD covers her childhood trauma as well as information from experts on how to heal. She is an Emmy award-winning former producer of This […]
Back to the Beginning
The New York Times published this Tiny Love Stories two years ago in June, almost to the day I arrived in America to join my adoptive family. I guess it’s fitting that “my day” in the NYT calendar is in June too. To everyone who I wish you peace and healing. Writing my memoir has […]
Netflix’s ‘Beef’ Shows Why Perfectionism is Damaging
Hello and Happy Spring, I don’t know if you’ve watched Netflix’s Beef starring Ali Wong, but it’s quite a ride. It starts with a crazy road rage incident between two people. On the surface, Wong’s character Amy appears to have it all, but beneath the surface, there are cracks that cause her to fester in […]
Why Michelle Yeoh’s success means so much to many
Greetings, I hope you are well. Growing up, my mother and I loved to watch the Academy Awards. Hollywood seemed like a magical place. Yet like many children of immigrants, I was discouraged (actually forbidden) to pursue a writing career. Here is my TodayShow.com essay on why Michelle Yeoh’s success is so meaningful to many. […]