Episode 183

#183 - Owning The Narrative & Telling Your Story with Author Emily Inouye Huey

Far too many times in life, our narratives get told by others. Sometimes, being a passive passenger in the journey can feel the safest and most comfortable...until you realize the consequences of not speaking up on your or your community's behalf. Like misinformation, isolation, erasure, and even the exploitation of narratives to serve another's agenda. We're all becoming much more keenly aware of how this has been playing out for real all around us, and many of us are wondering how to approach it. In this episode, Minji sits down with Emily Inouye Huey, author of the moving YA novel "Beneath the Wide Silk Sky" - story about a Japanese American teenager named Sam who is navigating her young life in the wake of Pearl Harbor during WWII. Together they talk about Emily's personal process as a writer and as a Japanese American person unpacking very real family history that she's digesting. They go into the ups and downs of learning, embracing, and finding courage to share stories that mean so much, and how these stories can be vital contributions to culture, politics, and our own personal growth. Emily shares her thoughts on the recent book bans spreading across America, and what's at stake if we don't stand up for truth, accessibility and education.

Timestamps:

00:00-10:15 - Introduction to episode & Emily featuring Uzuhan's "Uzutrap"

10:15-52:42 - Part 1 of conversation with Emily

52:42-54:42 - Break

54:42-1:17:00 - Part 2 of conversation with Emily

1:17:00-1:22:57 - Outro featuring Melissa Polinar's "Another Universe"

Follow Our Guest Emily Inouye Huey:

https://www.instagram.com/emily_inouye_huey/

https://emilyhuey.com/

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▫️ Music featured in this episode include "Uzutrap" & "Another Universe" by Melissa Polinar

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▫️ This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

Audio Engineer @marvinyueh

Producer @DaEunKim

Social Media Manager @JulianaDeer

Mentioned in this episode:

Don't miss an all AAPI production of HENRY VI: A Trilogy in Two Parts at The Public in NYC

The National Asian American Theatre Company’s acclaimed production of HENRY VI: A TRILOGY IN TWO PARTS brings an all-AANHPI cast to The Public Theater for a decades-spanning saga of Joan of Arc, warring dukes, and the bloody birth of the War of the Roses. Adapted by Stephen Brown-Fried, this is Shakespeare like you've never experienced it. Part 1: Foreign Wars opens with a king dead, an infant on the throne, and a country already coming apart at the seams. Part 2: Civil Strife picks up nearly 30 years later...and the bloodbath is yet to come. Simmering feuds explode into the War of the Roses, and nothing will ever be the same. Performances from June 9 through July 19! Use code H6BC for $59 tickets!

Henry VI at The Public with an all AAPI cast

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