When people ask who I am, I’m quick to say that I’m a queer Pakistani woman who believes that you can’t be what you can’t see. I navigated predominantly white institutions where I often felt like I had to represent the communities I represented. I’ve been in conversations where others have challenged my identity, asserting that I should refer to myself as “American” since I was born and raised in Washington state. Even in these moments, I stand strong in who I am—until I don’t. These moments make me question if I’m Pakistani enough, especially because I can’t speak my family’s first...…When people ask who I am, I’m quick to say that I’m a queer Pakistani woman who believes that you can’t be what you can’t see. I navigated predominantly white institutions where I often felt like I had to represent the communities I represented. I’ve been in conversations where others have challenged my identity, asserting that I should refer to myself as “American” since I was born and raised in Washington state. Even in these moments, I stand strong in who I am—until I don’t. These moments make me question if I’m Pakistani enough, especially because I can’t speak my family’s first...WW…

A pervasive sadness runs through John Wick: Chapter 4, one of the strangest yet most entertaining Hollywood action movies in years, and a potential capstone to the series. Keanu Reeves returns as the broken Belarusian Boogeyman, yanked out of retirement three movies ago by the death of his wife and the murder of the puppy she left him. The fourth installment continues that story, with John Wick trying desperately to leave his old life behind, and it further expands the ludicrous, globetrotting assassin lore that fills every corner of the screen. However, unlike the previous two movies,...…A pervasive sadness runs through John Wick: Chapter 4, one of the strangest yet most entertaining Hollywood action movies in years, and a potential capstone to the series. Keanu Reeves returns as the broken Belarusian Boogeyman, yanked out of retirement three movies ago by the death of his wife and the murder of the puppy she left him. The fourth installment continues that story, with John Wick trying desperately to leave his old life behind, and it further expands the ludicrous, globetrotting assassin lore that fills every corner of the screen. However, unlike the previous two movies,...WW…

In 2021, influential K-pop cover dancer Isabel Jones (@_isabae_) was chosen out of thousands of video submissions to compete on television for a chance to become one of pop superstar Lizzo’s backup dancers—the iconic Big Grrrls. In 2022, the reality competition show aired on Amazon Prime, racking up six Emmy Award nominations and winning three. Now, almost a year after Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrls rocked viewers and critics alike, we catch up with Jones to reflect on the process of working under Miss Lizzo, bringing her authentic mixed self to the competition, and crafting her own...…In 2021, influential K-pop cover dancer Isabel Jones (@_isabae_) was chosen out of thousands of video submissions to compete on television for a chance to become one of pop superstar Lizzo’s backup dancers—the iconic Big Grrrls. In 2022, the reality competition show aired on Amazon Prime, racking up six Emmy Award nominations and winning three. Now, almost a year after Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrls rocked viewers and critics alike, we catch up with Jones to reflect on the process of working under Miss Lizzo, bringing her authentic mixed self to the competition, and crafting her own...WW…

There’s one person Spence Lee admires for their transformative influence of martial arts on popular culture. Coincidentally, he shares the same last name as this famous fighter, philosopher, and icon of martial arts cinema. “I really look up to Bruce Lee,” the 26-year-old rapper tells me over a Zoom call in January. “Today’s day and age is all about creating your own. Everybody loves to create their own, do it yourself. Man, Bruce Lee wrote, directed, produced, starred in, and choreographed all his own movies in the ‘70s.” “In the ‘70s!” Lee emphasizes. “We can’t let him become just a...…There’s one person Spence Lee admires for their transformative influence of martial arts on popular culture. Coincidentally, he shares the same last name as this famous fighter, philosopher, and icon of martial arts cinema. “I really look up to Bruce Lee,” the 26-year-old rapper tells me over a Zoom call in January. “Today’s day and age is all about creating your own. Everybody loves to create their own, do it yourself. Man, Bruce Lee wrote, directed, produced, starred in, and choreographed all his own movies in the ‘70s.” “In the ‘70s!” Lee emphasizes. “We can’t let him become just a...WW…

This year’s Academy Awards have more Asian nominees than usual, since Asian American indie Everything Everywhere All At Once leads the pack with 11 nods in 10 different categories. However, it’s also an unusually big Oscar year for Indian films specifically, despite the South Asian juggernaut—whose combined industries produce more movies than any other nation; nearly 2000 annually—being part of neither the Best Picture nor Best International Feature lineups. Action epic RRR was a breakout favorite in the west; it just received its second U.S. re-release, and it seems poised to win Best...…This year’s Academy Awards have more Asian nominees than usual, since Asian American indie Everything Everywhere All At Once leads the pack with 11 nods in 10 different categories. However, it’s also an unusually big Oscar year for Indian films specifically, despite the South Asian juggernaut—whose combined industries produce more movies than any other nation; nearly 2000 annually—being part of neither the Best Picture nor Best International Feature lineups. Action epic RRR was a breakout favorite in the west; it just received its second U.S. re-release, and it seems poised to win Best...WW…

: A JoySauce column about interracial/intercultural relationships within the Asian diaspora experience, and how these unique love stories make our lives fuller, funnier, and more interesting.Do you have a love story—with a partner, a coworker, a neighbor, your favorite barista—to share? !Two generations of mamas and daughters, sharing a love of Asian dramas.A living room full of stories.Writer Teena Apeles, center, spends time with her daughter, Dominie (left), and neighbor, Aurora (right).Dominie commandeers the remote.Published on August 4, 2022…: A JoySauce column about interracial/intercultural relationships within the Asian diaspora experience, and how these unique love stories make our lives fuller, funnier, and more interesting.Do you have a love story—with a partner, a coworker, a neighbor, your favorite barista—to share? !Two generations of mamas and daughters, sharing a love of Asian dramas.A living room full of stories.Writer Teena Apeles, center, spends time with her daughter, Dominie (left), and neighbor, Aurora (right).Dominie commandeers the remote.Published on August 4, 2022WW…