Ten Thousand Things with Shin Yu Pai

Coming Soon: Season 5 of Ten Thousand Things

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 09:00:00 GMT

Ten Thousand Things is back for its fifth and final season. Shin Yu talks to artists, authors, a magician, and a psychedelic educator about the objects that help them reclaim and redefine identity, in all its complexities. New episodes start May 6.

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Bonus: The Musical Castle

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 10:00:00 GMT

The season one finale of Field Notes explores the life and legacy of Seattle music producer Gary Mula and the musical castle he built at The Dutchman Studios. The podcast features archival interview recordings with Mula where he recalls how The Dutchman became a diverse, welcoming mecca for various genres, from grunge to early hip-hop. Ultimately, this episode celebrates Mula's unwavering, community-driven spirit as reflected in his final project, The Rabbit Box, which continues his commitment to providing uncompromising artistic space.

This episode is hosted by Tony Williams and features guest Shin Yu Pai.

Curated HistoryLInk article set for this episode includes:

The Dutchman (Seattle) by Shin Yu Pai
Rock Music - Seattle by Clark Humphrey
Women of Northwest Rock: The First 50 Years (1957-2007) by Peter Blecha

Additional HistoryLink resources for this episode:

Crocodile Cafe: Seattle's Icon of the Grunge Rock Era by Peter Blecha
Cobain, Kurt (1967-1994) by Peter Blecha
Kurt Cobain posts a "Drummer Wanted" classified advertisement in Seattle's The Rocket on May 1, 1988. by Peter Blecha
Nirvana debuts brand-new grunge-rock anthem "Smells Like Teen Spirit" at Seattle's OK Hotel all-ages club on April 17, 1991 by Peter Blecha
Central Tavern and Saloon (Seattle) by Peter Blecha
Seattle's "underground" hip-hop scene breaks out with big Exhibition Hall gig on August 17, 1984 by Peter Blecha
KJR Radio (Seattle) by Peter Blecha

For more from Shin Yu Pai check out:

Track List for This Episode

Gary Mula – Maraca’s CL (2002?)
Gary Mula – Don’t Mind (2002)
Thrust – What Do I Have To Do (1978)
Thrust – Bombs Away (1978)
Dumb Thumbs – Nothing Ever Lasts (2020)
Nirvana – Blew (1989)
Common Language – Cover Me (1989)
Playerz on Wax – Down with P.O.W. (1991)
Amateur Boyfriend – Deceiving (2004)
Gary Mula – She’s The One (1998)
Muckner – You Think You Know (2004)
Gary Mula – Smoke Stack (2002)

To visit The Rabbit Box

The Rabbit Box

For more Field Notes episodes and other HistoryLink podcasts visit the:

HistoryLink.org Podcast Page

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Bonus: They Call Us Gold Star Trophy

Wed, 23 Jul 2025 08:00:00 GMT

Hosts of They Call Us Bruce, Jeff and Phil, welcome back Shin Yu Pai to talk about the latest season of Ten Thousand Things, along with fellow podcaster Yowei Shaw (Proxy, NPR's Invisibilia). They talk about the objects that help us move forward -- like a gold star trophy; how layoffs can be like breakups that unravel your sense of identity, purpose, and self-worth; finding healing and reinvention in the wake of professional setbacks; and The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of going independent.

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A Diagnosis

Tue, 10 Jun 2025 09:00:00 GMT

When award-winning journalist Stephanie Foo was diagnosed with Complex PTSD, the information she found felt cold and clinical. What she needed was something warmer–more human. So she took her diagnosis into her own hands…literally. In this episode, Stephanie and Shin Yu trace a path to healing; from childhood trauma to the power of first-person storytelling. Along the way, they explore what it truly means to be seen, and how telling your story can help you, and others, survive it.

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Ganges Water

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 09:00:00 GMT

The Ganges is a sacred river in India that supports one of the most fertile and densely populated regions on the planet and serves as a site of daily ablutions and funerary rites. When Serena Chopra travelled to India on a Fulbright fellowship, she collected a jar of water from the Ganges to help her stay connected to her ancestral homeland — while learning about her family history, intergenerational trauma, and imagining what liberation can look like.

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The Perfect Dress

Tue, 27 May 2025 09:00:00 GMT

We all have that one item of clothing hanging in our closet, the one that we keep around for the moment when we’ve shed that extra 15 pounds. For Susan Lieu’s mom, that garment was a traditional Vietnamese dress called an ao dai. And when it became too snug, she set out on a path that rewrote her family’s story, all in search of the perfect body. Now, decades later, Susan takes host Shin Yu Pai along on her own journey of self-love, revenge, and reclamation.

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Gold Star Trophy

Tue, 20 May 2025 09:00:00 GMT

When Yowei Shaw was laid off from her job, it felt less like a career shift and more like a breakup — one that unraveled her sense of identity and purpose. In this episode, Yowei and host Shin Yu Pai explore the emotional toll of job loss and the rituals we invent to heal – from fried chicken to gold trophies. Along the way, they chart a path through grief toward reinvention, while exploring the power of reclaiming your story.

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Coming Soon: Season 4 of Ten Thousand Things

Tue, 06 May 2025 10:00:00 GMT

Ten Thousand Things is back for another season, now with Wonder Media Network. This season is about the objects that help us move forward — like a traditional Vietnamese dress, a jar of water from the Ganges River, and a gold trophy. New episodes start May 20th.

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A Note from Shin Yu

Thu, 06 Mar 2025 17:28:30 GMT

A lot is changing for Ten Thousand Things. After three years with KUOW Public Radio, the podcast is now being produced by Wonder Media Network. New episodes begin in May. In the meantime, you can visit the museum exhibit based on the podcast at The Wing Luke Museum in Seattle. The show opens March 7th and is on display until 2027.

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Inheriting (Special Episode)

Tue, 02 Jul 2024 07:01:00 GMT

This is an episode from a podcast called Inheriting from our friends at LAist Studios and the NPR Network. Hosted by NPR's Emily Kwong. Inheriting is a show about Asian American and Pacific Islander families, exploring how a single event can ripple through generations.

Bảo Trương’s parents both fled Vietnam in 1975 following the war. His father Thuận was a pilot for the South Vietnamese Air Force and left the day before the Fall of Saigon, evacuating almost 100 people to Thailand on a plane. Thuận has now been settled in the U.S. for decades, but he still writes songs mourning the Vietnam of his childhood – a country that, to him, no longer exists because it is still under a communist government. On the flipside, his son Bảo wants to live in the Vietnam of today, a yearning his father doesn’t understand. In this episode, the father and son sit down for a frank conversation about the country they both long for, in different ways.

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East Kong Yick Building

Tue, 18 Jun 2024 07:01:00 GMT

The E. Kong Yick building houses the only pan-Asian Pacific American community-based museum in the country, The Wing Luke Museum. And it’s an anchor in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District. The Wing began in an old mechanic’s garage, exhibiting old folk-art relics from Asia. This episode tells the story of how The Wing transformed from a traditional museum into a BIPOC-owned building, community, and movement … and how people responded when it was threatened.

***

This episode of Ten Thousand Things is about the Wing Luke Museum in Seattle. It was recorded before 26 members of its 52-person staff walked out on May 22nd, in protest of a new exhibition entitled “Confronting Hate Together.”

Staff returned May 29 and leadership continues to work to resolve the dispute. As of June 18, the museum is operating with limited hours.

As you’re about to hear, The Wing is a beloved Seattle institution that has been no stranger to turmoil and disruption. Regardless, its strong relationship to the community has allowed it to grow and thrive.

If you want to learn more:

Ten Thousand Things is produced by KUOW in Seattle. Our host, writer, and creator is Shin Yu Pai. Whitney Henry-Lester produced this episode. Jim Gates is our editor. Tomo Nakayama wrote our theme music. Additional music in this episode by Ben Noble, Christopher Wohrle, From Somewhere Quiet.

And of course, we don't exist without listeners like you. Support Ten Thousand Things by donating to KUOW.

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Loquat Tree

Tue, 11 Jun 2024 07:01:00 GMT

Some trees are just special. One tree in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District has reached legendary status. The loquat tree is an artifact of the Engs, a pioneer Chinese-American family who planted the fruit seed in their front yard. The tree has thrived for over 60 years, nourishing the family and the community. Now, it stands as a legacy tree in the C-ID, accessible to a new generation and the tree’s arboreal descendants grow all over the city, forming their own non-human diaspora.

And of course, we don't exist without listeners like you. Support Ten Thousand Things by donating to KUOW.

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Ube Cheesecake

Tue, 04 Jun 2024 07:01:00 GMT

This is the sweet story of a viral and photogenic ube cheesecake. To many Filipino-Americans, ube is not a trend. It’s a staple. Yet here in the United States, it was known for decades as an ethnic specialty ingredient. That is, until Chera Amlag got her hands on it and made it the star of her Hood Famous cheesecake. When Chera’s homemade ube cheesecake became a culinary phenomenon, ube was transformed. Chera’s cheesecake put Filipino culture and identity in the spotlight through her imaginative use of ube. And her collaborative approach has strengthened the Filipino-American community.

Ten Thousand Things is produced by KUOW in Seattle. Our host, writer, and creator is Shin Yu Pai. Whitney Henry-Lester produced this episode. Jim Gates is our editor. Tomo Nakayama wrote our theme music. Additional music in this episode by Young Collective, Olive James, Sonny Oh, N. Kerbin.

And of course, we don't exist without listeners like you. Support Ten Thousand Things by donating to KUOW.

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Tatung Cooker

Tue, 28 May 2024 07:01:00 GMT

When Tiffany Ran left for college, her mom gifted her a Tatung cooker. The Tatung is a unique kitchen appliance that would be familiar to anyone with ties to Taiwan. Everyone uses it slightly differently, as its versatility is passed down by word of mouth. Tiffany’s Tatung has accompanied her throughout the chapters of her unfolding adulthood. It has offered nourishment and comfort to her through the years, from broths to rice to Eggo waffles (not recommended). And it is the foundation of her burgeoning culinary career.

And of course, we don't exist without listeners like you. Support Ten Thousand Things by donating to KUOW.

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Settlement

Tue, 21 May 2024 07:01:00 GMT

Janet Lee, a freshman at Bryn Mawr, was heading home for Christmas break when she was detained by the police for alleged drug smuggling. Janet wasn’t carrying any drugs. But the treatment she received from the Philadelphia police department and from her own community would change her life forever. In this episode, we’ll explore the pain of being accused of being someone you are not and fighting to reclaim the story that sets the record straight.

Ten Thousand Things is produced by KUOW in Seattle. Our host, writer, and creator is Shin Yu Pai. Whitney Henry-Lester produced this episode. Jim Gates is our editor. Tomo Nakayama wrote our theme music. Additional music in this episode by Abigail Osborn, PRAANA, Wild Pony, Brique a Braq, Jordan Critz.

And of course, we don't exist without listeners like you. Support Ten Thousand Things by donating to KUOW.

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Cage

Tue, 14 May 2024 07:01:00 GMT

Jenny Liou is good at many things. She is a poet, an English professor, and former MMA Cage Fighter. It would be easy to see the cage as a place of limitation. But for Jenny, the cage was a place of freedom, where she could showcase her athletic skills. It was a place where her jiu-jitsu training allowed her to stay grounded and see her opponent’s weaknesses. Jenny rose in the sport’s ranks while teaching college English, a symbiotic balance of mental and physical strength. But the pressures of the sport ultimately confined her, until she gained the strength to give up the fight and step out of the cage.

And of course, we don't exist without listeners like you. Support Ten Thousand Things by donating to KUOW.

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Mask

Tue, 07 May 2024 07:00:00 GMT

We might wear a mask to fit in, to fulfill someone else’s expectations, or to navigate a white-centric world. For Shin Yu, the mask was real. It was a white plaster mold of her face that hung on her in-laws’ wall, a reminder of all the “saving face” she has done trying to fit in. Last year, she decided to ask for the mask back. This is a personal interview with Shin Yu about learning how to let down the mask, while embracing vulnerability and our true selves.

And of course, we don't exist without listeners like you. Support Ten Thousand Things by donating to KUOW.

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Teardrop Lip

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Leanna Keith knew the flute was her instrument. But she was discouraged from trying it in middle school by a white teacher who said her anatomy (a teardrop lip) would not allow her to master the instrument. Today, she is a professional musician, breaking the mold with her contemporary flute performances. This story looks at the uniqueness of our individual anatomies and what it’s like to be made to feel imperfect.

Ten Thousand Things is produced by KUOW in Seattle. Our host, writer, and creator is Shin Yu Pai. Whitney Henry-Lester produced this episode. Jim Gates is our editor. Tomo Nakayama wrote our theme music. Additional music in this episode by Dexter Britain. Sunborn, Red licorice, Vanra, Ezzy, AND Leanna Keith.

And of course, we don't exist without listeners like you. Support Ten Thousand Things by donating to KUOW.

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Season 3 Trailer

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT

This season on Ten Thousand Things:
We're back with season three! This season features the stories of trailblazing Asian American women and the resilience of Asian American communities, even in the face of endangerment. Three of this season’s stories take place in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District Neighborhood, with help from the Wing Luke Museum. Featured guests include poet and former MMA cage fighter Jenny Liou; Seattle chef Tiffany Ran; and flutist Leanna Keith; among others.
New episodes drop on Tuesdays.

Ten Thousand Things:

In many Chinese sayings, “ten thousand” is used in a poetic sense to convey something infinite, vast, and unfathomable. For Shin Yu Pai – award-winning poet and museologist – the story of Asians in America is just that. Ten Thousand Things is a podcast about modern-day artifacts of Asian American life and the stories they reveal, created and hosted by Shin Yu Pai and produced by KUOW (Seattle’s NPR station). Ten Thousand Things is a vibrant, diverse, and bittersweet celebration of Asian America ... and a challenge for us all to reimagine stories of the past and future.

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Live Show

Tue, 09 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Before we return for our THIRD season of Ten Thousand Things on April 30th, we wanted to share a special recording. In September of 2022, we celebrated the first season of our podcast with a live event at McCaw Hall at the Seattle Center. Back then, our podcast was called The Blue Suit (as you’ll hear). We evolved to become Ten Thousand Things. But we had the same goal of telling compelling stories behind modern-day artifacts of Asian American life. Our live show includes interviews with some of our previous guests on the podcast as well as some new stories. And musician Tomo Nakayama joins us to share a story about an object that is dear to his heart and to play a few songs.

We can only make Ten Thousand Things because listeners support us. Make the show happen by making a gift to KUOW.

And we want to hear from you! Leave us feedback online.

Ten Thousand Things is produced by KUOW in Seattle. Our host, writer, and creator is Shin Yu Pai. Jim Gates produced this episode with help from Hans Twite and Tom Stiles. Charlotte Duren produced the event. Tomo Nakayama wrote our theme music.

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TTT Recommends: Books and Boba

Mon, 10 Jul 2023 07:05:37 GMT

Fans of Ten Thousand Things might enjoy Books and Boba from the Potluck Podcast Collective. Books and Boba is a book club podcast all about books written by Asian and Asian diaspora authors.

Today we are sharing one of Books and Boba’s interview episodes, featuring writer and translator Anton Hur who was recently revealed to be the lead translator for K-Pop megastars BTS’ upcoming memoir. In the episode, Anton discusses his work as a Korean-to-English translator in the publishing industry and his work on the book "I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki" by Baek Sehee.

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TTT Recommends: Shoes Off

Mon, 26 Jun 2023 07:05:54 GMT

We want to introduce you to a new podcast you may like, "Shoes Off". Join hosts Susie An and Esther Yoon-Ji Kang as they hang out with badass Asians and ask them to redefine “sexy” on their own terms.

"Shoes Off" is a podcast celebrating badass Asians who are making a mark on pop culture and entertainment.

In this episode stand-up comic, Atsuko Okatsuka, is taking the world by storm with her first HBO special, "The Intruder", and her viral Drop Challenge on TikTok. She talks about how she learned English by watching Scooby-Doo, what it means to be named Margaret Cho’s comedy heir, and how she took her mom and grandma everywhere — including to her honeymoon.

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Voice

Mon, 19 Jun 2023 07:05:54 GMT

This is a story about the way we make a statement.

Alice Wong, a Chinese-American disability activist, came into her own as a public personality through creating and hosting a podcast on disabled voices. Her status as a person with a disability in an ableist world gave her access to a world of perspectives and voices that we don’t usually hear on public radio. And she prioritized putting disabled voices on the air. But losing her own voice and replacing it with an app forced her to reckon with a new relationship to voice.

Related links:

Disability Visibility Project
Disability Visibility Podcast
Year of the Tiger by Alice Wong
Resistance and Hope: Crip Wisdom for the People, edited by Alice Wong

We can only make Ten Thousand Things because listeners support us. Make the show happen by making a gift to KUOW.

And we want to hear from you! Leave us feedback online.

Ten Thousand Things is produced by KUOW in Seattle. Our host, writer, and creator is Shin Yu Pai. Whitney Henry-Lester produced this episode. Jim Gates is our editor. Tomo Nakayama wrote our theme music. Additional music in this episode by Jaylon Ashaun and Stan Forebee.

Search for Ten Thousand Things in your podcast app!

Partial funding of Ten Thousand Things was made possible by the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture Hope Corps Grant, a recovery funded program of the National Endowment for the Arts, plus support from The Windrose Fund.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bike

Mon, 12 Jun 2023 07:03:11 GMT

Anti-Asian hate crimes spiked during the Covid-19 pandemic. And then the Atlanta spa shooting scarred a community already suffering.

But Kae-Lin Wang turned the Atlanta shooting’s aftermath into an opportunity for healing. And she used bikes to do it.

Today, Ampersand Bikes Club is still going strong. It’s co-organized and co-run by some of its 100+ community members.

In this episode, we hear from Kae-Lin and Andrew Chin about how a bicycle might provide strength, joy, and a way to create a protected space. And how protecting that community space is not always easy.

Related Links:

We can only make Ten Thousand Things because listeners support us. Make the show happen by making a gift to KUOW.

And we want to hear from you! Leave us feedback online.

Search for Ten Thousand Things in your podcast app!

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Book

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 07:03:12 GMT

Shawn Wong discovered the first Japanese American novel, No-No Boy, at a used bookstore for 50 cents, after being told by his English professors that Asian American literature didn’t exist.

He sought out the author, John Okada, and he fought to have the book republished and distributed far and wide, to unearth the legacy of Asian American writers. But all the mainstream publishers rejected it. So Shawn started to print, distribute, and sell the novel himself with friends,often from the trunk of his car.

The Asian American community turned up, ordering books by mail, telling their friends, and sending checks with handwritten letters- a testament to a generation hungry for their own stories.

Correction, 10:30 a.m., 6/6/2023: The audio version of this story misstates the name of the protagonist in No-No Boy. The character's name is Ichiro Yamada.

Related Links:

Related reading:

Aiiieeeee! An Anthology of Asian-American Writers by Frank Chin, Jeffery Paul Chan, Lawson Fusao Inada, and Shawn Wong
Toshio Mori’s Yokohama California was Ahead of its Time via International Examiner
Hisaye Yamamoto
Wakako Yamauchi
Nisei Daughter by Monica Sone
Eat a Bowl of Tea by Louis Chu
Janice Mirikitani
Frontiers of Love by Diana Chang
America is in the Heart by Carlos Bulosan
Uncle Rico’s Encore: Mostly True Stories of Filipino Seattle by Peter Bacho
Dancer Dawkins and the California Kid by Willyce Kim
Premonitions: The Kaya Anthology of New Asian North American Poetry edited by Walter Lew
Pinoy Poetics: A Collection of Autobiographical and Critical Essays on Filipino and Filipino American Poetics edited by Nick Carbo
The World I Leave You: Asian American Poets on Faith & Spirit edited by Leah Silvieus and Lee Herrick

We can only make Ten Thousand Things because listeners support us. Make the show happen by making a gift to KUOW.

And we want to hear from you! Leave us feedback online.

Ten Thousand Things is produced by KUOW in Seattle. Our host, writer, and creator is Shin Yu Pai. Whitney Henry-Lester produced this episode. Jim Gates is our editor. Tomo Nakayama wrote our theme music. Additional music in this episode by Taika.

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Jizo Bodhisattva

Mon, 29 May 2023 07:01:57 GMT

During the mizu kuyo ritual for pregnancy loss, a small Jizo Bodhisattva statue enshrines ceremonial remains of a lost child.

Following Shin Yu’s miscarriage in 2012, she had a mizu kuyo ceremony to process her grief.

Miscarriage is a socially taboo topic that many people have difficulty talking about. It’s often laden with grief, shame, and self-blame and is a loss that has not been very normalized in public discourse. Through Shin Yu’s personal story this episode shines a light on the silent subject of miscarriage and how the Jizo Bodhisattva can provide comfort to grieving parents.

Water Returning to Water: A Buddhist Ritual Brings Release by Shin Yu Pai

Splitting the Milk, a poem by Shin Yu Pai

We can only make Ten Thousand Things because listeners support us. Make the show happen by making a gift to KUOW.

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Steelhead

Mon, 22 May 2023 07:02:07 GMT

Dylan Tomine has a passion for steelhead trout. Or an obsession. Or an addiction. His steelhead passion has brought him close to beautiful places, driven him far from stability, and lost him some loving relationships.This is a story about how an obsession can take priority over everything. How it might provide both purpose and isolation. And how it isn’t guaranteed to last forever.

Related Links

Dylan Tomine

Wild Fish Conservancy

Wild Steelhead Coalition

We can only make Ten Thousand Things because listeners support us. Make the show happen by making a gift to KUOW.

And we want to hear from you! Leave us feedback here.

Ten Thousand Things is produced by KUOW in Seattle. Our host, writer, and creator is Shin Yu Pai. Whitney Henry-Lester produced this episode. Jim Gates is our editor. Tomo Nakayama wrote our theme music. Additional music in this episode by Tim Halperin, 12 Palms, and cloudcrush.

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Time Capsule

Mon, 15 May 2023 07:01:55 GMT

On the eve of selling her family’s house, Donna Miscolta’s daughter had a special request: Go to the stairwell and pull back the loose board on the bottom step. There, Donna found a box of treasures that 9-year-old Ana Miscolta Cameron had hidden for future children living in the house.

Rediscovering this time capsule allowed Donna and Ana to revisit memories from the past, hopes for the future, and where mother and daughter diverge and meet in the middle.

Search for Ten Thousand Things in your podcast app!

Partial funding of Ten Thousand Things was made possible by the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture Hope Corps Grant, a recovery funded program of the National Endowment for the Arts, plus support from The Windrose Fund.

And of course, we don't exist without listeners like you. Support Ten Thousand Things by donating to KUOW.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Resume

Mon, 08 May 2023 07:02:05 GMT

Eason Yang was on an ambitious career trajectory, helping tech companies like Uber change the world. Until he got cancer.

Eason spent two years actively fighting for his life. This meant two years spent outside of the job market, creating a gap in his resume. Potential employers often look down on such large resume gaps.

But stepping away from work helped Eason see his resume in a new way. Now he’s working to end the stigma cancer survivors face in the workplace.

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Name

Mon, 01 May 2023 07:03:56 GMT

When we come into this world we are given a name. It is etched in ink on our birth certificate, pasted onto our cubbies in pre-school and signed onto paper to acknowledge our union with a beloved. A name has power.

A name is an object that defines who we are. But what if our name is wrong? Poet, educator, and cultural worker Ebo Barton tells us a story about the power of names and their journey to change their name and reclaim their true identity.

Related Links:

Ebo Barton

Ebo Barton performs Freedom, Cut Me Loose

Are you looking for another podcast that explores deeply personal and totally factual conversations about race, identity, and culture? Then check out Dear White Women. Its mission is to help more white women use their privilege to uproot systemic racism.

We can only make Ten Thousand Things because listeners support us. Make the show happen by making a gift to KUOW.

And we want to hear from you! Leave us feedback online.

Search for Ten Thousand Things in your podcast app!

Partial funding of The Blue Suit was made possible by the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture Hope Corps Grant, a recovery funded program of the National Endowment for the Arts, plus support from The Windrose Fund.

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Trailer: Ten Thousand Things

Mon, 17 Apr 2023 17:46:14 GMT

In many Chinese sayings, “ten thousand” is used in a poetic sense to convey something infinite, vast, and unfathomable. For Shin Yu Pai – award-winning poet and museologist – the story of Asians in America is just that. Introducing Ten Thousand Things, a special series about modern-day artifacts of Asian American life, created and hosted by Shin Yu Pai and produced by KUOW.

The initial name of the series, The Blue Suit, drew inspiration from the suit worn by congressman Andy Kim on January 6 as he was photographed collecting trash following the U.S. Capitol insurrection. Today, the garment lives in the Smithsonian’s collection – and within the fabric of Asian America.

In the podcast series’ newest season, host Shin Yu builds on her focus of commonplace objects that tell the complex story of Asians in America with an expanded name and collection of objects. Ten Thousand Things is a vibrant, diverse, and bittersweet celebration of Asian America ... and a challenge for us all to reimagine stories of the past and future. Featured guests this season include Disability Visibility Project podcast host Alice Wong; transgender and non-binary, poet and educator Ebo Barton; and NED founder Eason Yang; among others.

The new season of Ten Thousand Things debuts on May 1, 2023, and new episodes release weekly on Mondays on KUOW.org, Apple Podcasts, NPR One, and wherever you get your podcasts.

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The Blue Suit

Mon, 29 Aug 2022 07:04:12 GMT

Congressman Andy Kim was photographed on Jan. 6 2021 picking up trash in the Capitol rotunda, in the aftermath of that day’s chaos. The indelible image of a congressperson in a blue suit, kneeling on the ground and tidying the detritus of an insurrection went viral.

The blue suit was donated to the Smithsonian, forever a physical marker of the values and actions on display that day. It also inspired Shin Yu Pai to make this podcast.

Join us for our free live event for The Blue Suit on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022 at McCaw Hall's Nesholm Family Lecture Hall. You can find more information at kuow.org/events.

Related Links

Congressman Andy Kim’s twitter thread about the blue suit
Congressman Andy Kim’s twitter thread about a national AAPI museum
AP article from Jan. 7, 2021: ‘What else could I do?’ NJ Rep. Kim helps clean up Capitol
NPR: A Blue Suit, Dusted By Insurrection, Goes To The Smithsonian
Washington Post: Andy Kim and the politics of ‘humility’ in the midst of anti-Asian hate

We want to hear from you!

We’re wrapping up our first season of The Blue Suit and we’d like to hear your thoughts about the show. If you have a few minutes please consider answering our brief survey here. Your feedback will really help us as we plan for future episodes. Thanks for taking the time to fill it out.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Califone

Mon, 22 Aug 2022 07:05:55 GMT

The vintage Califone record player allows sound artist Paul Kikuchi to access and share songs that he inherited from his great-grandfather and other 78rpm records that were left behind by Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II.

Paul Kikuchi got to know his great grandfather, Zenkichi Kikuchi, through the records he'd left behind: 78s of Japanese music from the 30s and 40s. Zenkichi immigrated here in 1900, around the time 78rpm records were invented.

When Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II under Executive Order 9066, they could take only what they could carry. Many of their music collections were lost, but Paul is helping to preserve some of the musical artifacts that survived.

In addition to helping build the archive at the Northwest Nikkei Museum (at the Japanese Community Cultural Center of Washington), Paul brought these sounds into the city, installing a Califone record player in the Panama Hotel café. It is an invitation into a soundscape of this place before Executive Order 9066 changed it forever-- and to consider the history and archives of American music in a new way.

Related Links

Paul Kikuchi

The Panama Hotel and Tea House

Japanese Cultural and Community Center of WA

Nikkei Music Archives at the JCCCW

More about the writing Bat of No Bird Island

Join us for our free live event for The Blue Suit in Seattle on Wednesday, September 7, 2022. Do find our more information to kuow.org/events.

We want to hear from you!

We’re wrapping up our first season of The Blue Suit and we’d like to hear your thoughts about the show. If you have a few minutes please consider answering our brief survey here. Your feedback will really help us as we plan for future episodes. Thanks for taking the time to fill it out.

Do you have a special object that you hold close? Share it with us on Instagram. Tag @KUOW and use the hashtag: #bluesuitpod.

Your feedback matters to us. Submit your comments and questions to www.kuow.org/feedback

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chinese-English Dictionary

Mon, 15 Aug 2022 07:05:55 GMT

After his father’s death, Byron Au Yong turned to paper folding.

Chinese paper folding revolves around making objects for the dead. Byron folded some of his father’s personal belongings like vintage textbook pages, magazines, and even retired receipts. The process was meditative and comforting and helped Byron mourn his father. It also helped him connect to his own Chinese American heritage.

Related Links:

Byron Au Yong

Chinese paper folding

Do you have a special object that you hold close? Share it with us on Instagram. Tag @KUOW and use the hashtag: #bluesuitpod.

Your feedback matters to us. Submit your comments and questions to www.kuow.org/feedback.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dakin Drooper Dog

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 07:05:45 GMT

In this episode, our host, Shin Yu Pai, revisits an object from her own life.

Shin Yu gave her toddler son a stuffed toy from her own childhood. He played too roughly with Poo-Poo, and Shin Yu had to take the toy away to be repaired and rescued. It sent Shin Yu down a rabbit hole that took her into the world of online Ebay and Etsy vintage toy vendors and a Facebook group for reuniting people with lost stuffed animals.

Related Links:

Plush Memories Lost Toy Search Service

Do you have a special object that you hold close? Share it with us on Instagram. Tag @KUOW and use the hashtag: #bluesuitpod.

Your feedback matters to us. Submit your comments and questions to www.kuow.org/feedback

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vitrified Glass

Mon, 01 Aug 2022 07:05:53 GMT

In a small clear box, Etsuko Ichikawa keeps a small piece of vitrified glass that was given to her on a tour of the Hanford nuclear site.

This vitrified glass encases radioactive material before it is disposed of through burial. As an artist trained in making glass, this object becomes something of a totem for Ichikawa, who turns her eye towards nuclear legacies,environmental degradation, and human impacts on the environment.

Related Links:

Etsuko Ichikawa’s website

Broken Poems of Fireflies exhibit

Etsuko introduces the exhibit

Do you have a special object that you hold close? Share it with us on Instagram. Tag @KUOW and use the hashtag: #bluesuitpod.

Your feedback matters to us. Submit your comments and questions to www.kuow.org/feedback

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Miso

Mon, 25 Jul 2022 07:03:15 GMT

Tomo Nakayama usually puts his creative energy into his harmonious music. But when the pandemic hit, he found a new outlet: cooking.

Cooking his way through various Japanese comfort dishes was a way to be creative in an upended routine. And it helped him address the homesickness and longing for family that he was feeling. Miso, a foundational element of Japanese flavor, taught him a lesson about harmony he now applies outside the kitchen.

Listen to the episode to discover the connection between a tub of miso and songwriting.

Do you have a special object that you hold close? Share it with us on Instagram. Tag @KUOW and use the hashtag: #bluesuitpod.

Your feedback matters to us. Submit your comments and questions to www.kuow.org/feedback

Related links:

Tomo Nakayama

A place to start with Japanese recipes

Midnight Diner

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Night-Blooming Cereus

Mon, 18 Jul 2022 07:03:16 GMT

In this episode, we learn about how Jessica’s passion for plant collecting developed. Currently, there are more than 365 specimens in her collection; her plant babies even have their own Instagram account.

The night-blooming cereus, aka tan hua, which is also known by its more poetic moniker - the queen of the night - entered Jessica’s life as a gift. The nocturnal cactus smells like gardenia and only blooms for a single night before fading.

A tale of rooting and uprooting, Jessica also speaks about her Filipina immigrant grandmother and visiting the motherland to seek out the family's ancestral roots.

Do you have a special object that you hold close? Share it with us on Instagram. Tag @KUOW and use the hashtag: #bluesuitpod.

Your feedback matters to us. Submit your comments and questions to www.kuow.org/feedback

Related links:

Jessica’s plants on Instagram

Video of the Night-blooming Cereus

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Red Chador

Mon, 11 Jul 2022 07:01:57 GMT

A chador garment worn by some Muslim women is usually black. Not Anida Yoeu Ali's. Her chador is red and sparkly. As a performance artist, Anida created the glittery chador to embody her Muslim identity and confront Islamophobia. The red chador invited reactions of curiosity, spectacle, fear, respect, anger and gratitude from strangers on the streets of Paris, Seattle, DC, and Palestine. In this episode we explore Anida’s identity inside and outside the red chador, the public’s response, and what she did after this garment mysteriously disappeared during her travels in Tel Aviv.

Do you have a special object that you hold close? Share it with us on Instagram. Tag @KUOW and use the hashtag: #bluesuitpod.

Your feedback matters to us. Submit your comments and questions to www.kuow.org/feedback

Related links:

Anida’s website

Video of the red chador in Seattle after the 2016 presidential election

A eulogy for the red chador

A p e rf o r m a n c e of t h e rainbo w of chadors

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Trailer: The Blue Suit

Thu, 30 Jun 2022 20:16:51 GMT

In a world full of stuff, what is worth keeping? What do we treasure? Explore modern-day heirlooms with The Blue Suit, a new KUOW podcast hosted and created by PNW poet Shin Yu Pai.

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.