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 Thingsis 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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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 isShin 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.

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:  Ride with Ampersand Bikes Club! Ampersand Bikes Club at Seattle Parks Foundation Bike Works and Northstar Cycling and Peace Peloton Seattle area Bike map 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 isShin 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 Ross Christopher and 12 Palms. Special thanks to ABC, Shannon, Sammy Vo, Annie Sing and Alan Zhang for their contributions! 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.

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:  Shawn Wong Book notes: A talk with UW English professor, author Shawn Wong about his UW Press book series for Asian American authors 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.  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.

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. Related links: Adopting a Buddhist Ritual to Mourn Miscarraige, Abortion via NPR 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. 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 isShin 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 inola and The Field Tapes.  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.

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 Thingsis produced by KUOW in Seattle. Our host, writer, and creator isShin Yu Pai.Whitney Henry-Lester produced this episode.Jim Gates is our editor.Tomo Nakayamawrote our theme music. Additional music in this episode by Tim Halperin, 12 Palms, and cloudcrush. 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.

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.  Related Links:  Donna’s Blog Post about the time capsule 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 coldbrew, Jaylon Ashaun, and Gracie and Rachel. 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.

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.

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. 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 coldbrew, Jaylon Ashaun, and Gracie and Rachel. 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.

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.

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.

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   

  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.

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 towww.kuow.org/feedback 

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 towww.kuow.org/feedback 

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 towww.kuow.org/feedback  Related links: Tomo Nakayama A place to start with Japanese recipes Midnight Diner

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

 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 towww.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 performance of the rainbow of chadors

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.