It’s not that the concept of Gene Luen Yang’s Boxers & Saints is complex: two volumes tell the story of the Boxer Rebellion from two perspectives. But within this simple structure, Yang’s graphic novels build a compelling story around a war of identity, set 100 years ago in China. It combines mysticism with the very […]
What to Consider When You Are Considering Donating
As part of PRI’s The World’s investigative project Tracking Charity, we recently held an online chat with experts in the realm of giving. Our question: How do you know a good charity when you see it? Seriously, this is a hard question! Discussion: How Do You Know a Good #Charity When You See It? #Int #Aid http://t.co/ZTsNQrl5f4 — […]
A textured look at modern China
Had the good fortune to talk about Chinese Characters, the book of essays about everyday life in China that I co-edited with Jeff Wasserstrom, with Lisa Napoli on KCRW in Los Angeles. Here’s our chat: Lisa wrote in the Which Way, LA blog: “There’s lots of news each day from and about China, but it’s rare that any of […]
US Ends Trade Privileges to Bangladesh Following Garment Factory Disasters
President Barack Obama announced Thursday that the US will end trade privileges with Bangladesh over concerns for safety and working conditions in factories. The US will suspend Bangladesh from the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), which will increase tariffs on certain goods. The move, in response to recent garment factory disasters, will not directly affect the garment […]
Guerrilla film project changes boundaries of movie-going
The cargo in Pacific Arts Movement’s overhauled moving truck is a motley assortment: In front, a Wi-Fi hotspot, charger, chemical compounds and grease remover, a pack of cigarettes and DVDs. In the back there are three white lab coats, a coffee table and two rugs, a small white parasol, orange safety cones, and a generator […]
24 companies sign on to major safety agreement for Bangladesh clothing factories
Twnety-four major clothing retailers have now committed to a safety accord for garment factories in Bangladesh. More than 1,100 garment workers were killed when the Rana Plaza factory collapsed outside of Dhaka last month and hundreds of factories were closed Monday across Bangladesh amid workers’ unrest over safety concerns. H&M, Inditex, C&A, Primark, and Tesco […]
My $10 T-Shirt: A Conversation about Ethical Fashion
The death toll of the April 24 collapse of a garment factory outside Dhaka, Bangladesh, has passed 1,000 people, making it the worst industrial accident since the 1984 gas leak at a Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal. The Rana Plaza complex collapsed just one day after an engineer declared it unsafe. Britain’s […]
Chinese Characters at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books
Jeffrey Wasserstrom and I, co-editors of will be at the legendary Los Angeles Time Festival of Books at USC on Sunday, April 21. Come to roam the festival and find us at 3:30pm in Seeley G. Mudd (SGM 124). Nonfiction: People & Place (Conversation 2084) Mark Binelli (Detroit City is the Place to Be) Bill […]
Digital Storytelling: A Symposium
I’m excited an honored to be speaking next week at UC Irvine at day-long event that is mouth-watering for anyone who loves to write. The Digital Storytelling Symposium features some of the most innovative people in long form writing today including, well, Longform folks themselves. The Atavist, Byliner, Equire, Noir Magazine, Matter and the Los Angeles […]
#WorldGender Conversation: What is the Role of Men in the Fight for Women’s Safety?
Women’s outcries for safety became more audible in the aftermath of the gang rape and subsequent death of a young woman in Delhi last December. Increasingly, male voices are entering the discussion as well. Take Ali Shahidy, for example. He initially wrote an essay about becoming a feminist in Afghanistan under a pseudonym. As “Salim […]