Ep. 128: An Interview w/ The Writing Hippo aka Author Jesse Q. Sutanto

This is our third podcast in our authors of color series. Today, we are continuing to answer our essential question.

EQ: How has the commitment to authenticity and intersectionality by  authors of color changed the writing landscape?

Jesse Q Sutanto is the author of Dial A for Aunties, The Obsession, and Theo Tan and the Fox Spirit. She has a master’s degree in creative writing from Oxford University. The film rights to her women’s fiction, Dial A for Aunties came out last year and was purchased by Netflix. Jesse lives in Indonesia with her husband, her two daughters, and her ridiculously large extended family, many of whom live just down the road.

Sutanto shares how her experiences growing up in urban places like Jakarta and Singapore shape your own experiences/your writing including several pivotal moments that shaped her identity as a writer. We dig into her passion to disrupt stereotypes about female protagonists and Asian representation in literature. We also discuss how her work spans a range of target audience and why she’s exploring different genres. 

For more Sutanto Conversations check out:

• Murder & Mayhem Interview 

• The Nerd Daily

• Read More Co

• Comedy Sketch Interview 

Check out her other writing:

• The Obsession (2021)/The New Girl

• 4 Aunties & a Wedding (March 2022)

• Theo Tan & the Fox Spirit (May 2022)

• Well That Was Unexpected (Sept 22)

Ep. 101: Honoring AAPI Heritage Month

EQ: How can we intentionally highlight, honor and celebrate AAPI folks (contemporary or historical) during the month of May?

On this episode of IWL, Hope and Megan discuss the history of AAPI Heritage month and unpack the often problematic erasure of Asian history in the United States. We begin by discussing the term “AAPI”, where it originated, and the case to stop its use.

Megan shares her history and identity in the Asian American community and both women discuss the problems and harm of the idea of the “Model Minority” myth and emphasize the importance of educating ourselves about all parts of Asian American and Pacific Islander history in order to better inform how we can be allies moving forward. Hope and Megan share ideas for how to celebrate and honor this month both in the classroom as well as in our day to day lives.

Related Links:

• Can Filipinos Claim “Pacific Islander”

• Asian Americans are Still Caught in the Trap of the ‘Model Minority’ Stereotypes. And it Creates Inequality for All - Time article referenced by Megan

• How to Take Action Against anti-Asian Hate at Work

• Smithsonian AAPI Heritage: Standing Together Against Hate

• Get Motivated to Fight Anti Asian-American Bias

• Model Minority Myth Again used as a Racial Wedge Between Asians and Blacks

• Share My Lesson

• Stop AAPI Hate

Do Your Fudging Homework:

• Please take the time to learn the stories and histories of the many different people and cultures that make up the label Asian American Pacific Islander.