Picture a century-old, Renaissance-revival style meeting hall in downtown Brooklyn, with stately Corinthian columns and vaulted, 40-foot ceilings. Fill it with a youngish, multiracial, multi-gendered crowd. They are novelists, poets and non-fiction writers, plus a sprinkling of editors. Imagine them getting raw and personal in sharing their publishing survival tips. Welcome to “PubCon 2016.” On June 25th, Asian American Writers Workshop (AAWW) hosted …
Linkedin tips to feel more successful
I’ve watched so many students and friends set up LinkedIn profiles. They go from resistant, to fascinated. By the time they’re done, they’re sporting a success glow that’s better than a suntan. The resistance to dealing with LinkedIn is totally understandable. Still, it might be time to get over it. My college students no longer groan when I help them …
Let’s share immigrant stories as #MoreThanALabel
I’m thrilled that America’s future social workers have asked me to join their campaign against immigrant discrimination. To stop the name-calling, abuse and violence, they are using a very 21st century weapon: the hashtag. #MoreThanALabel is the brainchild of social work graduate students at Simmons College. They want us to attach #MoreThanALabel to anything we post on social media that refers …
Are you first- or second-generation American?
I am SO ANNOYED. When will people get this straight??! If you’re an immigrant to this country, then you’re first generation. If your kids are born here, then they are second generation. So who are you — first- or second-generation? This is really important because of the hating on immigrants. Most people wrongly assume that the American-born child of immigrants …
5 interviewing tips that work in journalism and real life
My parents raised me to be polite and nice. That meant keeping my mouth shut. I guess my decision to become a journalist was a form of revenge. After all, this is a job that allows me to ask lots of nosy questions and be direct. But the more I work, the more I realize that questions are only a …
Fight gun violence: Moms Demand Action march
A new experience: For the first time ever, I carried a sign and participated in a march. It was liberating, necessary and — now that I know what marching feels like, it will certainly happen again. Why now? Guns. I’m heart-broken and furious about the killing going on in this country. Every day brings new headlines about the murder of …