International Examiner

International Examiner The PNW’s only nonprofit ANHPIA media since 1974, based in the heart of Seattle’s Chinatown-ID. We produce a twice-monthly newspaper and daily-updated website.
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Established in 1974, the International Examiner (IE) is the oldest and largest nonprofit, pan-Asian Pacific American publication in the Northwest. Named after the historic and thriving multi-ethnic International District (ID) of Seattle, the IE aspires to be a credible catalyst for building an inspiring, connected, well-respected, and socially conscious Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) c

ommunity. Our mission is to promote critical thinking, dialogue, and action by providing timely, accurate, and culturally sensitive coverage of relevant AAPI matters. We are a multi-media informational, educational, arts, culture, and heritage organization. The IE also provides learning opportunities for AAPI youth, professionals and community members.

📖 BOOK REVIEW 📖 Ai Weiwei weaves his life story with that of his renowned poet father and the history of the Chinese Co...
08/24/2026

📖 BOOK REVIEW 📖 Ai Weiwei weaves his life story with that of his renowned poet father and the history of the Chinese Communist Party - By Lauren Brown

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Readers do not need to know anything about Ai Weiwei as an artist or activist before reading his memoir, 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows, but afterward they will feel as if they know him as a person. This is the goal of the book.

While imprisoned by the Chinese government in 2011, Ai Weiwei thought a lot about his father, the famous poet Ai Qing – the similar trajectories their lives have taken, the impact his father had on him. Wishing he had asked his father more about his life, Ai decided to write this book as a way for his son to get to know him when he is gone. Perhaps this is why, despite spanning three continents and more than a century, it doesn’t lack depth. 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows is an expansive and engrossing memoir in which Ai Weiwei weaves together his own life story with his father’s and history of the Chinese Communist Party.

READ: https://iexaminer.org/ai-weiwei-weaves-his-life-story-with-that-of-his-renowned-poet-father-and-the-history-of-the-chinese-communist-party/

NEW BOOK REVIEWS: https://iexaminer.org/category/arts/

Ai Weiwei

NEW BOOK REVIEWS: https://iexaminer.org/category/arts/****📖 A scientific and cultural survey of our loosely connected h...
08/22/2026

NEW BOOK REVIEWS: https://iexaminer.org/category/arts/

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📖 A scientific and cultural survey of our loosely connected hinge, the knee - By Sharon Hashimoto

Han Yu is a professor in the Department of English at Kansas State University where she teaches scientific and technical communication. In a “Last Words” section of her new book, The Curious Human Knee, she states: “I want to intrigue my readers, to surprise them, to take them on a journey of discovery about this supposedly lowly joint that really is rather fascinating…I want readers to see that science and medicine…are in fact deeply intertwined with diverse human lives, experiences and values…Equally important, I want my readers to value history and culture..."

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📖 Vietnamese American best friends try to make it in 1930s Hollywood - By Shalin Hai-Jew

It is 1936 in Culver City, California. Issa (Issabel) Bui, a 20-year-old ingenue, is auditioning for a film role. She can just manage speaking her line. She has no training, only the ambition of the naive and beautiful and the confidence that she can make it based on who she is and what she brings. She fears she will experience a visitation from her living grandmother, Bà Ngoąi, in this moment of stress. So opens Van Hoang’s novel Silver and Smoke.

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📖 ‘Plant Asia’: Does Asian cuisine hold the key to healthier eating in the world? - By Shalin Hai-Jew

In the Introduction to Plant Asia:  Asia’s Vegetable Wisdom in Recipes, Stories, and Techniques, Pamelia Chia describes her awakening to the costs of so much human consumption of food animals. 

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📖 ‘Always Be My Bibi’ features clashing families and a complicated summer romance - By Savita Krishnamoorthy

In Always Be My Bibi by Priyanka Taslim, Bibi Hossain is a spirited, wealthy, privileged princess who is not afraid to speak her mind and often gets in trouble for it. This “boy crazy” teen simply wants to date and experience her share of first kisses. Abbu vehemently disagrees and has forbidden Bibi from dating until her older sister, Halima, gets married.

NEW BOOK REVIEWS: https://iexaminer.org/category/arts/****📖 A tale of love between boys and coming of age in rural Mala...
08/21/2026

NEW BOOK REVIEWS: https://iexaminer.org/category/arts/

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📖 A tale of love between boys and coming of age in rural Malaysia - by Wylie Wong

Tash Aw’s most recent novel, THE SOUTH, is the first of a quartet of novels about the Lims, a middle-class Malaysian Chinese family, set in 1997. This city family inherits a rundown farm in the rural south in an unnamed town near Singapore. The onetime flourishing land is a shadow of its former glory as the land suffers from drought, possibly from global warming. Diseased trees and devastating heat have destroyed the property. The Lims live in a flimsy farmhouse, a far cry from their air-conditioned city house.  

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📖 A Hapa Hawaiian author writes a novel in verse - by Yayoi Lena Winfrey

AN EXPANSE OF BLUE is written from the perspective of a teenager and unveils both the pain and pleasure of adolescence. Told through the voice of a Hapa Kānaka Maoli (half Hawaiian) girl living in Western Washington, the story mimics Adam’s own life — that of being mixed-race Hawaiian and brought up in a state with a Hawaiian population of less than 1%.

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📖 Delicately illustrated picture book about reminiscence isn’t just for kids - By Valerie Ooka Pang

In TONBO, Allen Say, the Caldecott Medal author, follows a white paper airplane that flies through the air of time. He calls the airplane “Tonbo,” which means dragonfly. Say starts out first with his memories as an old man who slowly follows the plane. He remembers different moments throughout his life as he gets younger and younger. This story is not really for children, though it is in a picture-book format.

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A gripping historic narrative of the Zorg transatlantic slave ship, which helped spark the abolitionist movement - By Tapoja Chaudhuri

In THE ZORG: A Tale of Greed and Murder That Inspired the Abolition of Slavery, Pulitzer Prize finalist Siddharth Kara gives us a unique perspective on the transatlantic slave trade through an account of a fateful journey of a British ship called Zorg.

A double life: Navigating collectivism and individualism between China and the U.S.By Abraham (Tiger) Song Abraham Chen ...
08/21/2026

A double life: Navigating collectivism and individualism between China and the U.S.

By Abraham (Tiger) Song Abraham Chen Song - https://iexaminer.org/a-double-life-navigating-collectivism-and-individualism-between-china-and-the-u-s/

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I was born in Guiyang, China and moved to Seattle when I was seven years old. I am now 28. Over the years, I have flown back to China frequently, living a double life: one in China, the other in the United States. To Chinese people, I come across as somewhat American. Yet growing up abroad, I never felt I lost my Chinese identity, thanks to the Chinese friends I have stayed in touch with all these years. I can only speak from what I have noticed about cultural differences, having spent my life constantly traveling back and forth between Guiyang and Seattle.

I try to avoid sweeping generalizations, as they lead to the danger of a single story — stereotypes. Even so, certain social norms tend to be more prevalent in different parts of the world. In my view, China functions primarily as a collectivist society shaped by collective mindsets, while the United States leans heavily toward individualism. According to social psychologist Geert Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory, the individualism index for China stands at 20, compared to 91 for the United States. These figures reflect that China is largely collectivist, whereas America is an individualistic society.

We’re thrilled to welcome Khmer Amarak as our opening performance partner for the 35th Community Voice Awards! They will...
08/20/2026

We’re thrilled to welcome Khmer Amarak as our opening performance partner for the 35th Community Voice Awards! They will present Neary Chea Chour (Girls In Line Dance) — a stunning Khmer classical dance performed by young women in vibrant, colorful costumes. Traditionally shared during celebrations, Neary Chea Chour expresses love, joy, and a deep sense of community.

This beautiful performance embodies our 2026 theme, When We Speak, We Rise — uplifting cultural voices, honoring tradition, and celebrating the stories that move our communities forward. Khmer Amarak’s artistry will set the tone for an unforgettable evening honoring CID voices, culture, and creativity.

Don’t miss this event — get your tickets and support community‑centered journalism at the International Examiner! 🎟️ Tickets in bio

All in the Pham-ly: Sisters Quyen-Vy and Yenvy Pham carry on the Pho Bac family’s legacy of stellar Vietnamese cuisine a...
08/19/2026

All in the Pham-ly: Sisters Quyen-Vy and Yenvy Pham carry on the Pho Bac family’s legacy of stellar Vietnamese cuisine and community.

By Providence Cicero Providence Cicero and OG San OG San - https://iexaminer.org/all-in-the-pham-ly-sisters-quyen-vy-and-yenvy-pham-carry-on-the-pho-bac-familys-legacy-of-stellar-vietnamese-cuisine-and-comm

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“In our family, we don’t plan anything,” says restaurateur Yenvy Pham, standing in the roastery room at Hello Em, the Vietnamese coffee café she launched in 2021. After trying her best to recruit someone else to operate a cafe on the ground floor of the Little Saigon Creative Space on Weller St., she took on the project herself. Unable to find a Vietnamese roaster who would ship the robusta beans she wanted, she learned how to roast the beans herself. She’s not one to do things halfway. “If I’m going do it. I’m just going to go.”  

Hello Em highlights the historic creativity and importance of Viet culture in Seattle, not just through coffee but through its partnership with the Friends of Little Saigon, founded in 2011 to preserve and enhance the cultural, economic, and historic vitality of the Little Saigon neighborhood.

The name of the café is telling. In Vietnamese, “em” can mean little sister or brother. It’s also a term of endearment. Yenvy is the youngest of five children in the close-knit Pham family. Their parents, Theresa Cat Vu and Augustine Nien Pham, immigrants from Vietnam, scraped together enough money to open Cat’s Submarine Sandwich Shop in 1982 in what became Little Saigon. They thought sandwiches would appeal to an American palate, but they soon realized their community craved a taste of home. Thus was born Pho Bac, Seattle’s first pho shop, named for the hearty noodle soup enriched with bone marrow, as it’s made in northern Vietnam.

PHOTO: Quynh-Vy and Yenvy Pham at the Little Saigon Creative. Courtesy image

Hello Em Little Saigon Creative

On the Fence Line: After the Bite of Seattle shootings, let’s turn to compassion, not carceral systemsOp-Ed by Felix Sit...
08/18/2026

On the Fence Line: After the Bite of Seattle shootings, let’s turn to compassion, not carceral systems

Op-Ed by Felix Sitthivong - https://iexaminer.org/on-the-fence-line-after-the-bite-of-seattle-shootings-lets-turn-to-compassion-not-carceral-systems/

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By now, I’m sure all of us have already heard about the tragic news of what has been categorized as a mass shooting at this year’s Bite [of Seattle]. For those who may not know what I’m talking about, here’s a quick recap. The reports are that three or more people were shooting at each other at approximately 6 p.m. on the last Sunday of the festival. Three people have died, including one of the alleged shooters who was only 19 years old. At least four more bystanders were shot and injured, one reportedly a two year old. And at the time of this writing, a 15-year-old is currently in custody and facing multiple charges from the incident. Police are still searching for a third potential shooter. Authorities have also stated that they believe the shooting was gang-related.

Unfortunately, these types of things are starting to become normal in our city. Well, actually, our whole state. It feels like we can’t even turn on the local news anymore without hearing about yet another shooting or act of violence. As somebody who’s from Seattle and has loved ones living throughout King County, I’m terrified for my community. This s**t is wild! And what’s even more tragic is that the people allegedly involved in most of these incidents are becoming younger and younger. I empathize with all those who are impacted and forced to survive through all this. I’m also sad. I’m also angry. I’m also confused. I’m also scared.

But it’s also these same emotions that have me concerned. Because as there’s an uptick in the violence that invokes these emotions in the first place, there becomes more calls for surveillance, policing, and incarceration.

PHOTO: On July 30, 2026, a memorial at the International Fountain on the Seattle Center campus honors victims of the Bite of Seattle shooting. Photo courtesy of SounderBruce/Wikimedia Commons

Homegrown indie rock band hi hi hi talks about their musical migrations, community connections, and upcoming show at the...
08/15/2026

Homegrown indie rock band hi hi hi talks about their musical migrations, community connections, and upcoming show at the Mural Amphitheatre

By Adrian Alarilla - https://iexaminer.org/homegrown-indie-rock-band-hi-hi-hi-talks-about-their-musical-migrations-community-connections-and-upcoming-show-at-the-mural-amphitheatre/

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Local genre-bending rock band hi hi hi hi hi hi (pronounced “hai hai hai”) is holding a free, all-ages listening party at the Mural Amphitheatre in the Seattle Center campus on Thursday, August 13, starting at 6:30 p.m. Formed in 2023 by a group of friends and colleagues brought together by a shared love of music and the CID community, hi hi hi’s music is like listening to its band members’ diasporic life journeys and musical migrations, traveling playfully across genres; now punk, now soulful indie, now psychedelic surf rock with nods to their transpacific routes.

After a day of mentoring in this year’s CID Summer Youth Leadership Program (SYLP), the three members of the band — Le-Vy Nguyen (guitar & vocals), Jon Chu (bass & vocals), and Shaun Mejia (drums) — met up with me on a balmy summer evening over Jameson picklebacks at Fort St. George in the CID to talk about how their musical journeys shaped their eclectic sound today and what audience members should expect at their upcoming show.

Lê-Vy Nguyen
Shaun Mejia Jon Chu / 朱明康 / သန်းထိုက်အောင်

Nikkei Manor’s Bon Odori Summer Festival brings together multiple generations to celebrate community, family, and ancest...
08/14/2026

Nikkei Manor’s Bon Odori Summer Festival brings together multiple generations to celebrate community, family, and ancestral spirits

By Theo Bickel Theo Bickel - https://iexaminer.org/photos-nikkei-manors-bon-odori-summer-festival-brings-together-multiple-generations-to-honor-ancestral-spirits/

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(Editor’s note: These photos were originally commissioned by Nikkei Manor and are republished here with permission)

On Sunday, July 27, Nikkei Manor celebrated its annual Bon Odori Summer Festival at its senior care facility in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District.

Bon Odoris are joyous street festivals, celebrating community, family, and honoring loved ones who have passed on. They have roots in Japanese Buddhist and Shinto traditions honoring ancestors.

At Nikkei Manor, people of all ages celebrated, dancing and taking in performances from the multi-generational Pacific Northwest performance group Okinawa Kenjin Kai-Chijinshuu of Washington State, which performs traditional Okinawa music and dance routines, including chanting and drumming. The event also featured tables where people of all skill levels could play Riichi Mahjong, also known as ‘Japanese Mahjong’.

MAIN PHOTO: With a big smile and laugh, a Nikkei Manor resident picks up the ‘bachi’ or drum stick from the Okinawa Kenjinkai performer and drums along with the final song of Okinawa Kenjinkai’s performances. 

Felix Sitthivong reminds us why community storytelling matters:"The first story I ever published was with the IE. It was...
08/13/2026

Felix Sitthivong reminds us why community storytelling matters:

"The first story I ever published was with the IE. It was a story exploring the complexities of growing up being taught my traditional heritage at home by my parents, while also navigating inner-city gang-life with my peers. Because I knew the story was going to be published in OUR community newspaper, I felt a sense of responsibility to keep it as authentic as possible. It is this same foundational sense of responsibility and privilege that not only challenges me to continue to explore every version of my cultural identity, but ensures that every story I tell is through the lens of that cultural exploration. Because of that, my stories remain inspired by this journey, and rooted in the rediscovery of my cultural heritage." - Felix Sitthivong, IE Writer

At the Community Voice Awards, we honor the leaders, artists, and storytellers who carry that responsibility — and keep our cultural stories alive!

Early Bird tickets available now!
🎟️ Get your tickets today
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