Skip to main content

Michelle Zauner & Bowen Yang

Thursday, May 6, 2021
6:00pm Pacific Time
KQED Broadcast: 07/18/2021, 07/20/2021, 07/21/2021

We've made a recording of this event free to all. Please support our institution and these productions by making a tax-deductible contribution.

Michelle Zauner is best known as a singer and guitarist who creates dreamy indie pop under the name Japanese Breakfast. She has won acclaim from major music outlets around the world for releases like Psychopomp (2016) and Soft Sounds from Another Planet (2017), and will release her third LP, Jubilee, on June 4th. In a new memoir, Crying in H Mart, Zauner reflects on her experience being raised by a Korean immigrant in the Pacific Northwest, and particularly her memories related to food. When her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer and Zauner moved back to Oregon to care for her, she was forced to reckon with her identity and upbringing. Zauner writes about the process of beginning to chase down her mother’s history, culture, and the flavors of Korea to re-gain the feeling of home in the wake of her loss.

Bowen Yang is a featured player on Saturday Night Live, where he wrote for one season before moving on-screen. He can also be seen recurring on Comedy Central’s Awkwafina is Nora From Queens, as well as in the TV shows Broad City, High Maintenance, Jon Glaser Loves Gear, and the upcoming series Girls5eva. He is the co-host of the popular comedy podcast “Las Culturistas,” along with fellow comedian Matt Rogers. This past year, Yang was featured in TIME as one of “23 People Who Are Changing What’s Funny Right Now,”as well as one of their TIME 100 NEXT: Artists, and was featured in this year’s Out100 list.

Photo Credits:

Barbora Mrazkova

Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC