First Generation Burden

Shayla Lawson is an author and poet, with a fierce and humorous new voice. She stops by First Generation Burden to discuss her new book This Is Major: Notes on Diana Ross, Dark Girls, and Being Dope, a relevant, insightful, and riveting collection of personal essays on the richness and resilience of black girl culture. Rich and Shayla talk about her upbringing in Kentucky and her creative journey, all reasons why All American Girl's "Addy Walker" doll is a terrible idea, and the challenges of creating narratives that are free of the influence of white supremacy. Also, they ponder comic books, and whether X-Men's attempt at a civil rights' metaphor actually does more damage than good? Check out FirstGenBurden.com for all the episodes. Follow us @firstgenburden and Rich Tu / @rich_tu Thanks to Listening Party and DesGin for their support. Some recommendations for donations are: American Civil Liberties Union: https://www.aclu.org NAACP Legal Defense Fund: https://www.naacpldf.org Equal Justice Initiative: ej

In this special episode, Rich talks to Luck Sarabhayavanija, the founder of Ani Ramen. They talk about the early days of Luck's self-proclaimed "hospitality addiction" which lead to forming a successful restaurant group set for great success in 2020. Amidst the pandemic, they discuss how the group has pivoted towards a non-profit focused on feeding local communities and frontline workers by partnering with celebrity hairstylist Mark Bustos. Also, they talk about the challenges of getting into the restaurant game, and the future of the hospitality industry. To donate to #BeAwesomeFeedSomebody, go to: kickstarter.com/projects/rockcitypizzaco/rock-city-pizza-company-a-non-profit-pizzeria Check out FirstGenBurden.com for all the episodes. Follow us @firstgenburden and Rich Tu / @rich_tu Thanks to Listening Party and DesGin for their support.

In this double-sized season finale of First Gen #StayHome Edition Rich has two special interviews during Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month. First, Gavin Alaoen from MTV digital design stops by to talk about how he's preparing to be a father again, what content he's binging right now, and post-COVID predictions. Then slam poet, Beau Sia make his first appearance on First Gen to talk about his legendary career (that includes MTV's Spoken Word Unplugged, Def Poetry, and SlamNation) and reads two excerpts from his collection of poems Well Played. Donate to #FirstRespondersFirst at Help.FirstRespondersFirst.co Check out FirstGenBurden.com for all the episodes. Follow us @firstgenburden and Rich Tu / @rich_tu Thanks DesGin for their support.