Game was her middle name: The world was never ready for Betty Davis
(Essay)
For NPR Music (February 13, 2022)

Knife to the Heart: A Conversation with Wayne Wang on the Occasion of the Fortieth Anniversary of Chan Is Missing
(Interview)
For Film Quarterly (March 24, 2022)

In the Shadow of the San Gabriels
(Essay)
For The LARB Quarterly, No. 33: What Is L.A.? (Spring 2022)

Chan Is Missing: Lost (and Not Found) in Chinatown
(Essay)
For Chan Is Missing (Criterion Blu-ray)(May 31, 2022)

Valerie June’s New LP ‘The Moon And Stars: Prescriptions For Dreamers’
(Album Review)
For NPR’s All Things Considered (Mar. 12, 2021)

Roberta Flack: Gone Away
(Re:Discovery Essay)
For Wax Poetics (Spring 2021)

Shorty’s Portion: Isn’t Anybody Going to Help That Poor Man
(Re:Discovery Essay)
For Wax Poetics (Summer 2021)

Signs of Urban Life: On “The 99% Invisible City” and “The City Beneath”
(Book Reviews)
For Los Angeles Review of Books (August 2, 2021)

Cruising Nisei
(Article)
For DiscoverNIkkei.org (August 17, 2021)

How Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas” Became a Holiday Classic
(Song Profile)
For Amazon Music’s (Re)Discover (Dec. 21, 2020)

‘Everything Is Everything’ Showcased Donny Hathaway’s Never-Ending Genius
(Liner Notes)
For Vinyl Me Please (Nov. 24, 2020)

New Anthology Revisits Brief History Of The Gospel Truth Label
(Album Review)
For NPR’s All Things Considered (Nov. 13, 2020)

A Look At Chinatown’s Most Stylish Seniors
(Book Review for Andria Lo and Valerie Luu’s Chinatown Pretty)
For Put This On (Oct. 10, 2020)

Labi Siffre: My Song Anthology
(Liner Notes)
Sep. 7, 2020

We Insist: A Century Of Black Music Against State Violence
(Annotated Playlist)
For NPR.org (Jun. 26, 2020)

Giving Up the Goods: Mobb Deep’s “The Infamous” Turns 25
(Album Review)
For Los Angeles Review of Books (May 22, 2020)

Betty Wright Packed A Career’s Worth Of Music Into Her Youthful First Act
(Retrospective Essay)
For NPR.org (May 11, 2020)

Beyond Soul Food
(Book Review of Toni Tipton-Martin’s Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking)
For Los Angeles Review of Books (Mar. 3, 2020)

Choosing to be the Hero, the Joker, the Villain: An Interview with Arthur Dong
(Interview)
For Film Quarterly (Mar. 1, 2020)

Patrice Rushen’s Unforgettable ‘Straight From The Heart’
(Liner Notes)
For Vinyl Me Please (Feb. 24, 2020)

‘Land of 1000 Dances’ Chronicles The History Of Rampart Records Label
(Album Review)
For NPR’s All Things Considered (Nov. 29, 2019)

Gang Starr’s ‘One Of The Best Yet’ Is A Welcome Throwback To An Earlier Rap Era
(Album Review)
For NPR’s All Things Considered (Nov. 4, 2019)

Kanye West’s ‘Jesus Is King,’ Like Its Creator, Asks A Little Too Much Of Us
(Album Review)
For NPR’s All Things Considered (Oct. 28, 2019)

A Cantopop Dream Girl’s First Film Reverie
(Article)
For Criterion’s Songbook Series (Oct. 21, 2019)

Food Stylist Sophia Chang Is The Master Of #Foodiegram
(Column/Profile)
In Character Media (Sep. 23, 2019)

Is Fusion Asian Food Really Even Asian?
(Column)
In Character Media (Aug. 30, 2019)

Raphael Saadiq Balances Personal Introspection With Social Commentary On ‘Jimmy Lee’
(Album Review)
For NPR’s All Things Considered (Aug. 23, 2019)

Here’s What Happened When A Filipino Foodie Couple Decided To Shake Things Up
(Column/Profile)
In Character Media (Jul. 16, 2019)

How Do You Follow A Masterpiece? Marvin Gaye Tried With ‘You’re The Man’
(Album Review)
For NPR’s All Things Considered (Mar. 29, 2019)

How Forecasters Predict Fashion Trends
(Article)
For Put This On (Jun. 17, 2019)

Explore The Magic Of Hawaiian Foodways With Alana Kysar’s ‘Aloha Kitchen’
(Book Review)
In Character Media (Jun. 3, 2019)

Learn The Culinary Secrets Of New York Chef Sohui Kim In ‘Korean Home Cooking’
(Book Review)
In Character Media (May 10, 2019)

‘Two Red Bowls’ Blogger Cynthia McTernan Explores Pan Asian Cuisine In ‘A Common Table’
(Book Review)
In Character Media (Mar. 13, 2019)

Leaving Culinary Comfort Zones For A Warmer ‘Season’
(Book Review)
In Character Media (Feb. 8, 2019)

The icons of hip-hop and the images that might have been
(Book Review of Vikki Tobak’s Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop)
In Los Angeles Times (Oct. 12, 2018)

The Best Producer Alive, 1994, Easy Mo Bee
(Profile)
For Complex (Fall 2018)

The Tuba Fats Riff
(Article co-written with Matt Sakakeeny)
From 64 Parishes (Fall 2018)

James Syhabout Rediscovers Lao Roots In ‘Hawker Fare’ Cookbook
(Book Review)
In Character Media (Nov. 22, 2018)

Filipino Cookbooks, From ‘I Am A Filipino’ to ‘Adobo Road’ and ‘Pulutan!’
(Book Review)
In Character Media (Oct. 24, 2018)

Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band Travels Across Generations And Genres
(Album Review)
On NPR’s All Things Considered (Sep. 17, 2018)

Tradition Mixed With Comfort in Hsiao-Ching Chou’s ‘Chinese Soul Food’
(Book Review)
In Kore Asian Media (Sep. 2018)

The icons of hip-hop and the images that might have been
(Book Review)
In Los Angeles Times (Oct. 12, 2018)

The Geography of Gold
(Essay)
From Boom: The Journal of California (July 24, 2018)

The Internet’s ‘Hive Mind’ Is A Soundtrack To The Slow Burn Of Summer
(Review)
On NPR’s All Things Considered (July 20, 2018)

Kool Keith And Dan The Automator Make Rap Weird Again As Dr. Octagon
(Review)
From NPR’s First Listen (March 29, 2018)

‘Haze’ Paints The Shacks’ Emotional Palette
(Review)
From NPR’s First Listen (March 22, 2018)

Cut Chemist’s ‘Die Cut’ Asks You To Listen Closely
(Review)
On NPR’s All Things Considered (April 5, 2018)

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings’ ‘Soul Of A Woman’ Is A Testament To Fortitude
(Review)
On NPR’s All Things Considered (November 17, 2017)

Sunny And The Sunliners’ ‘Mr. Brown Eyed Soul’ Is For The Loved And Lovelorn
(Review)
On NPR’s All Things Considered (September 27, 2017)