Episodes
Averie Bishop, 25, is the first Asian American to wear the Miss Texas America crown. She plans to use her new platform to promote diversity and inclusion. Mayra Flores, at around the same time, won a congressional seat to represent Texas's Rio Grande Valley. Ms. Flores, a 36-year-old Mexican-born American, is the first Republican Latina to represent Texas in Congress. Both are taking center stage at a time when Texas is experiencing dramatic demographic shifts. Which woman will be the new...
Published 07/25/22
New York City will introduce Asian American curriculum into its K-12 schools. Why is this important? Will teaching about Asian American's critical role in U.S. history help reduce anti-Asian hate? What are the watershed moments in Asian American history? Host P-Mo hopes to start a conversation about the NYC pilot program. What are your thoughts?
Published 06/10/22
P-mo and his co-host from the Erased podcast, Dana Miller, have a conversation with Henry, an Afghan interpreter who was given U.S. Citizenship status for his services rendered to the American military during stretches of the 20-year Afghan War. Henry (a pseudonym) was able to leave the country for the United States, but his wife and children were left behind. The wife and children were able to get to the main airport in Kabul before the completion of the U.S. withdrawal and endured 6 days...
Published 09/30/21
The Anti-Asian American Hate Bill finally became law when Pres. Joe Biden signed the bipartisan legislation on May 18. Also, Alabama reverses a nearly 30-year ban on teaching yoga in public schools, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame has its first fan inductee, and an Indoor Football League franchise hires an Asian American woman to run the organization.
Published 05/24/21
#StopAsianHate is gaining national attention, in light of the recent murders of Asian American women in the Atlanta area and other hate crimes committed against those of Asian descent. P-Mo talks about being followed at his residence and being questioned about why he was walking around where he lives. He also talks with Dana Miller, an environmentalist and Asian American ally, about solutions and resources for Asian Americans.
Published 03/25/21
Storytellers in Action is back for a sixth season! There are some changes. P-Mo is now hosting the show solo. Our episodes will now focus on topics instead of guests. All shows will be produced out of Austin, Texas, now (instead of Los Angeles, California). Check out the prologue, where P-Mo tells you everything that's going down - and the nightmare of a winter storm he lived through in the middle of February (where freezing temperatures brought Texas to a halt).
Published 03/08/21
This bonus (and final) episode of Season 5 features an intimate conversation with P-Mo and film composer Colin Aguiar. Colin talks about his roots in Goa and how he discovered music at a young age. After learning the drums as a kid Colin found a passion for writing music - and he would turn that passion into a career as a film composer. He shares insights on what it's like to be a composer and how the film production process plays out.
Published 11/25/20
This bonus episode of Storytellers in Action (Season 5) features Drew University Political Science professors Jinee Lokaneeta and Sangay Mishra. Jinee speaks with P-Mo about the acceptance of police violence in liberal democracies such as the United States and India. Sangay, meanwhile, challenges the use of the term "Non-Resident Indian" and discusses the Diaspora's political inclinations in the United States (as well as the complexities of Indo-US Relations).
Published 11/14/20
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were projected as winners of the 2020 Presidential Election - about 5 days after Election Day. Pres. Donald Trump, of course, maintains he is the election's winner and the Democrats have stolen the election from him. What does Biden's win, assuming it holds up and he is allowed to move into the White House, mean for the future of the United States? P-mo, Farial and Debesh talk about the upcoming Biden presidency - and the work that needs to be done during the next...
Published 11/08/20
We have less than 48 hours before the end of Election 2020. P-Mo chats with the co-chairs of Thai-Americans for Biden about the need to remain active after Nov. 3, regardless of who wins the election. What does that activism look like? What is the value of having a discussion? Can we find a way to co-exist regardless of our political inclinations? We also discuss how the Netflix/YouTube production of Cobra Kai is actually a mirror of our political climate. What can we learn from Johnny and...
Published 11/02/20
We're 11 days away from the 2020 Presidential Election, so P-mo has a cathartic conversation with actor Kavi Ramachandran Ladnier about the path to healing, remaining active even after Nov. 3, and why representation matters. Kavi also chats with P-Mo about 'Mira, Royal Detective,' which features her daughter as the voice of Mira.
Published 10/23/20
Laj P. Waghray, an activist and filmmaker, chats with P-Mo and Debesh about the Covid-19 pandemic, her documentary films and extremism being the potential cost of the 2020 presidential election. The Storytellers in Action team also ponders why "The American Dream" is sold as a global goal.
Published 10/19/20
P-mo and actor/writer Anisha Adusumilli have a candid conversation about World Mental Health Day, the current state of U.S. politics, what Kamala Harris means to the South Asian American community and working in Hollywood.
Published 10/12/20
We're in the final month of the 2020 election. This episode was recorded days after the Trump-Biden Debate and hours after Pres. Trump was admitted into Walter Reed Hospital for Covid-19. P-Mo and Farial have a candid conversation with producer and standup comedian Saurabh Kikani about the week that was ... and what could possibly happen next.
Published 10/05/20
P-Mo deep dives with David Paul Francis about his transition from actor to television writer, the shifting definition of racism, the fallacy of "model minority" and the need to vote on November 3.
Published 09/27/20
What's the connection between a speech given in 2008 by (then) Senator Barack Obama and the Grand Jury Indictment handed down in the murder of Breonna Taylor? Storytellers in Action host P-Mo shares why a 12-year-old speech - which was based on the drafting of the U.S. Constitution - absolutely matters right now.
Published 09/24/20
Aadip Desai, who was a staff writer on The Goldbergs and will be writing for Mira, The Royal Detective, joins P-Mo and Farial Khan in commiserating over the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, what defunding of the police really looks like and dealing with a rigged system.
Published 09/20/20
Could we have avoided the Covid-19 pandemic if both parties stopped bickering? Should the Democrats focus less on removing Trump and more on how the party’s policies can help the American people? How has the pandemic forced artists to be more creative with content creation? What’s at stake for artists on Nov. 3? Are we better off without social media? Are people hurt inside and being ignored by politiicians? These are just some of the issues we talk about on the latest Storytellers in Action...
Published 09/13/20
Violinist Pin Chen chats with P-Mo about the need for music education in our curricula and why the arts must be funded. It's not enough for us to only focus on math and sciences - music and the arts are just as important to the development of our brains. Oh, Pin and P-Mo also chat foreign policy. Taiwan should be recognized as an independent country.
Published 09/07/20
Covid-19, the power structure of Hollywood, documentaries as storytelling devices and the U.S. experiencing its Third Reconstruction in the Era of Trump: this is the latest discussion the Storytellers in Action team has with writer/director/producer Sarita Khurana.
Published 08/30/20
Writer/Director/Producer Shilpi Roy talk about her first-ever experience with an election phone bank. She also chats with the Storytellers in Action team about Hollywood being the opposite of elite, more representation at studios and on production teams, and what's at stake in Election 2020.
Published 08/24/20
Dr. Priya J. Shah, a delegate for Assembly District 55 and instructor of various Gender Studies courses at the college level, has a candid chat with P-Mo, Farial and Debesh about representation, freedom, education and the selection of Kamala Harris as Joe Biden's running mate.
Published 08/17/20
Stand Up Comic and Actor Pritesh Shah chats with P-Mo, Farial and Debesh about cancel culture, identity, personal growth and "The Woke Police."
Published 08/09/20
P-Mo, Debesh and Farial are back for a fifth season. This go around we'll have 13 guests and discuss social justice, intersectionality and the 2020 Presidential Election.
Published 08/06/20