Pardon My Southern Accent: Recent Episodes
Sparks Magazine
Pardon My Southern Accent is a storytelling-based podcast focusing on spotlighting young Asian Americans from the South and/or who call the South their home, discussing topics such as identity, career, and current events. Join Jason, (Executive Director of Sparks), and Chelsey (Development Director of Sparks) bi-weekly as they share stories and explore deep conversations with other Asian Americans throughout the South.
Sparks Magazine is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit student-run publication that provides a mixed-media platform for Asian American storytelling. Find us on Instagram @sparks_magazine.
In our season finale, we talk with Katarina Su, who founded KAISU Bakehouse, a popup serving Rice Krispie treats that incorporate a part of her Taiwanese background with Asian inspired flavors. KAISU Bakehouse has also been featured in local media outlets like Atlanta magazine and Eater Atlanta. We chat with Katarina about growing up in the suburbs of Georgia, balancing creative projects while working a day job, and the changing and growing food scene in Atlanta.
Join us as we get to know Simon Tam, the founder and bassist of The Slants, the world’s first and only all-Asian American dance rock band. In 2017, he won a landmark case at the U.S Supreme Court, helping to expand civil liberties for marginalized groups. We learn about his musical influences, his experience moving from the West Coast to Nashville and now the Midwest, his legislative advocacy work with Killer Mike at the intersection of music and activism. This episode's music features music from the Slants so be sure to check them out on Spotify and their website at theslants.com.
We get to know May Thach, who identifies as a 1.5 generation immigrant and grew up in St. Petersburg, Florida with a small Khmer-Krom community. She is also the Organizing Manager at the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum currently working to build power among our AAPI gender marginalized community in the Tampa Bay area. Tune in to hear about May’s experience serving in the Peace Corps in Zambia, her immigration story and indigenous roots, and her vision for the future of AAPI political organizing in Florida.
In this special two-part series, we get to know two members of the campaign to establish the first Asian American Center at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. In this episode, we reflect with Abhishek Shankar, who served as the former campaign director, on how both the campaign and his life experiences shaped him into who he is today.
Jason is joined by guest host Michelle Lee, former University of Florida (UF) Sparks Editor-in-Chief as they chat with Eileen Calub, a senior Linguistics major at the University of Florida (UF). Eileen shares her personal upbringing and how it led to her passion for traveling to different countries and learning languages. Calub shares what she has learned about herself traveling around the world at a young age. She is the Executive Director for Asian Kaleidoscope Month (AKM), which is a month-long celebration of Asian and Asian American cultures at UF. We get the insight on what she has planned for the month and what she hopes students take away from coming to AKM.
Meet Em Marin, a software engineer originally from Atlanta and currently based out of New York City. We chat with her about finding community both in college and in new cities, working in the tech industry, and what it’s like dating post-grad.
Kick off your 2022 with Jason and Chelsey as we discuss our thoughts on new year's resolutions, reflect on 2021, and share how we hold ourselves accountable to the resolutions we set.
In this episode, we connect with Nick Hatcher, a writer, artist, and law student based in Durham, North Carolina. They've worn a few different hats over the past few years, including creating Public Access Magazine, serving as political chair for AQUA DC, and leading Triple Threat Strategies as a communications strategist. We discuss their childhood growing up in North Carolina, moving to Washington, D.C., and starting Public Access Magazine, a co-operatively owned platform to share joy, loving, and healing.
In this episode, we sit down with Kevin and Christian, two former directors of FAASU, the Florida Asian American Student Union. We discuss coalition building, how they have grown since college, and navigating life post graduation.
Join us for our very first episode, as we highlight two sisters from St Augustine, Florida who support Asian American advocacy together as well as in their own unique ways.