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How do we talk about our family histories?
Inheriting host Emily Kwong talks to Shakeel Syed, Saira Sayeed, Leialani Wihongi-Santos, Joseph Aflleje-Santos, and Bảo Trương on stage at the Crawford Family Forum.
(
Carol Kwang Park
)
Listen
1:01:39
Episode 10 of “Inheriting” is an immersive look at the story behind-the-show, recorded in front of a live audience. Plus, takeaways for interviewing your own family members.
Episode 10 of “Inheriting” is an immersive look at the story behind-the-show, recorded in front of a live audience. Plus, takeaways for interviewing your own family members.
Topline:
In a special live version of Inheriting, host Emily Kwong takes listeners back to pivotal moments in Asian American and Pacific Islander history with three families from Season 1. This final episode of the podcast delves into their experiences and reflections that add context to the show. It also provides practical insights for listeners on interviewing their own loved ones.
Why you should listen:
Inheriting is a podcast modeling how to have conversations about family history — as a way to bridge intergenerational gaps, tend to our mental health, and process the world we live in today. If you’ve always wanted to interview someone in your life, our team suggests the following tips:
- Set an intention. Why are you talking to the family member and what questions are you trying to answer? Knowing this will allow you to stay focused. It will also help establish what the person being interviewed will get out of the conversation.
- Bring media. Having family photos, heirlooms, or home videos might help jumpstart the conversation and bring to mind old memories. It might also make the person being interviewed more comfortable. Also, decide how and if you want to record the conversation through audio and/or video technology.
- Set boundaries & take ample breaks. There might be topics that are off limits or triggering, especially if the person you’re interviewing experienced something difficult or traumatic. Make sure to set some ground rules ahead of time and know which topics to avoid, and know when to pivot to another topic if needed.
- Treat this interview as part of a longer project of getting to know one another. If you get nervous or the conversation goes off the rails, circle back to your intention. Spend some time at the end reflecting on what this experience was like for you both.
- Use the printable handout from our team below to guide you through the process.
Use this printable handout to guide you through the interviewing process with family.
(
Emily Kwong
/
LAist
)
Resources
For even more information and resources for interviewing family, check out the Inheriting Resource Guide for Episode 10. You'll also find a printable handout to guide you through this process.
Want more advice?
Sponsored message
Listen to episode 10 of Inheriting, where Kwong, the show’s consulting psychologist Sherry Wang, and ethnic studies post-doctoral lecturer Carol Kwang Park (featured in episodes 1 & 2) share advice on talking to family. Their conversation, driven by audience questions, happens in the last half hour of the episode.
Watch the entire video recording of the Inheriting live show here.
Find all episodes of Inheriting Season 1 wherever you get your podcasts and on LAist.com/Inheriting.
What’s next for Inheriting?
Thank you so much for your support, feedback, and love for the first season of the show! It would not be possible without you. We are actively fundraising for Season 2. So, if you want to hear more work like this, go to LAist.com/Inheriting and click the orange box to donate to future seasons. Right now, your contribution will be matched dollar-for-dollar thanks to Jihee and Peter Huh.
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Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
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