Taiwan Talk

Debbie Liu is an animal lover, DJ, and co-owner of one of Kaohsiung's most popular hang out spots. She talks about rising through the ranks at Brickyard, managing the business during COVID-19, and her family's experience trying to evade Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Join ICRT's Paz Bueno in her first rendition of Taiwan Talk. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Jenna Lynn Cody is the writer behind the blog "Lao Ren Cha", a commentary and resource hub for English speakers here in Taiwan. ICRT's Trevor Tortomasi speaks with Jenna Lynn Cody about finding resources for English speakers in Taiwan, literature about the island's history, and a better future for foreign teachers in the country. You can find the Lao Ren Cha blog here: https://laorencha.blogspot.com And you can find Jenna on Twitter: @laorenchanna You can also find her work on Ketagalan Media: https://ketagalanmedia.com/author/jenna-lynn-cody/ Jenna is also an admin for "Super Awesome Taiwan Women" on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1162094783892835/ Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Achim Hake has been in Taiwan since the 1990s, and has seen Taiwan's hotel industry grow and evolve into what it is today. He shares the more memorable moments of his career with ICRT's Hope Ngo, along with insight into what he feels will be the future of Taiwan tourism as we emerge from aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks for listening. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Manav Mehta is the curator and host of Red Room Rendezvous, a.k.a. R3, a restaurant, bar, and event space in Taipei. ICRT's Trevor Tortomasi chats with Manav about the history of Red Room, international communities in Taipei, and Manav's current adventures with a percussion instrument called a "handpan". You can find Red Room Rendezvous on Instagram: @r3.taipei Follow Manav on Instagram as well: @aspiring_azul Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Ashley Tong was just eight when she first played with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra. Today she is one of a three-person group known as the Heathcliff Trio, which went on to win first prize at the 9th International Johannes Brahms Chamber Music Competition. ICRT's Hope Ngo speaks to Tong about the path from child violinist to award-winning musician. Visit the Heathcliff Trio here to learn more about this talented group. Thanks for listening. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Lukas Engstrom is a Swedish YouTuber based here in Taiwan, who has collaborated with various content creators all over the island. ICRT's Trevor Tortomasi chats with Lukas about what it's like living with YouTubers, and which videos seem to appeal to which audiences so far. You can check out Lukas' channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3LxWTmKK24 And you can also find him on Instagram: @lukasengstrom Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Rifat, also known as 吳鳳 (Wu Feng), is a Turkish-Taiwanese host, comedian, and actor in Taiwan, and the first foreigner to win Taiwan's Golden Bell Award, in 2012. ICRT's Trevor Tortomasi chats with Rifat about his experiences as a bridge between Taiwan and his home country of Turkey, as well as his recent collaboration with TaiwanPlus, on shows such as "Live From Taiwan" and "Legit Mando". You can find more from Rifat online: Instagram: @rifatkarlova YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/%E5%90%B3%E9%B3%B3Rifat Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Sam Yarbs is a co-founder of the Two Three Comedy Club in Taipei, and a standup comedian with international accolades. ICRT's Trevor Tortomasi speaks with Sam about his work on The Night Night Show (博恩夜夜秀), comedy across the language barrier, and the future of standup in Taiwan. You can find info on Two Three Comedy's upcoming shows: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TwoThreeComedy Instagram: @twothreecomedy And you can find Sam on Instagram: @sam.yarbs Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Taiwanese-American food blogger Frankie Gaw walked away from a successful career in tech and became a rising star within the highly competitive world of food blogging. ICRT’s Hope Ngo speaks to Gaw about what enticed him to swap a successful career in tech for food, and what he did to get his new cookbook “First Generation” ready for publication. Thanks for listening! You can find and follow Frankie on his blog, Little Fat Boy or on Instagram. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

William Stanton served as Director for the American Institute in Taiwan -- the organization charged with maintaining relations between the U.S. and Taiwan -- between 2009 to 2012. ICRT's Hope Ngo speaks to Stanton about what inspired him to enter the foreign service, how he feels about being a teacher at this critical juncture in modern history, and how he feels about China, and his country's exchanges with Taiwan today. Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Matan Shelomi is a professor of entomology (the study of insects) at National Taiwan University, and the first guest to make a return appearance on Taiwan Talk, after our previous journey through the world of insects in late 2020. ICRT's Trevor Tortomasi chats with Matan to learn about why some people get bitten by mosquitoes more often, which insects taste the best, and why insect species are disappearing at such an alarming rate. Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Stephen Rong is a renaissance man of performance, as an actor, singer, dancer, model, podcaster, and radio DJ. ICRT's Trevor Tortomasi chats with Stephen about his role in the acapella group "Awkwapella", and its stark contrast with his murder-mystery podcast, "The Dark Forest". You can find Stephen on Instagram: @therongone And you can find his acapella group here: @awkwapella And if you understand Chinese, you can check out his podcast, 【暗黑森林 The Dark Forest】: https://open.spotify.com/show/2qKknXOhcJS0hxrKUSkNeB Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Professor Joseph Allen's book "Taipei: City of Displacements" tells the story behind Taiwan's unique architecture -- from the Japanese colonial era to the current time. ICRT's Hope Ngo invites Professor Allen on an imaginary walk along the streets leading to Taipei's Ketagalan Boulevard, to tell audiences about two of the most distinctive buildings in the area. Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Kassy Cho is an independent journalist and founder of Almost.co, a media outlet focused on getting news stories to the internet's younger generations. ICRT's Trevor Tortomasi chats with Kassy about internet journalism, and thinking visually to present stories to new audiences. You can find Kassy's news pages on Instagram: English: @almost.co Chinese: @almost.ch Or her personal page here: @kassy You can also find the Instagram page she worked on with Buzzfeed here: @world Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Director and filmmaker Eric Rettstadt joins us on Taiwan Talk this week to discuss his new short movie "Tank Fairy" which stars Taiwan drag queen Marian Mesula. The film has enjoyed screenings at a number of prestigious film festival across the US. It tells the story of a fabulous gas delivery agent that meets a schoolboy in Taipei City and turns his world upside down. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Isabella Tan is a young filmmaker raised in Taiwan and Malaysia, also having spent some time making films in the U.S. ICRT's Trevor Tortomasi chats with Isabella about her experiences in the film industry, and Asian representation in front of and behind the cameras. You can find Isabella's Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/its.bellatan/ And her Vimeo page here: https://vimeo.com/isabellatan Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Quincy Davis is a professional basketball player for the New Taipei Kings, and has been a crucial player on Taiwan's national basketball team. ICRT's Trevor Tortomasi speaks with Quincy about his experience becoming a Taiwanese citizen, playing basketball for Taiwan around the world, and inspiring the younger generations of Taiwan to try their hands and feet at sports. You can see some of Quincy's games on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/PLEAGUEofficial You can follow Quincy on Instagram: @q.davis3 And check out his restaurant for some amazing vegan food! https://www.facebook.com/uncleqvegan/ Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Academia Sinica's Shashank Keshavmurthy is a coral reef specialist who has lived in Taiwan for more than a decade. ICRT's Hope Ngo speaks to Keshavmurthy about the lethal combination of climate change and relentless human interest that's threatening the coral reefs around Xiaoliuqiu. Thanks for listening. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Tobie Openshaw is a filmmaker, photographer, and advocate for Taiwan's next generation of visual storytellers. ICRT's Trevor Tortomasi chats with Tobie about his work with Taiwan's indigenous stories, his experience documenting the Sunflower Movement in 2014, and the hurdles that young filmmakers have to overcome in getting their work into the world. Join Tobie's group "Filmmaker Nights Taipei" for some valuable insight into filmmaking: https://www.facebook.com/groups/607185949394560 Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Emily Wu is the CEO and co-founder of Ghost Island Media, one of Taiwan's most popular podcast networks. ICRT's Trevor Tortomasi chats with Emily about Ghost Island Media's first shows, her work in Taiwan's media industry, and the future of podcasts in Taiwan. You can find a list of Ghost Island Media's shows on their website: https://ghostisland.media/ On on their instagram: @ghostislandme Here's a link to one of their English shows, "Waste Not Why Not", on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gQASkmr41ITwHegixRwE8 And check out their recent audio documentary in Chinese, 【一年的告白】： https://open.spotify.com/show/0wyy0JpqXvy2cPtGTaA0GC Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Priya Lalwani-Purswaney, also known as 李眉君, is a professional interpreter of Chinese, English, and Hindi, and an organizer of Indian cultural events in Taiwan. ICRT's Trevor Tortomasi speaks with Priya about her experience growing up in Taiwan, her work as a simultaneous interpreter, and her role as a cultural bridge between India and Taiwan. You can find Priya's Translation and Interpreting Services here: https://www.facebook.com/PriyaTranslator/ Check out the events and support group "Indians In Taiwan", which Priya founded and manages: https://www.facebook.com/IndiansInTaiwan/ Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Liam Fanning is organizing the upcoming "Taipei Shorts IV", the fourth installment of a series of short plays, going on stage in early January 2022! ICRT's Trevor Tortomasi speaks with Liam about writing, directing, and acting, as well as how Taipei Shorts is keeping English- and multi-language theater alive in Taiwan. Find tickets to Taipei Shorts here: bit.ly/taipeishorts Find out more about Taipei shorts online: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/219116397022862 Instagram: @taipeishorts And find Liam on Instagram: @liamfliamfliamf Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Jim Geddes is the founder and bandleader of the Taipei Professional Orchestra Big Band, as well as a freelance musician and woodwind instrumentalist extraordinaire. ICRT's Trevor Tortomasi speaks with Jim about the TPO Big Band, gathering musicians in a pandemic, and his background on Broadway. You can find the TPO Big Band's new album here: https://tpotaipei.bandcamp.com/album/tpo-live-at-yuchen-cinema-studios Follow TPO for more info on performances around Taiwan: Instagram: @tpotaipei Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TPOTaipei Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Satoki Matsushita is an astrophysicist who has worked with international projects like the Event Horizon Telescope and the Greenland Telescope Project, which have contributed to humanity's first imaging of a black hole, millions of lightyears from Earth. ICRT's Trevor Tortomasi speaks with Satoki about his research on black holes, his work with telescopes around the world, and his personal journey of learning astrophysics. CORRECTION NOTE: In the interview, Satoki mentions the use of an "S.I.S.", which should be a "superconductor-insulator-superconductor", not a "semiconductor". Thanks to Satoki for clarifying in post! You can read about Satoki in Chinese here: https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/life/breakingnews/2441505 More info on the Event Horizon Telescope: https://eventhorizontelescope.org/ And a short documentary on the Greenland Telescope: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkSSk5zEVC0 Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Bonnie Lin and Angela Hsiung are professional street dancers, and are directing an immersive dance performance called "Lili", which is set to open for the weekend of December 11th and 12th. ICRT's Trevor Tortomasi speaks to Bonnie and Angela about their show Lili, immersive dance, training during the pandemic, and their experiences with street dance. Follow them on instagram: Lili: @lili20210717 Bonnie: @ahbong_moveon Angela: @angelahsiung Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Mark Hsu, found of outsourcing service provider and consulting agency 11th Fleet joins the podcast this week to talk about his organisation and the new, decentralised business environment that organisations around the world are slowly starting to adopt. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Brian Hioe is a founding member of New Bloom Magazine, and a regular correspondent for news agencies including Taiwan Plus and ICRT. ICRT's Trevor Tortomasi speaks to Brian about his recent contribution to an extensive feature story on Taiwan by HBO's "Last Week Tonight", hosted by John Oliver, which is some of the most mainstream coverage of Taiwan by the U.S. in recent years. You can find more from Brian on New Bloom: https://newbloommag.net/ And you can follow Brian on social media: https://twitter.com/brianhioe Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

French filmmaker Aurelien Jegou joins us on this week's episode of Taiwan Talk to discuss his love of Taiwanese cinema, and two of the short movies he has produced since moving to Taiwan over five years ago. You can find more information about Aurelien's work at www.aurelien-binggan.com. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Eddy Gonzalez is the owner of the restaurant "Eddy's Cantina" in Taipei, where he hosts the weekly live show "Eddy LIVE". ICRT's Trevor Tortomasi chats with Eddy about running a restaurant through the pandemic, what he's learned from hosting a live show, and how to turn a Wednesday into a Friday. You can see his show on YouTube every Wednesday at 7 PM: https://www.eddy.live/ And you can follow him on Instagram: Eddy LIVE: @eddy.live.tw Eddy's Cantina: @eddyscantina Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

LGBTQ advocate and business-owner Olivia Wu joins us on Taiwan Talk this week to talk about her organization The Light Program. The organization offers holistic healing services and is involved in community-building activities in Taiwan. Olivia has also helped organize Asia Rainbow Ride - a biking event to raise money for LGBTQ charities. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Ray Ko is a freediving instructor on the island of Xiaoliuqiu, off the coast of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. ICRT's Trevor Tortomasi speaks with Ray about the different kinds of diving, ocean stories, sea life, and pushing the limits of one's own diving potential. You can find more info on diving lessons with Ray here: https://www.freedivenomadtaiwan.com/ Follow Ray on instagram: @freedivenomad And check out his educational podcast on diving, called: Total Beginner Freedive Podcast Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

This final episode in the Renewable Energy and Taiwan series features representative of Siemens Taiwan Anthony Tam, who talks about the company’s Smart City concept for sustainable energy usage. Anthony discusses the three key Smart City initiatives of “grid edge”, smart buildings, and smart electrification, and explains where these have been implemented in Taiwan and around the world. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Sarah Chang is an action film star turned podcaster, and host of "The Kungfu Momma Show". ICRT's Trevor Tortomasi chats with Sarah about her show, parenting experts, bringing the tenets of martial arts into everyday life, normalizing Asian representation in film, and her experiences on all sides of the cameras and microphones. You can hear more on the Kungfu Momma Show podcast: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gqwx6udyAczkDLh7B0hWr Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kungfu-momma-show-功夫媽媽秀 You can follow Sarah on other platforms as well: Instagram: @starringsarahchang YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/starringsarahchang/ And you can learn more about film acting and production with Sarah here: https://scene8studio.wixsite.com/home Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Seqalu is a TV series focusing on a critical piece of Taiwan's history, at the crossroads of indigenous culture and foreign influence. ICRT's Trevor Tortomasi speaks with Seqalu's director Jui-Yuan Tsao (曹瑞原), as well as starring actors Andrew Chau (周厚安) and Chien-Wei Huang (黃健瑋). This episode is the full bilingual interview, with all responses presented in their original languages. Seqalu is available on Netflix in Taiwan… Check it out when you get the chance! Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Seqalu is a TV series focusing on a critical piece of Taiwan's history, at the crossroads of indigenous culture and foreign influence. ICRT's Trevor Tortomasi speaks with Seqalu's director Jui-Yuan Tsao (曹瑞原), as well as starring actors Andrew Chau (周厚安) and Chien-Wei Huang (黃健瑋). This episode is a shortened version of the full bilingual interview, but includes English translations of key insights! Seqalu is available on Netflix in Taiwan. Check it out! Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Professor Min Lee of National Tsing Hua University's Institute of Nuclear Engineering Science is our special guest this week. Professor Lee is a nuclear power advocate and campaigned to repeal an article in the Electricity Act that would have mandated the decommissioning of all nuclear plants by 2025. We discuss Taiwan's nuclear dilemma and the pros and cons of nuclear energy. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Elias Ek is an entrepeneur from Sweden and a co-organizer of Dragon's Chamber, a pitch event for startup companies in Taiwan. ICRT's Trevor Tortomasi speaks to Elias about startups in Taiwan, competition in the Dragon's Chamber, impressing investors, and making connections. You can register to compete on the official website, or you can sign up to see the event for free! Signups close on September 6th. https://dragonschambertaiwan.com/ Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Why has Taiwan's birth rate declined at such a rapid rate? Can we do anything to ensure more people have children? This week we're joined by demography expert Doctor Alice Cheng from Academia Sinica's Institute of Sociology who helps answer these questions and delves deeper into Taiwan's fertility dilemma. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Stewart Glen is an accomplished actor and coach in Taiwan's performance community, who is helping actors in Taiwan prepare for the World Monologue Games. The World Monologue Games is a global event which invites thousands of performers to showcase their acting, in front of internationally acclaimed judges! You can read about joining the Taiwan Team here: shorturl.at/FG467 Sign up for performance coaching here: shorturl.at/eqtOY And read more about the World Monologue Games here: https://monologues.com.au/WMG Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

James Chien from state-run energy enterprise Taipower joins us this week to discuss hydropower. Professor Jian-ping Suen of National Cheng Kung University's Department of Hydraulic and Ocean Engineering is also at hand to give additional information. We discuss how hydroelectricity is generated and the future of hydropower in Taiwan. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Cindy Yang hosts the podcast Taiwanren, an interview show that focuses on Taiwanese innovators, makers, and advocates. ICRT's Trevor Tortomasi speaks with Cindy about her experiences with interviewing all kinds of people, raising awareness for mental health, and rediscovering what it means to be Taiwanese. You can find Taiwanren wherever you normally listen to podcasts… And you can follow Taiwanren on Instagram, for more guest info, photos, and quotes: @taiwanren.co Thank you so much for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Are you an avid bird watcher? Scott Pursner, director of international affairs at the Taiwan Wild Bird Federation, comes on the show to discuss how to track and treat birds you find in the wild, what issues wild birds are facing in Taiwan, and much more! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

James Wong is a YouTuber living in Taiwan who has overcome some rare hurdles to become a content creator. James speaks about growing up with hearing loss, making bucket lists, and a momentous conversation with his father. See more of James' work on his channel: www.youtube.com/c/JamesWongLife And you can follow him on Instagram: @jameswonglife Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Ciel et Terre is a French solar power developer specializing in floating solar panels. The company's Regional Business Development Manager Vivi Lee joins us to discuss how it is cooperating with existing industries, like fisheries, to not only increase Taiwan's capacity for generating renewable energy, but create a more stable business environment for these industries. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Migrant workers from Southeast Asia often face adversity in Taiwan, and Lennon Wang of the Serve the People Association comes on the show to explain how his organization helps migrant workers get back on their feet after a difficult time at work. The association runs shelters for those transitioning between jobs and helps with legal troubles workers may face after raising a complaint about their employer. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Lee Ching-chun (李靜君) is the Associate Artistic Director of the Cloud Gate Dance Theater of Taiwan. Trevor speaks with Ms. Lee about her performances with Cloud Gate, her sources of inspiration, and the long history of Taiwan's most prestigious dance studio. You can read more about Cloud Gate on their official website: https://www.cloudgate.org.tw/en/cg And once this epidemic is over, they'll begin to host more amazing performances. Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Nicole Huang is the Chief Operating Officer at SoundOn, Taiwan's largest podcast hosting platform. ICRT's Trevor Tortomasi speaks with Nicole about the explosion of podcasts in Taiwan, what makes a good conversation, and why people like gossip so much. SoundOn began with just 20 podcasts. Can you guess how many it's hosting now? If you'd like to start your own podcast, or even just listen through the SoundOn app, check out their website: https://www.soundon.fm/ And as always, thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Co-chair of the European Chamber of Commerce Taiwan's Wind Energy Committee Bart Linssen discusses the perks of wind power in the second episode of our series on renewable energy in Taiwan. The government has set ambitious targets for Taiwan's wind energy output but what needs to happen in order to reach these goals? And what obstructions lie in the path to a greener future? Find out in this week's Taiwan Talk hosted by Ryan Drillsma. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Otis Sheu (許泰銘) heads the operations division for Taichung's newly opened Mass Rapid Transit… And ICRT Taichung correspondent Donovan Smith adds some perspective as a longtime resident of the city. The Taichung MRT Green Line is the first step in a more closely connected Taichung City, with a Blue Line and an Orange Line slated for construction over the next decade or so. If you're in the area, check it out! Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Toi Windham is an activist and community event organizer hoping to bring people together over topics that we often find difficult to discuss. She comes on the show to discuss her latest project Community Convos - a bimonthly roundtable discussion with panel guests on topics that range from racism and cultural appropriation to life in the post-COVID world. You can find more information about the event on Facebook and Instagram by searching Community Convos. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn