Episode 81: Commonplace goes to Taiwan, Part 2
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Episode 81 is part two in the story of Commonplace’s March 2019 journey to Taiwan. For the first time in Commonplace herstory, the episode is not hosted by Rachel Zucker and is, instead, guided by Commonplace producer and social media director, Doreen Wang. The episode opens with a brief history of Taiwan and is followed by conversations that Rachel and Doreen had with two highly-regarded independent bookstores in the Taipei area.
At Brilliant Time Bookstore, they speak with Mr. CHANG Cheng about viewing Taiwan in relationship to its neighboring Southeast Asian countries and in relationship to the many Southeast Asians living inside of Taiwan. They also speak about Mr. CHANG’s lifelong dedication toward building a fair and just society in Taiwan, no matter the island’s future.
At FemBooks, Rachel and Doreen speak with its manager LI Xiumei (Sophie) and KANG Min Jay, a professor at National Taiwan University’s Graduate Institute of Building and Planning. Both talk about how they got involved with FemBooks—Sophie, because of her prior history working on gender issues, and Professor Kang, because of his scholarship and activism on public spaces and realizing the unique position of independent bookstores as “semi-public spaces.” They also talk about the influence of Virginia Woolf and the importance of naming (instead of being named).
Note: Capitalized text indicates family names (which precede given names in the Chinese language).
Doreen Wang has been the voice, mind and heart behind Commonplace’s social media since September 2018. Doreen is a writer—poetry and creative nonfiction, among other genres—and longtime NGO worker who now manages a youth leadership program for the International Network of Engaged Buddhists, and leads food tours in Chengdu. Doreen received a poetry fellowship from Kundiman as well as a Pushcart Prize nomination for her work. You can find her work in On She Goes, Angel’s Flight: Literary West, and Racist Sandwich podcast. An inaugural participant of Spotify’s Sound Up Bootcamp for Women of Color Podcasters, Doreen is working on a writing and audio documentary where she and her grandmother talk story about how the borders of China-Taiwan and U.S.-Mexico have shaped their lives.
People, Places, and Events Featured in this Episode
(Feature on Mr. CHANG Cheng and his partner, Ms. LIAO Yun-chan)
FemBooks est. 1994
Witch House (located in the same building as FemBooks)
Peng Wan-Ru Foundation (located in the same building as FemBooks)
National Taiwan University’s Graduate Institute of Building and Planning
KANG Min Jay’s speech “Altered Space: Squatting and Legitimizing Treasure Hill, Taipei” presented at Cultural Development Network’s 2006 Forum, “Artivism: The Role of Arts in Regeneration”
Tonsan Bookstore est. 1982 (the leftist bookstore referred to by KANG Min Jay)
GinGin Books est. 1999 (the gay bookstore referred to by KANG Min Jay)
(More on GinGin’s founder, LAI Jeng-jer 賴正哲)
(Note: This webpage from Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture has a different translation of the poem’s title. Google also translates differently as “The Need for Anal Sex.”)
Music Featured in this Episode
“Monday Spirit”
長笛Flute/作曲Composition：張瑛蘭 Ing Lan CHANG
人聲Vocal/ 作詞 Lyrics：喜辰晨 XI Chenchen
吉他Guitar：林華勁 Gin LIN
Other Relevant Links & Information
During their trip, Rachel and Doreen also visited the Beitou Museum exhibit: “Stories Told Through Mother’s Hands: Children’s Textile & Embroidery Arts” guided by its curator Brenda Lin, who also serves as Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Les Enphants Co and is the author of Wealth Ribbon. The exhibit showcased items from Brenda’s mother, Christi Lan Lin’s, collection of traditional Asian textiles made by mothers for their children. Brenda’s essay, “Textiles: The Art of Women’s Work,” was recently published in Sotheby’s.
Liner Notes:
01:08 Doreen provides a brief overview of Taiwan’s history.
09:55 Rachel and Doreen speak with CHANG Cheng, one of the co-founders of Brilliant Time Bookstore.
19:28 Rachel and Doreen speak with YAO Yuting (Analeigh), a staff member of Brilliant Time Bookstore.
25:50 Rachel and Doreen speak with LI Xiumei (Sophie), manager of FemBooks.
28:35 Rachel and Doreen speak with KANG Min Jay, a professor at National Taiwan University’s Graduate Institute of Building and Planning, one of the activists behind the creation of the WenRooTin Cultural Area where FemBooks is located.
1:00:29 Our gratitude to the many people who were involved with the making of this episode!
