Jay Caspian Kang

EXCLUSIVE
  • Writer-at-Large, The New York Times Magazine and Staff Writer, The New Yorker
  • Author of 'The Loneliest Americans', Named One of the "Best Books of the Year" by TIME and NPR
  • Emmy Award-Nominated Correspondent for HBO's 'Vice'
  • Co-Host, 'Time to Say Goodbye' Podcast

Author, cultural critic, New Yorker staff writer, and writer-at-large at The New York Times Magazine Jay Caspian Kang writes and speaks about race, identity, economics, the history of immigration, and more. He was a founding editor at Grantland and an Emmy-nominated correspondent on VICE at HBO. Kang is the author of The Loneliest Americans, which was named one of the best books of the year by NPR, Mother Jones, and TIME, which called it “provocative and sweeping.” It was also named an Editor’s Choice book by The New York Times Book Review, which raved that Kang’s “exploration of class and identity among Asian Americans will be talked about for years to come.”

Kang’s writing has been featured in numerous publications and outlets including This American LifeThe New Yorker, and The Nation, among others. He is a co-host of the beloved eclectic podcast Time to Say Goodbye, which Slate called one of the Best Chat Podcasts of 2022. A substantive speaker and insightful moderator, Kang speaks on topics as varied as city planning, the history of immigration in the U.S., education policy and Affirmative Action, and more for hosts including the Korean American Spine Surgical Society, the Collegiate School, and Ohio State University.

 


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Past Hosts Include:
  • Wesleyan University
  • Korean American Spine Surgical Society
  • Collegiate School
  • Ohio State University
Rave Reviews About Jay Caspian Kang
Jay and the entire program was FANTASTIC! […] Jay’s presentation was excellent. The students had clearly read the book and asked in depth and intriguing questions during the Q&A.

Jay Caspian Kang: Time to Say Goodbye LIVE + Stay True | APAInstitute - Get Sharable Link
Talks & Conversations with Jay Caspian Kang
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A Fireside Chat with Jay Caspian Kang

Cultural commentator JAY CASPIAN KANG is shaping Americans’ understanding of the most pressing issues facing the U.S. today. Kang’s profound insights, airtight analysis, and brilliant prose activate the minds of millions daily through his essays published in the New Yorker, the New York Times, and m ...

Cultural commentator JAY CASPIAN KANG is shaping Americans’ understanding of the most pressing issues facing the U.S. today. Kang’s profound insights, airtight analysis, and brilliant prose activate the minds of millions daily through his essays published in the New Yorker, the New York Times, and more. Fostering robust discussion on the issues on everyone’s mind today, from technology and trending media to gun control and social equality, Kang invites audiences to think critically about the world in which they live today, inspiring responsible discourse.

Author Talk: ‘The Loneliest Americans’

Inspired by his critically acclaimed book, JAY CASPIAN KANG blends his incisive reportage with the story of his family’s immigration to the U.S. in this profound talk. With humor and insight, Kang explores the existential loneliness in himself and in the broader AAPI community who try to locate them ...

Inspired by his critically acclaimed book, JAY CASPIAN KANG blends his incisive reportage with the story of his family’s immigration to the U.S. in this profound talk. With humor and insight, Kang explores the existential loneliness in himself and in the broader AAPI community who try to locate themselves in the country’s racial binary. Drawing on examples from history as well as present day, Kang shares a thought-provoking perspective on identity, community, solidarity, and what it means to be American.

The History of Korean Food in America

Food is a powerful metaphor for identity and a force for community throughout the world, and Korean food has a rich history in America. In this engaging talk, author and cultural critic JAY CASPIAN KANG looks at how restaurants in Koreatown, Los Angeles developed from the late 1970s until today. Kan ...

Food is a powerful metaphor for identity and a force for community throughout the world, and Korean food has a rich history in America. In this engaging talk, author and cultural critic JAY CASPIAN KANG looks at how restaurants in Koreatown, Los Angeles developed from the late 1970s until today. Kang explores the influences from both Latino neighbors and successive waves of immigrants from Korea and China, giving an entertaining and informative account of what has shaped the modern Korean restaurant and what it says about culture and community – and how they change over time.

Is there really an Asian-America?

In this provocative talk, author and cultural critic JAY CASPIAN KANG argues that the modern boundaries of “Asian-American” as a racial demographic often do not make sense to the vast majority of people who have been classified under that label. In fact, no “Asian-Americans” think of themselves that ...

In this provocative talk, author and cultural critic JAY CASPIAN KANG argues that the modern boundaries of “Asian-American” as a racial demographic often do not make sense to the vast majority of people who have been classified under that label. In fact, no “Asian-Americans” think of themselves that way – but rather as “Chinese” or “Korean” or “Indian-American.” In an incisive and eye-opening talk, Jay brings forward the multiplicity of identities and experiences hidden by the monolithic category and shares how true solidarity can be fostered by expanding our terminology and our cultural understanding.

The Making of Asian-American Flushing

A history of how Flushing went from being a middle-class Irish neighborhood to the mecca of Asian-America on the East Coast. Topics discussed: gentrification, Tommy Huang, the "Asian Donald Trump," and migration patterns within cities.  ...

A history of how Flushing went from being a middle-class Irish neighborhood to the mecca of Asian-America on the East Coast. Topics discussed: gentrification, Tommy Huang, the "Asian Donald Trump," and migration patterns within cities. 

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Speaker News

Jay Caspian Kang’s column for The New Yorker examines issues in education, language, and the self

New Yorker staff writer and writer-at-large at The New York Times Magazine JAY CASPIAN KANG writes and speaks about language, education, identity, and more: 

Read Jay Caspian Kang’s column for The New Yorker >>

Jay Caspian Kang’s podcast ‘Time to Say Goodbye’ explores the complexity of the Asian diaspora and AAPI identities

Author and cultural critic JAY CASPIAN KANG co-hosts the beloved eclectic podcast Time to Say Goodbye. The podcast boasts a dedicated fan following and has been featured in The New York TimesThe New YorkerNew York Magazine’s Vulturen+1The NationThe DigSan Francisco ExaminerAsian American Writers’ Workshop, and The Blue and White. It appeared on Vulture’s Top Ten Podcasts of 2021 and Slate named it one of the Best Chat Podcasts of 2022 for its “willingness to tackle knotty topics rarely confronted elsewhere” while still finding humor.

As he does on the podcast, Kang offers a substantial perspective on a range of topics – from identity politics (and why it isn’t working for Asian Americans) to political commentary on education, civic policy, affirmative action, and more.

Watch Jay Caspian Kang co-host Time to Say Goodbye live at APAInstitute >>

Jay Caspian Kang’s book ‘The Loneliest Americans’ was named one of the best books of the year by TIME, NPR, and Mother Jones

Cultural critic and author JAY CASPIAN KANG is a masterful storyteller, and The Loneliest Americans is an unforgettable blend of family history and original reportage that explores – and reimagines – Asian American identity in a Black and white world. The Loneliest Americans was named one of the best books of the year by NPR, Mother Jones, and TIME, which called it “provocative and sweeping.” It was also named an Editor’s Choice book by The New York Times Book Review, which raved: “[Kang’s] exploration of class and identity among Asian Americans will be talked about for years to come.”
 
In The Loneliest Americans, Kang names the existential loneliness in himself and in other Asian Americans who try to locate themselves in the country’s racial binary. In his writing as well as in compelling talks, Kang calls for a new immigrant solidarity—one rooted not in bubble tea and elite college admissions but in the struggles of refugees and the working class.

Watch Jay Caspian Kang with Commonwealth Club of California >>

Watch Jay Caspian Kang at the FYE Conference 2022 >>

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Biography

Jay Caspian Kang is a writer-at-large at The New York Times Magazine and the author of The Loneliest Americans. He was a founding editor at Grantland and an Emmy-nominated correspondent on Vice on HBO. Kang's journalism career has been far from typical -- he started out in the writing business as a novelist, but found his way to journalism after spending much of his twenties as a poker player and overall surf bum. He writes now about race, identity, and economics for a variety of publications and outlets including This American Life, The New Yorker and The Nation and can speak at-length about a variety of topics, city planning, the history of immigration in the United States, education policy, Affirmative Action and gambling.

Jay is a co-host of the podcast, Time to Say Goodbye, providing commentary, reporting, and links about Asia, the Coronavirus and Asian-America. 

He currently lives in Berkeley, CA with his family.