Dear Listener,

This episode, like so many before it, is a long-time coming. But unlike so many others, that longevity, the commitment, care, and patience that have initiated it into this world are essentially part of the content of the conversation. A conversation was recorded in November 2021, just before the Omicron wave, between two friends and collaborators—one of them visiting from the other side of the world. It was, to paraphrase Rachel’s words, a case of people’s lives intersecting across time and place, and Doreen’s, the point where two people’s shared localities overlapped. You all know Rachel, but Doreen has been a quieter voice behind the curtain of Commonplace from 2018 to 2020, when she stepped away from her long time role as Commonplace’s Social Media Director.

In this episode, our 100th, Rachel and Doreen discuss her time at Commonplace, the impact it made on her life, her new podcast created in collaboration with her mother, Mish Liang Hsu, collaboration, intimacy between strangers, and being a daughter. Recording while masked, the pair also discuss their localities—New York City and Taiwan, where Doreen lives now—and how COVID-19 has changed social life in each of them.

This might not be the first time you’ve heard from Doreen if you’ve listened to Episodes 80 and 81 in which Doreen, Rachel, and her son Moses Goren travel to Taiwan.‎

I’ve only been around for about as long as Doreen has been gone—a little over a year. But in this time I’ve strived to live up to her generous, probing questions and insightful editing, both on display in this episode. Before I tell you more about what’s up-and-coming at Commonplace, I want to give Doreen the chance to introduce herself:

I am the eldest daughter of an adventurous Taiwanese family who migrated to New York City in the 1980s. Being an immigrant taught me everything I know about making story and community. And these days, I use hybrid documentary forms to facilitate the creation of both.

Last year, my mom and I created 一年的告白/ Dos Salidas, Taiwan’s first audio documentary podcast. This is our second creative collaboration. I hope I never forget how a rare opportunity like this came around twice in my lifetime. I am also grateful and proud to have received a Commonplace Podcast MFA, Kundiman fellowship, Pushcart Prize nomination, and support from Spotify’s SoundUp Bootcamp for Podcasters of Color for my work.

LISTEN TO EPISODE 100!

‎For this episode, Commonplace Patrons will get access to Doreen’s introduction (in English) to Ghost Island Media’s trailer for 一年的告白/ Dos Salidas, as well as three of Mish Liang Hsu’s favorite Taiwanese recipes.

In celebration of Commonplace and the Bagley Wright Lecture Series, we are so grateful to Wave books for sponsoring this excellent promotion:

The next 10 people to sign up for our Patreon at the level of $20 or more will receive a bundle of the Bagley Wright lecture books published to date. And if you’re already a Commonplace patron, raise your level of support to $20 or more and you’ll also be eligible to receive this awesome set of books by Joshua Beckman, Dottie Lasky, Terrance Hayes, and Cedar Sigo!

For this episode, Commonplace’s charitable partner will donate $200 to Dabei Xueyuan, the Buddhist hospice care organization in Taiwan that has been helping Doreen and her family while her mother has been sick. Though their website is in Chinese, you can find out a little bit more about them here.

At the end of this episode, you’ll hear a short testimonial from Chris Doire, a school teacher and long term Commonplace listener and patron. For our next few episodes, we will be sharing more of these testimonials—and hopefully hearing from a few more listeners! So if you have a favorite Commonplace moment or want to share some way that Commonplace has impacted your life, please feel free to reach us on Speakpipe, and your story might end up in the episode!

Stay tuned for upcoming episodes with poet and scholar Prageeta Sharma, Rachel’s cousin Rebecca Wolkstein and her family of musicians, the poet Cody-Rose Clevidence in conversation with myself, Valentine Conaty, and more.

Thank you for listening and for your continued support.

Love and solidarity,

Valentine & the Commonplace Team