“Panic at the Disco” Part II: The Beauty and Glamour of Power
“Panic at the Disco” is a new essay series that unpacks the impact of the Center Theatre Group’s new production of Here Lies Love. The critical journey will explore the complexities of artistic depictions of traumatic events and cultural figures in history and how it...
‘Pillion’ Dominates with a Good Gag Reflex
Colin and Ray in Pillion will go down in cinematic history as one of the most romantic couples to grace the silver screen. Harry Lighton’s feature directorial debut is what Fifty Shades of Grey so desperately wanted to be: an “erotic comedy drama”. The main glaring...
‘Josephine’ Leaves Lasting Impression at Final Sundance in Park City
This year’s Sundance Film Festival was the final one in Park City. When I landed, the air felt lighter, and either I am very jaded, but it just felt very neutral this year. It felt like Main Street wasn’t as bustling as in previous years, and the lack of multicultural...
‘A Tiny Upward Shove’ by Melissa Chadburn
I am more of a non-fiction reader, but once in a while I will read a novel that just sticks to my soul. Melissa Chadburn's A Tiny Upward Shove not only sticks to my ribs but haunts me...
The Conflicting Joy of ‘Here Lies Love’
HERE LIES LOVE is living proof that Filipino performers will forever be a personification of the triple threat, making this production of Here Lies Love a well-oiled musical machine of Filipino history — a Filipino history that can be difficult to watch.
EVENTS
DIASPORA Calendar: February 16-22, 2026
FILM Short Films Honoring the Day of Remembrance: Executive Order 9066 - 7 PM, February 19: On February 19, 1942, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the forced removal and incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans—most of them U.S....
DIASPORA Calendar: February 9-15, 2026
FILM TCB – The Toni Cade Bambara School of Organizing - 7:30 PM, February 11: Author, educator, activist, and documentary filmmaker Toni Cade Bambara, with humor and deep insight, inspired a generation of artists to dedicate themselves to community empowerment....
DIASPORA Calendar: February 2-8, 2026
FILM Purple Rain - 7:30 PM, February 4: This is what it sounds like… When Doves Cry. Feel the electricity of the inimitable maestro Prince as he plies his charisma, unbelievable stage presence, and musical genius into a modern musical of epic 80s proportions. A...
‘Guards at the Taj’ by Rajiv Josep to Run February 6-22
Rajiv Joseph's play Guards at the Taj is set to run February 6-22 at El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood. Presented by Plan Beh and Luchima Productions, the Los Angeles production marks a historic first by being the first professional production to be granted approval...
COMMENTARY
The Conflicting Joy of ‘Here Lies Love’
Thank you for being a subscriber to the DIASPORA newsletter! Help support our work and independent journalism by contributing to our GoFundMe as we enter our non profit era. If you want to have...
“Panic at the Disco” Part II: The Beauty and Glamour of Power
“Panic at the Disco” is a new essay series that unpacks the impact of the Center Theatre Group’s new production of Here Lies Love. The critical journey will explore the complexities of artistic...
DOSSIER
LEGEND: Sally-Tom
There is a limited amount of information that we know about Sally-Tom, a trailblazing Black trans woman who was born in 1839, who is one of the first – if not the first – trans person in the history...
LEGEND: Judy Wong
I am currently reading "Making Rumours: The Inside Story of the Classic Fleetwood Mac Album" by Book by Ken Caillat and Steve Stiefel, a recollection of the drama, drugs, make-ups, break-ups,...
THE DIASPORA LIBRARY
‘A Tiny Upward Shove’ by Melissa Chadburn
I am more of a non-fiction reader, but once in a while I will read a novel that just sticks to my soul. Melissa Chadburn's A Tiny Upward Shove not only sticks to my ribs but haunts me with its...
‘Censored: A Literary History of Subversion and Control’ by Matthew Fellion and Katherine Inglis
As journalism and media enter an era of highly scrutinized and policed through an authoritarian lens, Matthew Fellion and Katherine Inglis's book Censored: A Literary History of Subversion and...