knots is a show that explores Pan-Asian cultures, histories, and lived experiences through the metaphor of interconnection.

Inspired by Asian knot crafts and the idea of the red string that binds people across time and space, the show examines how culture, memory,
spirituality, power, and identity are intertwined rather than isolated. Produced and hosted by Sage and CKUT volunteers, Knots invites listeners
to sit with complexity, tension, and care—understanding Pan-Asian realities not as monolithic, but as layered, dynamic, and relational.

In a Western context where Asian identities are often flattened through orientalism, fetishization, and historical erasure, Knots seeks to gently pull at these narratives and ask what has been tied, tightened, hidden, or cut. Each session focuses on a “thread”—such as erased histories excluded from mainstream curricula, intergenerational memory, diaspora, ancestral traditions, spirituality, or representation—and traces how these threads knot together across personal and collective experience.

Music on the show reflects themes of memory, lineage, diaspora, spirituality, and connection across Pan-Asian worlds.

Every 4th Friday of the month, 2 - 3pm (EDT)

September 25, 2026: episode 3: "Moon cakes, rice cakes, and memory: how diaspora kids inherit a holiday"

Welcome to our 3rd episode! It happens to be on mid-autumn festival/chuseok! So with special guest Chloe Wei, we will be talking about how diaspora kids inherit a holiday and when your culture becomes a trend, where does that leave the kids who never quite felt it was theirs to begin with? Bibliography (APA) Bae, E. (2019). Can We Have Fun? (Doctoral dissertation). Huang, C. (2026). How did New York City Asians and Asian Americans get a Lunar New Year school holiday?. Multicultural Learning and Teaching, 21(1), 159-178. John, J. (2023). Rematerializing Memory: Co-Constructing the Multisensory Memories of Asian Third Culture Kids (TCKs) (Doctoral dissertation, OCAD University). Juang, L. P., Park, I., Kim, S. Y., Lee, R. M., Qin, D., Okazaki, S., ... & Lau, A. (2018). Reactive and proactive ethnic–racial socialization practices of second-generation Asian American parents. Asian American Journal of Psychology, 9(1), 4. Kwon, J., & Kim, Y. (2024). Transnational funds of knowledge in Asian diasporas: Tracing the experiences of Asian transmigrant teachers. Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education, 18(4), 255–269. https://doi.org/10.1080/15595692.2023.2240458 Liu, W. E. I., WEI, L., & SIRIVESMAS, V. (2021). THE TRANSFORMATION OF TWENTY-FOUR SOLAR TERMS BY ART EDUCATION INTO THE VISUAL DESIGN OBJECTS FOR CULTURAL AND COMMUNITY PURPOSES-A CASE STUDY OF THE BEGINNING SPRING SOLAR TERM AND AUTUMN EQUINOX SOLAR TERM (Doctoral dissertation, Silpakorn University).

Listen to this show: Listen | Download