My Best Work
The best examples of my writing and podcasting across different categories
Concise Yet Comprehensive Explainers of Current Events
For fans of: Axios explainers
“What’s Going on with the Eras Tour in Asia?”
“Trash Balloons and Loudspeakers?”
Long-Form Cultural Commentary and Analyses
For fans of: Long-reads in the style of The New Yorker
“TXT’s Real Magic” (related: “TXT’s Take on The Little Prince” and “Decoding TXT’s Neverland”)
“ENHYPEN’s ‘FATE’ and ‘FATE+’ Storytelling” (related: “DARK BLOOD and ENHYPEN’s Humbling Journey”)
“An Underrated Message in Agust D’s D-DAY”
“Reimagining the ‘Boy Next Door’”
The ULTIMATE Guide to SEVENTEEN’s Discography!
More Song and Album Reviews
For those who: Are short on time and/or attention!
The Best Songs of 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, and 2021
For those who: Want to read and sit with longer, more detailed reflections and reviews
The Best New Music of Each Month and Year
Interviews/Press
For fans of: Any kind of K-pop coverage!
Personal Essay
For those who want to: Understand the ways autistic people process the world and are deeply impacted by music
Misc. Write-Ups in the Category of “I wish this article existed, but it doesn’t, so I might as well make it myself”!
For those who want to: Get quickly up to speed on an artist’s sources of inspiration; find new media recommendations through an artist’s reference to that material; listen to an artist’s SoundCloud, YouTube, and “official” releases all in one place
“A Guide to TAEYONG’s Solo Songs”
Guides to Art, Literature, Movie, and TV References in K-Pop
Podcast Episodes Covering K-Pop and All Topics Adjacent to It!
For fans of: Bullseye with Jesse Thorn, Daebak Show w/ Eric Nam, The Tablo Podcast
R&B artist ELHAE opens up about going independent, collaborating with I.M and Crush, the art forms besides music that inspire him, and future plans!
Stream this interview on Spotify here!
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Singer, songwriter, and producer H. Kenneth breaks down the making of “MY TREASURE” by TREASURE, “Ready to love” by SEVENTEEN, and more!
Stream this interview on Spotify here!
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“Naomi Klein, ‘NEXUS,’ and New Worlds”: Naomi Klein has an excellent book called Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World. It’s about the existential angst that comes with being constantly mistaken for an “Other Naomi,” who says and does things to which Klein is vehemently opposed. Klein’s writing explores much more than the emotional effects of getting a reputation for what someone else says and does, though. She questions how solid her own identity is if people can easily mistake her for someone with only surface-level commonalities, and she takes readers with her down a research rabbit hole into the ways a “Double” has appeared throughout book and movie plots. I explore these references through a new lens: the “SMCU”! aespa’s digital alter egos, U-KNOW’s dimension-hopping “NEXUS” short film, TAEMIN’s and KAI’s multiple selves… the SM Entertainment Cinematic Universe is filled with examples of clones! This unique episode explains why uncanny resemblances are unnerving, what one’s “shadow self” symbolizes, and how pop culture can be a tool for better understanding both one’s self and one’s anti-self.
Stream this episode on Spotify here!
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Learn more and stream more of the best episodes here!
Podcast Episodes About Pop Culture/Internet Culture More Broadly
For fans of: Critics at Large, Culture Study Podcast, The Town with Matthew Belloni, Fever Dreams
Maureen Ryan on TV’s Evolution, The Writers Strike, and “A Call for Change in Hollywood”: My conversation with Maureen “Mo” Ryan, author of Burn It Down: Power, Complicity, and a Call for Change in Hollywood. Mo describes what it has been like to watch streaming change everything about TV show creation, to witness multiple writers strikes over the years, to see Hollywood enable concerning behaviors and attitudes, and to envision what a better culture could look like after real systemic change.
Stream this episode on Spotify here!
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Kelly Weill on All Things Conspiracy Theories: My conversation with Kelly Weill, author of OFF THE EDGE: Flat Earthers, Conspiracy Culture, and Why People Will Believe Anything. We discuss the history of the Flat Earth Movement, the overlap among conspiracy theory groups online, the implications of de-platforming misinformation-spreaders, ways to bring conspiracy theorists out of an alternate reality, and much more.
Stream this episode on Spotify here!
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Bonnie J. Wallace Talks Dove Cameron, Disney Channel, and Going from “Hometown to Hollywood”: As the mother of actress and singer Dove Cameron and as a well-known consultant, author, and podcast host who covers all things Hollywood, Bonnie J. Wallace is uniquely positioned to clear up misconceptions about the industry. In this conversation, Bonnie pulls back the curtain on auditions, “stage parents,” fan-idol relationships, Disney Channel, and so much more.
Stream this episode on Spotify here!
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Learn more and stream more of the best episodes here!
Lastly, My Best Speech
“Autism and the Power of Music,” delivered at my alma mater for Autism Acceptance Month!