Do you have a story in your head that you want to write but you’re not sure how to structure it? Our volunteer Kristine dives into two different narrative structures that writers, screenwriters, and storytellers can use when crafting their next character-driven story. Read to learn more about the Three Act Structure and Kishōtenketsu!

As we continue to celebrate APIDA Heritage Month, we also want to make sure we recognize May as Mental Health Awareness Month! Our modern society is slowly but surely putting a greater emphasis on nurturing and acknowledging mental health, which is crucial for our APIDA community and its future. Improving your mindset can be one way to improve your mental health. In our volunteer Kristine’s blog, she explores how Studio Ghibli’s “Howl’s Moving Castle” mirrors how the growth and fixed mindsets affect mental health.

As we've explored previously on our blog, APIDA representation in animation is still a work in progress. But beyond onscreen representation, what is the APIDA representation behind-the-screen? In her next blog post, our volunteer Veronica interviewed Gene Kim, a Korean-American writer, animator, storyboard artist, and filmmaker, who directed the animated short film, One Last Monster. In their conversation, Kim shared his filmmaking process, the challenges of strengthening diversity in the animation industry, and the the opportunities creators of color have in independent animation.

Following up from her previous piece about Asian representation in animation, Veronica interviews a Tibetan American activist about the inspiration the original Avatar: The Last Airbender team took from Tibetan culture. Our writer learns more about the dangerous perpetuation of Tibetan stereotypes in media and how everyone can be better allies to Tibetans.

Our writer, Veronica, explores the issues that have long followed Asian representation in animation. She writes about how Disney’s live-action adaptation of Mulan is still problematic for the community, the shortcomings of animated TV shows such as Avatar: The Last Airbender, and why animated films and television across the globe needs to provide better representation for the Asian community.