ISSUE 55: Katie Gee Salisbury
And all things Anna May Wong
THE YELLOW PAGES is a newsletter recommending Asian and AAPI films, music, writing, and other inspiration — all the artsy things I wished for growing up!
When I first began acting in the 80’s, there were only a handful of actresses who had a body of film work I could study. A name that kept coming up, over and over, was Anna May Wong. In more recent years, I’ve auditioned several times to play her (one of those roles went to my good friend Michelle Krusiec in Hollywood) so I’ve spent a little bit of time imagining what it might have been like to live in Ms. Wong’s shoes.
How I wish I had known about today’s guest,
while I was doing my homework! Katie not only has an entire Substack dedicated to Anna May Wong, but she literally wrote the book on her — Not Your China Doll: The Wild and Shimmering Life of Anna May Wong comes out very soon.
P.S. I’m bringing back my own monthly recommendations for paid subscribers! You’ll find that at the very bottom.
Name/Pronouns:
Katie Gee Salisbury, she/her
Where are you?
Brooklyn, NY, but my heart will always belong to Southern California, where I grew up.
What do you do?
I’m a writer and photographer. My work often explores themes around mixed race and Asian American identity, like this essay I wrote about “Growing Up in the 626.” If you know that area code, then you know exactly what I’m talking about!
I’m also the author of Not Your China Doll, a new biography of Anna May Wong, the first Asian American movie star, which will be published on March 12, 2024.
How do you identify?
I identify as mixed Asian and Asian American. I usually tell people I’m part Chinese, part Anglo-Irish, and that I’m proud to be a fifth-generation Chinese American.
Do you identify as yellow?
I’d like to identify as yellow. Because I think there is power in reclaiming words like “yellow,” which for a long time have been used against us as racial slurs, and turning them into something new, into words that we own. But at the same time, I say this somewhat hesitantly because I know words like that are still very charged for people in the AAPI community. And, well, as someone who can often pass for white, I recognize that I may be less sensitive to the original connotation than others. TL;DR, it’s complicated!
Anything coming up you’d like to promote?
Yes! You can learn more about my book and find links to pre-order a copy at notyourchinadoll.com. And for all things Anna May Wong, subscribe to my Substack
and follow me on Instagram at @annamaywongbook.
Movies: There’s no way I can write a biography of Anna May Wong without mentioning some of her films. If you’re new to her work, I’d start by watching Piccadilly (1929), Shanghai Express (1932), and King of Chinatown (1939).
Books: Same Bed, Different Dreams by Ed Park and Mott Street by Ava Chin.
Artist: Vincent Chong is a Queer mixed-race Chinese-American artist who also does traditional Chinese seal carving. I commissioned him to carve a seal with my Chinese name (朱洁琳) that I plan to use at book signings. It turned out so beautifully!
Meals: Dim sum! I would eat this meal morning, noon, and night if I could. In my family of ABCs, the unspoken holy trinity of dim sum has always been ha gau, shiu mai, and cha siu bao. We get the chicken feet to-go for Grandma.
Drinks: Instant Thai Tea—these little sachets from Prince of Peace are dangerously good, so I usually only have one as a treat.
Nonprofit Organization: Think!Chinatown, led by Yin Kong, has been doing amazing work in New York’s Chinatown over the last 5-6 years by supporting community artists, hosting cultural events, including a massive night market in the summer, and providing educational workshops like their self-defense series. Back in 2018, they donated gallery space for Thank You Enjoy, my photo exhibition about Chinese restaurant workers.
Clothing Brand: KITRI is a British-based brand founded by Haeni Kim, who is a South Korean fashion designer living in London. I love KITRI’s clothes because they’re so playful and use bold, colorful patterns. They also make really cute cheongsams.
Stores: If you find yourself in New York, Pearl River Mart in Soho and Wing On Wo in Chinatown are must-see shops. Both are family run—in fact, Wing On Wo is the oldest family run store in Chinatown—and host community oriented programming throughout the year. For example, Pearl River Mart has a dedicated gallery space in the back of their store, and every year Wing On Wo supports an artist in residence who designs their windowspace for Lunar New Year.
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