During Filipino American History Month The Ripped Bodice, the only exclusively romance bookstore in the United States, hosted Pag-Ibig: Celebrating Filipino Diaspora in Romantic Fiction with Tif Marcelo, Mia Hopkins, Maida Malby, Sarah Smith, hosted by Ezrah Lasolah-Tuble. In this episode Elaine is joined by romance novel enthusiast and best friend Ivy Barrera. Elaine and…

In this special TFAL episode, we get to know two Pinay visionaries of Anthill Fabric Gallery: Co-founder and Managing Director Anya Lim and Team Performance Coach Elisa Estrera. Anthill Fabric Gallery creates beautiful, contemporary, handmade clothing and accessories by putting culture and communities first. Headquartered in Cebu, Anthill partners with various indigenous, rural, and working…

Death is a natural part of life.  All of us have experience with death, whether it’s among our family, our friends, or even folks we barely know.  With death comes customs and rituals associated with it that we, the living, perform and practice.  For example, many pre-colonial peoples of the Philippines believed that one had…

On Sunday, October 6th, the TFAL crew had the opportunity to be a part of the Beatrock Music 10-Year Anniversary Festival held at the Bootleg Theater in Historic Filipinotown. The crew revisited the fan favorite format of the TFAL Game Show which we introduced in Episode 27.5. On this episode we had Beatrock Music artist…

In early September, Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California (PWC) hosted an anti-human trafficking summit, bringing together survivors, advocates, and leaders from throughout the country.  After two days of workshops, panels, and performances, the participants launched the Baklas campaign (Filipino for dismantle / break free), a national effort to end human trafficking. Post-summit, TFAL got a…

Historically, police departments have had a history of tense and even hostile relations with communities of color, with the Los Angeles Police Department as one of the most notorious.  Looking back as far as the 1960’s and 1970’s, the LAPD has had police chiefs at the helm whose approach to law enforcement was not only…

While at San Diego Comic Con this year Elaine and Producer Mike were lucky enough to speak with Scott Lost, former professional wrestler turned comic book artist. Scott is one of the founders of Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, an independent wrestling company that has alums such as TJP, the Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, Ricochet, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, and more.

After leaving professional wrestling behind Scott founded Accidental Aliens, a San Diego based art studio, creating stories with characters that he always wanted to see in comic books. 

This episode is also a special cross over episode with the new Pencil Neck Geeks podcast on the Geek Say What network. PNG podcast comprises of Berto Ponce (Balut Club founder), Elaine from TFAL, and Justin Mallari of Geek Offensive. PNG podcast will be coming out soon, so follow the show on instagram (@PNGpodcast) for updates!

On August 10, 1999, Buford O. Furrow, Jr., a white supremacist, shot and killed JOSEPH ILETO, a Filipino American postal worker in Chatsworth, CA, after firing 70 shots inside the North Valley Jewish Community Center with a semi-automatic weapon.  Ileto had just delivered mail to a home when Furrow approached him and asked if Ileto…

Do you still mano po?  Do you still call your siblings ate/kuya or manang/manong/ading?  Do you know the recipes that your grandparents used in their cooking? Do you miss the local Filipino restaurant or store that no longer exists?  Do you wear barongs or baro’t saya? What markers of Filipino culture do you still preserve…