Episode 15: Mae Coyiuto
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Mae Coyiuto is a Chinese-Filipino writer, born and raised in the Philippines. Mae earned her BA in Psychology from Pomona College and her Master’s Degree in Writing for Young Adults/Children from The New School. If she’s not writing, she’s usually fangirling over Beyoncé, tennis, Gilmore Girls, or all of the above. She currently lives in Manila.
In this episode:
Holes by Louis Sachar
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
NewJeans - K-Pop group
Justin Bieber
Thao Le, literary agent at Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency
Gloria Chao (American Panda; When You Wish Upon a Lantern)
The Bachelor
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
The Fraud Squad by Kyla Zhao
This is Not a Personal Statement by Tracy Badua
The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson
Carrie by Stephen King
Chloe and the Kaishao Boys
When Dimple Met Rishi meets Loveboat, Taipei in this hilarious YA rom-com about a Chinese-Filipina girl in Manila whose father sets her up on a marathon of arranged dates in hopes of convincing her to stay close to home for college.
Chloe knows what it takes to be the perfect Liang daughter—stay in Manila, study business management, and join the family company. But when she unexpectedly gets off the wait list for USC, her dream of becoming an animator in the United States is suddenly within reach.
Before she goes, her auntie insists on planning a traditional debut for Chloe’s eighteenth birthday. And while a party with all her friends and family sounds like the perfect send-off, the huge production her auntie wants—complete with ball gowns and a choreographed dance number—makes Chloe want to pass out from stage fright.
To make matters worse, her father, intent on finding Chloe the perfect escort for the party, keeps setting her up on one awkward kaishao—or arranged date—after another. Why does her dad suddenly care so much about her love life? And what happens when she actually starts to fall for one of the guys, only to have to leave at the end of the summer?
At home in the Philippines, Chloe has her future all planned out for her. In America, nothing is certain. With a career in animation far from guaranteed, Chloe must decide if following her dreams is worth everything—and everyone—she’ll be leaving behind.