BOOKISH ASIA with Plum Rain Press

A fun look at fiction and non-fiction on East Asia and further afield. Hosts John Ross and Eryk Michael Smith (co-founders of Plum Rain Press and the Formosa Files Taiwan history podcast) share their love of this fascinating region by exploring the best books on Asia’s culture and history.

BOOKISH ASIA with Plum Rain Press is a arts podcast hosted by Plum Rain Press, with 20 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Plum Rain Press hosts BOOKISH ASIA with Plum Rain Press, a arts show with 20 episodes published.

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  Episode #20

  E-20 - CHINA’S BACKSTORY: THE HISTORY BEIJING DOESN'T WANT YOU TO READ, by Lee Moore (Unsung Voices Books, 2025)

  Aug 6, 202640 min

  John talks to Lee Moore about his unconventional history book, China’s Backstory , which focuses on four important China-related subjects that frequently make headlines: Taiwan, Xinjiang, the Chinese economy, and Hong Kong. John previously discussed the book’s Taiwan section with Lee on an episode of Formosa Files , and its Xinjiang and Hong Kong sections on the Books on Asia podcast. This time, they turn their attention to China’s economy, focusing on three historical periods that offer powerful lessons for the present day. We think you’ll agree that the conversation is both informative and highly entertaining. Be sure to check out: China’s Backstory: The History Beijing Doesn’t Want You to Read Lee Moore on Formosa Files : “China’s Backstory” and Taiwan before 1800 Lee Moore on the Books on Asia podcast: Xinjiang, the Uyghurs, and China’s Backstory The Chinese Literature Podcast , hosted by Lee Moore

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  BOOKISH ASIA with Plum Rain Press

  E-19 - THE SAME MOON: A YOUNG WOMAN’S SEASON OF ENTANGLEMENTS IN RURAL JAPAN - By Sarah Coomber (2026, Wild Geranium Press)

  Jul 9, 202630 min

  Minnesotan Sarah Coomber discusses life in small-town Japan in the 1990s, the subject of her beautiful memoir. She arrived there as a recently divorced twenty-four-year-old hoping to spend a quiet, reflective year teaching English on the JET Program. But before long, she wouldbefriend a local salaryman and…

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  Episode #18

  E-18 - THE CRUSHED CAN by F.E. Beyer (2025, Sandfly Press)

  Mar 28, 202630 minS0

  <p>New Zealand writer Frank Beyer (who goes under the name F.E. Beyer) talks to John about novels featuring a much maligned creature: the Western English teacher in East Asia. Frank is something of a connoisseur of these stories, and his latest novel, The Crushed Can, adds to the canon. This fun page-turner is set in Shanghai in 2002, where a young protagonist called Kurt has just made his life more complicated by taking in his friend’s former girlfriend, a Chinese woman called Ronghua.</p><p><br></p><p>Exploring the tropes of the foreign English teacher in China, Japan...

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  Episode #17

  E-17- JENNA CODY’S FAVORITE TAIWAN FICTION

  Feb 12, 202638 minS0

  <p>John chats with Jenna Cody about some of her favorite works of Taiwan fiction. Jenna, an American based in Taipei, is the author of the long-running blog Lao Ren Cha (now on Substack). Lao Ren Cha (“Old Man Tea”) is the most popular English-language blog on Taiwan; it focuses on Taiwan culture, politics, and books. In this Bookish Asia episode, the four main works discussed are Green Island by Shawna Yang Ryan (2016), The Butcher’s Wife by Li Ang (Chinese 1983; English edition 1986), Migrante by J. W. Henley (2020), and Taipei People by Pai Hsien-yung (Chinese 1971; English edition 1982). Jenna is known for her strong op...

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  Episode #16

  E-16 - THE WONDROUS ELIXIR OF THE TWO CHINESE LOVERS by Tim McGirk (Plum Rain Press, 2025)

  Nov 25, 202525 minS0

  <p>The first emperor of China dispatched a Taoist priest named Xu Fu to bring back the elixir of immortality. Xu Fu and his fleet vanished. Some legends say he settled in Japan. In Tim McGirk's novel, Xu Fu goes beyond Japan, traversing the Pacific Ocean and landing upon the shores of the land of the Maya. In this fun conversation, John Ross and Tim McGirk discuss Xu Fu, Tim's novel and his work as a foreign correspondent for Time magazine. Note: John also talked with Tim on the Books on Asia podcast, but they cover different ground in this B...

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