Cast of Wonders 504: Shrine to the Ink GoddessAlso, Episode 520! A Staff Pick for 2022! Hosted by Associate Editor Tanya Aydelott!• Author:
Monte Lin • Narrator:
Rebecca Wei Hsieh• Host, Episode 519:
Tanya Aydelott• Host, Episode 504:
Amanda Khong• Audio Producer:
Jeremy Carter• Artist:
Katherine Inskip"Shrine to the Ink Goddess" is a Cast of Wonders original.Click here to listen to Episode 520Click here to listen to Episode 504Dana Liu took her weekly ten-minute walk to what she called the Shrine to the Ink Goddess. Stepping through the copse of trees that separated the apartment complex and the storm channel, she arrived at a large, hollowed-out eucalyptus tree, split into three parts ages ago from a lightning bolt. She ducked down and sat in the middle, placing an empty inkstone next to her, and took out a beat-up metal food container with a warm zòngzi, the twine still tightly wrapped around the bamboo leaves. With her multi-tool, she snapped the knife through the twine, unfurling the leaves. She grimaced at the soggy bottom (microwaving never seemed to heat them right).
“Ahem. You know you shouldn’t be here, Dana.”
The teenager reflexively shrank deeper into the hollow, forcing the cop to kneel and squint into the dark space.Tags: Amanda Khong, art, belonging, Chinese culture, Chinese diaspora, connection, grandmothers, heritage, identity, immigrants, ink, Jeremy Carter, Katherine Inskip, legacies, magic, Monte Lin, Rebecca Wei Hsieh, siblings, Staff Picks 2022, Tanya Aydelott, teen protagonist, trees, young adult fiction