We had the good fortune of connecting with Judy Tzu-Chun Wu and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Judy Tzu-Chun, what do you think makes you most happy? Why?

Colors make me happy. During this time of year, the profusion of yellow flowers, the sunshine, and the blue skies remind me of the renewal of life and the prospect of hope.

Pickleball also makes me happy. I began learning in the fall of 2021. I played tennis previously, and some of the strokes, movement, and strategy transfers to pickleball. But, the fun and sometimes frustrating part is that new skills and mental approaches also need to be cultivated in order to advance in pickleball. I love learning a new sport, gaining new skills, and challenging myself.

Tea makes me happy. I’ve been exploring different leaves and discovered that I tend to like white and black teas. After a recent visit to the Fox and Moon tea store in Los Angeles, I was introduced to the idea of a tea pet. Now, I drink with my companions, a hippo that I previously gifted to my son and a dragon that I treated for myself. I aspire to the mindfulness with which Thich Nhat Hanh drinks tea, but I am not there yet.

“Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves – slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future. Live the actual moment. Only this moment is life.” Thich Nhat Hanh

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I take pride in the work that I do, serving as a professor and associate dean at the University of California, Irvine. I direct the Humanities Center, which is sponsoring a year-long series exploring how we perceive and reimagine the world around us and how our bodies inform our knowledge and our aspirations. I am helping to a launch a Center for Liberation, Anti-Racism, and Belonging (C-LAB), thereby bringing into being a research justice university that promotes collaboration and transformation. I’ve been deeply gratified that some of my projects, years in the making, have been receiving recognition this spring. A jointly-authored essay on photovoice, a methodology that promotes social transformation through photography and storytelling, received a best essay award. My co-authored book with Gwendolyn Mink, Fierce and Fearless: Patsy Takeomoto Mink, First Woman of Color in Congress (published by New York University Press, 2022) received the prize for best book in U.S. Women’s/Gender History. I was also honored with a mentorship award from a professional organization. When I accepted the award, I shared: “I entered the academy not to fit in or get ahead but to transform. Essential to that mission of transformation is the ability to create intellectual-political community and bring others with me through the door. I want to thank all those who have touched me through their curiosity and their courage. I feel like we have mentored one another, cared for one another, and created space for one another. This collaboration means everything to me.”

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

I recently spent a perfect day in Los Angeles. I centered the trip on Hollyhock House, a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. I am studying a Chinese American architect, Edith Yang, who was inspired by Wright. I love the geometric shapes, the light yet earthy colors, and the conscious compression and expansion of interior space to create alternating senses of intimacy and openness.

I loved the freedom to wander around the city, taking pictures of the railroad tracks near the Arts District as well as exploring photographic exhibits at the Leica Gallery and the Bergamot Station Arts Center.

I ended the day with delicious ice cream from Salt and Straw.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

My deepest gratitude to those who love and have faith in me. In those dark moments of doubt, these affirmations mean the world to me.

Judy Tzu-Chun Wu

Associate Dean of Research, Faculty Development, and Public Engagement, School of Humanities
Director of the Humanities Center
Director of the Center for Liberation, Anti-Racism, and Belonging
Professor of History and Asian American Studies
University of California, Irvine

Co-author with Gwendolyn Mink, Fierce and Fearless: Patsy Takemoto Mink, First Woman of Color in Congress (May 2022) https://nyupress.org/9781479831920/fierce-and-fearless/

Website: https://www.faculty.uci.edu/profile/?facultyId=6123

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/judytzwu/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judy-wu-8aa924193/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JWu19270038

Image Credits
Judy Tzu-Chun Wu Christine Guiyangco Mark Walter

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