There’s a certain tenderness beneath Atsuko Okatsuka’s comedy, an aura, as she puts it, of sadness but also immense joy and light. She shared how growing up with a mother who lives with schizophrenia shaped the way she sees the world... and how she carries her mom with her in every performance.

Writer Ocean Vuong has been asking: Why did the working-class people he grew up with show such deep kindness, even when there was nothing to gain? In Emperor of Gladness, and in life, he returns to one moment of shared grief in a fast food kitchen. Link in bio.

What’s your must have dish on Thanksgiving? John David and Malcolm Washington says it’s impossible to choose just one!🍴

Check out our full convo wherever you get Fresh Air.

Animation: Audrey Benjamin
#thanksgiving #happythanksgiving #johndavidwashington #malcolmwashington #thepianolesson

Thanks to the Washington brothers for being so open about finding their own voices and identity in the industry and how so much is riding on The Piano Lesson for both of them. Listen to Fresh Air w/ Terry Gross and Tonya Mosley wherever you get your podcasts.