Grandma Turned Me into a Ghost

Who were the very first people who helped solidify your identity? The people who really influenced the way you see yourself and how you interact with the world? For most of us, that’s the role of our families. But in this episode of Sidedoor, we hear from a writer whose childhood experiences with a family member—her grandmother—make a strong case for why family members aren't always the best identity-shapers.

Writer Anelise Chen reads her essay “Who Haunts,” and discusses the ways in which our families shape our personal and cultural identities, for better or worse. Chen’s work was recently featured at the Smithsonian's first-ever Asian American Literature Festival presented by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Washington, D.C.