Mike Yam is a sportscaster and studio host for NFL Network and SiriusXM radio. He has worked at ESPN, NBA TV and Pac-12 Network. Fried Rice and Marinara marks his debut in children’s literature. Growing up with a Chinese immigrant father from Hong Kong and an Italian mother, Yam has always been fascinated by diverse cultures and perspectives. Yam is a passionate advocate for social issues and has authored op-eds on immigration and the Asian American community. Yam is a graduate of Fordham University and resides in Southern California. Follow Mike on Twitter (X) & Instagram.
What inspired you to write Fried Rice and Marinara? What made you want to write for this specific age group?
As a kid, I didn’t think anything of the different cultures. I always knew I was Chinese and Italian, but as I got older, I realized that my friends didn’t have to think about or balance multiple cultural experiences that were very different. I also realized that many stories available for children didn’t always feature diverse characters. I do think for my generation not seeing much diversity in characters playing a leading role alters your thinking about a career path. Part of the reason I wanted to write “Fried Rice and Marinara” was to have young readers see a multiethnic character in a lead role. I also wanted to spark the thought that families with diverse backgrounds are normal. At times in my childhood, I thought I had to “pick a side,” which is weird to think about now. I really want young kids to be able to embrace their heritage and be proud of their background. I have also been fortunate to speak to college students over the course of my career. It’s painfully obvious the lack of diversity in those classrooms. I don’t think you can flip a switch and hope for immediate change. Strengthening the pipeline is one of the ways I think things change. If young kids can see themselves in stories, I think it can spark an interest in storytelling.
It’s really important to me that the experience with the book doesn’t end when they’re finished reading it.
Fried Rice and Marinara includes an animated read-a-long. What was that development process like? What was it like seeing your book come to life in this way?
I’m a huge believer in Vooks and their mission. An animated story, with read along text and full narration helps kids learn to read. I would have absolutely loved something like this when I was a child. The team at Vooks paired me with, in my opinion, one of the elite illustrators on the planet. Laura Dong has worked on high end projects like Wolfwalkers on Apple+ and I’m sure she was tired of me saying it, but her work gave the story real credibility. As a first time author, having Jonathan Sundy as an editor was invaluable. The story wouldn’t be what it is without them. All the characters in the story are based on real people in my life and Laura worked off of old photographs as a baseline. I got a kick out of showing the story to my family, because they all wanted to see how they looked animated.
You made a point to include activities to engage readers even after the story. Why was this important to you?
I’ve spent my career telling the stories of athletes. I’m comfortable in that realm, but with Fried Rice and Mariana, it’s the first time I tried to connect with a young audience in a medium I’ve never worked in. I have always loved having fun with my nieces and nephews, telling them crazy stories at home. I tried to imagine telling them this story as if we were in person. No, I can’t rhyme on the fly like in the book, but it’s about the tone. I always love asking kids questions to see where their mind goes. It doesn’t matter if I’m hosting a studio show on NFL Network, writing an oped on diversity or immigration or trying to connect with children – I want you to feel something. As you mentioned at the back of the book, there is a page that gives kids an opportunity to write their own funky food combinations with the ability to draw them, too. It’s really important to me that the experience with the book doesn’t end when they’re finished reading it
At Diverse BookFinder, we’re all about the importance of representation in diverse literature for children and young adults. What does representation mean for you? How has that changed over time, if at all?
I can answer this with a story about my own career. I grew up playing every sport and watching games with my mom and grandfather all the time. It never once occurred to me that being a sportscaster was an actual job. Fundamentally, I knew there were people talking while I watched thee games, but I couldn’t conceive of the idea that I could do that job. No one looked like me. When I got to college, I had cable tv for the first time and I saw Michael Kim on ESPN. I never saw an Asian male doing sports. I don’t think I would have believed you if you told me that one day I would do shows with him on ESPN and call him a friend. I’m one of the most fortunate people you will ever meet. My dad’s family was poor in Hong Kong and he didn’t come here until he was 16 and didn’t speak a lick of English. He had none of the advantages I had growing up. Because of those advantages I get to talk about NFL football for a living. I had the opportunity to write a children’s book which features a diverse character. I’ve been able to make a career on telling stories and yet I have fallen victim to not being able to future cast for myself. I don’t want others to be limit themselves. To me, representation equals exposure which leads to achievement.
What do you find to be the most difficult part of creating books for children today? What is the most rewarding?
I think the hardest part of the children’s literature space is not the creation of the story, but the roadblocks that exist for authors. The business of marketing, dealing with publishing companies, and trying to get the gatekeepers to give you a look is difficult and frustrating to navigate. I went into this process not knowing if Fried Rice and Marinara would ever be a physical book and I’m still surprised it has actually happened. The most rewarding part of doing this is knowing I have an opportunity to reach a few kids who don’t typically get to see themselves as a main character, but now will. There will be another set of children who will have a touch point to a better understanding of the multicultural environment we live in. At the very least, every kid who reads it will get excited about their upcoming birthday and will give some thought to the menu.
To me, representation equals exposure which leads to achievement.
What was your favorite childhood book? What was it about it that you loved?
I vividly can remember 2 books that I loved as a child. My mom has the patience of a saint and must have read my Superman book to me 1000 times. I wanted to be Superman so bad. I used to run around the house with a towel tucked into my shirt with my hands fisted in front of me as if I was flying. I also had a Snoopy book about cells. My dad is a cytotechnologist, which means he looks through a microscope and evaluate cells after you get your blood drawn looking for disease or cancers. He would let me look through his microscope as a kid and explain cells to me and then it would be quality time with me and my Snoopy book.
What’s next for you? You have mentioned you have a few manuscripts in the works, so what can you tell us about your upcoming projects?
Aside from my duties on NFL Total Access at NFL Network, I have a few manuscripts I’m working on and one that I really love. I’m trying to really focus on broadening the stories around Asian characters. When I was a child, I absolutely loved watching anything that included martial arts. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was really proud that Asian characters were cool because of that skill. As I’ve gotten older, I still really love watching those types of shows and movies, but I’ve grown frustrated that the stories don’t seem to always evolve into other verticals. I’m really focused on trying to incorporate my personal experiences as a backdrop to stories in which the characters are in more than just “traditional Asian situations.” I really think it’s important for diverse authors to think more about well rounded characters in situations that go beyond surface level representation.
Diverse BookFinder would like to thank Mike Yam for his time and input.
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