“Narrative Plenitude” is a term coined by award-winning novelist, Viet Thanh Nguyen. He explains how Asian Americans live in an economy of narrative scarcity where mainstream culture distorts or erases us in stories. Feeling deprived of representation, we must fight to tell our own stories.

Why? Hollywood continues to project the same stories over and over again. There is a lack of stories being told about all the many facets of and perspectives on being Asian — every single one of which deserves the honor of being shared authentically to the world. Not forced to fit into a narrative already templated out by mainstream media.

The concept of narrative scarcity exists for all minorities. In order to break the cycle, we must work together to inject our own truths and realities into the world. We must tell stories that are raw, real, and tell the truth of who we really are. No matter how good or bad the narratives are, the key is to achieve more. By doing this, we hope to activate a global discussion to achieve narrative plenitude, one authentic story at a time.