Rax Ishida Will is a James Beard-nominated writer, professor, and fourth-generation Angeleno by way of Japan. He has written about lesbian bars, autofiction, and kishu mandarins for publications including the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Eater, Them, Alta, Monocle, L.A. Taco, and more. He is a graduate of the University of California, Riverside’s MFA in fiction, and received his BA from the Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism. 

He is a recipient of an Overseas Press Club award and numerous mentions in Best American Food Writing. He previously served as managing editor of US-China Today, a publication of the USC US-China Institute.

Will transformed JOUR468 at USC Annenberg into LGBTQ+ Reporting, a class exploring coverage of LGBTQ+ rights in the media, with the goal of improving the news industry through collective study. In Spring 2026, Will will teach COMM405: Communicating About Food.

Will lives in East Hollywood with his partner, Emma Specter, and their little white dog, Franklin. He is at work on a memoir about his time reporting in Southeast Asia.