# Episode 274: Qianqian Ye on p5.js

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/sustain-796832/episode-274-qianqian-ye-on-p5-js
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/sustain-796832/episode-274-qianqian-ye-on-p5-js.md
Podcast: [Sustain](https://stenobird.com/podcast/sustain-796832)
Published: 2025-06-20T14:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://podcast.sustainoss.org/274
Audio file: https://aphid.fireside.fm/d/1437767933/27729c65-f4a6-4496-8c86-820e7f13b285/a3444026-ac0c-472c-93f1-d9413af88937.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/sustain-796832/episodes/episode-274-qianqian-ye-on-p5-js
Duration seconds: 2033

## Resource

Guest Qianqian Ye Panelist Richard Littauer Show Notes In this episode of Sustain, Richard hosts a conversation with Qianqian “Q” Ye, an artist, creative technologist, and educator who recently led the p5.js project, an open-source JavaScript library designed to prioritize accessibility and diversity in learning to code. Q shares her journey from an architectural background to contributing and eventually leading p5.js, a library created by artists for artists with a strong focus on visual feedback and accessibility. They discuss the importance of decentralizing leadership, setting boundaries to avoid burnout, and empowering contributors to ensure the project's sustainability. Key topics include the role of care work in open source, the community-driven evolution of p5.js, and strategies for maintaining a collaborative and inclusive environment. Q also highlights the significance of providing clear documentation and recognizing all forms of contributions to foster a welcoming community. Press download now to hear more! [00:001:01] Q explains what p5.js is and how it teaches people to code. [00:02:11] Q shares her journey from former architect turned creative technologist and highlights her community progression through translation and outreach. [00:04:19] Why is p5.js different? Q emphasizes the output is art, not code, making it more inclusive and intuitive for beginners. [00:05:40] Richard inquires about the p5.js community and contributors and Q tells us there are 700-800 contributors officially recognized. [00:06:33] Q elaborates on the relationship with the Processing Foundation. P5.js operates semi-independently under its support, and she talks about the staff size for p5.js. [00:07:49] Q believes the traditional open source volunteerism is problematic and the Sov…

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/sustain-796832/episodes/episode-274-qianqian-ye-on-p5-js/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/sustain-796832/episode-274-qianqian-ye-on-p5-js.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.