by Jill Shiraki | Feb 23, 2021 | Classes & Events
Poetry Flows Through Our Blood
February 28, 3 pm
In celebration of his new book, Seize, and in commemoration of Day of Remembrance, Brian Komei Dempster invites fellow Japanese American poets Brynn Saito and Mia Ayumi Malhotra to join him for this dynamic group presentation. Through a reading of their work and interactive dialogue, these poets will share how the whispered voices of their ancestors infuse the present–and how the legacy of Japanese American wartime incarceration shapes their poetry and connects them to one another. Last March, these poets were part of a joint panel that planned to explore intergenerational trauma of the Japanese American prison camp experience, when COVID-19 disrupted their plans. Here, we find another rendition.
Seize focuses on Dempster’s experience of raising his son, Brendan, who suffers from intractable epilepsy and pervasive developmental delays. Moreover, the book explores wartime imprisonment, domestic/familial/racial tensions, and legacies of trauma and violence—along with paths towards resolution. Through juxtaposition, the poems link seemingly disparate events through a central metaphor: seizure.
RSVP with “Poetry – Feb 28” in memo.
Brian Komei Dempster’s most recent book of poems is Seize, published by Four Way Books in fall 2020. His debut book of poetry, Topaz (Four Way Books, 2013) received the 15 Bytes 2014 Book Award in Poetry. He is the editor of both From Our Side of the Fence: Growing Up in America’s Concentration Camps (Kearny Street Workshop, 2001) and Making Home from War: Stories of Japanese American Exile and Resettlement (Heyday, 2011).
Like Dempster, Malhotra and Saito write to document their family history and honor their ancestors. All three poets contend with complex issues of gender, culture, and identity.
Brynn Saito is a poet, writer, and educator. She’s the author of Power Makes Us Swoon (2016) and The Palace of Contemplating Departure (2013). She is an Assistant Professor at Fresno State University.
Mia Ayumi Malhotra is the author of Isako Isako (Alice James Books, 2018), winner of the Alice James Award, the Nautilus Gold Award for Poetry, a National Indie Excellence Award, a Maine Literary Award, and finalist for the California Book Award.
Photo: Brynn Saito, Brian Dempster, Mia Malhotra, 2015. Courtesy of Brynn Saito.
by Jill Shiraki | Feb 23, 2021 | Other News, Seen and Unseen
Lessons from Two Pandemics – AIDS and COVID
Sunday, March 7th, 4 pm
Hear from LGBTQ+ Nikkei who have fought on the frontlines of the HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 pandemics. What lessons can we learn from activists in the 1980s and 1990s who educated Asian Pacific Islander communities about AIDS? And what have been the experiences of essential workers combatting the Coronavirus? Participants: Lisa Fujie Parks, Kris Mizutani, Robert Nakatani, Lance Toma, Eric Arimoto (moderator)
RSVP on Eventbrite for 1, 2, or 3 programs.
RELATED PROGRAMS
Seeing LGBTQ Nikkei – The experiences of LGBTQ+ Japanese Americans are seldom the focus of community attention. Yet, the wisdom of LGBTQ Nikkei – forged through confrontations with racism, homophobia, transphobia, and sexism – is a vital resource as we create a more inclusive and compassionate society. Join us for this series of programs centered on the perspectives and insights of different generations of LGBTQ Japanese Americans. Seeing LGBTQ Nikkei, a series of programs, is a collaboration of J-Sei and Okaeri, with funding support by Masto Foundation.
On the Frontiers of Gender Identity – March 21, 4:00 pm (PST)
Learn from transgender-identified Japanese Americans about coming out in Nikkei communities that stress conformity. How did older Japanese Americans deal with their transgender identities in an era of rigid gender roles? How are transgender youth and young adults forging awareness within Nikkei communities and beyond? How can Japanese Americans support family and friends across the gender spectrum? Participants: Elliott Fukui, Tomo Hirai, JJ Ueunten, Mia Yamamoto, A.T. Furuya (moderator)
Perspectives: Queerness, Ethnicity and Gender in the Arts – April 18, 4:00 pm (PST)
Artists reflect and interpret cultural anxieties while also creating visions that inspire us to consider alternatives to current realities. How have ethnic identity, gender, and sexual orientation influenced the works of queer Nikkei artists? What other factors have impacted LGBTQ+ Japanese American artists of different generations? Participants: Rey Fukuda, Jill Guillermo Togawa, Nikiko Masumoto, Michael Matsuno, traci kato-kiriyama (moderator) This series is a collaboration between J-Sei and Okaeri in association with the exhibit Seen and Unseen: Queering Japanese American History Before 1945.
Speaker Bios
Lisa Fujie Parks is a multiracial Japanese and white queer parent who lived in Japan for part of her childhood and has made home in Oakland, California for the past 25 years. Lisa’s work as a public health professional focuses on safety and healing for all families and communities through intersectional equity and justice. She is also a mindfulness and dharma practitioner and teacher-in-training who volunteers with East Bay Meditation Center’s family practice group and other sanghas. She serves as the Board Co-Chair of Our Family Coalition, a San Francisco Bay Area nonprofit that advances equity for the full and expanding spectrum of LGBTQ families and children through support, education, and advocacy.
Kris Mizutani, born in Japan and raised in West LA, is a Gen X and Yonsei emergency room nurse who resides in the San Francisco Bay Area. Prior to nursing, they started off in HIV/AIDS work, an experience that greatly shaped their entry into acute care nursing. Kris currently works with dual and triple-diagnosed clients in the SF Shelter Health system and the Emergency Department. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, she has noticed a rise in high-risk behaviors in patients. Outside of nursing, Kris serves on the Okaeri Connects’ planning committee and organizes for Omusubi, a space for queer women and trans people of Japanese descent.
Robert Nakatani was born in Honolulu, Hawaii 75 years ago to Nisei parents. 18 years later, he went to college at Stanford and has lived in Berkeley since graduating, except for a three-year stint as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the early 70s and a four-year gig with the ACLU LGBT Project located in New York in the late 90s. Robert worked as an estate planning and civil rights attorney in a small firm in the Castro District of San Francisco in the 80s where the large majority of his clients were people with HIV. Robert later worked for the ACLU of Northern California until he retired in 2015.
Lance Toma is the CEO of San Francisco Community Health Center (SFCHC) and has been dedicated to the work of SFCHC since 1999. Under Lance’s leadership, SFCHC transformed into its current brand after a 30-year history of being known as Asian and Pacific Islander Wellness Center – or API Wellness – and in 2015 became the newest federally qualified health center in San Francisco in over 30 years. Lance is passionate about his work in service of A&PI, LGBTQ, HIV/AIDS, and people of color communities. Lance was recently appointed by the California State Senate to serve on the Commission of Asian Pacific Islander American Affairs. He was recognized by the San Francisco Pride Board of Directors in 2020 as a San Francisco LGBTQ Pride Celebration 2020 Community Grand Marshal. He was honored with the 2011 Community Catalyst Award by the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance.
Eric Arimoto, (moderator) is a psychotherapist who works with the Department of Mental Health. Eric lives in Long Beach with his partner Paul and has two wonderful families (birth and chosen). He identifies as a 56 yr old, 4th gen. Japanese American gay man. Eric came out while in the US Army and as a result of many years of therapy and sobriety, returned to college to get a masters degree in clinical psychology. Eric has been a part of Okaeri since its inception in 2012 and continues to champion his pet project -to invite LGBTQ people over 40 yrs old back to the “village” and to reclaim history and community for JA LGBTQ folk. Eric also has a private practice that focuses on providing support for LGBTQ adults, adolescents and couples.
by Jill Shiraki | Feb 23, 2021 | Classes & Events, Other News
Simple Japanese Cooking – Warm Winter Meal
Thursday, February 25th, 3 pm
Join us for a soul warming dish of Sukiyaki Donburi. We invite you cook alongside Azusa and enjoy a delectable dish immediately. We have learned how to be more at ease with cooking Japanese dishes through techniques and shortcuts shared in our classes.
Azusa Oda is an avid home cook, food blogger of HumbleBeanBlog.com and designer. RSVP for the class and receive a list of ingredients.
by Kathy Hashimoto | Feb 19, 2021 | JSei Book Club, Lament in the Night
by Kathy Hashimoto | Feb 12, 2021 | JSei Book Club, Lament in the Night
