Cactus Blossoms: Poetry In (and Beyond) Gila River

Saturday, October 19, 2 pm

Archeologist Koji Lau-Ozawa and poet Brynn Saito share their journey rediscovering Cactus Blossoms, an anthology of poetry written by high school students who were incarcerated at the Gila River camp during World War II. From striking desert imagery to prayerful longings for freedom, the poems express the complex inner life of those confined in the Arizona desert. Brynn and Koji—both yonsei descendants of grandparents incarcerated at Gila River—embarked on a quest to find and interview the Cactus Blossom poets.

They’ll screen a short documentary they produced, and discuss the unique intersection of poetry, memory, and history. Brynn will close the event with a reading from Under a Future Sky, her latest book of poems inspired by a pilgrimage she took with her father to Gila River in 2019. 

RSVP for in-person or online.

Brynn Saito is a poet and English Professor at Fresno State.
Koji Lau-Ozawa is an archaeologist and Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow at UCLA

J-Sei at the Movies
Friday, December 13, 2:00 pm (hybrid)

J-Sei Movie Night is starting its 8th year dedicated to the wonderful and fascinating world of Japanese cinema. Our movie program offers a fun way to learn about and discuss Japanese history and culture through the lens of international film and commentary.

For our 7th anniversary party, join us for a hybrid program of movie watching, discussion, and fun. You can attend in person at J-Sei for a special movie matinee plus potluck, or you can join us remotely via Zoom. We’ll watch a comic samurai film from 2000, DORA-HEITA (also known as Alley Cat), directed by Kon Ichikawa and starring Yakusho Kōji as a samurai posing as a drunken playboy in order to weed out corruption in a small province.

Hope you can join us on Friday, December 13, at 2:00pm (note the special daytime start time!). Send your RSVP to Jill (jill@j-sei.org) with “Dec movie night” in the subject line and be sure to indicate “in person” or “online” in your response. We’ll send Zoom info and reminders beforehand.

See you at the movies!

 J-Sei Movie Night Bento

• Bring a food or beverage to share – or just bring yourself!
• Potluck theme: It’s A Party! Anything festive to eat or drink is welcome
• We’ll eat following the movie & discussion.

To order: When you click on the button above, it will take you directly to a pop-up order form on the My Friend Yuji webpage, where you first select a pickup time. In the next window, click a bento and select the number you want to order; repeat with other bento if desired. Click the “View order” bar at the bottom to confirm your order and click “Continue to payment” to sign in and pay for your order.

Support J-Sei At the Movies

Thanks to you, J-Sei At the Movies is in its Eighth Year! We look forward to more creative programming with educational and inspiring Japanese and Japanese American films. We are especially grateful for the up close and personal chats with filmmakers as we learn so much from the exchange.

We love having a growing and enthusiastic audience. We welcome any donations to help us offset costs for Movie Night. Thanks for considering this.