Harvest Lunch 2025

Harvest Lunch 2025

by | Oct 7, 2025 | Classes & Events, Other News

Harvest Lunch

Thursday, November 13

Join with Congregate Diners, J-Sei volunteers & staff, and  invite friends to celebrate all that we are thankful for. Enjoy sultry smooth jazz music by The Larry Walter Trio, featuring Larry Walter (piano), Wayne Samdahl (bass) and Glen Iwaoka (drums). We are grateful for the many hands that plant, grow, harvest, prepare and deliver the foods that sustain us.  We are thankful for your health, nourishment, and connection to J-Sei.

The special luncheon will feature roast turkey with gravy, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, stuffing, spring mix salad, and dessert. Suggested donation: $12.

To reserve your lunch, please pay online or send a check to J-Sei, 1285 66th Street, Emeryville, CA 94608.  Include the names, contact info, and number of meals. If you have any questions, call (510) 654-4000 or email tara@j-sei.org

Hibiku Kotoba – a podcast conversation with Mia Ayumi Malhotra

Hibiku Kotoba – a podcast conversation with Mia Ayumi Malhotra

by | Oct 6, 2025 | Classes & Events

Hibiku Kotoba, a podcast series

Episode 2: Mia Ayumi Malhotra

On becoming a poet, Mia Ayumi Malhotra reflects on the challenges and joys of becoming an author. She found a deeper connection with her Nikkei roots while writing her latest release, Mothersalt.  She reflects on pregnancy, childrearing, mothering, past and present ways we nurture and sustain ourselves. Mia shares her poem, “To My Many Mothers, Issei and Nisei” from her book, Isako, Isako. 

Host: Kathleen Wong

Listen, follow and subscribe to Hibiku Kotoba on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

OR CONNECT HERE.

Mothersalt, book reading & workshop

Mothersalt, book reading & workshop

by | Oct 4, 2025 | Classes & Events

Book Talk and Workshop with Mia Malhotra

Mothersalt, a book reading

Saturday, November 15, 1 pm

Mothersalt (May 2025, Alice James Books) is an embodied look at birth, motherhood, and child-rearing.  With haunting precision, Mothersalt digs into the experience of pregnancy and early motherhood, where the self is split apart and stitched back together. Interspersed with tender addresses to a child in utero, Mothersalt recounts the fraught disorientation of giving birth in America, where birthing bodies are not always recognized as empowered agents of their own story.

Charting a struggle of failures and reversals to reclaim the experience of childbirth, Mothersalt asserts a powerful narrative of what is possible, not only in the birthing room, but in all forms of human relationships. At its heart, this is a book about resilience, healing, joy, and the sustaining life that emerges from practices of embodied care.

RSVP for this free event.

 

Hibiku Kotoba, a podcast series

Episode 2: Mia Ayumi Malhotra

On becoming a poet, Mia Ayumi Malhotra reflects on the challenges and joys of becoming an author. She found a deeper connection with her Nikkei roots while writing her latest release, Mothersalt.  She reflects on pregnancy, childrearing, mothering, past and present ways we nurture and sustain ourselves. Mia shares her poem, “To My Many Mothers, Issei and Nisei” from her book, Isako, Isako. 

Host: Kathleen Wong

Listen, follow and subscribe to Hibiku Kotoba on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

OR CONNECT HERE.

Mia Ayumi Malhotra is the author of Isako Isako, a California Book Award finalist and winner of the Alice James Award, Nautilus Gold Award for Poetry, National Indie Excellence Award, and Maine Literary Award. She is also the author of the chapbook Notes from the Birth Year. A Kundiman Fellow and a founding member of The Ruby SF, a gathering space for women and nonbinary artists, she lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Making Motherhood: a creative workshop

Saturday, November 15, 10 am- 12 pm

In this creative writing workshop, we will think about what it means to make art from life, drawing from family practices (gardening, mending, seamstressing, cooking, origami, ikebana, etc.) that have been handed down for generations by mothers and makers of every kind. Led by local poet Mia Ayumi Malhotra, we will reflect on these practices and respond through a series of written exercises inspired by the life and art of Ruth Asawa and The Pillow Book of Sei Shōnagon.

Come join us for a morning of making, remembrance, and—best of all—make new friends and memories in a warm, supportive circle of artist-makers. No previous writing or art experience needed; all are welcome at the table! 

Sign up required.  Limited space.

Unseen Spaces, a painting exhibit with Naomi Kubota Lee

Unseen Spaces, a painting exhibit with Naomi Kubota Lee

by | Oct 3, 2025 | Classes & Events

Unseen Spaces, a solo painting exhibit by Naomi Kubota Lee

Summer/Fall 2025

Gallery Hours: MTuThFr 2-5 pm, or by appointment: 510-654-4000

Don’t miss the Art Pop-Up at J-Sei Corner featuring mini canvas paintings by Naomi Kubota Lee at the Artisan Faire on December 7th!

Experience the unseen spaces that invite creativity, inquiry and imagination.  In these times, be inspired by the vibrancy, color and depth of Naomi Kubota Lee’s artistic realm, and reach for the creative energy that can help sustain us.

Artist Gallery Talk: Sunday, October 19th, 1 to 3 pm

Wabi Sabi Hari Workshop: Friday, November 21st, 1 to 3 pm

 

 

Wabi Sabi Hari Booklet, a Japanese needle booklet

Friday, November 21, 1 to 3 pm

In Japan, everything has a soul – even needles. Join Naomi Kubota Lee in making felt and fabric booklets to rest and honor our pins & needles for their lifetime of service. Stitches make things complete and whole again.  Join this workshop and experience the wabi sabi and Japanese boro style of stitching, using reusable imperfect scraps and piecing together of fabric.  “Unseen Spaces, a solo painting exhibit of Naomi Kubota Lee” is currently on view at J-Sei.  Workshop Fee: $35

RSVP to jill@j-sei.org with “Wabi Sabi Hari” in the memo line.

I work in a variety of media, making abstract pieces that make visible the invisible world of imagination and creativity, my inner world. My work reflects the mood, atmosphere and sense of mystery of this unseen space.

Naomi Kubota Lee

J-Sei Health & Wellness Workshop & Fair

J-Sei Health & Wellness Workshop & Fair

by | Oct 3, 2025 | Classes & Events

J-Sei Health & Wellness Workshop & Fair 

Sunday, Nov 2, 11 am to 3 pm – Save the date!

An on-going concern that increases as we age is how to stay healthy, happy and safe. What do we need to prepare for in these life transitions in terms of wellness and care?  We will be offering informational presentations to help us plan for shifting needs for ourselves and our loved ones as we age.  The presentations will be followed by screenings, vaccines, information tables with partner organizations, healthy living & nutrition demos.  

Partnering with Asian Community Health at Berkeley @achberkeley

A community forum on how to stay
healthy, happy and safe as we age!

Health Talks

11 am – Medicare Changes in 2026 – What are the big changes in 2026? How do the changes affect me? The Annual Election Period (AEP), — also known as the Open Enrollment Period for Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C) and prescription drug coverage (Medicare Part D) is from October 15 to December 7, 2025. Denise Lombard provides professional insight backed by years of experience having served as Director of Marketing for Medicare for Blue Shield of CA.

12 pm – Life Care Planning – Care Partners offers culturally relevant education to support communities that need Advance Care Planning resources, conducting Advance Health Care Directive and Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment document trainings to engage Alameda County residents at all levels of health. How can we plan for life care for ourselves and loved ones?

12 to 3 pm –  Health & Wellness Fair – Free health screenings and vaccinations, family caregiving tips & support, learn about good eating habits, engage in physical activity and discover community resources.

Special Announcement:  Bay PLS will join us to offer free COVID + flu vaccines. No insurance is required.  Sign up today!

Participating Orgs/Individuals:
Asian Community Health at Berkeley
Bay Area PLS
CAHPSA, California Health Professional Student Alliance
Care Partners -Alameda County Public Health
Denise Lombard
J-Sei

Please RSVP for this free event, by clicking on the button below.  Your reservation helps us with our planning.

Sign Up for this Free Event!