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 | 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 Jill Shiraki | Feb 3, 2021 | Classes & Events, Other News
Coming Full Circle – The Music of Otonowa
Sunday, February 21st, 5:30 pm
Akira Tana, Masaru Koga, Ken Okada and Art Hirahara
In commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the Northern Japan Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Disaster of 2011, OTONOWA will share music and reflections from their tours 2013-2019.
OTONOWA, or “sound circle”, is the ever-evolving musical creation of legendary jazz drummer Akira Tana. What began with a trio formed to play a benefit for victims of the Northern Japan Earthquake and Tsunami disaster of 2011, has emerged as an ensemble and a cause. OTONOWA has travelled year after year to share the healing power of music, to connect with the survivors and to support on-going rebuilding efforts in the Tohoku region.
OTONOWA musicians – Akira Tana (drums), Art Hirahara (piano), Masaru Koga (shakuhachi, saxophone, flute), and Noriyuki Ken Okada (bass), offer a unique sound melding American jazz craft to interpret traditional Japanese folk melodies of their ancestry. Guests: Saki Kono (vocals) and Takahiro Dai (trumpet).
“The quartet – recently returned from a goodwill tour of northern Japanese villages devastated by the 2011 tsunami and earthquake – gave a performance that seemed love-filled and compassionate. At times it felt like a lullaby . . . It was exquisite.” _ San Jose Mercury
“2011’s terrible earthquake and tsunami in Japan were to become a crucible for Otonowa, which launched this brotherhood of Japanese-American jazz luminaries into a program of touring and recording to raise both funds and spirits for the survivors. You’ll hear unique melodies you’ve never heard in highly original settings you’re unlikely soon to forget.” – Stanford Jazz Workshop
The program is hosted by J-Sei in conjunction with its 30th Annual Crab Feed. RSVP on Eventbrite for this free virtual program, “Coming Full Circle: Otonowa“.
Main Photo: Akira Tana, Art Hirahara, Saki Kono, Ken Okada, Masaru Koga
Photo credit: Gabi Nakashima
