Hibiku Kotoba

In a special episode to celebrate CAAM's 44th Annual CAAMFest, Oscar-winner director Steven Okazaki and San Francisco's first Chinese American poet laureate Genny Lim joins Hibiku Kotoba as they talk about their short documentary film, The Only Language She Knows. Directed by Steven Okazaki and produced by Amy Hill, The Only Language She Knows was filmed over 40 years ago in SF Chinatown and covers an intimate portrait of Genny Lim, her two daughters, and mother. Recently restored and remastered, this film will be shown for the first time at CAAMFest in more than 40 years. In this episode, Kathleen interviews both Steven and Genny about why they made this film, what it meant to them, and the important reminder of why creativity should be explored freely with minimum constraints.You can watch this rare screening on Saturday, May 9, 2026 at 1PM at the Koret Auditorium Main Library. Steven and Genny will have a post-screening Q&A. Listen to this episode before you go! Register for tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-only-language-she-knows-featuring-sf-poet-laureate-genny-lim-caamfest-tickets-1988020544966?aff=oddtdtcreator.Listen to Hibiku Kotoba on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or J-Sei's YouTube channel.

In this episode of Hibiku Kotoba, musician and composer Erika Oba joins Kathleen as they talk about Erika's musical journey as well as her special composition she did with her sister for the Fresno Philharmonic for David "Mas" Masumoto's family autobiography. Through her compositions, she finds the connection with music and activism and how that can bring awareness and conversation among musicians and listeners alike. You can listen to Erika's work on erikaoba.com.

In this episode of Hibiku Kotoba, Dr. Jeffrey Velotta joins Kathleen as they talk about his career as a cardiothoracic surgeon and his current research in the rise of lung cancer cases among non-smoking Asian women and men. Dr. Velotta shares how his years in residency helped his career expertise, but moving back to the Bay Area in 2014 he realized the importance of representation in the medical field and currently advocates for patients' health and well-being, specifically those in the Asian diaspora. His mission to reframe how both doctors and patients approach healthcare specifically for lung cancer patients is a remarkable feat that is gradually making an impact, and why community outreach is just one step of the process to help one another through an unfamiliar and emotional journey.You can read the journey of one of his patients' journey here: https://go2.org/blog/get-rid-of-the-mothership-and-why-surgery-still-matters-in-stage-4-iv-lung-cancer-glens-story/

In episode 6 of Hibiku Kotoba, Oscar-nominated and award-winning documentary filmmaker Ema Ryan Yamazaki joins Kathleen on the podcast. Together they talk about Ema's origin story as a filmmaker, her menteeship with Sam Pollard, and all three of her feature films along with her Oscar-nominated "Instruments of a Beating Heart. Ema's decision to go back to Japan and create documentary films about Japanese society is to share to the world her experiences as a Japanese person and to showcase the nuances of living in a country where culture is deeply instilled in every part of its society. For aspiring documentary filmmakers, this episode is definitely worth listening to as she shares her insight and advice for those who also want to be a documentary filmmaker.You can watch her Oscar-nominated short film "Instruments of a Beating Heart" on the NYT Opinions YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRW0auOiqm4

In this episode of Hibiku Kotoba, Mayor Adena Ishii of Berkeley joins Kathleen as they talk about Mayor Ishii's remarkable journey on becoming the first Asian American Mayor of the city of Berkeley. Throughout the episode, they discuss how important it is to be engaged in local communities and politics, and how Mayor Ishii strives to bring together people of all generations and backgrounds to achieve a better, safer community for all.

In episode 4 of Hibiku Kotoba, Tim Kawakami joins Kathleen as they talk about his incredible career as a sports journalist spanning nearly 40 years. Starting out as a beat writer in the late 80s for the Philadelphia Eagles, Tim found his stride and continued his path to cover the LA Lakers, LA Rams, Oscar de la Hoya and eventually came back to his Bay Area roots to cover the 49ers and Warriors. Have a listen to this episode as Tim shares his experiences from beat writer to columnist to editor-in-chief and what it was like covering Bay Area sports for different newspapers. Tim is now at the SF Standard where you can read his work at their sports section. You can also listen to Tim's podcast, The TK Show, where he goes more in-depth with the sports he writes about in a more grounded and coversational way.

In episode 3 of Hibiku Kotoba, Kathleen talks with Kelly Goto, a globally renowned lecturer in the UX design and research industry and founder of gotomedia and gotoresearch. The two talk about Kelly's journey into the UX and tech industry and her newly published book, "Seattle Samurai." "Seattle Samurai" covers the life of Sam Goto, Kelly's father, as a cartoonist for the comic strip "Seattle Tomodachi" as well as Japanese American history in the US and in the Pacific Northwest. Together they discuss the latter's full circle from physical media to tech and back, the incredible conception of "Seattle Samurai" and the importance of cultural preservation.You can learn more about Kelly and her journey here: kellygoto.com and about "Seattle Samurai" here: seattlesamurai.com

In the second episode of Hibiku Kotoba, Kathleen interviews Mia Ayumi Malhotra, a Bay Area Yonsei poet, editor and author. They talk about Mia's journey in writing, poetry, its hardships and joys, and how she found a deeper connection with her Nikkei roots while working on her most recent publication, Mothersalt. In Mothersalt, Mia shares her experiences of motherhood from pregancy to child-rearing. Mia shares her poem, "To My Many Mothers, Issei and Nisei" from her book "Isako, Isako" to close the episode. You can find Mia and her works on her website: https://miamalhotra.com/Anthologies mentioned:The Gate of Memory: Poems by Descendants of Nikkei Wartime IncarcerationThey Rise Like a Wave: An Anthology of Asian American Women Poets

In this episode, Kathleen talks with former Executive Director of J-Sei, Diane Wong, and newest Executive Director of J-Sei, Ky Lam. They talk about their backgrounds, their experience in the nonprofit world, what their excited for in that space and what hopes for the future of J-Sei as an organization.Hibiku Kotoba is produced by Kathleen Wong and thanks to J-Sei and the K/T Foundation for their support. 

Welcome to Hibiku Kotoba, J-Sei's newest podcast with host and producer Kathleen Wong. Episodes will drop monthly.