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 Incarceration
They 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.