Hibiku Kotoba

Asian Food Culture in the Bay Area and "Meals That Made Us" with Nisha Balaram

Documentary film director, producer, and editor Nisha Balaram joins Kathleen on Hibiku Kotoba as they talk about Nisha's beginnings as an environmental reporter and how Nisha made a career pivot into visual media and founding her own production company, Mystery Squid Films. Premiering her most recent documentary film, "Meals That Made Us" at the 44th Annual CAAMFest, the film showcases the unique Asian diaspora of the Bay Area, their food culture and the reminder that food brings us together. In the film also shares a beautiful segment on J-Sei's Nutrition Program Chef, Yuji Ishikata and his story with food and community. Kathleen and Nisha talk about the film's conception and process, and what Nisha found gratifying about the topic and what's next for her. You can follow "Meals That Made Us" on @mealsthatmadeusfilm and Nisha's production company @mysterysquidfilms to see her other fabulous work. Listen and subscribe to Hibiku Kotoba on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and J-Sei's YouTube Channel!

Soleil Ho on Food Writing and Independent Journalism

Food writer and journalist Soleil Ho joins Kathleen on this episode of Hibiku Kotoba. Coming to the Bay Area in 2019, Soleil was the restaurant and food critic of SF Chronicle during the pandemic and is a co-founder of the worker-owned independent news outlet, Coyote Media Collective. They share their story on how they became a food writer after working in the restaurant industry for a decade, on what it's like writing a cookbook (plus a great snippet of what kind of cookbook Soleil would like to write), and why independent journalism is and will always be important. You can find Soleil's work at soleilho.com [https://soleilho.com/] and at coyotemedia.org [https://www.coyotemedia.org/]. They can also be found on Instagram and Bluesky at @soleilho. Listen and follow Hibiku Kotoba on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and J-Sei's YouTube channel.

CAAMFest 2026 Special: "The Only Language She Knows" with Steven Okazaki & Genny Lim

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 [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.

Musician and Composer Erika Oba on Connecting Music with Activism

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 [http://erikaoba.com/].

Dr. Jeffrey Velotta and the Importance of Early Cancer Screening

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/ [https://go2.org/blog/get-rid-of-the-mothership-and-why-surgery-still-matters-in-stage-4-iv-lung-cancer-glens-story/]