Hibiku Kotoba

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/]

Ema Ryan Yamazaki, Award-Winning Documentary Filmmaker

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 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRW0auOiqm4]

Mayor Adena Ishii, First Asian American Mayor of Berkeley

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.