Francesca Yukari Biller
@francescaFrancesca Biller is an award winning investigative journalist, political satirist, author, and social commentator for print, radio, and television. With a background of Japanese and Jewish, she writes about her interesting background in both an introspective and humorous way and her work has been been published for The Huffington Post, CNN, The Los Angeles Times, The Jewish Journal of Los Angeles, and many other publications. Awards include The Edward R. Murrow award, two Golden Mike awards, and four Society of Professional Journalists awards for Excellence in Journalism. Biller is currently writing three books, the first a novel about the 442nd Infantry set in Hawaii, the second a compilation of humorous essays about growing up as a Japanese Jew in Los Angeles during the 1970s, and the third a Lifestyle book about how a diet of Hawaiian, Japanese, and Jewish food keeps her family healthy and happy. She is also currently on a national radio tour discussing her humorous take on politics, pop culture, and families.
Updated June 2012
Stories from This Author
Perspective on the Dodgers: The Level Playing Field that Inspired Us All - Part 2 of 2
April 25, 2014 • Francesca Yukari Biller
Read Part 1 >>What is entirely inspiring about the show is its revealing account about the Dodgers’ role in what both Kimura and Langill articulated, through community building, globalization, and civil rights. As a spectator, fan, and journalist, I had not expected to experience such a moving show insofar as history and the art of storytelling. When it comes to globalization of the game, the Dodgers are at the head of their game, especially when it comes to reaching out …
Perspective on the Dodgers: The Level Playing Field that Inspired Us All - Part 1 of 2
April 24, 2014 • Francesca Yukari Biller
It is difficult to remember any span of my childhood without thinking about baseball as the sentimental and grounding backdrop that has helped bond our mixed-race family together in Los Angeles. When the Dodgers played, it was an event that inspired in us a feeling of hope, celebration, and in the confidence of knowing that our multicultural home was always ready for center field, and with no apologies needed. My siblings and I shared interesting parents who were from different …
Half Girl from Full Mother
March 11, 2014 • Francesca Yukari Biller
Long before my mother was ever a child, She dreamt of my face as her Eurasian song,Never looking away at my round Asian eyes,She stared instead deeply, and flowered my rise. Half Japanese in the length of her sash,That she folded in silks, she knew me wellNot part of the crowd, and yet full and strong,We cradled our comforts, as she knew we belonged. Wanting for nothing in the sorrows of war,She told herself stories of a day that would …
My Japanese Jewish Girl Fears
Oct. 9, 2013 • Francesca Yukari Biller
As a Japanese-Jewish American girl, I have suffered. It’s not just that both of my tribes were placed in camps because they were simply born, or perhaps hated for being smart, bold, different, and even oddly wonderful. As a Jew, I am reminded continually that I am lucky to be alive, part of the chosen, and should I kvetch about my standing in life, may God burn me like a self-burning bush—and one that isn’t even on sale. And as a …
Menorah Musubi
Dec. 18, 2012 • Francesca Yukari Biller
It’s that special time of the year again when my family will gather around the menorah while simultaneously being reminded to take off our shoes and yelled at to start the rice. Yes, it’s the only kind of holiday I have ever known, a merry Bewish festive season, a word made up for a combination of both my parents who are Buddhist and Jewish. Let’s just say that I grew up thinking that while Jesus was a suffering member of …
A Japanese-Jewish Family Remains Bonded through Shared Recipes
Nov. 12, 2012 • Francesca Yukari Biller
My earliest memory is a black and white image of my young, round face peering over my parent’s dinner table. I can still smell the sweet and endless aromas that swelled from the kitchen and made their way into the dining room that anchored our family home. All curious-faced and wide-eyed, I would climb on my father’s large art books to catch a glimpse of my mother’s Japanese and American dishes that warmed my every sense and sensibility. On any …
Family Meals That Integrate Rather Than Segregate
Oct. 5, 2012 • Francesca Yukari Biller
While growing up within two different cultures left my siblings and me with bittersweet challenges, we have always had the sweet comforts of the family meal and a “welcoming” table that satisfied both our appetites and spirits. Feasting on distinctive recipes passed down from my father’s Russian-Jewish family, and my mother’s exotic blend of Japanese-Hawaiian heritage, serves as a reminder that we are a family nourished by honoring our ethnicity and the diverse ingredients that make us whole. My family, …
Out of the Confluence Of Race, Culture, And Ethnic Heritage Artistic Masterpieces Emerge
Sept. 13, 2012 • Francesca Yukari Biller
While recently visiting my father’s art studio and viewing the vibrant cascades of colors in his larger than life paintings, I felt as if I had somehow returned home, and appreciated a true sense of belonging in a way I never imagined possible. With time, I had forgotten the once familiar aromas of both fresh and overly used oil paints; the splatters and smudges of India ink on his studio floors, and the overpowering sight of rafters filled with art …
Matzah Sushi
Aug. 30, 2012 • Francesca Yukari Biller
I had a joyous childhood, and an incredibly inspiring one as well, as a Japanese-Russian-Jewish girl growing up in Southern California during the 1970s. My life as a child was a colorful adventure filled with curious fascination and optimism, with everything intriguing and nothing mundane. I had my share of Omega-3s for decades before it became a health trend, with a bounty of fresh lox and bagels one day and whole salmons prepared Japanese-style the next. Both my parents knew …
Blending Recipes And Cultures
Aug. 15, 2012 • Francesca Yukari Biller
Whether I watched my Jewish grandfather carefully save the chicken schmaltz, after preparing Matzoh Ball soup or my Japanese grandmother make tamago gohan, a meal of rice, eggs, and shoyu. What far surpassed the intimate cooking lessons was the invaluable respect both sides of my family showed for each other’s cultural differences, and bonded through the shared and blended recipes of exotic cuisine from each. As a child, I felt I was a misunderstood ethnic rarity, I never knew other …
