traci kato-kiriyama
@traciakemitraci kato-kiriyama is a performer, actor, writer, author, educator, and art+community organizer who splits the time and space in her body feeling grounded in gratitude, inspired by audacity, and thoroughly insane—oft times all at once. She’s passionately invested in a number of projects that include Pull Project (PULL: Tales of Obsession); Generations Of War; The (title-ever-evolving) Nikkei Network for Gender and Sexual Positivity; Kizuna; Budokan of LA; and is the Director/Co-Founder of Tuesday Night Project and Co-Curator of its flagship “Tuesday Night Cafe.” She’s working on a second book of writing/poetry attuned to survival, slated for publication next year by Writ Large Press.
Updated August 2013
Stories from This Author
Hoping for a Rainbow
April 18, 2024 • Curtiss Takada Rooks , traci kato-kiriyama
We are overjoyed to again feature Dr. Curtiss Takada Rooks in this springtime edition of the Nikkei Uncovered poetry column. Professor and Los Angeles-based creative, Dr. Takada Rooks offers us two wondrous and personal pieces of memory, homage, and hope - inviting us to recall the songs of our families, learn those of another, and lean into the love that is sometimes offered to us by a simple, storied kneading of dough. Enjoy... —traci kato-kiriyama * * * * * …
Between Query and Legacy
March 28, 2024 • Susan Hayase , traci kato-kiriyama
This month, we feature the fierce and insightful voice of San Jose-based Susan Hayase. While I am most familiar with Susan in intergenerational community organizing and activist spaces, I am grateful always to read her writing, as she has so much to share and teach us. Here we present pieces of both query and homage, from three distinct grandparents of Susan’s to the singular Alan Nishio. Enjoy… —traci kato-kiriyama * * * * * Susan Hayase was a part of …
Remembrance
Feb. 15, 2024 • Carolee Okamoto , Kathy Nishimoto Masaoka , traci kato-kiriyama
In the spirit of “remembrance” with Day Of Remembrance programs happening all around the country — we feature personal tributes by two Sansei writers, Carolee Okamoto, based in Washington, and Kathy Masaoka, based in Los Angeles. Carolee’s poem honors the warrior within her grandmother, a samurai’s daughter and a farmer’s wife. Kathy’s essay pays homage to her late, older sister Judy Nishimoto and the influence of her passionate, determined, and powerful spirit. Enjoy... — traci kato-kiriyama * * * * …
Half-empty/half-full
Jan. 18, 2024 • Aaron Caycedo-Kimura , traci kato-kiriyama
As we welcome 2024, we welcome another new writer to the Nikkei Uncovered space. We have three pieces of prose and poetry from Aaron Caycedo-Kimura, a Bloomfield CT based writer. The pieces here remind us of the transition through the in-between, what is at once behind and in front of us…the things of the past we might begin to let go of as we grasp onto them in the present moment. As we enter into a new year, we by …
Tribute to Amy Uyemastu: After — Part 7
Dec. 21, 2023 • Amy Uyematsu , traci kato-kiriyama
Here we share a final installment of a long series tribute to the late, great Amy Uyematsu. Since July, following her passing on June 23, I’ve had the honor and pleasure of sharing many voices in celebration of Amy through Nikkei Uncovered: a poetry column. And as I continue to work on my own cycle of homage pieces for Amy, it has been wonderful and inspiring to witness poem after poem come in from some of my favorite writers and …
Tribute to Amy Uyemastu: After — Part 6
Nov. 16, 2023 • traci kato-kiriyama , Pam Ward
This month, we have the pleasure of featuring two poems from the great Pam Ward in our continued homage to the late Amy Uyematsu. In the mid 1990’s, Pam and Amy, along with Gloria Alvarez, Jiseh James, and Nancy Padron, organized Cantaluz (“sing light”) to come together and read as a collective of women of color poets. They had a reunion performance in 2017 and of course the legacy of each poet lives on. Here, Pam lends her fierce voice …
Tribute to Amy Uyemastu: After — Part 5
Oct. 19, 2023 • Kathy Nishimoto Masaoka , Nina Chan , Keiko Ikari Miya , Janice Iwanaga Yen , Lynn Taise , traci kato-kiriyama
As we continue to pay homage to the great Amy Uyematsu, we wanted to feature a special collective poem that was just presented last weekend at the Japanese American National Museum at Amy’s Celebration of Life by five friends of Amy - her best friend Lynn Taise and four writers from Amy’s class in Little Tokyo — the Women Word Warriors (Nina Chan, Kathy Masaoka, Keiko Miya, Janice Yen). We provided prompts and questions for the group to consider, including a …
Tribute to Amy Uyemastu: After — Part 4
Sept. 21, 2023 • F. Douglas Brown , traci kato-kiriyama
As we continue to pay homage to the great Amy Uyematsu — who, yes, I will continue to call the People’s Poet Laureate of J-Town — I am so grateful and honored to present a poem in this series of homage, by another one of my favorite people and writers, the wonderful poet, educator, DJ, F. Douglas Brown. Doug and I have been working together with Visual Communications on a special arts, poetry & community project around Suehiro, First Street …
Tribute to Amy Uyemastu: After — Part 3
Aug. 17, 2023 • Teresa Mei Chuc , Mike Sonksen , traci kato-kiriyama
This month, we continue to pay tribute to Amy Uyematsu with two wonderful poetry and prose pieces from powerful LA writers. Amy was an inspiration to many and I am so pleased to feature work here by Teresa Mei Chuc and Mike Sonksen. Both of these inspiring writers were colleagues and fans and friends of Amy and these pieces pay respect to her work. We will continue with homage poems next month and we encourage you to read all of Amy's …
Tribute to Amy Uyematsu: After — Part 2
July 21, 2023 • Miya Iwataki , Nina Chan , traci kato-kiriyama
Part 1 >> Accolades from far and wide are celebrating Amy Uyematsu. Long overdue recognition is growing, and glowing with appreciation for her incredible collection of poetry. I want to talk about her other superpower. Amy Uyematsu, poetry Sensei. My poetry mentor who restored my joy of writing with her wit, wisdom and works. She challenged us each week with a variety of themes and tied them to works from well-known and obscure poets to broaden our writing reach. Like …
