Day of the Dead Festival of Altars was designed by a Mexican immigrant woman and marginalized creators in 1992. We formed a multicultural and multidisciplinary organization that welcomes people of all races, genders, abilities, and sexual orientations to reflect possible change. Many early Mesoamerican traditions are misogynistic and hierarchical. We reclaim these ceremonies with a feminist, earth-based, sustainable lens. All are welcome to participate.

Experience the magical sound of over 100 poets calling for justice and the balance of our planet.

​The Poetry Murmuration is at the core of creating meaning for our Day of the Dead ceremonies. Poets drive our ceremony with original poetry dedicated to the elements and cardinal directions. I will be reading from the Center direction calling for the balance of the Air element.

Dennis has written a memoir, in a quirky “Dennis” kind of way, complete with
photos taken throughout his life.

A quote from the book jacket:
“Mr. Omoshiroi is a fascinating, insightful, wise, and witty account of the life and
times of Dennis Makishima, a Baby Boomer Sansei, and Bonsai Sensei. Dennis
wrote this memoir as a chronicle of experiences and insights, initially meant for his
students who often asked about his unique life journey.”

If you would like to purchase a book in advance, or have questions about the event,
please email Dina at: dinablackwell@gmail.com. The books are $25

Zentoku Foundation will be featuring Nikkei authors at their booth at the Nisei Week Plaza Festival on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 17-18, at the JACCC Plaza, 244 S. San Pedro St. in Little Tokyo.

A number of the authors will be attending from Hawaii and will be signing copies of their books.

The following books will be available:

“Mr. Omoshiroi: Notes from a Baby Boomer Sansei and Bonsai Sensei” by Dennis Makshima and Jennifer Hasegawa. In this autobiography, Mr. Omoshiroi shares reflections and insights that aim to illuminate our collective human experience and the connections that unite us. Makishima is a bonsai sensei and trailblazing aesthetic pruner in practice for more than four decades.

“La Chica’s Field Guide to Banzai Living” by Jennifer Hasegawa. From the small towns strung along the coast of the Big Island of Hawaii to the land-locked landscapes of Paraguay to the volcanic surface of Venice, this is a field guide to the flora, fauna and mineralia encountered, real or imagined.

“Ikigai: Life’s Purpose,” by Chiemi Souen. This is a beautiful tale of determination for anyone searching for their place in the world.

“Drawing by Heart” by Gwen Muranaka and “Coloring by Heart” by Muranaka and Eric Hayashi. Colorful and funny cartoons exploring Japanese and Japanese American culture. “Coloring by Heart,” just published, is an activity book with coloring and word-search puzzles. Features taiko, holidays, food, Obon and more.

Nisei Week Plaza Festival will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. The family-friendly event will feature food, games, booths and live entertainment. Vendors include Guzzu Bento-ya, Momo Paradise, Shin Sen Gumi, Japanese American Cultural & Community Center, Bachan’s Shave Ice, Takoyaki Tanota, Buttery Popcorn, Tenkatori Mume Farm, Okayama Kobo Bakery, Koala Tea, JAL, Japan House, Kawaii Craft Shop, Anime Jungle, and Keiro.

More information on the festival can be found at www.niseiweek.org. For information on Zentoku Foundation, visit www.zentokufoundation.org.

Celebrate the New Year with Alta Mesa Center for the Arts & Maker, Mentor, Muse on Sunday, January 28th at 4pm as we host four fantastic writers: Dawn Angelicca Barcelona, Celeste Chan, Jennifer Hasegawa & Grace Loh Prasad. Co-hosted by Maw Shein Win and Candy Shue. Please join us for this virtual event!

Register here

Come celebrate the launch of the 107th issue of takahē magazine with readings of poetry and prose from our contributors! All welcome.

JOIN US ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 24 AT 7PM PT WHEN KIMBERLY REYES JOINS US TO CELEBRATE THE RELEASE OF HER BOOK, VANISHING POINT, WITH DESIREE ALVAREZ AND JENNIFER HASEGAWA AT 9TH AVE!

SNARING NEW SUNS is a collection of speculative writing that goes beyond the genres of science fiction and fantasy with writers from around the world that have a connection to Hawai'i and the Pacific.

3 PM Hawaii time / 6 PM Pacific / 9 PM Eastern

Join us for a virtual reading for the University of Hawaiʼi at Mānoa featuring the following readers:

• Host: Bryan Kamaoli Kuwada

• Kalehua Kim

• Rasha Abdulhadi

• Zoe C. Sims

• Blaine NamahanaTolentino

• Kalani Padilla

• Jennifer Hasegawa

SNARING NEW SUNS is a collection of speculative writing that goes beyond the genres of science fiction and fantasy with writers from around the world that have a connection to Hawai'i and the Pacific.

6 PM Hawaii time / 8 PM Pacific / 11 PM Eastern

Join us for a virtual reading for the University of Hawaiʼi Maui College with host and editor, Lyz Soto and feature the following readers:

• Rasha Abdulhadi

• Ahimsa Timoteo Bodhrán

• Jennifer Hasegawa

• Lehua Parker

• Zoe Sims

SNARING NEW SUNS is a collection of speculative writing that goes beyond the genres of science fiction and fantasy with writers from around the world that have a connection to Hawai'i and the Pacific.

2:45 PM Hawaii time / 5:45 PM Pacific / 8:45 PM Eastern

Join us for a virtual reading for Leeward Community College featuring the following authors:

• Jason Lewis

• Rasha Abdulhadi

• Darrell Lum (with Donald Carreira Ching and Ann Inoshita)

• Jennifer Hasegawa

• Lehua Parker

• Sara Backer

On Valentine's Day, join me for an evening of poetry and testimony to inspire us to Love, Rise and Resist!

Our readers include Joanna Macy, Anita Barrows, Nora Barrows-Friedman, Rafael Jesús González, Susan Griffin, Kelly Curry, Jennifer Hasegawa, Dennis J Bernstein, and Raymond Nat Turner.

We will invite people to post Valentine's Day messages to drone warfare resister Daniel Hale and jailed Wikileaks publisher Julian Assange in the chat. CODEPINK will send the messages to them in prison.

RSVP here

Join us for our virtual Dia de los Muertos/Day of the Dead SF - Festival of the Altars in which we offer a collaborative ritual with poetry, music, dance, and altar installations. While the holiday is rooted in Mesoamérican spiritual traditions, we hold at the heart of our event that the circle of life and death, unites us all.

In this presentation, I read a section of my poem, “Air, Born,” in honor of the East altar, calling the element of air. The East altar is dedicated to our ancestral children, the interconnectedness of life and death, and all things seen and unseen. The East is also the direction of our first sunlight, voice, and new beginnings.

So excited to join the second season of the Riverbed Reading Series, featuring poetry from t. liem, Sneha Madhava-Reese, and me — and music by mal/aimé!

Note the reading starts at 4:30 pm Pacific/7:30 pm Eastern

Booksmith and The Bindery are proud to host a four-event series presented by Clarion Alley Mural Project (CAMP) called Wall + Response, featuring sixteen Bay Area poets responding to the social/ political/ racial/ justice narratives of four murals on Clarion Alley.

Curated by CAMP artist and organizer Megan Wilson (wall) and poet Maw Shein Win (response), the first event in the series features Karla Brundage, Jennifer Hasegawa, Tureeda Mikel & Kim Shuck responding to the mural We Want Respect, Freedom, Land, Housing, Justice, Peace, Bread by Emory Douglas/Black Panther Party / Remix by CUBA, D8, MACE.

** Please note **

This event is free and all ages, but RSVP is required: https://app.gopassage.com/events/wall-response-2

Get Lit is in their 6th consecutive year as they continue to celebrate 12–15 writers taking risks and reading never-before-read work (rough drafts/debuts) within a 3-minute time limit + live music. All ages are welcome. Emceed by Abe Becker.

Reading with M.G. Martin for the Saturday Night Special reading series.

***

Every moment is an aftermath of what came before. Here we are in the aftermath of 2020, of Covid, of Trump, of our own choices, of our childhoods, of our loves, of what we had for lunch. And tomorrow will bring the aftermath of today.

Poetry Flash presents a virtual poetry reading celebrating Omnidawn’s Spring 2020 books, with Desirée Alvarez, “Raft of Flame,” Anthony Cody, “Borderland Apocrypha,” Jennifer Hasegawa, “La Chica’s Field Guide to Banzai Living,” David Koehn, “Scatterplot,” and LM Rivera, “Against Heidegger,” online via Zoom, free, 3:00 pm PST. Thank you for continuing to support Poetry Flash and our virtual reading series during these unprecedented times.

This virtual event is free, but RSVP is required: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZArcO2qqD4iEtUNwFD0_RP0FAARW4m5YEoa%C2%A0

Booksmith and The Bindery are thrilled to host an evening with Desirée Alvarez, Anthony Cody, Jennifer Hasegawa and Kimberly Reyes. These fabulous writers will read from and discuss their new books.

Looking forward to reading with and taking in the words of Maw Shein Win, Jenny Qi, and Audrey T. Williams. Join us in getting the celebration started for dearest Maw’s upcoming book, "Storage Unit for the Spirit House," out SOON -- Oct 2020!

Join us on Sat 7/25, from 1-3 pm P for an online creative writing workshop on "Healing Around Race" organized by the fierce Shizue Seigel and the Oakland Asian Cultural Center. Looking forward to sharing stories alongside the incredible poet/musician Avotcja, kinetic storytellers Eth-Noh-Tec, and poet/journalist Dennis J Bernstein.

Jennifer Hasegawa reads from “La Chica’s Field Guide to Banzai Living” as the feature for tonight’s Sacred Grounds Open Mic, the longest running open mic, perhaps in the U.S.

Join the reading by going to Sacred’s Open Mic News Facebook Page.

Artemis*SF presents Welcome/Unwelcome, a show by interdisciplinary artist and writer Maritza Ruiz-Kim.

Featuring the art of Maritza Ruiz-Kim and readings by:

• Nancy Au

• Jennifer Hasegawa

• Soraya Domi Lozano

• Maritza Ruiz-Kim

For info on how to access the online event, see https://artemissf.com/visit/

Celebrate the launch of 𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘮 17:1 "Home" with this virtual reading.

Join by visiting Vallum Magazine’s Facebook page.

Who could have imagined that the issue’s theme of "Home" would loom so large in the days of the magazine’s release. Please join us as poets featured in the issue read from their work. Some of the writers in the issue include:

• Robert Colman

• Devon Gallant

• Ashley-Elizabeth

• Natalie Hanna

• Josh Stewart

• John Reibetanz

• Conor McDonell

• Noah Zacharin

• K.V. Skene

• Jennifer Hasegawa

• Lynn Tait

• Mary Gilliland

Featuring readings by over 50 women celebrating Women’s History Month. Held at The Beat Museum, dedicated to spreading the spirit of the Beat Generation: tolerance, compassion, and having the courage to live your individual truth.

The readings span a 12-hour period from 11 am to 10 pm!

I’ll be reading in the 12 noon - 1 pm block with the following incredible writers, curated by Rosa De Anda:

Jennifer Hasegawa

Lisa Wenzel

Luna Riley

Zoe Olivia Young

Soraiya Domi Lozano

Join Omnidawn for a celebration of their Spring 2020 book releases!

Featuring: 

• Desirée Alvarez, reading from “RAFT OF FLAME”

• Anthony Cody, reading from “BORDERLAND APOCRYPHA”

• Jennifer Hasegawa, reading from “LA CHICA'S FIELD GUIDE TO BANZAI LIVING”

• David Koehn, reading from “SCATTERPLOT”

• Readings from Craig Santos Perez’s “HABITAT THRESHOLD”

• A short film by LM Rivera in support of the book, “AGAINST HEIDEGGER”

Readings from Omnidawn’s Fall 2019 and Spring 2020 authors with Q&A.

Featuring:

• Dan Beachy-Quick

• Jennifer Hasegawa

• David Koehn (moderator)

• Kimberly Reyes

• Dr. Craig Santos Perez

Join us in celebrating the launch of Five Oceans in a Teaspoon by Dennis J Bernstein and Warren Lehrer at Chelsea (Market) Wine Vault Event Space.

Hosted by Brian Lehrer, the event includes readings and performances by Bernstein, Lehrer, and special guests Judith Sloan, Andrew Griffin, Alicia Waller, and others (including me ☺️). 410 West 16th Street at Ninth Avenue.