DiscoverNikkei's video: Nima Voices: Episode 2 Erik Matsunaga with Naomi Hirahara

In the 2nd episode of “Nima Voices,” our guest host, award-winning author Naomi Hirahara, interviews Erik Matsunaga about his family, projects to map historic Japanese American neighborhoods in Chicago, and his other articles on Discover Nikkei. The interview was livestreamed on December 15, 2020. Here are some of the stories related to the topics they discussed: MAPPING PROJECTS: - Clark & Division: Japanese Americans on Chicago’s Near North Side, 1940s-1960s: http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/journal/2020/1/20/clark-and-division-1/ - Japanese Americans on Chicago’s South Side - Oakland/Kenwood 1940s-1950s http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/journal/2015/12/1/oakland-kenwood-1/ - 30 Years of Lakeview: Chicago’s Japanese American Community 1960s-1990s http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/journal/2014/12/23/lakeview-1/ - Nooks and Crannies: http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/journal/2013/12/2/nooks-and-crannies/ - Something About My Great-Grandmother: http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/journal/2016/8/15/my-great-grandmother/ Read all of Erik’s stories here: http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/journal/author/matsunaga-erik/ ERIK MATSUNAGA: In addition to sharing his stories on Discover Nikkei, Erik Matsunaga’s investigations into the history of Chicago’s Japanese American community have been featured by the Japanese American National Museum, Alphawood Gallery, WBEZ Radio, and the Newberry Library. Born in Chicago, a descendant of WWII-era Nikkei resettlers from California, he curates @windycitynikkei—“Bite-sized Glimpses of Japanese American Chicago”—on Instagram. NAOMI HIRAHARA is the author of the Edgar Award-winning Mas Arai mystery series, which features a Kibei Nisei gardener and atomic-bomb survivor who solves crimes, Officer Ellie Rush series, and now the new Leilani Santiago mysteries. A former editor of "The Rafu Shimpo," she has written a number of nonfiction books on the Japanese American experience and several 12-part serials for Discover Nikkei. Her historical mystery, "Clark and Division," set in 1944 Chicago, will be released in August 2021 by Soho Crime (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/653795/clark-and-division-by-naomi-hirahara/). Naomi's latest Discover Nikkei exclusive serial—"Ten Days of Cleanup": http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/journal/2020/12/4/cleanup-1/ See all of Naomi’s stories on Discover Nikkei: http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/journal/author/hirahara-naomi/ * * * * * ABOUT "NIMA VOICES" "Nima Voices" is an interview series where we uplift members of Discover Nikkei's international online community through brief, but enlightening, interviews! Hailing from all around the world, they each bring unique experiences and perspectives to the site’s rich archive of stories. * * * * * UPCOMING EPISODE * * * * * NIMA VOICES: EPISODE 3—TAMIKO NIMURA Tuesday, March 2 • 5 p.m.–5:30 p.m. (PST) Save the date for our 3rd episode! Hear from Discover Nikkei contributor Tamiko Nimura as she is interviewed by our guest host, Japanese American youth activist Justin Kawaguchi. Read Tamiko's articles: http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/journal/author/nimura-tamiko/ Find out about upcoming Discover Nikkei programs and see videos from past events: http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/events/dn-programs/ * * * * * ABOUT DISCOVER NIKKEI Beyond just a website, Discover Nikkei is an international network that celebrates cultural diversity and explores both global and local identities. The project connects generations and communities by sharing stories and perspectives of the Nikkei, people of Japanese descent who have migrated and settled throughout the world. The site is available in 4 languages—English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Japanese. New stories are published daily in the site's Journal section. You can also watch clips from life history videos, find out about and share your own Nikkei events around the world, and more. The term “Nima” comes from combining Nikkei and nakama (Japanese for “colleagues”, or “fellows”, or “circle”). Join our Nima-kai community and share your stories about the Nikkei experience! Discover Nikkei is a project of the Japanese American National Museum (janm.org), with major funding by The Nippon Foundation. http://DiscoverNikkei.org