‘Standing Strong’ Reading at Eastwind Books

BERKELEY — Eight contributors of “Standing Strong: Japantown and Fillmore” will be doing a reading with editor Shizue Seigel on Saturday, July 23, from 3 to 5 p.m. at Eastwind Books of Berkeley, 2066 University Ave. in Berkeley.

Shizue Seigel (Photo by Bob Hsiang)

Celebrating the enduring spirit of the African American and Japanese American communities of San Francisco’s Western Addition, prose, poetry and visual art by community writers and artists of Seigel’s “Write Now! Japantown” and “Write Now! Fillmore” writing workshops explore the parallels and contrasts of two communities. What do they remember of the old days? What do they treasure? What are their challenges today? What keeps them going, and what can they teach us?

Community spirit still burns brightly, though neighborhoods have been scattered by incarceration, redlining and blight, and the wholesale demolition of 100 blocks of housing and businesses. Destruction came quickly; renewal came much too slowly. Today, gentrification endangers churches, community resources, family-run businesses and close-knit networks.

Writers include Sandra Bass, Charles Dixon, Jennifer Hasegawa, Mary Ann Hori, Juanita Tamayo Lott, Grace Morizawa, Roger Oyama, Queennandi Shabazz, Juanda Stewart, Kenji Taguma, Sheridan Tatsuno, Landa Williams, and Seigel.

For more information on the book, visit https://standingstrongsf.wordpress.com/.

For more information on Eastwind Books of Berkeley, visit http://asiabookcenter.com/.