By N.A.P. , adapted from JANM press release of June 4
LOS ANGELES — Discover Nikkei is a web-based project of the Japanese American National Museum focused on promoting connections and understanding throughout the Japanese diaspora. It announces the tenth edition of its “Nikkei Chronicles” special series, an annual open call for multi-generational stories.
“Nikkei” refers to Japanese migrants and their descendants worldwide. This year’s theme, “Nikkei Generations: Connecting Families and Communities,” calls for stories from multiple generations and diverse communities of Nikkei. Stories should examine intergenerational relationships in Nikkei communities, with a particular focus on emerging younger generations of Nikkei and how they may or may not connect with their roots.
Writing prompts or ideas include: dialogues between older and younger Nikkei; profiles or interviews with fascinating younger Nikkei; trends among younger generations; changes in values or priorities from generation to generation; the evolution of language and how it’s used; the impact of local customs and histories on intergenerational relations; coalition building across communities; and thoughts on legacies to leave behind for future generations.
Personal stories, memoirs, interviews/Q&As, essays, research, reviews, and other forms of prose on this rich topic are welcome. Submissions will be accepted until September 30, 2021, at 6 p.m. PDT. Multiple entries are welcome. All submissions that meet the guidelines and criteria will be published in the Discover Nikkei Journal on a rolling basis as part of Nikkei Chronicles #10 — “Nikkei Generations: Connecting Families and Communities.”
An editorial committee, in addition to online readers, will pick “favorite” stories that will be promoted and translated into the site’s four languages of English, Japanese, Spanish, and Portuguese. These reader favorites will receive additional exposure from multilingual translations.
Through its rich multimedia website, Discover Nikkei strives to promote a more profound understanding of the complex histories and insights of multicultural, multiracial, and multinational people of Japanese descent around the world. Previous editions of Nikkei Chronicles have explored the ways Nikkei express their culture whether through food, language, or sports. This tenth edition aspires to gain insight into how global Nikkei communities are evolving.
Nikkei Chronicles #10 is presented with community partners: APJ (Japanese Peruvian Association, Youth Division, Peru), ASEBEX (Brazilian Association of Former Scholars in Japan, Brazil), Comissão de Jovens do Bunkyo (Brazil), JCI Brazil-Japan, Kizuna (United States), and Movimiento De Menores AELU (Peru). The youth-based organizations will be reaching out to their local communities to encourage participation.
This year’s Nikkei Generations logo (above) was created by artist Jay Horinouchi (July 6 interview, 5dn.org/NimaVoices5). For more information, and to read already published “Nikkei Generations” stories, visit 5dn.org/generations.
About Discover Nikkei
DiscoverNikkei.org is a major online resource that brings together the voices and experiences of Nikkei who have created communities throughout the world. Its multilingual website documents Nikkei history and culture and provides learning and networking tools for Nikkei around the world. At the same time, it seeks to explore the diverse and ever-changing meaning of the term Nikkei. The site’s rich multimedia content includes excerpts from life history interviews, first-person stories and essays, journalistic profiles, research papers, opinion pieces, short fiction, lesson plans, and listings for events worldwide. After 16 years, Discover Nikkei has published articles by over 1,000 writers worldwide and presented excerpts from nearly 200 video life-history interviews. The content currently represents 15 countries and it continues to grow.
About the Japanese American National Museum (JANM)
Established in 1985, JANM promotes understanding and appreciation of America’s ethnic and cultural diversity by sharing the Japanese American experience. Located in the historic Little Tokyo district of downtown Los Angeles, JANM is a hybrid institution that straddles traditional museum categories and strives to provide a voice for Japanese Americans as well as a forum that enables all people to explore their own heritage and culture. Since opening to the public in 1992, JANM has presented over 70 exhibitions onsite with 17 traveling exhibits to venues such as the Smithsonian Institution and Ellis Island Museum in the United States, and to leading cultural museums in Japan and South America.
Nikkei Chronicles, Tenth Edition
Submission deadline: September 30, 2021, 6 PM PDT
Info: janm.org, discovernikkei.org
Social media: @jamuseum
