Esther Newman
@esnewmanEsther Newman grew up in California. After college and a career in marketing and media production for Ohio’s Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, she returned to school to study twentieth century American history. While in graduate school, she became interested in her family’s history which led to research on topics affecting the Japanese Diaspora including internment, migration and assimilation. She is retired but her interest in writing about and supporting organizations related to these subjects continues.
Updated November 2021
Stories from This Author
Tadashi Nakamura’s Third Act: A Son’s Tribute to Legacy and Loss
May 1, 2025 • Esther Newman
“I always knew I had to make a film about my dad.” —Tad Nakamura The challenges and rewards of living up to a family legacy thread throughout Tad Nakamura’s new documentary, Third Act. The film is a tribute to legendary filmmaker, artist, activist, and teacher, Robert Nakamura. Often referred to as “the Godfather of Asian American cinema,” Tad’s father, Robert, is both subject and collaborator on Third Act, evident from the film’s opening scene. Tad has been an award winning …
Harvesting History at an Orchard: Every Peach is a Story by Nikiko Masumoto
April 10, 2025 • Esther Newman
A perfectly ripe, locally grown peach is sweet, easily bruised and ephemeral. But to Nikiko Masumoto, that peach embodies the toughness, perseverance and resilience of her ancestors that has made her life’s work possible. Nikiko is a Yonsei (fourth-generation) farmer, but she’s also an artist connecting farming to art and community through storytelling. In her new children’s book, Every Peach Is a Story, co-written with her father, David Mas Masumoto, little Midori learns about the seasons of peaches, family and …
“Lantern Song” by Bonbu Stories: Grounded in the Present, Honoring the Past
Nov. 13, 2024 • Esther Newman
One of the iconic symbols of Obon, the centuries old Japanese festival honoring one’s ancestors, is the lantern. Lanterns are believed to help guide those spirits from the festival back to the spirit world. This year, “Lantern Song,” commissioned by Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) to mark its 125th anniversary, takes its place among the traditional tunes. The new song was composed and choreographed by Bonbu Stories, a collaboration of five Asian American artists from California including: Miharu Okamura: a …
The Unknown Great: Expanding History, Widening the Focus
Feb. 12, 2024 • Esther Newman
Until recently, the history of Japanese Americans was documented almost wholly by looking at the WWII years. Whether they were seen as victims of forced removal and internment or as heroes while serving in the military, certain stereotypes of the group prevailed: stoicism, insularity, group consciousness, and “gaman” translated as perseverance or tolerance. But there remained an overlooked history that could expand that narrative. Greg Robinson’s latest book, The Unknown Great, written with Jonathan Van Harmelen, explores new topics and …
In American Dream
Nov. 27, 2023 • Esther Newman
There are as many ways to tell a story as there are stories. Historians, novelists, and artists of every conceivable medium have all chronicled the unjust internment of Japanese Americans during WWII. But an opera? Turns out, opera has always been the perfect medium to capture the emotions of highly charged dramatic events. Hawai‘i Opera Theatre’s recent production of An American Dream demonstrated exactly that. With exceptional performances, costumes and set designs, this modern opera captured the anguish and difficult …
For Kyra Karatsu—Writing is a Foregone Conclusion
Aug. 18, 2023 • Esther Newman
Where does talent come from? Is it inherited or learned? Nature or nurture? According to the BBC’s Science Focus, the answer is both. However, “some people are born with greater potential, but without hard work and practicing, their talent will come to nothing.” This must have been written with Kyra Karatsu in mind. Her grandmother was a long time JANM volunteer and her great-aunt was a talented writer. While they may have paved the path, it’s Kyra who’s taken steps …
Maggie Tokuda-Hall’s Love in the Library—A story for children, a lesson for grown-ups
June 23, 2023 • Esther Newman
Maggie Tokuda-Hall is an award winning author of children’s and young adult (YA) books. Her titles include Also an Octopus, about an octopus who builds a space ship, The Mermaid, The Witch and The Sea, about, well, you guessed it, a mermaid and a witch, and Squad, a coming-of-age story featuring teenage werewolves. But her most recent book, Love in the Library, published in 2022, is firmly rooted in real life. It’s the story of how her grandparents met and …
Defining Courage: A Tribute to Nisei WWII Heroes Comes To Hawaii
April 5, 2023 • Esther Newman
Defining Courage—produced by Story Boldly and the Emmy Award-winning team of Jeff MacIntyre and David Ono—tells the story of the remarkable contributions and sacrifices made by 100th Infantry Battalion, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the 522nd Field Artillery Battalion, and the Military Intelligence Service during World War II. The Nisei members of these segregated units were subjected to prejudice at home and abroad but through countless acts of courage, came to be known as America’s finest, fiercest, and most decorated …
Miye Sugino—Art as Advocacy: “To me, art is a reclamation of identity”
Jan. 2, 2023 • Esther Newman
As one of JANM’s 30 Changemakers Under 30, Miye Sugino had amassed an impressive body of work and accomplishment most adults never achieve, all before receiving her high school diploma. Miye’s art and writing has gained national and international recognition including being one of twenty U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts through the National Young Arts Foundation. In addition, she has been an art mentor at San Quentin Prison through Empowerment Avenue and an intern at Loyola Law School’s Project …
The Power of Persistence: Tour Manzanar with Nell Yukiye Murphy
Oct. 24, 2022 • Esther Newman
Nell Yukiye Murphy knows the importance of keeping a significant part of Japanese American history alive and she also knows the power of persistence. That makes her a natural choice to be profiled for Discover Nikkei’s series, The Power of Our Stories. Nell has developed and produced a virtual tour of Manzanar, “Journey to Manzanar,” and thanks to her persistence, it’s now accessible to everyone. Nell Murphy is from Northeast Los Angeles and at 18 years of age, she’s already …
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