John Sammon
John Sammon is a freelance writer and newspaper reporter, novelist and historical fiction writer, non-fiction book writer, political pundit and column writer, comedy and humor writer, screenplay writer, film narrator and a member of the Screen Actors Guild. He lives with his wife near Pebble Beach.
Updated March 2018
Stories from This Author
Woman’s Starring Role on TV Show Contradicts Negative Stereotypes of Asians
Oct. 29, 2021 • John Sammon
The competent no-nonsense character Keiko Elizabeth plays on Showtime’s hit television show City on a Hill contradicts a negative and false stereotype some non-Asian people have of Asians— of being meek, submissive. “In the show Kevin Bacon plays a corrupt FBI agent and I play his boss,” Elizabeth said. “I play a woman who was born in a (U.S. Government-run) concentration camp at Manzanar. When I met with the show’s producer to discuss my part I asked him if I …
Bay Area Man Combines Wisdom and Buddhist Thought to Ease Hardships for People
June 10, 2021 • John Sammon
Kenji Oshima coaches people who are suffering with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and he also teaches Buddhism (Dharma). Both methods of helping others involve similar skills. For example, you don’t dictate to someone how to live their life. You talk about options; you let a person discover their own best path. “You learn to shut up and not give advice,” Oshima said. “That’s a major skill. You ask questions and get interesting answers. You present options to people and let them …
Lancaster Man Memorializes Love for His Wife with New Book
March 15, 2021 • John Sammon
The love Lou Moore had for his wife Nellie lasted beyond 74 years and overcame as true love will, obstacles including imprisonment in a concentration camp, war and the opposition of family members because of Nellie Moore’s Japanese heritage. That love has continued unabated even with Nellie’s passing in October of 2020. His love for his wife led Lou Moore to write a book on their experiences together titled, Eternal Love: The True Love Story of Nellie and Lou Moore, …
Sacramento Area Man Goes from Concentration Camp to Role in Monument Preserving History
Feb. 16, 2021 • John Sammon
Tom Okubo has had a long and successful life. The 95 year old Sacramento man exhibits little bitterness from his experience as a former inmate of a concentration camp that imprisoned him for no reason other than his ancestry. He went on to assist in the establishment of a State Historic Monument at the site helping to preserve history. So hopefully it will not be forgotten. Okubo thought back to the time when as a teenager during World War II …
Sacramento Area Attorney Wants the Word “Internment” Corrected in Usage
Jan. 13, 2021 • John Sammon
Yoshinori H.T. Himel, called “Toso” for his middle name by his many friends, would like to see the word “internment” stricken from common usage. He said it distorts history. “I’d like to see it (internment) used correctly,” Himel said. “It’s been used as a euphemism for a race-based incarceration of Japanese Americans.” On Oct. 29 Himel was honored by the Sacramento Bar Association as “Pro Bono Attorney of the Year,” an attorney who takes cases without a fee for reasons …
San Jose Area Man’s Life Shaped by Sports and Athletes
Jan. 6, 2021 • John Sammon
Blake Sasaki has been involved in sports almost his entire life, and if you ask him what has been the biggest joy, he will tell you watching athletes develop. “It (sports) has been my life,” Sasaki said. “It’s my career, my family. If I wasn’t working in sports I don’t know what I would do. The end result is the game, but my greatest joy is seeing a freshman student athlete come into our program still a bit like a …
New San Jose Uzumaru Dance Group Blends Traditional and Modern Japanese Dance
Oct. 8, 2019 • John Sammon
SAN JOSE — It’s a brand new form of Japanese dance in the U.S. that its members describe as like a whirlpool, although it could also be likened to a colorful undulating cloud, accompanied by the sounds of flutes and drums. It’s gaining in popularity in San Jose. “We’re not very well known here in the states but we’re catching on,” said Uzumaru dance member Sarah Chan. “There are five (Yosakoi) teams in the U.S., in San Jose, San Francisco, …
"American Sutra" To Look At World War II Camps Through Buddhist Perspective
March 29, 2019 • John Sammon
A new book titled American Sutra will take a unique and different look at the experiences of Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II; showing how their Buddhist faith gave them strength and courage, and brought them through suffering with their dignity intact. “The book will show there were people who found something in their faith to create a different reality,” said Duncan Ryuken Williams, author of American Sutra. “There are books out there about the injustice of the camps. …
Community Volunteer Offers Skills To Enrich Lives
March 1, 2019 • John Sammon
SAN FRANCISCO — One of the reasons San Francisco remains a cultural hub is the work of Miki Novitski, whose volunteerism as emcee of the city’s annual Cherry Blossom Festival Grand Parade and as program director for the festival’s Cherry Blossom Queen and Her Royal Court Program has been a delight to thousands of tourists and residents. This is only one of many San Francisco events Novitski participates in. Asked how she manages to maintain such a frenetic schedule, she …
Tennis Star Recalls Groundbreaking Career
Jan. 16, 2019 • John Sammon
Ann Kiyomura-Hayashi, one of the first Japanese American tennis stars to popularize the sport for women worldwide, is also partly responsible for the mega million dollar prize winnings today’s female stars enjoy. She was asked if she regrets playing before the days of the big money in tennis for women. “No,” Hayashi said. “I thought it (tennis) was fun. I enjoyed traveling around the world and meeting people from all walks of life. I got to do things for myself; …
