Blog / Japantown

Reinventing an ethnic newspaper as a cultural institution

While daily newspapers across the country battle for their lives, a scrappy little ethnic newspaper in San Francisco's Japantown is discovering new ways to survive. It is the Nichi Bei Weekly, and it's become my poster child for the special role that ethnic news media can play in their communities.

Why we tell stories

Listening to stories can make you laugh, cry, snicker or soar. Telling stories can help you retrieve lost history, discover connections with strangers, and understand your deepest feelings. Sometimes, they can even help you heal. These were some of the points I drew from a conversation with three individuals who use storytelling in their work.