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International Examiner

The PNW’s only nonprofit ANHPIA media since 1974, based in the heart of Seattle’s Chinatown-ID. We produce a twice-monthly newspaper and daily-updated website.

Established in 1974, the International Examiner (IE) is the oldest and largest nonprofit, pan-Asian Pacific American publication in the Northwest. Named after the historic and thriving multi-ethnic International District (ID) of Seattle, the IE aspires to be a credible catalyst for building an inspiring, connected, well-respected, and socially conscious Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) c

ommunity. Our mission is to promote critical thinking, dialogue, and action by providing timely, accurate, and culturally sensitive coverage of relevant AAPI matters. We are a multi-media informational, educational, arts, culture, and heritage organization. The IE also provides learning opportunities for AAPI youth, professionals and community members.

08/10/2025

Sonora Jha’s ‘Intemperance’ blends romcoms, Hindu myths, and feminist musings

Full article by Nalini Ayer at https://iexaminer.org/sonora-jha-intemperance-book-review-seattle-readings/ and in the current print issue

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A single Indian American Sociology professor in Seattle, five weeks away from her fifty-fifth birthday, decides to throw a swayamvar. A practice referenced in Hindu epics and myths, a swayamvar is a contest set up by a king to find eligible suitors for his daughter.

The eligible men must perform impossible feats to win the hand of the princess. Such moments are key to the plot in Ramayana and the Mahabharata, among the many Indian narratives that feature this distinctive event. This practice undergirds how royal families promulgated political power by ensuring alliances with powerful warrior kings using their daughters as pawns in that political game.

In Intermperance, Sonora Jha playfully adapts the swayamvar to 21st century Seattle, and this delightful novel takes the reader into a provocative, witty, and poignant exploration of marriage, family, migration, relationships, caste, disability, race, desire, sexuality and so much more. Drawing from a variety of genres—rom-coms (our protagonist lives on a house boat in Lake Union, a nod to Sleepless in Seattle), Hindu mythology (goddesses pop up unexpectedly to guide and occasionally thwart the protagonist), magical realism (a smear of kohl sent by a distant relative from India sparks time travel to the protagonist’s complicated family history)—the novel blends a delightful plot with intersectional feminist meditations on a middle-aged woman’s quest for love.

07/10/2025

Performance piece by artists Eiko Otake and Wen Hui questions why humanity still fights wars

Full article by Roxanne Ray at https://iexaminer.org/eiko-otake-wen-hui-on-the-boards-performance/ and in the current print issue

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Artists Eiko Otake and Wen Hui have a lot in common: they are both women dance performers, choreographers, and filmmakers. Both grew up in Asia—Otake in postwar Japan and Hui in China during the Cultural Revolution—and both relocated to pursue their work in a new setting, with Otake in New York and Hui in Europe.

In the past five years, Otake and Hui have joined together to consider how their bodies are a repository for their memories.

“We met in 1995 in China while performing at the Guangdong International Experimental Theater Festival,” Otake reported, in regard to her performance there as part of her duo Eiko and Koma. “Because I had long history working with Koma [Otake], and she was working with her partner, there was a sense of camaraderie I felt being in a small-size company.”

The two then worked remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic on a feature-length
documentary film, No Rule Is Our Rule, and now, are working together again on a new performance piece, What is War. It will be performed in October at On the Boards. Why, 80 years after the end of the World War II, do we still have wars? That is the central question of Otake and Hui’s new performance piece.

07/10/2025

As students head back for the 2025-26 school year, 37 students at the Chinese Information and Services Center (CISC) Bilingual Preschool are returning to a new location and a program with double the capacity. The preschool, which teaches in both Mandarin Chinese and English, has relocated from its Y...

07/10/2025

Since 2011, the Short Run Comix Festival has celebrated the “medium of comics as a coalescence of art and literature,” featuring not just standard comics but also zines and other self-published and handmade books from around the world. This year, the festival relocates after eight years at the S...

07/10/2025

Civic Poet Dujie Tahat -- born to Filipino and Jordanian parents -- shares the poem "On Devotion."

Hosted at a One Seattle community event hosted by the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs in Seattle City Hall.

03/10/2025

CISC expanded bilingual Mandarin-English preschool relocates to Chinatown-International District

Full article by Hong Ta at https://iexaminer.org and in the current print issue

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As students head back for the 2025-26 school year, 37 students at the Chinese Information and Services Center (CISC) Bilingual Preschool are returning to a new location and a program with double the capacity.

The preschool, which teaches in both Mandarin Chinese and English, has relocated from its Yesler to Chinatown International District (CID) location, increasing its enrollment from 19 in the 2024-25 school year to 39 for the 2025-26 school year.

According to Program Director Hueiling Chan, what initially began as a half-day program in 2006 with 10 kids has now quickly grown to adapt to the need for bilingual education. In 2017, it relocated to Yesler, but could only operate for 10 months out of the year due to summer programming conflicts organized by another program at the site. Now, the preschool will run year-round at the new location.

“The reason we started a preschool program is that we heard the needs from the community…” said Chan. “They want a bilingual program because they feel like their kids are losing their culture and also losing their language, especially once they get into kindergarten.”

01/10/2025

OCTOBER 2025 ISSUE IS HERE!

📰 Pick up a printed copy; distribution locations at iexaminer.org/distribution 📰

Cover design by Stephanie Mai inspired by our upcoming Community Voice Awards on October 23:

“A dragon spirals skyward from a lotus-filled pond. The lotus flowers, deeply rooted yet rising above the water’s surface, mirrors the resilience and adaptability of local change-makers and organizations in the face of evolving challenges for our community.”

COVERAGE OF CVA AWARD WINNERS:

Leadership in Community Award winner Maria Abando draws inspiration from her roots to support diverse communities by Jadenne Radoc Cabahug

Leadership in Business Award winner Thanh-Nga Nguyễn of Chu Minh Tofu Deli measures success in love and compassion by Mark van Streefkerk

Lifetime Achievement Award winner Stanley Shikuma’s activism and solidarity transcend time by Mark van Streefkerk

Tatsuo Nakata Youth Award winner Nurhaliza Mohamath connects Rainier Beach youth to farmers and food justice by Mark van Streefkerk

Leadership in Journalism Award winner Ken Mochizuki followed his heart in all that he did by Ron Chew .chew.33

Leadership in Arts & Culture winner Ping Foong uses her curatorial knowledge to share vital stories with the public by Melody Ip

FEATURED NEWS STORIES

New ICHS senior center designed to support community members aging in place and with dignity by Adrian Alarilla

Ruby Luke passes away at 91 by Ron Chew

CISC expanded bilingual Mandarin-English preschool relocates to CID by Hong Ta

Seattle’s social housing movement enters a new phase by Evelyn Chow

ARTS

Festival to showcase hundreds of original comics, zines and handmade books on Nov. 1 by Roxanne Ray

Poet Garrett Hongo raises his voice with Ocean of Clouds by Sharon Hashimoto

Author Bora Chung’s book of ghost stories by Jennifer Lee

How to Stand up to a Dictator review by Juanita Tamayo Lott

Eiko Otake and Wen Hui at by Roxanne Ray

Sonora Jha’s new novel by Nalini Ayer.. and much more!!!

30/09/2025

THROWBACK to the 2024 International Examiner Community Voice Awards, with photos by Theo Bickel ~

We sure hope to see you again this year!!

🌸🌸🌸

🐤 EARLY-BIRD TICKETS END SEP. 30 🐤 for International Examiner's Community Voices Awards 2025: Celebrating Asian Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander American Leaders

October 23, 2025
at Diamond Bay Restaurant

Visit fundraiser.support/cva2025 to purchase an individual ticket or support IE with an entire table of friends and kin.

🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽

This year’s CVA will honor and celebrate:

Ping Foong – Leadership in Arts & Culture

Stan Shikuma – Lifetime Achievement Award

Maria Abando – Leadership in Community

Thanh-Nga “Tanya” Nguyễn – Leadership in Business

Ken Mochizuki – Leadership in Journalism

Nurhaliza Mohamath – Tatsuo Nakata Leadership Award .mohamath

Plus a performance by Seattle Kokon Taiko

30/09/2025

Community Voice Awards Winner 2025: Leadership in Arts winner Ping Foong uses curatorial knowledge to share thought-provoking stories

Read the story by Melody Ip -- now online and in next month's print issue, coming out the first Wednesday of October.

EXCERPT:

Ai, Rebel: The Art and Activism of Ai Weiwei, shown at Seattle Art Museum (SAM) between March and September 2025, was the largest-ever U.S. retrospective of the groundbreaking contemporary Chinese artist’s work, showcasing 130 pieces from more than 40 years of Ai’s career. After seeing the show, Ai said it was his “strongest in terms of narrative and expression.”

The curator and force behind this monumental exhibit was Ping Foong, the Foster Foundation Curator of SAM. At first glance, Foong may seem like an unusual curator of Ai’s work. She has a Ph.D. in Chinese art and archaeology and was previously a professor of art history and Chinese art. She received The Joseph Levenson Book Prize for her monograph on 11th century Chinese ink painting and is currently working on a book about medieval Buddhist calligraphy.

🌸🌸🌸

🐤 EARLY-BIRD TICKETS END SEP. 30 🐤 for International Examiner's Community Voices Awards 2025: Celebrating Asian Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander American Leaders

October 23, 2025
at Diamond Bay Restaurant

Visit fundraiser.support/cva2025 to purchase an individual ticket or support IE with an entire table of friends and kin.

27/09/2025

🐤 EARLY-BIRD TICKETS END SEP. 30 🐤

Join us for our International Examiner's Community Voices Awards 2025: Celebrating Asian Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander American Leaders

October 23, 2025
at Diamond Bay Restaurant

Visit fundraiser.support/cva2025 to purchase an individual ticket or support IE with an entire table of friends and kin.

🌸🌸🌸

With more than a half-century of experience, the International Examiner celebrates its 52nd year in 2025.

The International Examiner’s annual fundraiser dinner, the Community Voice Awards (CVA), highlights local change-making leaders and organizations. Rooted in expansiveness and resilience despite shifting challenges within the journalistic space, the IE celebrates this year’s CVA with a theme of ROOTED & RISING.

THIS YEAR'S CVA WILL HONOR & CELEBRATE:

Ping Foong
Leadership in Arts & Culture

Stan Shikuma
Lifetime Achievement Award

Maria Abando
Leadership in Community

Thanh-Nga “Tanya” Nguyễn
.cafe
Leadership in Business

Ken Mochizuki
Leadership in Journalism

Nurhaliza Mohamath .mohamath
Tatsuo Nakata Leadership Award

This year’s CVAs takes place on October 23rd at the Diamond Bay Restaurant in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District. Tickets cover an intimate experience with a delicious 9-course Chinese banquet meal, an awards ceremony, and an evening in conversation with other like-minded supporters of local journalism.

🌸🌸🌸

Sponsorship opportunities are also available; email [email protected] for details.

If you can't make it in-person, we still welcome you to make a contribution via fundraiser.support/cva2025 to help us reach our fundraising goal and continue bringing incredible journalism to the Northwest!

27/09/2025

From advocacy to acquisition: Seattle’s social housing movement enters a new phase

Full article by Evelyn Chow at https://iexaminer.org/advocacy-acquisition-seattle-social-housing-developer-movement-update/ and in the next print issue

🏘🏘🏘

Two years after Seattle voters created the nation’s first social housing developer through a citizen initiative (I-135), the movement is reaching crucial milestones as it prepares for its first major acquisition early next year.

Social housing is a form of permanently affordable, publicly owned housing that is available to people of all incomes. Successful models of social housing can be seen around the world, from Vienna to Singapore.

In Seattle, social housing is being supported by two coordinated but independent organizations: House Our Neighbors, which operates as both a 501(c)(4) and 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on advocacy and education, and the Seattle Social Housing Developer (SSHD), a Public Development Authority (PDA) focused on acquiring and developing properties.

CAPTION: Tiffani McCoy (left) and Naishin Fu (right) posing with “Housey” during the Activator Membership launch. (Photo Credit: Patty Tang )

25/09/2025

Ruby Luke, sister of the late political and cultural pioneer Wing Luke, passed away on September 8 at the age of 91.

The lifelong Seattleite, known for her love of dance and bright sequined outfits, had been in failing health in recent years. She finally succumbed to heart and liver failure, with daughter Cynthia del Rosario at her side during her final moments.

During the Wing Luke Museum’s ambitious $23 million capital campaign to convert the historic East Kong Yick building into its new home, Ruby and sisters Bettie Luke and Marguerite Young teamed up to raise $100,000 to support construction. They each contributed money and spurred members of the Luke Family Association to join them.

Ruby Luke was born on July 16, 1934. She graduated from Garfield High School and the University of Washington. She worked for 35 years as a technical illustrator at Boeing, retiring in 1992.

She was the third of six siblings: Wing, Constance, Bob, Marguerite and Bettie were the others.

**

Full article by Ron Chew at .chew.33 at https://iexaminer.org/ruby-luke-passes-away-at-91/

Memorial gifts can be directed to the Wing Luke Museum and Rain Country Dance Association . The family will organize a celebration of life in the future.

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