Category Archives: Japanese-American

The Color of a Voice

Can an author write a point of view voice that is not hers? I used to think so, but the more I write and the more think about it, I wonder. If a point of view cannot be written with … Continue reading

Posted in African-American, Broken Dolls, Broken Dreams, culture, Japanese-American, Memoirs of a Geisha, The Help, Writing | Tagged , , | 32 Comments

Happy Hour with Nobu

In writing Broken Dreams, the sequel to The Red Kimono, most of my characters have readily begun to tell me their stories—all except Nobu. Though I’ve perched at my computer countless hours trying to claw out his first chapter, after … Continue reading

Posted in Broken Dolls, Broken Dreams, internment camp, Interview, Japanese-American, Writing | 20 Comments

Happy Hour with Nobu

In writing Broken Dreams, the sequel to The Red Kimono, most of my characters have readily begun to tell me their stories—all except Nobu. Though I’ve perched at my computer countless hours trying to claw out his first chapter, after … Continue reading

Posted in Broken Dolls, Broken Dreams, internment camp, Interview, Japanese-American, Writing | 20 Comments

Site of Rohwer Internment Camp Gets Grant Money

The KUAR website has announced that Arkansas will receive $400,000 in Federal grant money for its projects devoted to the detention of Japanese-Americans during World War II. I visited Rohwer in November, 2009 as part of my research for my novel, … Continue reading

Posted in Broken Dolls, internment, Japanese-American, Johanna Miller Lewis, Life Interrupted, Rohwer, Writing | 5 Comments

Site of Rohwer Internment Camp Gets Grant Money

The KUAR website has announced that Arkansas will receive $400,000 in Federal grant money for its projects devoted to the detention of Japanese-Americans during World War II. I visited Rohwer in November, 2009 as part of my research for my novel, … Continue reading

Posted in Broken Dolls, internment, Japanese-American, Johanna Miller Lewis, Life Interrupted, Rohwer, Writing | 5 Comments

It’s a Small World After All

It’s a world of laughter A world of tears It’s a world of hopes And a world of fears There’s so much that we share That it’s time we’re aware It’s a small world after all    When I was … Continue reading

Posted in Broken Dolls, China, Friendship, internment, Japanese-American, nostalgia | 6 Comments

The Japanese Philosophy of "Gaman"

The blossoms have fallen, I stare blankly at a world Bereft of color; In the wide vacant sky The spring rains are falling.                   —-Princess Shikushi (died 1201) Gaman: Patience, endurance, perseverance. My mother is Japanese, so the philosophy of … Continue reading

Posted in Broken Dolls, earthquake, gaman, Japanese, Japanese-American, tsunami | 5 Comments

A Conversation with Sachiko Kimura

This is the first of three conversations I will have with the protagonists of my novel, The Red Kimono. The book follows the lives of nine-year old Japanese American, Sachiko Kimura, her seventeen-year old brother, Nobu, and his African-American friend, Terrence Harris, from … Continue reading

Posted in Broken Dolls, internment, Japanese-American, Writing | 4 Comments

A Conversation with Sachiko Kimura

This is the first of three conversations I will have with the protagonists of my novel, The Red Kimono. The book follows the lives of nine-year old Japanese American, Sachiko Kimura, her seventeen-year old brother, Nobu, and his African-American friend, Terrence Harris, from … Continue reading

Posted in Broken Dolls, internment, Japanese-American, Writing | 4 Comments

Tiger Mom Roaring

I have been intrigued by the almost rabid discussion that has taken place since the release of Amy Chua’s book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. I first read about the Tiger Mom in the Life and Culture section of … Continue reading

Posted in Broken Dolls, Japanese-American, nostalgia, tiger mom, Writing | 3 Comments