Breaking Silences: Poets on the Legacy of Japanese American Imprisonment

Part of the SCORES Poetry Summit

In this dynamic group presentation, Brian Komei Dempster, Mia Ayumi Malhotra, and Brynn Saito will read and discuss their poems informed by a monumental historical event: the forced removal and unjust imprisonment of their family members--along with over 120,000 Japanese Americans--during World War II. Through a reading of their work and interactive dialogue, these poets will share how the whispered voices of their ancestors infuse the present--and how the legacy of Japanese American wartime incarceration shapes their poetry and connects them to one another.