Seventeen Syllables: Sharing Stories of Internment

We’re throwing a special reception to present our fourth Lifetime Achievement Award to Hisaye Yamamoto, the legendary author of Seventeen Syllables, an edgy and sexual short story collection about how hard it can be for the Nisei and Issei generations to understand one another. Born in 1921, Hisaye wrote part of the collection while written in internment camps in Poston, Arizona. At dinner, Smithsonian-recognized painter Roger Shimomura presents a special artist talk featuring paintings depicting his childhood in Idaho internment camps during the Second World War. At cocktails, Roger will present the award to a member of Hisaye’s family and prominent Asian American community members will share stories from their family about internment. In honor of the title story of Hisaye’s collection, which features a mother’s obsession with haiku, we’ll have well-known literary figures sell you personalized haikus at ten bucks a pop. Join us for an eclectic night, at the intersection between art and politics, as we honor the stories that pass between one generation to another.