Debra Carlson

Debra Carlson wrote a novel, Shakuhachi, which won third place in the Historical Fiction category of the 2010 Pacific Northwest Writers Association literary awards. Named after bamboo flutes first played by Zen Buddhist monks in the seventh century, Shakuhachi follows the story of an eight-year-old boy whose world is tossed upside-down in 1940’s Japan. The novel examines the courage and commitment required from individuals and nations to endure wartime horrors and to confront the ghosts that arise.