I’m an Asian American (Japanese/Filipina) creative nonfiction writer and public historian living in Tacoma. I write from an interdisciplinary space at the intersection of literature, American ethnic studies, activism, and history. Most of my writing focuses on family, memory, history, and silence—not necessarily in that order.

Thank you for those kind words! It depends on the context, or the “assignment.” I think my superpower is versatility; I look at the rules of the genre or assignment, and see where I can find the rules, when I can flex the rules, when I need to follow them, and when I can throw them out altogether. I like the research that’s involved in exhibit writing and encyclopedia articles. I like the personal connections that I’ve been able to develop through artist profiles, interviews, and community journalism. But the essay is my home genre, where I find a lot of freedom and play in personal memory, history, lyricism, structure, storytelling.

I publish frequently in many different venues, and it’s rare for me to look back on my work—so, thanks for asking that question! I can sense myself growing into a writerly voice and presence that I have always wanted to be: bolder, more confident, more lyrical, more playful, more open and vulnerable.

I write to honor all the astonishing love that came before me. I was looking through some baby pictures and I just marveled at the generational wealth of love I’ve received from my family, friends, and communities.

I have a memoir coming out in Spring 2026 with the University of Washington Press, called A Place for What We Lose: A Daughter’s Return to Tule Lake. I worked on the book off and on for 15 years, and to have statewide recognition for this persistence—and all the writing it took for me to reach this point—is truly wonderful. I hope that the Fellowship can help me bring my forthcoming memoir to my Japanese American community and its core audiences. I also hope this award can help to highlight other Asian Pacific American writers in Pierce County, since building community is crucial for me to continue my artmaking.

I’ve been heartened to see the scope of granted awards expand beyond a couple of counties in the state and hope that continues. I’d love to see more mentoring programs, especially among award “alums”, and more chances to get to know each other across disciplines and geographies. The Periplus Collective is one example of a mentoring program that could possibly happen at this state level: an artist and mentor meet once a month (Zoom, phone, otherwise) and talk about issues in their artistic practices.