Lois-Ann Yamanaka
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Lois-Ann Yamanaka (born September 7, 1961 in Hoʻolehua, Molokaʻi, Hawaiʻi) is a Japanese American poet and novelist from Hawaii. Many of her critically acclaimed literary works are written in Hawaiian Pidgin, and some of her writing has dealt with controversial ethnic issues. In particular, her works confront themes of Asian American families and the local culture of Hawaii.
Among her principal works are:
- Saturday Night at the Pahala Theatre, a book of poems written in Hawaiian Pidgin (1993)
- Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers (1996)
- Blu's Hanging (1997)
- Heads by Harry (1998)
- Name Me Nobody (2000)
- Father of the Four Passages (2001)
- The Heart's Language (2005)
- Behold the Many (2006)
In 1993, Saturday Night at the Pahala Theatre received the Pushcart Prize for poetry. Later, in 1994, the Association for Asian American Studies awarded the collection its fiction award.
In 1998, her novel Blu's Hanging was also awarded a fiction award by the Association of Asian American Studies. However, amid similar accusations that the book's portrayal of one of the characters perpetuated stereotypes about Filipino men, the board rescinded the award. This action sparked controversy among the Asian American literary community (with noted Asian American authors Amy Tan and Maxine Hong Kingston supporting Yamanaka).
In 2004, a short film, Silent Years, based on Yamanaka's screenplay was released. It is a story about a thirteen-year-old girl caught between an abusive uncle and a seventeen-year-old boyfriend, who expects a gift for his high school graduation.[1]
The April 2007 issue of Honolulu Magazine has an excerpt from Yamanaka's upcoming novel, with the working title, The Mother Mary Stories[1].
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[edit] Family
Yamanaka is the oldest of four daughters who grew up in Pahala on the Big Island of Hawaii. Her mother was a schoolteacher and father a school-administrator-turned-taxidermist. She is married to John Inferrera. They have a son, John, Jr.
[edit] Education
[edit] Awards
- National Endowment for the Humanities grant, 1990
- Pushcart Prize for Poetry, 1993
- Carnegie Foundation Grant, 1994
- National Endowment for the Arts grant, 1994
- Pushcart Prize, 1994
- Rona Jaffe Award for Women Writers, 1996
- Lannan Literary Award, 1998
- Asian American Literary Award, 1998.
[edit] External links
- Official site
- Two articles on Lois-Ann Yamanaka
- "What Boddah You?: The Authenticity Debate," The Nation, March 1, 1999
- Lois-Ann Yamanaka profile on Tom Bolling's faculty pages
- Lois-Ann Yamanaka at the Internet Movie Database
