(LEFT) Lane Hirabayashi & Wakako Yamauchi; (RIGHT) Valerie Matsumoto, UCLA History Professor (author of Farming the Home Place) with Wakako Yamauchi

(LEFT) Kathryn Otoshi; (RIGHT) Carolyn and Wakako

The Krafty Delites Craft Show #1, graciously hosted by Rick and Stephanie Nakayama, was held on October 24, 2010, at the Carson Community Center. Three award-winning authors joined us to sign their books including Wakako Yamauchi, Lane Hirabayashi, and Kathryn Otoshi.

Although Kathryn woke up with a case of laryngitis the day before, she drove down from northern California to join us. She proved to be a good sport and happily greeted customers in whispered phrases and (very artistically) written signage. But, of course her beautiful books -- Zero, One (winner of ten awards!), What Emily Saw, Maneki Neko -- very clearly spoke for themselves!

Lane Hirabayashi, the George and Sakaye Aratani Professor of the Japanese American Internment, Redress, and Community at UCLA, was on hand to sign his Japanese American Resettlement Through the Lens. Lane's book has received three awards including a 2010 Honorable Mention for Adult Non-Fiction by the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association.

Lastly, acclaimed playwright, Wakako Yamauchi, joined us to celebrate the recent publication of her Rosebud and Other Stories. Born in 1924 in the Imperial Valley, Wakako's stories collected in Rosebud were written in her later years, focusing on the clarity of her language and "telling the story as close to the truth as I can." Paul Spickard of UC Santa Barbara describes Wakako as "one of the foremothers of Asian American writing..."

It was a pleasure and honor to be amongst family, friends and fans as we all celebrated the work of these remarkable authors, historians and artists.

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