David Mura--Where the Body Meets Memory

•  ARTICLE HE WROTE on MEMOIR/AUTOBIOGRAPHY--PLEASE READ FOR Monday and Wednesday's class on October 25 & 27.

• David Mura is a poet, novelist, and memoirist who has written most about his experience of being a Sansei--or third generation Japanese American whose life is underpinned by the experience of his parents and grandparents in World War II in the U.S.  

• David Mura's official website has some poetry, excerpts, & interviews.

• Here is a short video that shows Mura talking about the experience of growing up with the silence about the history of Japanese Internment and Incarceration of Japanese Americans.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2WG91Rf9LY&feature=related

•  The Densho project is the best place on the internet to find substantive/reviewed information about Japanese Internment and related topics.  This link is for a Reading called "The Question of Loyalty" about the two questions asked of detainees who could serve in the armed services concerning their loyalty to the United States.  The answer and response created conflict among Japanese Americans.

Narrative Threads--Writing our Story as we Read and Listen

We are focusing in our class on reading the story of Gogol and his family in The Namesake.  We are learning about another classmate by doing the cultural interview.  Next, you will write your own story as the first paper--a personal and reflective narrative.  Here are two resources to help you write and read the story of others.  More on listening from Jane in Monday's class.  We all have amazing stories to tell, hear, and write.

PEER EDITING of TYPED Drafts on Monday, Oct. 11; Return Peer Feedback on Oct. 13; 
ESSAY #1 DUE on Oct. 18th--with a 1-2 page Process narrative about your Writing Steps.

A sample student paper written by a former student, Jessica, called "The Leaky Canteen."
Another sample student paper written for this assignment.  Tom on "Saying Yes"
An personal narrative essay by Mary Catherine Bateson (two famous parents) called "Composing a Life."

Beginnings: Sustaining Our Identity and Culture in a Multicultural Society

WELCOME!  Fall quarter in the evening Beginnings: Sustaining Our Identity and Culture in a Multicultural Sociey class where we will focus on culture, identity, immigration,communication across differences and how these themes are located in our lives and in society.

The first book that we will read and discuss in class seminars is Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri--see information to learn more about her below.  Get this book, start reading(Ch. 1-5 by Oct. 6th), and begin marking passages with the following themes:  culture; identity; family; history; immigration; gender; communication.  Underline and NOTE any places where you are confused, curious, or want to refer to during discussion.  In this class, you will learn to "Mark UP" your books in order to participate in our seminars--learn more about this in class this week and next as we begin our learning community class this quarter. 

Jhumpa Lahiri

Jhumpa Lahiri has written one novel, The Namesake, and two equally compelling collections of short stories, Interpreter of Maladies and Unaccustomed Earth.  She has won a Pulitzer Prize.

Read about Lahiri on this site dedicated to the works by women of color at the University of Minnesota.

Below is an interview with the author by Arun Aguiar.  
This link is to the Seattle Public Library document called "Seattle Reads" where Lahiri was featured in 2007.  You will find some more information and some great questions about the book.