Lawson Fusao Inada facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lawson Fusao Inada
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Lawson Inada (left) with Frank Chin, Shawn Wong, and Michael Chan on the set of John Korty's 1976 film, Farewell to Manzanar
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| Born | May 26, 1938 |
| Occupation | poet |
Lawson Fusao Inada, born on May 26, 1938, is a famous Japanese American poet. He was even named the fifth poet laureate of Oregon, which is a special honor for a writer!
Early Life and Internment
Lawson Inada was born in Fresno, California. He is a Sansei, which means he is a third-generation Japanese American. His father, Fusaji, was a dentist, and his mother, Masako, helped run their family's fish market.
When Lawson was only three years old, his family faced a very difficult time. During World War II, many Japanese Americans, including the Inada family, were forced to leave their homes. They were sent to special camps called internment camps.
The Inada family lived in camps in Fresno, Arkansas, and Colorado. After the war ended, they returned to Fresno. Their friends had kindly looked after their fish market while they were away.
Jazz Music and Poetry
After the war, Lawson Inada became a jazz musician. He played the bass. He loved the music of famous artists like Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Billie Holiday. Later, he would write poems inspired by these musicians.
Lawson says that jazz music and his experiences in the internment camps were his biggest influences as a poet. He studied writing at Fresno State University, the University of Oregon, and the University of Iowa.
A Poet's Journey
Lawson Inada began teaching at the University of New Hampshire in 1962. He later moved to Oregon and earned a special degree in writing from the University of Oregon in 1966. That same year, he started teaching poetry at Southern Oregon University.
In 1994, his book Legends from Camp won an American Book Award. This was a big achievement! He also received several special awards for his poetry from the National Endowment for the Arts. In 1997, he won the Stafford/Hall Award for Poetry.
In 2006, Lawson Inada was chosen as Oregon's fifth poet laureate. This means he was recognized as the state's top poet. He was the first person to hold this important role since 1990. He continued in this role until 2010.
Notable Books
Lawson Inada has written many important books of poetry and helped edit others. Here are some of his well-known works:
- Before the War; Poems as They Happened, 1971.
- Aiiieeeee! An Anthology of Asian-American Writers, 1974 (He helped edit this book).
- The Buddha Bandits Down Highway 99, 1978.
- Legends From Camp, 1993. This book won the American Book Award.
- Drawing the Line, 1997. This book won the Oregon Book Award for Poetry.
- Only What We Could Carry: The Japanese American Internment Experience, 2000 (He edited this book and wrote the introduction).
See Also
- List of Asian American writers
- Japanese American Internment
- Japanese American Historical Plaza, Portland
