Joy Kogawa at the Vancouver Public Library Opening One Book, One Vancouver
By Richard Eriksson on May 26, 2005 - 12:23pm
She struck me as a really neat lady, as she was at times nervous—she was speaking before friends, which she noted was unusual—and other times happy because she said it felt like a homecoming.
Going from memory (I left my laptop at the office, choosing to take in what she said instead of spending energy documenting it), she spoke of going from expecting to be happy if one of her poems were published to having the expectations met and exceeded beyond what she could have imagined. She mentioned a soon-to-be published book by Roy Miki about movement in Canada to seek redress for Japanese-Canadians relocated during World War II. Most interesting part of her talk was her question to her brother, in the audience, about the Japanese Canadians, born and raised in Canada but sent back to Japan, and the research currently underway about those people. The most interesting part of her talk was her question to her brother, in the audience, about the Japanese Canadians, born and raised in Canada but sent back to Japan and those who stayed there, despite having to lead a life as Japanese rather than as Canadians, and the research currently underway about those people.
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