- David Mura
-
David Mura (born 1952) is a Japanese American author, poet, novelist, playwright, critic and performance artist.[1] His most recent book is his novel, Famous Suicides of the Japanese Empire (Coffee House Press, 2008). His honors include two NEA fellowships, the 1994 Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Writers Award (which includes a cash prize of $105,000),[2] and a US/Japan Creative Artist Fellowship, two Bush Foundation Fellowships, four Loft-McKnight Awards, several Minnesota State Arts Board grants, and a Discovery/The Nation Award.[3] He has had his work published in literary journals and magazines including The Nation, The American Poetry Review, The New Republic, The Missouri Review, and Crazyhorse.[4]
David Mura was born in 1952 and grew up in Chicago, the oldest of four children. He is a third generation Japanese American son of parents interned during World War II.[5] Mura earned his B.A. from Grinnell College and his M.F.A. in creative writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts.[6] He has taught at the University of Minnesota, St. Olaf College, The Loft Literary Center, and the University of Oregon.[7] He currently resides in Saint Paul, Minnesota, with his wife Susan Sencer and their three children; Samantha, Nikko and Tomo.[8][9]
Contents
Published works
Full-Length Poetry Collections
- Angels for the Burning: Poems (BOA Editions, Ltd., 2004)
- The Colors of Desire: Poems (Anchor Books, 1995)
- After We Lost Our Way (Dutton, 1989; Carnegie-Mellon Press, 1997 - 2nd Edition)
Novels
- Famous Suicides of the Japanese Empire (Coffee House Press, 2008)
- A Male Grief: Notes on Pornography and Addiction: An Essay (Milkweed Editions, 1987).
Memoirs
- Where the Body Meets Memory: An Odyssey of Race, Sexuality and Identity (Anchor Books, 1995)
- Turning Japanese: Memoirs of a Sansei (Atlantic Monthly Press, 1991; Anchor Books, 1992; Grove Press, 2005 - 3rd Edition)
Literary Criticism
- Song for Uncle Tom, Tonto, and Mr. Moto: Poetry and Identity (University of Michigan Press, 2002)
Honors and awards
- 1994 Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Writers Award
- 1993 National Endowment for the Arts - Literature Fellowships[10]
- 1988 National Poetry Series[11]
- 1987 Discovery/The Nation Award
- 1985 National Endowment for the Arts - Literature Fellowships
- 1984 U.S. - Japan Creative Artist Fellowship
References
- ^ "David Mura". Minnesota Historical Society. Accessed September 6, 2008.
- ^ Grossmann, Mary Ann (December 21, 1994). "St. Paul poet David Mura wins $105,000 prize". St. Paul Pioneer Press.
- ^ Author Website > Biography
- ^ Minnesota Historical Society > Minnesota Authors Biographies Project > David Mura > Bio
- ^ "Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Writers' Award: The art of the possible....".
- ^ Author Website > Biography
- ^ The Library of Congress > The Library Today > Poets David Mura and Claudia Rankine To Read at the Library of Congress > November 9, 1995
- ^ "David Mura: Writer, Speaker, Performer, Teacher". Accessed September 7, 2008. (primary source)
- ^ http://www.davidmura.com/biography.htm
- ^ NEA Literature Fellowships > Forty Years of Supporting American Writers
- ^ The National Poetry Series > 1988 Winners
Sources
External links
Categories: American writers of Japanese descent | 1952 births | Living people | Vermont College of Fine Arts alumni | People from Minnesota | Writers from Minnesota | People from Chicago, Illinois | Writers from Illinois | American novelists | American essayists | American memoirists | American poets of Asian descent | American novelists of Asian descent
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
