FAMILY TO PRESENT ISSEI WOMAN'S POETRY AT PROGRAM SET FOR NOV. 6

The daughter and granddaughter will make a special presentation of the Japanese poetry and life of Shizue Harada in a program set for Saturday, November 6, beginning at 2 p.m. at the Japanese American National Museum. The Uyeki family will present a reading of Sanae, Senryu Poet: Her Life in 5-7-5, highlighted with accompanying visual images called haiga created by her granddaughter.

Shizue Harada came to the United States in the 1920s with her husband who she wed in an arranged marriage. She did not become Sanae, a writer of a Japanese poetry form called senryu, until she had lived a full life, working factory jobs and raising two children.

Sanae's daughter, Aiko Uyeki, compiled her mother's poignant poetry in a collection that captures Sanae's strong Buddhist faith, her wry humor and simple wisdom. It includes her musings about growing old and her approaching death. Complementing these poems is the artwork of Amy Uyeki, Sanae's granddaughter. With word and image, a picture is painted of the life of Shizue Harada, a Meiji-era wife whose story mirrors many Issei (first generation Japanese Americans) who left familiar shores to seek the American dream.

The reading will be followed by a workshop that explores the medium of senryu, encouraging participants to write their own poems and suggesting techniques to get started. Examples of haiga or poem painting will be shared and there will be opportunities to create both senryu and haiga. Intergenerational participation is encouraged.

This project has been made possible by a grant from the Alliance for California Traditional Arts, in partnership with the Walter and Elise Haas Fund, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the James Irvine Foundation, with sponsorship through the Ink People Center for the Arts. For more information, call the Japanese American National Museum at (213) 625-0414.