The Nail That Sticks Out
Publication is expected for October 2024. Sign up to receive advance notice.
Toronto Arts Council
Writers Grant
Thanks to the Toronto Arts Council for providing a writers grant to complete this important work.
What I’m working on
My efforts to preserve cultural memories for future generations during my MFA at the University of King’s College has taken on a life of its own. I am so grateful to be able to share this work with a wider audience.
The Nail That Sticks Out: Growing up Japanese Canadian in Postwar Toronto examines Japanese Canadian history and cultural arts via family stories, which reflect on generational conflict, identity, belonging, displacement and racism.
The work bridges two cultures and contrasts the North American dream of achievement through the conformity imposed by the Japanese adage: the nail that sticks out gets hammered in.