**This forthcoming title is only available for preorder at this time
“Rarely have I encountered a book that portrays the Okinawan American experience with such intimacy, humor, and brutal honesty. The literature and art in UchinaAmerican prompted a deep reflection on my own Uchinānchu identity. I am in awe of the creativity of this project—and I cannot wait for the world to see this book”
— Destin Daniel Cretton, independent filmmaker and director for Marvel Studios
In UchinaAmerican: Anthology of Okinawan American Art & Literature, more than 70 artists and writers explore the question, "What does it mean to be Okinawan American?"
A companion to Chiburu: Anthology of Hawaiʻi Okinawan Literature, this collection expands the showcase of Okinawan American voices to the U.S. continent. Editors Lee A. Tonouchi, Laura Kina, and Wesley Iwao Ueunten curate a compilation of pivotal historical works alongside fresh new voices weaving a shared discourse of determination, joy and dissent.
Addressing the historical absence of diasporic Okinawan narratives in the U.S. Asian American literary canon, this collection gathers a vital cohort of Okinawan American creatives. Through a vibrant array of expressions—including short stories, poetry, spoken word, essays, comics, stand-up comedy, drama, film, song, dance, music, art, craft, graphic design, fashion, and more—these creators engage with critical socio-political themes, examining the intersections of assimilation, militarism, and war trauma while championing cultural resilience, decolonization, and Indigenous futurity as pathways to peace.
________
Co-Editor "Da Pidgin Guerrilla" Lee A. Tonouchi currently stay Hawai‘i's Poet Laureate (2026-2029). His poetry collection Significant Moments in da Life of Oriental Faddah and Son: One Hawai‘i Okinawan Journal won da Association for Asian American Studies Book Award. His children's picture book Okinawan Princess: Da Legend of Hajichi Tattoos won one Skipping Stones Honor Award. An'den his play UchinaAloha wen go win one Po‘okela Award. In 2023 da American Association for Applied Linguistics wen recognize him with one Distinguished Public Service Award for his work in raising public awareness of important language-related issues and promoting linguistic social justice.
Co-Editor Laura Kina (she/they) is a queer, disabled, yonsei, mixed-race Uchinānchu artist, author, and Vincent de Paul Professor at The Art School at DePaul University in Chicago. Her publications include co-authoring War Baby/Love Child: Mixed Race Asian American Art, Queering Contemporary Asian American Art, Word of Mouth Asian American Artist Sharing Recipes, and illustrating Okinawan Princess: Da Legend of Hajichi Tattoos. Kina’s public collections include the Mingei International Museum, Okinawa Prefectural Museum and Art Museum, and The Smithsonian Archives of American Art. In 2026, Kina received a Lifetime Achievement award from the Association for Asian American Studies.
Co-Editor Wesley Iwao Ueunten was born and raised on Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i. He now lives in the San Francisco Bay area where he has been active in the Okinawan community, and he works as a Professor and Chair of the Asian American Studies Department at San Francisco State University and the Co-Director of the Edison Uno Initiative for Nikkei and Uchinānchu Studies. Several years ago he did a Fulbright fellowship in Okinawa, where he taught at Meio University and did research on the song "Tinsagu nu Hana." His love for Okinawan music is nurtured by the stories his parents told him.
________
Softcover with french flaps | 384 pages | 7" x 10" | full color
**This forthcoming title is only available for preorder at this time
“Rarely have I encountered a book that portrays the Okinawan American experience with such intimacy, humor, and brutal honesty. The literature and art in UchinaAmerican prompted a deep reflection on my own Uchinānchu identity. I am in awe of the creativity of this project—and I cannot wait for the world to see this book”
— Destin Daniel Cretton, independent filmmaker and director for Marvel Studios
In UchinaAmerican: Anthology of Okinawan American Art & Literature, more than 70 artists and writers explore the question, "What does it mean to be Okinawan American?"
A companion to Chiburu: Anthology of Hawaiʻi Okinawan Literature, this collection expands the showcase of Okinawan American voices to the U.S. continent. Editors Lee A. Tonouchi, Laura Kina, and Wesley Iwao Ueunten curate a compilation of pivotal historical works alongside fresh new voices weaving a shared discourse of determination, joy and dissent.
Addressing the historical absence of diasporic Okinawan narratives in the U.S. Asian American literary canon, this collection gathers a vital cohort of Okinawan American creatives. Through a vibrant array of expressions—including short stories, poetry, spoken word, essays, comics, stand-up comedy, drama, film, song, dance, music, art, craft, graphic design, fashion, and more—these creators engage with critical socio-political themes, examining the intersections of assimilation, militarism, and war trauma while championing cultural resilience, decolonization, and Indigenous futurity as pathways to peace.
________
Co-Editor "Da Pidgin Guerrilla" Lee A. Tonouchi currently stay Hawai‘i's Poet Laureate (2026-2029). His poetry collection Significant Moments in da Life of Oriental Faddah and Son: One Hawai‘i Okinawan Journal won da Association for Asian American Studies Book Award. His children's picture book Okinawan Princess: Da Legend of Hajichi Tattoos won one Skipping Stones Honor Award. An'den his play UchinaAloha wen go win one Po‘okela Award. In 2023 da American Association for Applied Linguistics wen recognize him with one Distinguished Public Service Award for his work in raising public awareness of important language-related issues and promoting linguistic social justice.
Co-Editor Laura Kina (she/they) is a queer, disabled, yonsei, mixed-race Uchinānchu artist, author, and Vincent de Paul Professor at The Art School at DePaul University in Chicago. Her publications include co-authoring War Baby/Love Child: Mixed Race Asian American Art, Queering Contemporary Asian American Art, Word of Mouth Asian American Artist Sharing Recipes, and illustrating Okinawan Princess: Da Legend of Hajichi Tattoos. Kina’s public collections include the Mingei International Museum, Okinawa Prefectural Museum and Art Museum, and The Smithsonian Archives of American Art. In 2026, Kina received a Lifetime Achievement award from the Association for Asian American Studies.
Co-Editor Wesley Iwao Ueunten was born and raised on Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i. He now lives in the San Francisco Bay area where he has been active in the Okinawan community, and he works as a Professor and Chair of the Asian American Studies Department at San Francisco State University and the Co-Director of the Edison Uno Initiative for Nikkei and Uchinānchu Studies. Several years ago he did a Fulbright fellowship in Okinawa, where he taught at Meio University and did research on the song "Tinsagu nu Hana." His love for Okinawan music is nurtured by the stories his parents told him.
________
Softcover with french flaps | 384 pages | 7" x 10" | full color