Mitsuye Yamada was born in Kyushu, Japan, and raised in Seattle, Washington, until the outbreak of World War II when her family was removed to a concentration c

Mitsuye Yamada's family was placed in an Idaho concentration camp during World War II, and these poems recount that experience. Her reflections of the camp are

... poems, gathered from all peoples and traditions, that blaze, inspire, and bring forth light.