David Mura is a writer, memoirist, poet and performance artist who brings a unique perspective to our multi-racial and multi-cultural society. A third-generation Japanese-American, he has written intimately about his life as a man of color and the connections between race, sexuality and history. In public appearances interweaving poetry, performance and personal testament, he provides powerful insights into the racial issues facing America today.

Mura's memoirs, poems essays, plays and performances have won wide critical praise and numerous awards. Their topics range from contemporary Japan to the legacy of the internment camps and the history of Japanese Americans to critical explorations of an increasingly diverse America. He gives presentations at educational institutions, businesses and other organizations throughout the country.

NEW in September, 2008
FAMOUS SUICIDES OF THE JAPANESE EMPIRE
Published by Coffee House Press
read more...

INTERVIEW OF DAVID MURA BY NOVELIST ALEXS PATE
Read reviews here.

Memoirs: (click to view larger image)

Turning Japanese: Memoirs of a Sansei
(Memoir, Atlantic Monthly Press, 1991;
trans. in Japan, Hakurosya; Netherlands; paperback reissued, with a new afterword by Grove Press 2006).

Where the Body Meets Memory:
An Odyssey of Race,
Sexuality & Identity
(Memoir, Anchor/Random, 1996).

Poetry:

After We Lost Our Way
(Poetry, E.P. Dutton, 1989; reprint, Carnegie
Mellon University Press, 1997).

The Colors of Desire
(Poetry, 1995, Anchor/Doubleday)

Angels for the Burning
(Poetry, 2004, Boa Editions Ltd.)
Cover art by Long Nguyen.

Criticism:

Song for Uncle Tom, Tonto & Mr. Moto: Poetry & Identity (University of Michigan Press, Poets on Poetry series, 2002).