Wakako Yamauchi (1924–2018)

Wakako Yamauchi was born Wakako Nakamura in Westmorland, California on October 25, 1924. Her parents emigrated from Japan and worked as itinerant farmers. During World War II, she and her family were interned at the Poston camp in Arizona. She drew cartoons for the camp newspaper. After the war, show more she got married and moved to Los Angeles. She briefly worked for The Los Angeles Tribune and wrote the occasional short story for a Japanese-American newspaper, Rafu Shimpo. She became a playwright. Her plays included And the Soul Shall Dance, The Music Lessons, and The Memento. Her book, Songs My Mother Taught Me: Stories, Plays and Memoir, was published in 1994. She died on August 16, 2018 at the age of 93. (Bowker Author Biography) show less