David Mura, Asian-American Author
MinnPost has a story on author David Mura. He talks about being Asian in the Twin Cities and his conversations with African-American author Alexs Pate about being (writers) of color in Minneapolis.
“Alexs and I have talked about what it means to be writers of colors in Minneapolis as opposed to New York or Los Angeles. You’re more obscure, less connected to networks of writers. It also allows you a certain amount of freedom to work on your own, in your own way,” says Mura, who grew up in Chicago. “That forced me to look at myself and my work differently. When I first started writing, I didn’t think of myself as a writer of color. Then when I came here, I went through a re-envisioning and understanding of who I was, and I fought certain battles over issues about race. I fought pretty much alone.”
Mura’s website includes his interview with Pate on the topic of his latest book, Famous Suicides of the Japanese Empire.
I find it unsurprising that he didn’t frame himself as being a minority until he moved here and was really in the minority. Many of us transplants struggle with that. Working in a creative field in which your identity informs your work is an interesting added dimension.
