David Mura (born 1952) is an American author, poet, novelist, playwright, critic and performance artist"David Mura". Minnesota Historical Society. Accessed September 6, 2008. whose writings explore the themes of race, identity and history. In 2018, Mura published a book on creative writing, A Stranger’s Journey: Race, Identity & Narrative Craft in Writing, in which he argues for a more inclusive and expansive definition of craft.
Mura has published two memoirs, Turning Japanese: Memoirs of a Sansei, which won the Josephine Miles Book Award from the Oakland PEN and was listed in the New York Times Notable Books of the Year, and Where the Body Meets Memory: An Odyssey of Race, Sexuality and Identity (1995). His most recent book of poetry is The Last Incantation (2014); his other poetry books include After We Lost Our Way, which won the National Poetry Contest, The Colors of Desire (winner of the Carl Sandburg Literary Award), and Angels for the Burning. His novel is titled Famous Suicides of the Japanese Empire (Coffee House Press, 2008).
Mura communicates frequently through his social media accounts: blog.davidmura.com; @MuraDavid
Early life and education David Mura was born in 1952 and grew up in Chicago, Illinois, the oldest of four children. He is a third generation Japanese American son of parents interned during World War II."Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Writers' Award: The art of the possible....". After the war, his father changed the family name "Uemura" to "Mura". His grandparents came to the USA from Japan before the Russo-Japanese War (1904).Kawai, Ryusuke (November 10, 2017), 日系アメリカ文学を読む 第18回 （最終回）『僕はアメリカ人のはずだった』. Discover Nikkei. Retrieved July 13, 2026.
Mura earned his B.A. degree from Grinnell College and his M.F.A. in creative writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. He has taught at the University of Minnesota, St. Olaf College, The Loft Literary Center, and the University of Oregon.The Library of Congress > The Library Today > Poets David Mura and Claudia Rankine To Read at the Library of Congress > November 9, 1995 He currently resides in Saint Paul, Minnesota, with his wife Susan Sencer and their three children; Samantha, Nikko and Tomo."David Mura: Writer, Speaker, Performer, Teacher". Accessed September 7, 2008. (primary source)
Published works Full-length poetry collections After We Lost Our Way (Dutton, 1989; Carnegie-Mellon Press, 1997 - 2nd Edition) The Colors of Desire: Poems (Anchor Books, 1995) Angels for the Burning: Poems (BOA Editions, Ltd., 2004) The Last Incantations (Northwestern University Press, 2014)
Novels Famous Suicides of the Japanese Empire (Coffee House Press, 2008)
Memoirs/Nonfiction Where the Body Meets Memory: An Odyssey of Race, Sexuality and Identity (Anchor Books, 1995) Turning Japanese: Memoirs of a Sansei (Atlantic Monthly Press, 1991; Anchor Books, 1992; Grove Press, 2005 - 3rd Edition) A Male Grief: Notes on Pornography and Addiction: An Essay (Milkweed Editions, 1987; republished as an Amazon e-book 2010)
Literary Craft/Criticism Song for Uncle Tom, Tonto, and Mr. Moto: Poetry and Identity (University of Michigan Press, 2002) A Stranger’s Journey: Race, Identity & Narrative Craft in Writing (University of Georgia Press, 2018) The Stories Whiteness Tells Itself: Racial Myths and Our American Narratives (University of Minnesota Press, 2023)
Films Slowly, This—written & featuring David Mura & Alexs Pate; dir. by Arthur Jafa; produced by the PBS Series ALIVE TV, 1995 Relocations—written and performed by David Mura; directed by Mark Tang (four selections from the performance piece, Relocations: Images from a Sansei), 1998
Awards and honors Mura's honors include two NEA fellowships, the 1994 Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Writers' Award (which included a cash prize of $105,000),Grossmann, Mary Ann (December 21, 1994). "St. Paul poet David Mura wins $105,000 prize". St. Paul Pioneer Press. and a US/Japan Creative Artist Fellowship, two Bush Foundation Fellowships, four Loft-McKnight Awards, several Minnesota State Arts Board grants, and a Discovery/The Nation Award.Biography davidmura.com He has had his work published in literary journals and magazines including The Nation, The American Poetry Review, The New Republic, The Missouri Review, and Crazyhorse.Minnesota Historical Society David Mura
1994: Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Writers' Awards 1993: National Endowment for the Arts - Literature Fellowships 1988: National Poetry SeriesThe National Poetry Series > 1988 Winners 1987: Discovery/The Nation Award 1985: National Endowment for the Arts - Literature Fellowships 1984: U.S. - Japan Creative Artist Fellowship
References
External links Biography: Poetry Foundation > Poet > David Mura Biography Author Website Library of Congress Online Catalog > David Mura