David Mura, Activist & Author of Exit, Miss Saigon

Dr. Stephanie J. Wong & David Mura discuss his new book, Exit, Miss Saigon, which explores the evolution of his understanding of his racial identity as a Japanese American man. Specifically, he has ended friendships with White artists due to their differing perspectives on the Miss Saigon casting. He also credits his friendships with BIPOC artists for helping him gain a different insight into racial identity. As an activist, David formed an Asian American arts organization.

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Full Bio:

David Mura is an award winning Japanese American author. His memoirs, poems, essays, plays and performances have won wide critical praise. The topics range from contemporary Japan to the legacy of the internment camps and the history of Japanese Americans in increasing American diversity. His work reflects deeply on the world’s current events, which at times create spaces of division and unrest.

His new book. Exit Miss Saigon, though not a memoir, is deeply autobiographical. It tells how David transformed from what could be termed a “banana”—yellow on the outside, white on the inside—into an Asian American writer. This transformation involved breaking up with white artist friends over the racism in Miss Saigon; it involved building a local Asian American arts organization and connecting with Asian American artists nationwide.