Season 6 Episode 22: Janis Bridger & Lara Jean Okihiro on talking about Japanese Internment

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Janis Bridger and Lara Jean Okihiro. Janis and Lara are the authors of Obaasan’s Boots, which was a finalist for the 2024 Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize. In their conversation, Lara and Janis talk about their relationship and how that evolved through the writing of the book. We also talked about why Canadians don’t talk about Japanese internment and the role that books play in humanizing it. Visit BC and Yukon Book Prizes: bcyukonbookprizes.com/ About Obaasan's Boots: https://bcyukonbookprizes.com/project/obaasans-boots/ ABOUT THE AUTHORS: Lara Jean Okihiro is a writer, researcher, and educator of mixed Japanese Canadian heritage living in Toronto. Intrigued by the power and magic of stories, she earned a Master’s (Goldsmiths College) and a Doctorate (University of Toronto) in English. Living abroad inspired her to learn about her family’s experience of internment. Lara writes about dispossession, hoarding, social justice, and carrying the important lessons of the past into the future. Janis Bridger is an educator and writer who has many creative outlets and a love for the outdoors. She lives in Vancouver, Canada, close to where her Japanese Canadian grandparents lived before being interned. Janis earned a diploma in Professional Photography (Langara College), a Bachelor of Education and General Studies (Simon Fraser University) and a Master of Education (University of Alberta), specializing in teacher-librarianship. Social justice, diversity, and kindness are paramount in her life and embedded in her everyday teaching. ABOUT MEGAN COLE: Megan Cole the Director of Programming and Communications for the BC and Yukon Book Prizes. She is also a writer based on the territory of the Tla'amin Nation. Megan writes creative nonfiction and has had essays published in Chatelaine, This Magazine, The Puritan, Untethered, and more. She has her MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of King's College and is working her first book. Find out more about Megan at megancolewriter.com ABOUT THE PODCAST: Writing the Coast is recorded and produced on the territory of the Tla'amin Nation. As a settler on these lands, Megan Cole finds opportunities to learn and listen to the stories from those whose land was stolen. Writing the Coast is a recorded series of conversations, readings, and insights into the work of the writers, illustrators, and creators whose books are nominated for the annual BC and Yukon Book Prizes. We'll also check in on people in the writing community who are supporting books, writers and readers every day. The podcast is produced and hosted by Megan Cole.