Starting from Loomis and Other Stories

A memoir in short stories, this book chronicles the life of accomplished writer, playwright, poet, and actor Hiroshi Kashiwagi. In this dynamic portrait of an ageing writer trying to remember himself as a younger man, Kashiwagi recalls and reflects upon the moments, people, forces, mysteries, and choices -- the things in his life that he cannot forget -- that have made him who he is. Central to this collection are Kashiwagis internment at Tule Lake during World War II, his choice to answer "no" and "no" to questions 27 and 28 on the official government loyalty questionnaire, and the resulting life-long stigma of being labelled a "No-No Boy" after his years of incarceration. His non-linear, multi-faceted writing not only reflects the fragmentations of memory induced by traumas of racism, forced removal, and incarceration but also can be read as a bold personal response to the impossible conditions he and other Nisei faced throughout their lifetimes.