Pacific Northwest Asian American Writers Conference photograph collection, 1976

Overview of the Collection

Title
Pacific Northwest Asian American Writers Conference photograph collection
Dates
1976 (inclusive)
Quantity
21 photographic prints (1 box) ; 8"x10"
Collection Number
PH0135
Summary
Photographs of the participants and activities at the Pacific Northwest Asian American Writers Conference in 1976.
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

Entire collection can be viewed on the Libraries’ Digital Collections website. Permission of Visual Materials Curator required to view originals. Contact Special Collections for more information.

Additional Reference Guides

Languages
English

Historical BackgroundReturn to Top

The Pacific Northwest Asian American Writers Conference was held June 29 to July 2, 1976 at the University of Washington. Sessions were held in Kane Hall, the Ethnic Cultural Center, and the Husky Union Building on the campus of the University of Washington. The conference was sponsored by various departments at the University of Washington, namely the Asian American Studies Program, Department of Comparative Literature, Institute for Comparative and Foreign Area Studies, and Office of Minority Affairs. External sponsors were the Asian Multi-Media Center of Seattle and the Combined Asian-American Resources Project, Inc. (CARP) of San Francisco. Funding for the conference was provided by a $3,500 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Washington State Arts Commission, Western Washington State College, private donors, and the various sponsors. The four-day conference brought together writers, academics, teachers, students, and the public interested in the writing and study of literature by and about Asian Americans. The conference included a series of public readings, lectures, workshops, and a dramatic performance.

University of Washington professor Dr. S.E. (Sammy Edward) Solberg and University of Washington doctoral student Stephen Sumida were instrumental in organizing the conference. Inspiration for the conference came from an Asian American Writers Conference that was held in Oakland, California in 1975.

California State University English professor and award-winning author N.V.M. Gonzalez delivered the public lecture on the opening evening of the conference. His lecture was entitled "The Planting and Harvesting of Metaphors; Or, the Stories We Can Tell." Playwright Frank Chin, poet Jessica Tarahata Hagedorn, and novelist Milton Murayama, along with several other Asian American writers, were conference presenters.

The conference promoted Asian American literary works and encouraged new writings about the Asian American experience in poetry, fiction, and drama. The objectives of the conference as written in the National Endowment for the Arts report were to provide an occasion for the exchange of ideas, resources, and experiences among Asian American communities in the Pacific Northwest, to encourage established and beginning writers to continue working within the Asian American tradition, to give public exposure to established and beginning Asian American writers, and to stimulate interest among teachers who might in turn utilize Asian American writings in their classrooms. The conference concluded on the fourth day with a premiere showing of the two-act play "Nisei Bar and Grill" , written by Garrett Kaoru Hongo and directed by Frank Chin.

Seattle radio station KRAB FM recorded the conference and broadcasted it in full in August and September of 1976. University of Washington station radio station KUOW FM also broadcasted portions of the conference. Several of the writings shared at the conference were published in a special edition of The Greenwood Review , edited by Garrett Kaoru Hongo.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Photographs of the participants and activities at the Pacific Northwest Asian American Writers Conference held June 29 to July 2, 1976 at the University of Washington.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Custodial History

Materials from this collection might have possibly been pulled from the Pacific Northwest Asian-American Writers Conference records (acc2768-001); however, there is no evidence to support this.

Processing Note

Processed by LaNesha DeBardelaben, June 2011.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

 

Contact sheet 1: Images ofNisei Bar and Grillplay, 1976Return to Top

The contact sheet represents a roll of film containing approximately 35 images. No negatives exist for the contact sheet.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder item
1/1 1
Contact sheet of images of theNiesi Bar and Grillplay
No prints were made from this series of photos

Contact sheet 2: Images ofNisei Bar and GrillplayReturn to Top

The contact sheet represents a roll of film containing approximately 35 images. No negatives exist for the contact sheet. The item number (such as 2/24) for each print represents the contact sheet number (2) and the frame number of the individual photograph (24).

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder item
1/2 2
Contact sheet of images ofNisei Bar and Grillplay
1976
1/2 2/24
Photograph of performance ofNisei Bar and Grillplay
Conference coordinator Stephen Sumida is portraying "Harry", the bartender behind the bar. At the time of the conference, Sumida was a doctoral candidate in the Department of English at the University of Washington.
1976
1/2 2/26 1976

Contact sheet 3: Images from the Pacific Northwest Asian American Writers Conference, 1976Return to Top

The contact sheet represents a roll of film containing approximately 35 images. No negatives exist for the contact sheet.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder item
1/3 3
Contact sheet of images from the Pacific Northwest Asian American Writers Conference
No prints were made from this series of photos

Contact sheet 4: Images from the Pacific Northwest Asian American Writers ConferenceReturn to Top

The contact sheet represents a roll of film containing approximately 35 images. No negatives exist for the contact sheet. The item number (such as 4/40) for each print represents the contact sheet number (4) and the frame number of the individual photograph (40).

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder item
1/4 4
Contact sheet of images of conference panelists and discussions
1976
1/4 4/40
N.V.M. Gonzalez (at left) and Bienvenido Santos (at right) co-presenting
N.V.M Gonzalez was born in 1915 in the Phillipines. He authored several fiction novels, includingThe Winds of April,The Bamboo Dancers, andSeven Hills Away. At the time of the conference, he was a professor of English at California State University, Hayward. Bienvenido Santos was born in 1911 in the Phillipines. He was the author ofYou Lovely People, a book of collected fiction writings, andThe Wounded Stag and Other Poems. At the time of the conference, he was a Writer-in-Residence at Wichita State University.
1976
1/4 4/41 1976

Contact sheet 5: Images from the Pacific Northwest Asian American Writers ConferenceReturn to Top

The contact sheet represents a roll of film containing approximately 35 images. No negatives exist for the contact sheet. The item number (such as 5/10) for each print represents the contact sheet number (5) and the frame number of the individual photograph (10).

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder item
1/5 5
Contact sheet of images of conference panelists and discussions
1976
1/5 5/10 1976
1/5 5/25
Jessica Tarahata Hagedorn (at left) speaking with Bienvenido Santos (at right)
Jessica Tarahata Hagedorn was born in the Phillipines. She authored numerous poems and fiction works.
1976
1/5 5/41
Stephen Sumida (at left) presenting on a panel with Milton Murayama (at right) and another male panelist (center)
Born in 1923 in Hawaii to Japanese immigrant parents, Milton Murayama's novels and plays focused on the experiences of Japanese Americans in Hawaii before World War II.
1976

Contact sheet 6: Images from the Pacific Northwest Asian American Writers Conference, 1976Return to Top

The contact sheet represents a roll of film containing approximately 35 images. No negatives exist for the contact sheet. The item number (such as 6/2) for each print represents the contact sheet number (6) and the frame number of the individual photograph (2).

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder item
1/6 6
Contact sheet of images of conference panelists and discussions
1976
1/6 6/2 1976
1/6 6/3
Lonny Kaneko listening to a presenter
Born in 1939 in Seattle, Lonny Kaneko's poetry and fiction were published in a variety of journals. At the time of the conference, he was the chairperson of the Humanities Division at Highline Community College in Tukwila, Washington.
1976
1/6 6/18
Frank Chin (at right) with a male conference participant
Born in 1940 in Berkeley, California, Frank Chin's plays includedThe Year of the Dragon,Gee! Pop!, andThe Chickencoop Chinaman. He also wrote fiction and essays, and was one of the editors ofAiiieeeee!: An Anthology of Asian American Writers.
1976
1/6 6/37
James Masao Mitsui participating in conference
Born in 1940 in Washington, James Masao Mitsui authoredJournal of the Sun, a book of collected poems. He was the recipient of the Pacific Northwest Booksellers' Award for Poetry. At the time of the conference, he was a teacher at Lindbergh High School in Renton, Washington.
1976
1/6 6/43 1976

Contact sheet 7: Images from the Pacific Northwest Asian American Writers Conference, 1976Return to Top

The contact sheet represents a roll of film containing approximately 35 images. No negatives exist for the contact sheet. The item number (such as 7/17) for each print represents the contact sheet number (7) and the frame number of the individual photograph (17).

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder item
1/7 7
Contact sheet of images of conference panelists and discussions
1976
1/7 7/17 1976
1/7 7/44 1976

Contact sheet 8: Images from the Pacific Northwest Asian American Writers Conference, 1976Return to Top

The contact sheet represents a roll of film containing approximately 35 images. No negatives exist for the contact sheet.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder item
1/8 8
Contact sheet of images from the Pacific Northwest Asian American Writers Conference
No prints were made from this series of photos

Contact sheet 9: Images from the Pacific Northwest Asian American Writers Conference, 1976Return to Top

The contact sheet represents a roll of film containing approximately 35 images. No negatives exist for the contact sheet. The item number (such as 9/1) for each print represents the contact sheet number (9) and the frame number of the individual photograph (1).

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder item
1/9 9
Contact sheet of images of conference panelists, discussions, and breaks between sessions
1976
1/9 9/1 1976
1/9 9/39 1976
1/9 9/40 1976

Contact sheet 10: Images from the Pacific Northwest Asian American Writers ConferenceReturn to Top

The contact sheet represents a roll of film containing approximately 35 images. No negatives exist for the contact sheet. The item number (such as 10/34) for each print represents the contact sheet number (10) and the frame number of the individual photograph (34).

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder item
1/10 10
Contact sheet of images of conference panelists, discussions, and breaks between sessions
1976
1/10 10/34 1976

Contact sheet 11: Images from the Pacific Northwest Asian American Writers Conference, 1976Return to Top

The contact sheet represents a roll of film containing approximately 35 images. No negatives exist for the contact sheet. The item number (such as 11/26) for each print represents the contact sheet number (11) and the frame number of the individual photograph (26).

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder item
1/11 11
Contact sheet of images of conference panelists and discussions
1976
1/11 11/26 1976

Contact sheet 12: Images from the Pacific Northwest Asian American Writers Conference, 1976Return to Top

The contact sheet represents a roll of film containing approximately 35 images. No negatives exist for the contact sheet. The item number (such as 12/5) for each print represents the contact sheet number (12) and the frame number of the individual photograph (5).

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder item
1/12 12
Contact sheet of images of conference panelists, discussions, and breaks between sessions
1976
1/12 12/5
Frank Chin (at left) talking on a panel with Lawson Fusao Inada (at right)
Born in 1938 in Fresno, California, Lawson Fusao Inada was the author ofBefore the War: Poems As They Happened, a book of collected poems. He was also one of the editors ofAiiieeeee!: An Anthology of Asian American Writers.
1976
1/12 12/10 1976

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Personal Names

  • Chin, Frank, 1940-
  • González, N. V. M., 1915-1999
  • Hagedorn, Jessica Tarahata, 1949-
  • Hongo, Garrett Kaoru, 1951-
  • Inada, Lawson Fusao
  • Kaneko, Lonny, 1939-
  • Murayama, Milton
  • Santos, Bienvenido N
  • Sumida, Stephen H

Form or Genre Terms

  • Photographs

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)