Professor Melody Miyamoto Walters will give a brief history of World War II in Hawaii and what it was like for local residents to live under martial law and deal with racism. She will then introduce the stories of her grandparents, Naoko Tsukiyama and Yoshiharu Ogata, as told through her book which includes their courtship letters exchanged during the early 1940s. Finally, Professor Walters will facilitate a discussion with the audience about letter writing.

Biography of speaker: Melody Miyamoto Walters grew up in Waimea, Hawaii. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Hawaii, and went on to earn her Master’s Degree and Ph.D. at Arizona State University. Her specialty is the history of the nineteenth-century American West, and she expanded her studies to include Hawaii.  Her book, In Love and War: The World War II Courtship Letters of a Nisei Couple was published by the University of Oklahoma Press in 2015.

Program schedule is subject to change.  Contact the library 15 days in advance to request a sign language interpreter or if special accommodations are needed.