Jocelyn Doan is a sophomore at Walton High School in Georgia, and she loves to read and write poems and novels of all genres. Her love for words and art have placed her for Most Creative in the 2023 Georgia Day Art Contest as well as her poem at the county level for Georgia PTA Reflections Winners.

She is an avid reader with 2 poems currently published in Visual Verse and is also a STEM kid who loves to participate in science-related activities. In her free time, she is learning to embroider and is brushing up on her driving skills.

Updated May 2023

Miho Hirayama is a mother of an extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infant. She is a big fan of Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams. Her dreams include having children’s books that she wrote in libraries all over the world so that many children can read them, seeing her son play tennis at the US Open, and encouraging her daughter to pursue whatever she is interested in.

Updated May 2023

Born in Tokyo, graduated from the School of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Waseda University. While at university, he was a member of the Waseda University Musical Research Club, where he worked as a scriptwriter, director, and actor. After graduating, he joined a video production company. Currently, he works as a director, producing mainly informational and documentary programs.

(Updated May 2023)

Zoe Lerdworatawee is a senior who will be graduating from Westview High School and matriculating to the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign in the fall to study Computer Science. She is especially fascinated with immersing herself in different cultures. In her spare time she enjoys baking, visiting mochi stores, playing piano, and learning new languages. 

Updated June 2023

DC Palter is a tech entrepreneur and investor. He is the author of the Tuttle language guide, Colloquial Kansai Japanese and editor of Japonica, a journal of Japanese culture. His first novel, To Kill a Unicorn, set in San Jose’s Nihonmachi, was a 2023 American Fiction Awards finalist for best mystery and best debut novel. The sequel, Countdown to Decryption, will be published later this month. worked for many years as a computer programmer. DC lives in Mar Vista, a neighborhood of Los Angeles, CA.

Updated May 2024

Alison is an attorney and mother of three, living with her family in Santa Cruz, California. She has published several essays and short stories and she is currently working on her first novel. Her father's family has been in Los Angeles since the early 1900s, and she has many fond childhood memories of visits to Little Tokyo. Writing this piece was a lovely opportunity to research how Little Tokyo has changed over the years, and to rekindle her own sensory memories there.

Updated June 2023

Madeline Thach is a 14-year-old homeschooler from Texas. Her awards include first place in the international Saugus Halloween Ghost Story Contest and two first prizes in the National Association of Teachers of Singing regional competition. She is also a recipient of the national American Hero history scholarship from the Rush & Kathryn Adams Limbaugh Family Foundation.

Madeline is passionate about using social media to spread her love of learning. She creates educational and entertaining stories, videos, and articles for people of all ages! Visit BluestockingOnline.com to explore her content and subscribe to her free weekly newsletter.

Updated June 2024