4th Annual Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest

Sept. 11, 2017 - Sept. 13, 2017

The Little Tokyo Historical Society’s fourth short story contest concluded with an Awards Reception held on the evening of Thursday, April 20, 2017 at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center Garden Room in Little Tokyo. The winning stories and Finalists were announced before an appreciative crowd following a light reception of Japanese foods. The winner’s stories were read in dramatic fashion by professional actors and the words came to life for everyone to enjoy. The Youth and Japanese category winners were present and received their $500 cash prize award, and the English winner joined the program via Skype from her home in New Zealand!

Winners

English Language Category: “Unspoken” by Elizabeth Farris
Youth Category: “To Walk the Path of Memories” by Madeleine Chou and Jamie Han
Japanese Language Category: “The God of Sushi Mats (Makisu no kamisama)” by Masafumi Mori [Japanese only]

*Read stories from other Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contests:

fiction Little Tokyo

Stories from this series

God of Sushi Rolls

Sept. 13, 2017 • Masafumi Mori

As I retire tonight, I am racked with an indescribable sense of guilt. I've been making sushi here in Little Tokyo for 55 years...or maybe I should say rolling sushi for more accurate information. The world has changed dramatically since I invented the "Triple T Roll" in 1963. At the time, sushi was only for Japanese Americans and a few foodies. Most Americans were averse to raw fish, and some customers even took the trouble to peel off the nori …

California fiction food Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest (series) Japanese food Little Tokyo Los Angeles sushi United States

UNSPOKEN

Sept. 11, 2017 • Elizabeth Farris

Mama needed eggs. I was happy to walk down First Street to buy a dozen from Golden Nest Market. I picked up a carton and checked to make sure none were broken and then I looked at some of the magazines. There was a new one called Ms. Magazine. The cover had a drawing of a woman with eight arms. With one arm she was using a feather duster. With other arms, she ironed, held the steering wheel of a …

California families fiction flower arrangement ikebana Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest (series) Little Tokyo Los Angeles United States

Authors in This Series

Elizabeth Farris

Elizabeth Farris started writing in 1999 after a first career as an Environmental Chemist. Her short stories have been published in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and online. She is a modestly produced playwright, wrote for a zoo newsletter, and edited a quarterly poetry journal. She created four short films with Lime Wrangler Productions. In 2015 she earned a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from the International Institute of Modern Letters, Victoria University, Wellington New Zealand. She divides her time between Arizona and New Zealand.

Updated June 2017

Masafumi Mori

Born in Nagoya in 1965. Graduated from Osaka University (Bachelor of Arts). Moved to the US in 2002 and currently lives in Los Angeles. Started translating subtitles for movies, documentaries and TV dramas in 2009. Published a non-fiction work, "Laugh at Hollywood" (Shogakukan Shueisha Productions) in 2012. Currently works as a quality control specialist for the localization of various entertainment content for Japan. "The God of Makisu" is his first work of fiction.

(Updated September 2017)

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