Amy Uyematsu (b. 1947) grew up in southern California. Her poetry grows out of the conflict between her wish to belong to the culture around her and her strong sense of ethnic identity — like many Japanese Americans during World War II, her parents and grandparents were interned. A high school math teacher, she has published three collections: 30 Miles from J-Town; Nights of Fire, Nights of Rain; and Stone Bow Prayer.