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Hi everyone, We’re celebrating the release of "Buddha In The Searchlights," a new song inspired by the stories of American Sutra, by @nonoboyalbum, (featuring scholar and singer songwriter Julian Saporiti.) The "Buddha In the Searchlights" collaboration between American Sutra and No-No Boy emerged after I met with Julian and Erin Aoyama at a No-No Boy concert last October in San Francisco. The two talented musicians and Ph.D. students at Brown University have been performing around the country, retelling the story of the WII Japanese American incarceration, as well as the larger Asian American historical experience, through music and visual art. The lyrics and song composition of “Buddha in the Searchlights” is the result of the thoughtful reading of American Sutra by No-No Boy. Nearly 120 people gathered this past Sunday at the Futures Without Violence Gallery (in San Francisco’s Presidio) to attend my American Sutra talk and to hear No-No Boy’s musical storytelling. Juxtaposed with the embodied histories presented in the book lecture, No-No Boy’s performance--backed by projected archival images and video of Japanese American incarceration and the Vietnam War--was remarkable. One audience member called the intersection of scholarship, media, music, and storytelling a “genius collaboration.” It is a powerful song with an impactful message: if you have a moment, please watch the video, share it. I’m heading to North Carolina and Illinois this upcoming week— see you there! If you have any questions or comments regarding American Sutra or this newsletter, please email me. Kindest regards,
Duncan
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