The violence against Asian Americans in Atlanta and across the nation is rooted, as many this week have pointed out, in a history of systemic exclusion and racism that includes the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans in WW2. It’s in this moment of heightened awareness that we confirm our graphic novel on that subject will be published on May 18.
Here’s a first look at the final book cover. The book will be published in paperback with front and back fold-in flaps.
We encourage purchases through your local independent bookseller. If there is none near you, the preferred online seller is Bookshop.org, which supports local bookstores.
Pre-orders are said to be strong. The book is being distributed by Consortium Book Sales & Distribution, with close to 1,000 from independent booksellers and online sources, so much so that the distributor contacted our publisher, Chin Music Press, to be sure to print enough copies in the first run. They’re being printed by a family-owned business in the U.S.
Columbia Magazine has just published an eight-page excerpt from the graphic novel as the cover story of its Spring 2021 issue. It’s a first for the venerable journal of the Washington State Historical Society, but a good fit given the 
material’s faithfulness to regional history.
Look for other advance coverage of our book release in the Sacramento Bee, South Seattle Emerald, International Examiner, Discover Nikkei, and the “APEX Express” radio magazine on KPFA-FM in Berkeley.
A number of virtual book events are now set for the rollout, with a continually updated list here. If you would like speakers for your group, please use this form to Contact Us.
SEATTLE, WA
Friday, April 9, 1:30pm PDT
Association for Asian American Studies virtual conference
Graphic novels open the door to alternative narratives from hitherto-marginalized communities, while increasing student engagement. For the panel, “Unsettling the Japanese American Narrative Through the Graphic Novel,” authors Frank Abe and Tamiko Nimura will present excerpts from We Hereby Refuse that unsettle familiar victim narratives of Japanese American incarceration. Professors Caroline Hong of Queens College CUNY and Alison Mandaville of Cal State Fresno will analyze the work and place it within the larger field of counternarratives and resistance narratives in Asian American Studies.
SANTA CRUZ, CA
Monday, May 24, 2021, 12:00 pm PDT
UC Santa Cruz
Presenting We Hereby Refuse to Prof. Brenda Sanfilippo’s class on Contemporary American Literature.
LOS ANGELES, CA
Tuesday, May 25, 2021, 9:30-10:45 am PDT
UCLA Asian American Studies
Presenting We Hereby Refuse to Prof. Kelly Fong’s class on “The Asian American Movement,” with video streamed to the UCLA community. This program is co-sponsored by the George and Sakaye Aratani CARE Award, UCLA’s Asian American Studies Center, and the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience.
SEATTLE, WA
Monday, June 14, 2021, 6:00 am PDT
Seattle Public Library author series
Authors Frank Abe and Tamiko Nimura and artist Ross Ishikawa debut We Hereby Refuse for Seattle library patrons. Co-sponsored by Densho and the Elliott Bay Book Company.
CODY/POWELL, WY
Thursday, June 24 and July 22, 2021, 10:15-11:15 am MDT
“Heart Mountain, Wyoming and the Japanese American Incarceration“
Frank Abe speaks to educators at both sessions of this NEH Landmarks of American History and Culture Virtual Workshop on the Heart Mountain Fair Play Committee, our film Conscience and the Constitution, and our graphic novel We Hereby Refuse. Funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and hosted by the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation.
LOS ANGELES, CA
Saturday, June 26, 2021, 2:00 pm PDT
Japanese American National Museum
Southern California book launch for We Hereby Refuse. Authors Frank Abe and Tamiko Nimura will read from the graphic novel and describe the process of dramatizing a history that overturns the usual expectations around camp stories, with a special focus on segregation at Tule Lake. Artist Ross Ishikawa will share his use of 3-D modeling to recreate scenes from Japanese American history, and YURI Education Project creators will demonstrate a free online curriculum that accompanies the book. $10 and free for members. This program is co-sponsored by the George and Sakaye Aratani CARE Award, UCLA’s Asian American Studies Center, and the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience.
Other programs are in the works. If you would like speakers for your group, please use this form to Contact Us.
