Julie Otsuka
Julie Otsuka is an American author of Japanese descent, born and raised in California.
She studied art at Yale before turning to writing at age 30, earning an MFA from Columbia.
Her first novel, "When the Emperor Was Divine," drew from her family's internment experience during World War II and received critical acclaim.
"The Buddha in the Attic," her second novel, was nominated for the 2011 National Book Award.
Otsuka's work often explores Japanese-American experiences and has been widely recognized, earning her a Guggenheim Fellowship and other awards.
She lives in New York City and writes regularly in her neighborhood café.
