Cactus Blossoms Revisited 2024

Archeologist Koji Lau-Ozawa and poet Brynn Saito share their journey rediscovering Cactus Blossoms, an anthology of poetry written by high school students who were incarcerated at the Gila River camp during World War II. From striking desert imagery to prayerful longings for freedom, the poems express the complex inner life of those confined in the Arizona desert. Brynn and Koji — both Yonsei descendants of grandparents incarcerated at Gila River — embarked on a quest to find and interview the Cactus Blossom poets.