Saporiti Announced as 2022-2023 Writer in Residence

As described on Saporiti’s website, the No-No Boy project is “an immersive multimedia work blending original folk songs, storytelling, and projected archival images all in service of illuminating hidden American histories.”

“Last April, Advanced English III and I were reading a nonfiction book, Infamy, about the internment of Japanese American citizens, entire families, during World War II,” said English Department Chair Dr. Mary Edmonds.

“We were analyzing the rhetoric of the book. I had not been taught about this part of World War II in school history classes and many of the students had not, either. A phrase kept appearing in the book, “No-No Boy.” I had no idea what that meant, so I Googled it. I wanted a simple historical definition, but the first search took me to an entry on John Okada’s 1957 novel No-No Boy and the second to Julian's website. I then searched again and found the definition of ‘No-No Boy.’ Then I returned to Julian's site, listened to his songs, watched his documentaries, and shared them with my class; all of us were impressed and intrigued by what we saw and hear, and the students were exhilarated by the possibility that he might like to visit our campus.”

The phrase “No-No Boy” refers to Japanese-American male citizens whom the government moved from their homes to internment camps after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. While all interned Japanese-American men were presented with a “loyalty questionnaire,” only those who became known as “No-No Boys” answered “no” to two questions. Hurt by having their citizenship ignored and believing that at least one of the loyalty questions was poorly written, the “No-No Boys” answered “no” when asked if they would volunteer to serve in the United States army during WWII and “no” when asked if they would forswear loyalty to the Japanese emperor. Feeling that they were first and foremost American citizens with no affiliation at all to Japan, the “No-No Boys” asked how could they forswear loyalty to a country (Japan) to which they had never sworn loyalty to begin with? And why would they now want to serve a country (the USA) that imprisoned them and their families?

Born in Nashville to an Italian-American musician and Vietnamese painter, Saporiti was inspired by his own family’s history living through the Vietnam War. After earning a bachelor's degree from Berklee College of Music and touring North America and Europe with indie rock band The Young Republic, Saporiti began investigating hidden American histories and earned a master's degree in American Studies from the University of Wyoming in Laramie. He then completed his doctoral degree at Brown University where his research focused on race, refugees, music, memory and immigration.

According to the No-No Boy website, “Saporiti has transformed years of doctoral study into an innovative project which bridges a divide between art and scholarship. By turning his archival research and fieldwork into a large repertoire of folk songs and films Saporiti has been able to engage diverse audiences with difficult conversations performing with a revolving cast of collaborators everywhere from rural high schools and churches to Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall.”

While on campus Sept. 20 & 21, Saporiti will conduct a songwriting workshop for the St. Mary’s Choir and Music Fundamentals students, as well as converse with the Black Swan Experience and Advanced English III classes. He will also give a keynote performance and talk to the entire School community.

“Julian Saporiti is a historian who is making thoughtful music out of past and current events, ” noted Edmonds. “Through his songs he will share with us a different, creative way of bringing research to an audience. He is telling stories which we can learn from, empathize with, and enjoy. And he is doing this through music. I am excited that the students will be able to experience research not as something dull and dry, but as something interdisciplinary, connected, and ultimately alive. Julian Saporiti embodies an effective way of teaching and learning!”


Photo by Diego Luis