Monday evening, March 18, at the Edmond Genealogical Society, author Jan Morrill of Fayetteville, Arkansas,  will present a program on "Wearing the Red Kimono: Reflections on the Japanese American Internment Camps."

Jan Morrill is Sansei, third generation Japanese American. From her earliest recollection, she knew her mother and family had been internees in World War II. But she didn’t know the details; the topic was rarely discussed. All she knew was her mother cried when the subject arose. Using photographs and handouts, Jan will share what she learned about her family, her culture and the history of internment while doing research for her historical fiction, The Red Kimono.  

Jan Morrill was born and (mostly) raised in California. Her mother, a Buddhist Japanese American, was an internee during World War II. Her father, a Southern Baptist redhead of Irish descent, retired from the Air Force. Morrill's novel, The Red Kimono, (University of Arkansas Press, January 2013), as well as many of her short stories, reflect memories of growing up in a multicultural, multi-religious, multi-political environment.  Her award-winning short stories and memoir essays have been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul books and several anthologies. Recently, she was nominated for the Pushcart Prize for her short story "Xs and Os," which appeared in the Voices Anthology. An artist as well as a writer, she is currently working on the sequel to The Red Kimono.  For more information, visit her website at www.janmorrill.com or her blogs www.TheRedKimono.com or www.HaikubyHaiku.wordpress.com.

EGS meetings, which are free and open to the public, meet at the Edmond Historical Museum, 431 S. Boulevard, Edmond, OK with a social time at 6 pm, program begins promptly at 6:30. The EGS meets on the third Monday evening of each month, with speakers on subjects of interest to genealogists; membership in the group is open to anyone interested in historical or genealogical research.