Brynn Saito

Brynn Saito is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing and English in the Department of English within the College of Arts and Humanities at California State University, Fresno. A fourth-generation Japanese American and Korean American from Fresno, California, she is an accomplished poet and organizer with a focus on Japanese American history and civil liberties.

Her educational background includes:

• M.F.A. in Creative Writing (Poetry) from Sarah Lawrence College (2008)
• M.A. in Religious Studies from New York University (2006)
• B.A. in Philosophy from the University of California, Berkeley (2003)

Saito's research and creative work centers on poetry as a medium for exploring Japanese American history, particularly the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, intergenerational memory, and civil liberties. Her writing often blends personal narrative with historical inquiry, addressing themes of identity, family, and social justice. Through her poetry and public projects, she engages with issues of memory, trauma, and resilience in the Japanese American community and beyond.

Her publications, including three full-length poetry collections and several chapbooks, demonstrate a consistent engagement with historical and personal memory. The trajectory of her work shows an evolution from individual contemplation to collective memory projects, increasingly incorporating collaborative and public-facing elements, such as her work with the Yonsei Memory Project.

Notable awards and honors include:

• Benjamin Saltman Award for "The Palace of Contemplating Departure"
• Finalist for the Northern California Book Award
• California Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship (2023)
• Two-time recipient of the California State Library’s Civil Liberties Public Education grant
• Grants from Densho, Hedgebrook, and the Santa Fe Art Institute’s "Truth and Reconciliation" program

Saito actively mentors emerging writers, serving as a thesis advisor for graduate students at Fresno State and teaching in the Kearny Street Workshop’s Interdisciplinary Writers Lab for emerging writers of color. She has also been a visiting writer at multiple MFA programs. Her grant-funded projects, particularly the Yonsei Memory Project, have enabled her to create arts-based, intergenerational programming that awakens Japanese American history archives.

Co-founded with Nikiko Masumoto, the Yonsei Memory Project (YMP) is a key initiative that uses arts-based, intergenerational, and intercultural public programming to engage with Japanese American history. YMP has gained significant recognition, including a feature in Vogue magazine in 2019.