Lucille M. Nixon (December 24, 1908 – December 22, 1963) was a poet and school supervisor from Palo Alto, California. In 1957 she became the first foreigner selected to participate in Utakai Hajime, the Imperial New Year's Poetry Reading of Japan. Nixon performed a 31 syllable waka about the Hōryū-ji, a Buddhist temple she had visited on a trip two years earlier. After her reading, she won the praises of Emperor Hirohito, who encouraged her to continue writing Japanese poetry so she could become a "bridge" between Japan and the United States.
Bibliography
She authored a number of books. Among them are:
- The Choice is Always Ours: The Classic Anthology on the Spiritual Way, Dorothy B. Phillips (Editor), Lucille M. Nixon (Editor), Elizabeth B. Howes (Editor)
- Sounds from the unknown; a collection of Japanese-American tanka, Lucille M. Nixon (Editor), Tomoe Tana
- Young ranchers at Oak Valley
- Living in Japan
Death and legacy
Nixon died in 1963. An elementary school in Palo Alto currently bears her name.
References
- Front matter of Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan. Google Books. Retrieved 18 August 2007
- An Imperial Poetic Tradition Archived 2011-07-26 at the Wayback Machine, Japan Echo, Diplomatic Agenda, Vol. 26, Nr. 2
- Foster Hailey. "American poem wins Tokyo prize." The New York Times. 12 January 1957. pg. 1.
- About Lucille M. Nixon Elementary School. Retrieved 18 August 2007.
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