Shapes, Lines, and Light: My Grandfather’s American Journey

Katie Yamasaki

Katie Yamasaki is a muralist and children’s book artist. She has traveled widely, painting over 80 murals with diverse communities around the world that explore local issues of identity and social justice. Her children’s book work focuses on similar themes of social justice and stories from underrepresented communities. Her murals take a participatory approach, working with local community members to find ways to best share the stories they want to tell.

Yamasaki wrote and illustrated “Shapes, Lines, and Light: My Grandfather’s American Journey” (Norton Young Readers, 2022), which tells the story of her grandfather, acclaimed Japanese American architect, Minoru Yamasaki. Her other books “When the Cousins Came” and “Fish for Jimmy” recount personal family stories about World War II incarceration camps and growing up in a multi-racial family. She also co-authored “Everything Naomi Loved,” with Ian Lendler (NYR, 2020), dealing with the topic of gentrification.

Yamasaki is currently in the early phases of a multi-year residency with the Women and Justice Project, in partnership with justice organizations around the city, to build a campaign of legislative reform and culture change around issues of gender justice and the mass incarceration of women.

Yamasaki earned her BA from Earlham College and MFA from the School of Visual Arts in NYC. She is a teaching artist at The Center for Fiction in Brooklyn. You can explore more of Yamasaki’s work on her website, www.katieyamasaki.com, or Instagram page, @katieyamasaki.