The Stories We Tell Ourselves by Brandi-Ann Uyemura

The Stories We Tell Ourselves
By: Brandi-Ann Uyemura
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I am one of the slowest writers. My debut picture book comes out on March 17, 2026. Yet, I wrote this manuscript when my 12-year-old was barely a year old. Yes, the publishing industry is slow, but I hear of authors all the time who finished their manuscripts with lightning speed. I hold a BA in English and Ethnic Studies, and a master’s in counseling psychology. Why did writing my story take so long?

I am a Japanese American writer born and raised on the island of Oahu. My mom grew up on a Kauai sugar plantation. She lived in a plantation camp, a type of ethnic enclave insulated from the rest of the world. I was fascinated by her upbringing, which is why I minored in Ethnic Studies. The desire to tell these stories was strong, but so was the voice that questioned their desirability and worthiness in the well of mainstream stories.

When I was also told that my story was, “too niche,” and that there were already a lot of diverse stories, it was enough to make me want to give up. Winning a PBChat mentorship on Twitter, where I had the opportunity to work with award-winning author Andrea Wang, however, gave me the motivation and confidence to keep revising. The mentorship also helped me get eyes on my work, which was how I eventually sold my picture book. 

My initial pub date was this summer, and waiting has been hard, but I’m also continually haunted by the fear of exposing my family’s stories and culture. There is a part of me afraid of not getting it right. There is the ancestral fear of being scapegoated and discriminated against as a Japanese American, especially in the current time we are living in. But there is another part of me that has always wanted to share my family’s story of strength, courage and resilience, which is what my debut picture book, I Am a Bon Dancer, is about.
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I recently heard a podcast about the power of storytellers and how our stories are sacred. It got me thinking about what would happen if we were all too afraid to write. If we tell ourselves that our stories are not interesting or too bold or not mainstream enough, no one will ever know them. If we stay silent and allow fear to stop us, what chance do any of us have in knowing where we came from, fighting inequality, or standing up to what’s wrong in the world? Courage doesn’t come from writing without fear. It comes from creating with fear on your back and being led by the voice that says, “It matters. We matter. Our stories matter.”

Brandi-Ann Uyemura is a freelance writer mom, born and raised on the island of Oahu where she currently lives. Her debut picture book, I Am a Bon Dancer, illustrated by Amy Matsushita-Beal will be published by Holiday House on March 17, 2026. You can find her on Instagram and her website at Brandi-AnnUyemura.com.