Fukushima 10th Anniversary
Report by Felicity Tillack

Leza Lowitz in the top right corner talks to members of WiK about her involvement with the Fukushima disaster ten years ago

On Saturday, the 13th of March, Leza Lowitz presented a special Zoom event for the 10th anniversary of the triple disaster that devastated north Japan on March 11th, 2011. 

Leza was a long term resident of Tokyo, and was in the city on the day that the massive earthquake struck. She quickly mobilised, fund raising through her yoga studio, Sun and Moon, and also visiting the affected regions in order to bring comfort to the survivors of the tsunami. 

During a deeply moving presentation, Leza showed us pictures from the aftermath of the disaster, and gave us an insight into how the experience inspired her beautiful book of verse: Up From The Sea. Her book, for young adults, is written from the perspective of a biracial, teenage boy growing up in a small town based off of Kessenuma, and began in response to the plea of a young boy she met while volunteering: “Don’t forget us.”

Picked up by Crown, then part of Penguin now Random House, Up From The Sea has touched the hearts of readers across the world, including children who rarely read poetry, as well as a group of Afghan students who later visited Japan. 

It was an excellent opportunity for WiK members to hear insights from a published author, and see part of what goes on behind the scenes of getting a book to print with a larger publisher, as well as such a deeply moving account of the 3/11 disaster. 

Thank you to Leza Lowitz for a wonderful Zoom session with WiK!