Lucille Nixon Explained

Lucille M. Nixon (December 24, 1908  - December 22, 1963)^[1] 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.^[2] 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.^[3]

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.^[4]

References

1. https://books.google.com/books?id=uNQMAAAAIAAJ&pg=PP2&dq=%22lucille+m.+nixon%22+1963&ie=ISO-8859-1#PPP2,M1 Front matter
2. http://www.japanecho.com/sum/1999/260203.html An Imperial Poetic Tradition
3. Foster Hailey. "American poem wins Tokyo prize." The New York Times. 12 January 1957. pg. 1.
4. https://lmnixon.org/about/our-name/ About Lucille M. Nixon Elementary School