Kirk here. From the article:

Kirk here. From the article:

— start quote — The following excerpt is from The Thorn Puller, the first novel by the Japanese poet Hiromi Ito to be translated into English. With dark humor and refreshing candor, the novel explores the complexities and absurdities of illness, aging, and death as the narrator navigates the challenges of caring for her aging parents in Japan and her husband and children in California. The chapter below draws from Ito’s conversations with the novelist Michiko Ishimure, as well as from a variety of Japanese folktales, poems, and sutras. — end quote —

From Hiromi Ito’s English Wikipedia page:

— start quote — Itō divides her time between her home in Encinitas, California and Kumamoto in southern Japan. In the latter, she has been the organizing force between a group of local writers and artists known as the “Kumamoto Band” (熊本文学隊, Kumamoto bungakutai). Itō’s work is featured prominently in the Kumamoto Modern Literature Museum. — end quote —