Naomi Hirahara is a writer of both nonfiction books and mysteries. With Geraldine Knatz, she cowrote Terminal Island: The Lost Communities of Los Angeles Harbor, which won a Bruckman Award for Excellence and an Award of Merit from the Conference of California Historical Societies. Her Edgar Award–winning Mas Arai mysteries have been published in France, Japan, and Korea. A former editor of the Rafu Shimpo newspaper, she also curates historical exhibitions and writes articles and short stories.