Sara Fujimura

I had such a good time at the Oak Lawn Public Library teaching teens and adults about making obento that I forgot to take any pictures! This is my newest foodie workshop. Along with general instruction, library patrons got to try about 10 different Japanese foods. Itadakimasu! A big thanks to super librarian Kate Donelly for inviting me to present tonight.🫶

Thank you, Schaumburg Township District Library! 🫶

We’re proud to celebrate one of our own! Congratulations to our patron Sara Fujimura, winner of the 2025 Soon to Be Famous Illinois Author Project for her novel BREATHE. We couldn’t be more excited to see her recognized. Join us in celebrating this incredible achievement and supporting local authors.

This is my favorite summer bookish event! See you again soon, Grayslake Book Dragons!

Grayslake AuthorFest

Sara Fujimura (foo-gee-moo-rah) is the American half of her bicultural Japanese-American family and spends about a month each year in Japan. She started as a journalist, so it’s no surprise that Sara’s young adult books contain a lot of facts to go along with the fiction. Whether you want to know about Japan, the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918, what it’s like to be an Olympic-caliber skater or how unscripted television works, Sara takes readers on swoony journeys to unusual places.

She is a creative writing teacher and literacy advocate who is excited to support the next generation of authors. If you go to anime cons, you may also see Sara as her alter ego, The Obento Lady. She is an active member of SCBWI and the Chicago-North Romance Writers. “Every Reason We Shouldn’t” was named an NPR Best Book of 2020.

www.sarafujimura.com

Grayslake AuthorFest 2026 is Saturday, July 18, in downtown Grayslake, Illinois.

Hey, Oak Lawn Public Library foodies! What are you doing this Wednesday, 5/6/26? Join me at 6:30 p.m. for my newest bento-related workshop, Cute Lunches Every Day. We'll learn how to create quick, artistic, delicious lunches for yourself and/or loved ones with a few simple tips and tricks.

But wait, there's more...I am bringing along a bunch of Japanese foods for you to try. Itadakimasu!

Get there early, because there are only 20 seats available. First come. First serve.

**Allergy warning: Items may contain or come into contact with wheat, eggs, soy, nuts, and milk.

Cute Lunches Every Day The Obento Lady, Sara Fujimura, shows you how to prepare quick, healthy, and flavorful lunches in 10 minutes or less per night. Discover new foods while learning the cultural meaning behind bento, the Japanese tradition of lunch making.

Spring is here! Now is the perfect time to take stock and evaluate last quarter’s creative and authorpreneurial endeavors. Are you on track to complete your yearly goals, or do you need a course correction before heading into Q2? Use my 2026 Q1 Authorpreneur Assessment to launch you into Q2 with focus and actionable steps. You can find it here: https://tanabatawishes.com/

Are you as obsessed with the figure skating and ice dancing at the Winter Olympics as I am right now? Many of the costumes are gorgeous works of art. Madison Chock's designs for her pair, along with other skaters, are particularly amazing.

Did you know that I had to change Olivia's skating costume in EVERY REASON WE SHOULDN'T at the very last minute? The awesome Courtney Milan, who blurbed my book, pointed out that Olivia's original costume would have gotten her docked points for being too revealing.

But why? This article from SELF explains how skating costumes are strictly judged.

https://www.self.com/story/rules-olympic-skaters-outfits

4 Rules You Probably Didn’t Know About Olympic Skaters’ Outfits Athletes are penalized for breaking them.

The 2026 Winter Olympics start tonight! What's your favorite winter sport to watch? To nobody's surprise, figure skating is my favorite sport, but I will also be glued to the TV for short track speed skating and ice dancing. We are a house divided, as I will be cheering on Team USA, while Hubs cheers on Team Japan.

If this is your vibe too, and you love YA contemporary books with a sweet romance, I hope you'll check out my book EVERY REASON WE SHOULDN'T (Tor Teen) read by the fantastic Caitlin Kelly. It's also available in paperback and eBook.

Go, Team USA!

It's World Read Aloud Day! Did you know that we're not just reading to little kids today? I read to multiple classrooms of 9th/10th grade students at Foster High School in Richmond, TX. Since the Olympics start on Friday, I read from EVERY REASON WE SHOULDN’T (Tor Teen). They had some great questions about my creative process, if my books are being made into movies/TV (can someone make that happen?), and why my characters have the backgrounds they do. Kudos to super librarian Misty Carter for having me back for a second year to talk to her students. It's always so much fun! 🫶

LitWorld Tor Teen