Tony Wallin-Sato is a Japanese American who works with formerly/currently incarcerated individuals in higher education. He is also a freelance journalist covering the criminal justice system through the lens of his own incarcerated experience. He holds an MFA in creative writing and was the winner of the Jody Stultz Award for Poetry in the 2020 edition of Toyon Literary Magazine. His first chapbook of poems, Hyouhakusha: Desolate Travels of a Junkie on the Road, was published in 2021 through Cold River Press. His first book of poems, Bamboo on the Tracks: Sakura Snow and Colt Peacemaker, was selected by John Yau for the 2022 Robert Creeley Memorial Award and is forthcoming. His work is featured in or due to be released in Cultural Daily, AAWW’s The Margins, Voice & Verse Poetry Magazine, Cha: An Asian Literary Journal, and Neon Door. Wallin-Sato’s work comes out of the periphery and supports the uplifting of voices usually spoken in the shadows. All he wants is to see his community’s thoughts, ideas and emotions freely shared and expressed.