Thinking of Anais Nin: Wesley Yamaka

Wesley Yamaka

Via e-mail:

Ms Collins…

In the early 70’s I did some silk screen prints of Ms Nin’s words. She gave me permission to use any of her works to display as screen prints. I never met her in person but she shared correspondence with me from California and on her trip to the South Pacific. I was priveleged to send her a dozen or so of the prints. She offered to pay for them (!) but just to be able to share the prints was payment enough. However, she asked me what of her books I would like. Without waiting for a response she sent me all of her diaries and assorted novels with her autograph and some special words she had for me! I was, to say the least, overwhelmed.

She wanted me to design the cover of her next diary but costs of printing them in color were prohibitive. We continued to correspond until her untimely death. I had the opportunity to meet her when she was in Washington, D.C. but the tickets were sold out. In calling her she said, “you should have come…I would have let you in!” I’m sorry that the meeting never took place.

I read all of her books and knowing the pain of the birthing of her first book gave me the knowledge that this, indeed, was a very, very special person. She wrote to me and said she shared the prints I had sent with two special persons: first, her doctor who, she said, saved her from death when she had cancer, and, second, to Henry Miller to whom she gave the print on her way to the South Pacific.

Thank you for having this page!

Wesley Yamaka
Mtndeer2@aol.com
6650 Hidden Creek Loop, NE
Keizer, Oregon 97303
(503)304-1831