Through a blend of historical analysis, cross-cultural insight, psychology, and creative storytelling, my writing challenges readers to reconsider the past, honor the complexities of human experience, and rethink the way we engage with the world.
nonfiction
My scholarly work examines how people make meaning within the cultural, political, and psychological environments that shape their choices. In addition to my work in AI, emerging media, and communication, I have written several books and articles on topics related to Japanese history and WWII propaganda. In my historical writing, I use an approach I call “History of the Moment,” which centers individuals within the ideals, pressures, and taboos of their time. Although my doctoral specialization was Japanese studies, my work speaks to broader questions in Asian American studies, race studies, anthropology, and sociology.
Magnetic Communication: Speaking and Writing with Professional Impact (Expected 2026)
Magnetic Communication offers a research-backed path for speaking and writing with impact in a content-saturated, AI-mediated world. Drawing from communication science, psychology, cross-cultural learnings, and years of teaching and leadership coaching, this book gives readers practical tools for building credibility in digital and AI-shaped environments.
Unthinking Collaboration: American Nisei in Transwar Japan (2022)
Unthinking Collaboration: American Nisei in Transwar Japan takes a closer look into the everyday lives, education, opportunities, social expectations, and treatment of Japanese Americans living in transwar Japan to question the meaning of “collaboration” in Japan both during and after World War II. (University of Hawai`i Press, 2022)
Nobility of Success: Heroes and Villains in Modern Japan (Expected 2026) – chapter contributor, edited volume
This multi-author volume examines how Japanese society has defined, celebrated, or condemned individuals from the country’s modernization to the present, offering a fresh lens on personal prominence beyond the long-standing focus on tragic, “failing” heroes. Expanding on and revising the legacy of Ivan Morris’s The Nobility of Failure, this volume brings together leading scholars to explore figures ranging from premodern icons and prewar statesmen to wartime actors, postwar radicals, and contemporary cultural celebrities.
Defamiliarizing Japan’s Asia-Pacific War (2019) – chapter contributor, edited volume
This wide-ranging collection seeks to reassess conventional understanding of Japan’s Asia-Pacific War by defamiliarizing and expanding the rhetorical narrative. Its nine chapters, diverse in theme and method, are united in their goal to recover a measured historicity about the conflict by either introducing new areas of knowledge or reinterpreting existing ones. Collectively, they cast doubt on the war as familiar and recognizable, compelling readers to view it with fresh eyes.
fiction
Though my nonfiction work centers on historical, cultural, and ethnographic analysis, my fiction allows me to explore the emotional and psychological dimensions of identity and decision-making. Under a pen name, I write short stories that delve into the power of unspoken connections, the weight of history on individual choices, and the quiet yet transformative effects of cross-cultural encounters. Those stories are available upon request.
I’ve also authored and co-authored children’s books, with more on the way. My brother and I have been writing whimsical stories in rhyme for more than a decade, and we look forward to putting more of our collaborations out into the world in book form!
Ogre Andy (2025)
Ogre Andy follows a kind-hearted ogre whose wildly imaginative restaurant order sends the staff into a hilarious frenzy. Told in playful, rhythmic verse, this charming story celebrates individuality, curiosity, and the joy of trying new things.
Electric Love (2023)
When the world inexplicably loses all of its power, a young boy named Callum harnesses his love of all things mechanical to use a renewable source–love–to power the world of the future.
blog
My blog, The Empathy Lab, is a space where I explore the intersection of entrepreneurship, cultural connection, and human insight. Here, I share the latest lessons learned from my own journey as a founder and researcher, investigating the ways in which empathy, emotional intelligence, and cross-cultural understanding are shaping not just the business world, but how we work, parent, and engage with the world around us.
Through personal stories, practical advice, expert reviews, and interviews with people who’ve bridged significant divides—whether cultural, personal, or professional—I aim to provide fresh perspectives on what it means to create, innovate, and connect in today’s globalized world.
Stay tuned for a blend of business insights, empathy-driven strategies, and explorations into the power of human connection to transform our work and lives.
Join my email list! I might send 2–3 thoughtful updates a year. Or none. I’m allergic to cluttered inboxes.
Carly Buxton, PhD 