JetWit gathering in Tokyo May 15 for Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators
Career, Cartoon/Illustration, Events, Networking, Writers 
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Hi everybody! (especially if you live in Tokyo!)
On May 15, 2009, The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators is hosting a presentation by Laura Rennert, a senior agent of Andrea Brown Literary Agency, about the craft of writing. I plan on attending this event (which is in Shibuya) and would like to meet up with other JetWit-ers who are interested in going.
Please contact me at bokinaka [at] uclalumni [dot] net. The plan is to hit up an izakaya in Shibuya afterwards, so if you just want to show up for food and drinks (and great company) on a Friday night, then e-mail me!
domo!
Bobby Okinaka (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02)
www.fresh-off.blogspot.com
Note: See the post on JetWit about the event, shared previously by author Suzanne Kamata (Tokushima-ken, 1988-90) who serves as the Publicity Assistant for the Tokyo branch of The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
JetWit job poster Stephen Palanik (Fukushima Ken, 2004-08) learned of the following events through the Consulate General of Japan in Toronto website and thought they might be of interest to former JETs in the Toronto area. Stephen is a translator based in Hamamatsu city, Shizuoka Ken, and he periodically posts job listings and event information for JET alumni.
Click the respective links for more information related to the following events taking place in the Toronto area at the end of April and throughout May.
April 29 – The Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre hosts a Dedication to Bill Hashizume, the translator of an invaluable directory of Japanese living in Canada, published in 1921.
April 30 – The Tokyo String Quartet plays the secnd concert of a Beethoven cycle which will develop over two concerts each season of Music Toronto for three seasons.
May 1 – The Japan Foundation, Toronto presents ANTIMATTER: A Viewpoint on Contemporary Japanese Art, a lecture by Yuri Mitsuda, the Curator for the Shoto Museum of Art in Tokyo.
May 2 – It’s time once again for the annual JCCC Bazzar at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre!
May 3 to 31 – East Meets West – The Art of Gerald and Setsuko Lazare at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre is the coming together of two people from distinctly different cultures, in love with art, and how it affected their future lives and careers.
May 6 – After hugely successful performances for two years in a row, Katsura Sanshi, the Rakugo master, will be returning for the third time to Toronto for a single performance at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre.
May 6 to 9 – The annual CanAsian International Dance Festival is known for the presentation of world-class, pan-Asian dance that ranges from rarely seen traditional dances, to cutting edge contemporary forms.
May 25 – The Canadian Soccer Association will host the Women’s National Soccer Team of Japan for an intermational friendly match.
JetWit job poster Stephen Palanik (Fukushima Ken, 2004-08) learned of the following photography show through the Embassy of Japan in Canada website and thought it might be of interest to former JETs in Gatineau and the surrounding area. Stephen is a translator based in Hamamatsu city, Shizuoka Ken, and he periodically posts job listings and event information for JET alumni.
Counter-Photography: Japan’s Artists Today
This exhibition brought to you by the Japan Foundation presents the work of eleven Japanese photographers sharing a common interest and pursuing a common ideal, to reveal the richness of the invisible or what is concealed in our material reality bereft of spirituality.
Date:
April 30 – June 7, 2009
Time:
Monday – Friday: 9am – 4:30pm, Thursdays: 9am – 8pm, Sundays: 12pm – 5pm
Location:
Galerie Montcalm, 25 rue Laurier, 1st floor, Gatineau
Admission:
Free
For more information, see the Ville de Gatineau webpage.
Florida JETAA: Japanese Lantern Fest in Clearwater, FL
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JetWit has learned that Tom Gregorich, the new Florida JETAA president, is going to be volunteering at the Japanese Culture and Lantern Festival in Clearwater this Saturday, celebrating Clearwater’s 50th anniversary of its sister city relationship with Nagano, and he encourages JET alums in the area to come out. Tom says, “I’m sure that many of you have good memories of Japanese matsuri, so this should be fun. I look forward to meeting some of you there.”
Bank of Japan Governor Shirakawa at Japan Society on Thursday
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This is pretty big. Note that you can watch by webcast as well.
| LIVE WEBCAST TOMORROW
Way out of Economic and Financial Crisis: Click here to insure that you have Adobe Flash to view our webcasts.
Japan Society’s Corporate Program will feature Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa at a luncheon program. Governor Shirakawa will address the current global economic crisis and offer lessons from Japan’s recent experience. Speaker: To view this event live online: |
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Author Suzanne Kamata (Tokushima-ken, 1988-90), who serves as the publicity assistant for the Tokyo branch of The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, shared the following announcement:
The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators presents
Literary Agent Laura Rennert
Under the Hood: The Nuts and Bolts of Craft
Time: Friday, May 15, 2009, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Place: Tokyo Women’s Plaza, Conference Room 1
5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
(by the Children’s Castle and United Nations University)
For a map see www.scbwi.jp/map.htm
Fee: SCBWI members 1,500 yen; non-members 2,000 yen
This event will be in English.
In this two hour presentation, Laura Rennert, senior agent of Andrea Brown Literary Agency, will lift the hood and focus on the key elements of the writer’s craft: voice, great beginnings, characterization, narrative structure, plot, powerful endings. How do you establish your compact with the reader and then honor it? What makes opening pages irresistible and how do you sustain these page turning elements throughout your work? What causes an agent, an editor, or a reader to put down a book? If voice is that ineffable something you bring to the table, are there concrete ways in which you can work on it? What are the essential elements that go into the creation of “round” characters, and how can you create these multi-dimensional, vivid characters?
Come to this hands-on session and plumb these questions and others as Rennert delves into issues of craft and technique, drawing on her ten years plus experience as an agent, on her Ph.D. and eight years of university experience teaching English Literature, and her own experience as an agent with forthcoming published books.
Laura Rennert is a Senior Agent with Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Founded in New York City in 1981, it was the first literary agency to represent both children’s book authors and illustrators. Rennert has been with the agency for almost ten years, and specializes in all categories of children’s books, from picture books to young adult, graphic novels, fiction and nonfiction. Visit the Andrea Brown agency website at www.andreabrownlit.com.
Upcoming Lectures at Japan Society (NY): Intimacy and Tourism
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I just saw that Japan Society (NY) has two particularly interesting lectures coming up. One on the issue of intimacy in Japanese society and the other on whether Japan has failed to take advantage of a big tourism opportunity, both topics that are likely to be of interest to JET alums.
Lovesick Japan:
Stories of Intimacy from Courts to Keitai (Cell Phone) Novels Dana Goodyear, poet, journalist and the author of the New Yorker article “I ♥ Novels,” and Mark West, Nippon Life Professor of Japanese Law at the University of Michigan, discuss their latest research into this “crisis of intimacy.” Moderated by Kenji Yoshino, The Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law at New York University. Tickets: Purchase tickets online or call the box office at 212.715.1258 Historical and Natural Tourism:
Rediscovering Lost Japan While tourism has become the world’s largest earner of foreign exchange, famed author and Japan expert Alex Kerr argues that Japan has largely missed a great opportunity. Using examples of successful historic renovation and new approaches to managing tourist sites in both rural and urban Japan, Kerr offers an innovative vision for the future of international tourism in Japan. Purchase tickets online or call the box office at 212.715.1258 LOCATION: |
Via Sabrina Carlin on the JETAA Pacific Northwest e-mail list:
For those Yoshida Kyodai fans out there, the Brothers are playing at the Triple Door on May 20th. There are two shows, 7 pm or 9:30. Tickets are $23 or $26 at the door. You can call over the phone for tickets for a small service fee. http://www.tripledoor.com/ The doors open at 5 pm, and they have a full dinner menu available. A few of us Alums are going to the first show. Want to join us?
For those of you who’ve never heard of them:
One more video clip below the fold: Read More
JET alum artist Laurel Lukaszewski featured in Washington Post article
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Artist Laurel Lukaszewski (Kagoshima-ken, 1990-92) is featured in a nice article “Ceramics That Go Beyond Cups and Bowls” in Friday’s Washington Post. The article focuses on how unique it is for an artist to be working with clay these days, particularly since it has nothing to do with bowls, cups and dishes.
Laurel has an upcoming show titled “A Fine Line” opening Thursday, April 23, in D.C. Together with Noelle K. Tan she will be showing her sculpture and Noelle Tan will have her altered photographs and prints.
A Fine Line
Works by Noelle K. Tan and Laurel Lukaszewski
505 9th Street, NW Lobby
Washington, DC
(near the Archives and Gallery Place/Chinatown metro stations)
Opening Reception and Artist Talk: Thursday, April 23, 2009, 5:30 – 7:00 pm
The show runs April 23 through early July 2009 and is open weekdays 8:00 am – 7:00 pm
For more information, please visit: http://project4gallery.com/invitations/afineline/index.html
For more information on Laurel and her work, go to www.laurellukaszewski.com.
WIT Life #35: Hero Worship
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WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Interpreter/Translator/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken, 2000-03). Recently she’s been watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese and sharing some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
A recent survey of Japanese young men regarding which famous figure they would want to become resulted in Ichiro Suzuki,
Ryoma Sakamoto and Ryo Ishikawa for the top 3. The person in the #1 slot is the most recognizable, especially now that he just broke the Japanese record for most career hits with his 3086th in yesterday’s game against the Angels (though the Mariners ultimately went on to lose). In the stands to witness this feat was Ichiro’s bat maker (perhaps craftsman is a more appropriate term) of the past 15 years. He was thrilled to be part of the historical moment, and expressed his desire that the next record he wants Ichiro to break is for 4000 hits. A matsuri mood pervaded Japan in celebrating Ichiro’s feat, and in honor of his accomplishment one store created Read More
Event: Indoor Rock Climbing (Toronto, ON)
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JetWit job poster Stephen Palanik (Fukushima Ken, 2004-08) learned of the following event through the JETAA Toronto April newsletter and thought it might be of interest to former JETs in the Toronto area. Stephen is a translator based in Hamamatsu city, Shizuoka Ken, and he periodically posts job listings and event information for JET alumni.
Bring back the triumphant memories of scaling Mt. Fuji by scaling Joe Rockhead’s Indoor Rock Climbing wall at the upcoming sports event, FUJI-SAN ROCK CLIMBING. The group of us will be given a 1-hour beginner’s lesson to rock climbing, followed by 2-hours of instructor-guided practice and technique.
We will be led by some of the finest instructors in the country, at Joe Rockhead’s, the first climbing gym ever opened in Canada. The environment is fun, controlled and safe for all participants.
Event: Hanami Party (Toronto, ON)
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JetWit job poster Stephen Palanik (Fukushima Ken, 2004-08) learned of the following event through the JETAA Toronto April newsletter and thought it might be of interest to former JETs in the Toronto area. Stephen is a translator based in Hamamatsu city, Shizuoka Ken, and he periodically posts job listings and event information for JET alumni.
Come out to the third annual Hanami Party in High Park. Forget the rain of 2008 and the bare trees of 2007, this year’s cherry blossom viewing promises to be the best yet!
All JETs, family, and friends are invited to attend JETAA’s High Park party. Bring your favourite hanami snacks or enjoy some of the refreshments provided by JETAA Toronto.
Read More
Via the Society for Writers Editors and Translators (SWET) e-mail list. Several workshops/discussions/presentations that seem to be very useful for writers and translators in Japan:
SWET News, April 8, 2009
For details on the following upcoming events, see below:
1) April 21 (Tues)–SWET OPEN FORUM: Wordsmithing in Japan (Tokyo)
2) May 16 (Sat)– WRITING MULTICULTURAL FAMILIES (Tokyo)
3) May 17 (Sun)–SWET KANSAI: THREE POETS IN JAPAN (Kyoto)
4) June 23 (Tues)–WRITING NEWS ON JAPAN with Elaine Lies (Tokyo)
5) July 18 (Sat)–SWET (Kanto) Summer Party – details pending. Read More
Donald Keene Center presents: Royall Tyler – The Honor of Translating the Tale of Genji
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Via Kia Cheleen (CIR, Aichi-ken 1996-98, ALT 1998-1999), Associate Director at the Donald Keene Center on Japanese Culture at Columbia University. To get on their e-mail list for future events, send an e-mail to donald-keene-center at columbia dot edu.
2009 Annual Soshitsu Sen XV Distinguished Lecture on Japanese Culture
“The Honor of Translating the Tale of Genji”
Royall Tyler
6:00 PM, Wednesday, April 22nd
The 2008-2009 academic year marks the one-thousandth anniversary of that remarkable classic of Japanese literature, Murasaki Shikibu’s The Tale of Genji. In order to commemorate the occasion, the Keene Center has invited the renowned Genji scholar and most recent translator of that work into English, Dr. Royall Tyler, to deliver this year’s Soshitsu Sen XV Distinguished Lecture on Japanese Culture.
Miller Theater, Columbia University (116th Street and Broadway)
Please go to http://www.columbia.edu/about_columbia/map/miller_theater.html for a campus map
Reservations are required by April 15th. To RSVP for a reservation-only event,
please email dcc2119 at columbia dot edu or send a fax to 212-854-4019. Read More
Recent publications by JET alum Michael Auslin
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Two recent publications by JET alum Michael Auslin, a professor of Japanese history and politics and currently the Director of Japanese Studies for the American Enterprise Institute in D.C.
The Sick Man of Asia
Posted Date: Monday, April 6, 2009
It might not be possible for Tokyo to maintain the type of global role it has played so far. If that happens, the world may finally understand just how vital that role was. http://www.aei.org/publication29667
Can Japan Thrive–or Survive?
Posted Date: Monday, April 6, 2009
Despite its political sclerosis, economic stagnation, and demographic worries, Japan is a resilient nation that has much to contribute to the world. http://www.aei.org/publication29666
Michael will also be moderating a panel on Tuesday, April 14 at the AEI offices in Washington, D.C. on the topic of “Are Alliances Enough: The Role of the U.S.-Japanese Alliance in Maritime Asia.” The panel is part of an all-day conference titled Protecting the Seas: Maritime Security in the Asia Pacific, America’s Interests, and Asia’s Future.
