Roland Kelts on Sakura-Con: Yomiuri column and podcast
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Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, has a recent Daily Yomiuri column on his experience at Sakura-Con in Seattle in April. You can also listen to a podcast about the event in which he’s interviewed.
WIT Life #37: Creative Commercialization
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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 observat
Since the recent shattering of the boy band’s SMAP’s clean-cut image with the arrest of member Tsuyoshi Kusanagi (34) on public indecency charges, the fallout has been pretty well contained. Kusanagi held a press conference on the 25th to apologize, and his agency has suspended all his activities indefinitely and declared a ban on alcohol for him. Apparently the famous Johnny’s jimusho is advising all of its high-profile clients to be mindful of their celebrity status when they are out for a night on the town and drinking is involved. SMAP fans are worried that Read More
Roland Kelts interviewed by AnimeNewsNetwork’s Chicks-On-Anime
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A good (and long) interview with Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, by Bamboo and Sara (aka Chicks-On-Anime) has been posted on the AnimeNewsNetwork.
Here are some photos from yesterday’s JET Alumni Author Showcase, courtesy of Noriko Furuhata, the JET Liason at the Consulate-General of Japan in New York:
Randall David Cook (Fukui-ken, 1991-93), Rob Weston (Nara-ken, 2002-04), Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99) and James Kennedy (Nara-ken, 2004-06) discuss their writing
The first-ever JET Alumni Author Showcase is done and in the books, and by all accounts it was a big success.
- Wonderful readings by Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), James Kennedy (Nara-ken, 2004-06) and Rob Weston (Nara-ken, 2002-04). (Stay tuned for photos and video clips.)
- Engaging and informative discussion, led by Randall David Cook (Fukui-ken, 1991-93).
- Great post-program schmoozing, connecting and re-connecting (including a mini-Nara reunion).
- And I think Kinokuniya sold pretty much all the books it brought.
Thanks to everyone who attended, helped out and supported the event. Hopefully this will be the first of many more to come.
James Kennedy “Librarian” essay sets blogosphere atwitter
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Following James Kennedy’s (Nara-ken, 2004-06) recent post of his essay describing the heretofore unpublicized lifestyles and rituals of librarians (a “cult” of which Kennedy’s own wife is admittedly a member) in connection with the American Library Association’s awarding of the “Best Book for Young Adults” to Neil Gaman, author of Coraline, rather than Kennedy’s The Order of Odd-Fish, the blogosphere was atwitter with commentary about Kennedy, who will be appearing in NYC March 22 for the JET Alumni Author Showcase along with Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99) and Robert P. Weston (Nara-ken, 2002-04)).
The Handless Poet’s Maria Alexander said:
I’m buying James Kennedy’s book, The Order of Odd-Fish. I’m buying it entirely because of this blog post. James Kennedy could quite possibly be the funniest man in America. http://www.thehandlesspoet.com/blogger/2009/03/james-kennedy-is-all-growed-up.html
School Library Journal’s Elizabeth Bird wrote:
Bad news for my husband. I have just fallen head-over-heels in love with James Kennedy, author of the YA novel The Order of Odd-Fish. Ladies and gentlemen of the liking men variety, I advise you to be very careful in reading this blog post of his which tells (in a fashion) of his experience with the last ALA Media Awards. He had me at “conniving sidelong lope” and now I feel compelled to read every damn word the fellow has ever written, starting from the early scribbles he scrawled out as a toothless mewling babe. Ba-bump goes my little heart. I also feel inclined to give him a bad review with the sole intention of hoping that he will write about me and do complicated things with my name. As I read through it I almost want to dedicate this entire post solely in the purpose of getting you to read this blog. Go. Now. Read. This. Man. I, for my part, am off to read his book. Even if it is YA. http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1790000379/post/1130041713.html?nid=3713
JET Alumni Author Section at Kinokuniya – more photos
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Here are a few more photos from the photo-op last Friday to promote the JET Alumni Author section at Kinokuniya in anticipation of the JET Alumni Author Showcase (set for March 22; e-mail authors at jetaany dot org to rsvp).
The books featured include:
- Japanamerica – Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99)
- The Order of Odd-Fish – James Kennedy (Nara-ken, 2004-06)
- Zorgamazoo – Robert P. Weston (Nara-ken, 2002-04)
- Learning to Bow – Bruce Feiler (Tottori-ken, 1989-90)
- Importing Diversity: Inside Japan’s JET Program – David L. McConnell
- Hitching Rides with Buddha (originally titled Hokkaido Hitchhiking Blues) – Will Ferguson (Nagasaki-ken, 1991-94)
*See a more complete list of JET alumni authors and their works at http://jetwit.com/wordpress/library/authorsbooks/
Stop by Kinokuniya and take a look!
L to R: Noriko Furuhata (Consulate), John Fuller (Kinokuniya Store Manager), Toru Mukaikubo (CLAIR), Hirotaka Ono (Consulate), Tony McCormac, Steven Horowitz, Amber Liang, Roland Kelts, Akira Sugiyama (Japan Information Center), Ryoko Kobayashi (CLAIR)
Roland Kelts on Japan’s News Zero interviewed by Sho Sakurai
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Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99) was recently interviewed by Sho Sakurai on Japan’s News Zero program. Click here to watch the clip on YouTube. (Good opportunity to practice your Japanese a bit as well. :-)
KRAZY! Roland Kelts to speak at Japan Society (NY) this Thursday
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Japan Society Lecture
Talking KRAZY! Japan’s Evolving Pop Culture
Curatorial Panel Discussion
Thursday, March 12, 6:30 PM
Left to right: Bruce Grenville, Toshiya Ueno, and Roland Kelts, photo © Matthias Ley.
What are the forces that drive the narrative and artistic sophistication of Japanese manga and anime? What accounts for their dominance in Japanese visual culture and their international popularity?
Join KRAZY! curators Bruce Grenville, Senior Curator at the Vancouver Art Gallery, and Toshiya Ueno, Professor of Sociology at Wako University, in conversation with Roland Kelts, Lecturer at the University of Tokyo and author of Japanamerica, together with moderator Joe Earle, Director of Japan Society Gallery, as they discuss the continuing evolution of visual culture in Japan.
Followed by a reception.
Tickets
$15 non-members
Japan Society Members free
Advance ticketing is required. Please call the Japan Society Box Office at (212) 715-1258, Mon. – Fri. 11 am – 6 pm, Weekends 11 am – 5 pm.
Kinokuniya sets up JET Alumni Author section
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In anticipation of the upcoming JET Alumni Author Showcase (set for March 22; e-mail authors at jetaany dot org to rsvp), Kinokuniya has set up a table featuring books by JET alumni authors. The table is on the ground floor in the main aisle, right by the magazine section and features the following books:
- Japanamerica – Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99)
- The Order of Odd-Fish – James Kennedy (Nara-ken, 2004-06)
- Zorgamazoo – Robert P. Weston (Nara-ken, 2002-04)
- Learning to Bow – Bruce Feiler (Tottori-ken, 1989-90)
- Importing Diversity: Inside Japan’s JET Program – David L. McConnell
- Hitching Rides with Buddha (originally titled Hokkaido Hitchhiking Blues) – Will Ferguson (Nagasaki-ken, 1991-94)
*See a more complete list of JET alumni authors and their works at http://jetwit.com/wordpress/library/authorsbooks/
Stop by Kinokuniya and take a look!
Other Kinokuniya-related information that may be of interest to you:
- Kinokuniya now offers an Anime/Manga Membership Card – for $15 you get 10% off all of your purchases. You can find the application form at the checkout desk in their stores.
- Anime Day @ Kinokuniya – Sunday March 15 (1073 Avenue of the Americas & 40th St. in NYC) – 11am to 6pm – First 10 fans dresses as Zetsubou-Sensei will win Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei Vol. 1 from Del Rey Manga!
- Japanese Young Artists’ Book Fair_3rd – Feb 15 thru March 8 – Comics, graphic books, picture books, art books, phtoograph books, poetry books, art object books and more at 4 different locations in NY: Kinokuniya (Midtown), Printed Matter (Chelsea), St. Mark’s Bookshop (E. Village), Spoonbill & Sugartown, Booksellers (Williamsburg) and
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Big news to announce. This event is a direct outgrowth of the Writers Interpreters Translators (WIT) Group and JetWit.com.
Click on image to go to jetaany.org/authors to access full-size PDF of the poster.
Read on for more details about the event and the authors.
Daily Yomiuri: Roland Kelts comments on Haruki Murakami’s Israel speech
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In a special column in today’s Daily Yomiuri (“Haruki Murakami: Japan’s 21st-Century Cultural Ambassador“), Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, comments on Haruki Murakami’s speech regarding his recent acceptance of a literary award in Israel.
Roland also has a new “Soft Power/Hard Truths” column out today, this one titled “Cosplayers a breath of fresh air for D.C.“
Also, here are upcoming speaking dates in NY for Roland:
- Mar 10th, New York, NY, The Consulate General of Japan in New York
- Mar 12th, New York, NY, The Japan Society
- Mar 22nd, New York, NY, JETaaNY Author Showcase (*RSVP required)
Roland Kelts upcoming appearances: Pasadena, CA, Hobart College and NYC
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For the West Coast JET set out there, Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, will be speaking this Sunday, March 1, at the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena. Full details here: http://www.pacificasiamuseum.org/calendar/calendar-next.htm
And for the Upstate NYers, on March 4 Roland will be at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Full details here: http://www.hws.edu/academics/fisher_center/fc_events.aspx#09s_kelts
And a reminder for the East Coast Elitist JET Alumni community that on Sunday, March 22 Roland will take part in the first ever JET Alumni Author Showcase, along with James Kennedy (Nara-ken, 2004-06), Robert Weston (Nara-ken, 2002-04) and Randall David Cook (Fukui-ken, 1991-93). (Space is limited. RSVP to authors at jetaany dot org.)
*To rsvp via the event listing on Facebook, just click: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=56484206967&ref=nf
Soft Power, Hard Truths: From Akihabara to Katsucon
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The latest Soft Power, Hard Truths Daily Yomiuri column from Roland Kelts (author of Japanamerica) in which he describes taking his Tokyo U. students on a field trip to Akihabara (i.e., the heart of otaku culture) reflecting on their reactions.
WIT Life #29: International Recognition to Wipe Away Domestic Woes
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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.
For those of you who didn’t tune in to the Academy Awards last night, Japan cleaned up in all the categories in which it received nominations. Going against heavily favored Waltzing with Bashir from Israel, Director Yojiro Takita’s Okuribito (Departures) took the award for Best Foreign Language Film. Since the establishment of this award in 
1957, Japan Read More
