Transcript of Roland Kelts full interview with Hayao Miyazaki (via GhibliWorld)
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For those of you who weren’t able to catch Roland Kelts’ (Osaka-shi, 1998-99) interview with Hayo Miyazaki in Berkeley, CA on July 25, a “fanatically thorough transcript” of the full interview has been posted at the GhibliWorld site: http://www.ghibliworld.com/miyazaki_on_stage_conversation_berkeley_july_2009.html
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Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, hosted a talk with Hayao Miyazaki (director of Spirited Away among other animated films) on July 25 in Berekely, CA. Miyazaki made a rare U.S. appearance to receive the second annual Berkeley Japan Prize for lifetime achievement, presented by the Center for Japanese Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. (See a Japan Times article on the event here.)
This was familiar territory for Roland, who hosted a talk with novelist Haruki Murakami in October 2008 when Murakami was presented with the first Berekely Japan award.
Roland Kelts on Australian radio
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Check out this interview on Australian radio (ABC) with Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, about the anime industry in Japan, financial foibles and hentai habits.
Roland recently finished a speaking tour in Australia where made several appearances.
- July 13-16th, Sydney, AU, JSAA Conference, University of Sydney
- July 17th, Sydney, AU, The Japan Foundation: Panel w/Susan Napier and Rebecca Suter
- July 20th, Brisbane, AU, The University of Queensland: Panel w/ Susan Napier and Rebecca Suter
- July 22nd, Melbourne, AU, The University of Melbourne: Panel w/Susan Napier and Rebecca Suter
He also hosted a talk with Hayao Miyazaki in Berkely, CA on July 25. Click here to see video clips of Roland speaking at the JETAA NY Alumni Author Showcase event held back in March 2009, here for photos from the event and here to read a review of the event.
Suzanne Kamata interview in The Telegraph (UK)
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Yesterday The Telegraph (UK) ran a nice interview with Suzanne Kamata (Tokushima-ken, 1988-90), who lives in Japan and is the editor of LiteraryMama as well as the author of books such as Losing Kei and Call Me Okaasan: Adventures in Multicultural Mothering (which recently won several prizes in the 2009 Indie Book Awards including the Grand Prize for non-fiction overall).
Read the interview here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/5833776/Raising-a-mixed-race-family-in-Japan-can-be-hard.html
For additional interviews and information about Suzanne:
- Interview with Suzanne by fellow JET alum Cristy Burne (Hyogo-ken, Kawanishi-shi, 1998-2000), author of the soon-to-be-released children’s book Takeshita Demons.
- Also, another JET alum writer, Liz Sheffield (Hokkaio-ken, Sapporo-shi, 1993-95), has an interview with Suzanne about the book on her blog motherlogue.wordpress.com.
- To learn more about Suzanne you can visit her website at http://www.suzannekamata.com or her blog at http://gaijinmama.wordpress.com (RSS feed here).
- Read an interview with Suzanne Kamata on children’s books and diversity by the blog Kabiliana.
- Go to the Authors/Books section of the JetWit Library to see a complete list of JET alum authors (at least to JetWit’s knowledge).
JetWit Blog Beat by Crystal Wong (Iwate-ken, 2002-04) is a recurring item featuring posts from the blogs of various JET alumni. Crystal is a former English-language writer for Kyodo News. She now works as a media planner in Chelsea and sorely misses all her favorite midtown ramen joints.
BlogBeat recently spoke with JET alum Janice Momoko Chow (Saitama, 2005-2006), a New York based-brand consultant and strategist about her blog.
A brand new addition to our blogroll, Janice describes Momoko Mashups as a place for her “thoughts and musings on fashion & style, art & design, technology & innovation, sustainability, New York City, and how everything transcends into culture and our everyday perceptions.” The site was created a year ago and continues to evolve as she adds new bits and pieces from her continuous quest for fun and fresh things to explore around the world.
Hailing from sunny Temple City in Southern California, Janice studied Brand Development and Psychology at the University of California-San Diego. While living and working in Tokyo, she fell in love with a life immersed in fashion, contemporary art, and design while working as a brand consultant for a range of clients, including Levi Strauss.
“It was an incredible experience,” she says. “I explored and tasted many different things that I wouldn’t normally be interested in. I sought after the latest sho chu spirits, sustainable electronic batteries, talked to the boys and girls who notoriously hang out in Harajuku, chatted with art students, and visited the denim mills south of Osaka.
Janice is now working on developing a communications and brand strategy for artist Suzy Taekyung Kim, while also working on ongoing projects from The Lambesis Agency as a brand consultant. You can find more about her work here.
JQ Magazine’s Spring 2009 “Utada Issue” Now Available Online!
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The Spring 2009 Issue of JQ (JETAA NY Quarterly) Magazine is now available online at http://jetaany.org/magazine/.
O-tsuakare sama deshita to Editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for all his hard work in putting out another outstanding issue, this one featuring a one-on-one interview he did with Hikaru Utada in New York.
Tanjo!! JQ‘s Spring 2009 Utada Issue is Here!
- What do an Oscar-winner, a celebrated ambassador-turned-president, an international author summit and one of the best-selling singer-songwriters the Eastern Hemisphere’s ever seen have in common? That’s right! They all (I heard) turned down Conan O’Brien to appear in the new issue of JETAANY’s quarterly magazine JQ!
- Months in the making but well worth the wait, our new issue also features our newly elected officers, Sakura Matsuri at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, a you-are-there piece on the Tokyo Marathon that you’re guaranteed to learn a thing or to from, and interviews with an Off-Broadway star, community honchos, noted authors and local JETs-made-good in both Japan and beyond.
- And how’s this for a main course: for the first time ever our feature interview was too long for the print issue, so we’ve posted the complete 13-page interview with Hikaru Utada at the handy link below. Whether you’re a Hikki-mania or just want to read what might be the most in-depth interview she’s ever done in English, we’ve got you covered. It all happens in the new issue of JQ. Dozo and enjoy!
SPRING 2009 ISSUE – click to download PDF
(Click Here to Read the Complete Hikaru Utada Interview)
Editor: Justin Tedaldi – magazine@jetaany.org
SPRING 2009 TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Page 3…..Letter From the Editor / Letter From the Country Rep
- Page 4…..Nippon News Blotter / JQ National Photo Contest Winners
- Page 5…..Comings & Goings – New Officers and JLGC Changes
- Page 6…..JETAANY Author Showcase by Gina Anderson and Justin Tedaldi
- Page 6…..TAIKOPROJECT in Philly by Renay Loper
- Page 7…..Japan Society’s New President Motoatsu Sakurai by Justin Tedaldi
- Page 8…..JETlog featuring Ed Thompson (Chiba-shi CIR, 1994-97)
- Page 9…..STOMP New York’s Yako Miyamoto by Liz Wanic
- Page 10…Running the Tokyo Marathon by Stacy Smith
- Page 11…Nihonjin in NY – Featuring Noriko Furuhata of the CGJ by Rick Ambrosio
- Page 11…Sakura Matsuri at Brooklyn Botanic Garden
- Page 13…Hikaru Utada: The JQ Interview by Justin Tedaldi
- Page 14…Adren Hart’s ConnectForce Productions Jazzes Up NY by Matt Matysik
- Page 15…JETAActivity Photos
- Page 16…An Animated Talk with Japanamerica Author Roland Kelts By Larry Heiman
- Page 17…Destination Nippon: JNTO and Kintetsu International by Sylvia Pertzborn
- Page 18…New York-Tokyo Founder Taeko Baba by Marea Pariser
- Page 19…Film Review: Departures by Lyle Sylvander
- Page 19…Book Corner: Shutting Out the Sun by David Kowalsky
- Page 20…Shutting Out the Sun Author Michael Zielenziger Q&A by Kelly Nixon
- Page 21…Awaji Puppet Theater at Japan Society by Beata Wilk
- Page 23…Top 14 List / Life After the B.O.E. / Let’s Make Chirashi!
- Major domo to (from left) Anson Mau, Kayoko & Rob Werner, Marea Pariser, Louie Reyes, Joe Marucheck, Justin Tedaldi, Steven Horowitz, Laura Pollak, Stacy Smith, and (off camera) Nancy Ikehara and Peter Mallik for pitching in to mail out the Utada Issue.
Suzanne Kamata
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Cristy Burne (Hyogo-ken, Kawanishi-shi, 1998-2000), author of the soon-to-be-released children’s book Takeshita Demons, has a really nice interview on her blog with Suzanne Kamata (Tokushima-ken, 1988-90), who lives in Japan and is the editor of LiteraryMama as well as the author of books such as Losing Kei and Call Me Okaasan: Adventures in Multicultural Mothering (which recently won several prizes in the 2009 Indie Book Awards including the Grand Prize for non-fiction overall).
(For all you translators out there lookng for an interesting project, you may notice Suzanne’s comment that none of her books have been translated into Japanese yet. Perhaps a future JET alum collaboration to come?)
Go here for the full interview: http://cristyburne.wordpress.com/2009/05/21/american-writer-in-japan-suzanne-kamata-
Cristy Burne
on-diversity-writing-and-winning-the-indie-book-awards/
- Also, another JET alum writer, Liz Sheffield (Hokkaio-ken, Sapporo-shi, 1993-95), has an interview with Suzanne about the book on her blog motherlogue.wordpress.com.
- To learn more about Suzanne you can visit her website at http://www.suzannekamata.com or her blog at http://gaijinmama.wordpress.com (RSS feed here).
- Read an interview with Suzanne Kamata on children’s books and diversity by the blog Kabiliana.
- Go to the Authors/Books section of the JetWit Library to see a complete list of JET alum authors (at least to JetWit’s knowledge).
James Kennedy interviewed by School Library Journal
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Great interview with James Kennedy (Nara-ken, 2004-06), author of The Order of Odd-Fish, by Elizabeth Bird of the School Library Journal. JET-riffic bonus: They use Zorgamazoo author Rob Weston’s (Nara-ken, 2002-04) blurb in the opening paragraph of the interview, and they’ve included the video clip of James from the JET Alumni Author Showcase.)
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1790000379/post/1160044516.html
Thanks to JET Liason Noriko Furuhata and JET alum Eric Campbell, both of whom work at the Consulate General of Japan in New York, for sharing the link to this Japan Times article about JET alum John Gauntner who has established himself as the leading non-Japanese sake expert in the world. And this on the heels of a recent JETAA NY sake tasting event at Bao Noodles, a restaurant owned by JET alum and sake sommelier Chris Johnson (Oita-ken, 1992-95).
Great stuff. Then again, is anyone really that surprised that JET alums would know sake so well? :-)
For more info, here are links to:
- the Japan Times article: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20090404a1.html
- John’s website: http://www.sake-world.com/ (filled with lots of good stuff)
- The five books he’s written on sake: http://www.sake-world.com/html/books.html (Yet another published JET alum author!)
- His Nihonshu columns that he wrote for the Japan Times for 8 years: http://www.sake-world.com/html/jt-archives.html
Perhaps going forward it’s time for JetWit to start keeping its eyes peeled for JET alum shouju sommeliers.
Happy Okaasan’s Day!
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Happy Okaasan’s Day from JetWit to all the JET alum moms, moms of JET alums and homestay moms too!
On the theme of JET alums and moms, you may want to get your mom a copy of author Suzanne Kamata’s (Tokushima-ken, 1988-90) new book — Call Me Okaasan: Adventures in Multicultural Mothering, a collection of essays from 20 mothers around the world.
For some nice background on Suzanne, take a look at writer (and mother) Liz Sheffield’s (Hokkaio-ken, Sapporo-shi, 1993-95) interview with Suzanne about the book on Liz’s blog motherlogue.wordpress.com.
New book by JET alum Suzanne Kamata
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Author Suzanne Kamata (Tokushima-ken, 1988-90) has a new book out called Call Me Okaasan: Adventures in Multicultural Mothering, a collection of essays from 20 mothers around the world.
And even better, writer Liz Sheffield (Hokkaio-ken, Sapporo-shi, 1993-95) has an interview with Suzanne about the book on her blog motherlogue.wordpress.com.
“Order of Odd-Fish Week” on Murphblog
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Writer Paul Murphy has declared it “Order of Odd-Fish Week” on his blog Murphblog. Every day this week, Paul will run segments of his long, in-depth interview with author James Kennedy (Nara-ken, 2004-06). And according to James, the week comes “with a contest! And pictures! And audio of Paul himself reading a selection from The Order of Odd-Fish!”
JET alum heads Writopia Lab, creative writing nonprofit in D.C.
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This just in from JETAA DC:
Hi fellow JET alums,
I’ve just gotten a job as the DC director of a creative writing nonprofit called Writopia Lab (www.Writopialab.org/writopia-washington-dc.html) which holds writing workshops for kids and teens. The organization is based in NYC and is brand new to this area, so I’m trying to spread the word about summer workshops. I know that many of you are involved in schools and arts/education organizations, so if you know of lists/folks to pass this info onto, could you please do so? And let me know? I really appreciate any help you can give, as well as any advice for spreading this great organization to Washington! (Contacts at schools / local publications especially appreciated!)
Thanks so much!
Kathy Crutcher (Gifu ’00-’01) Read More
JETAA Chicago Newsletter article on James Kennedy
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Finally got a hold of this nice article from the Spring 2009 Issue of the JETAA Chicago Newsletter about Jamese Kennedy (Nara-ken, 2004-06) written by JETAA Chicago Newsletter Editor Elizabeth Friedman (Shimane-ken, 2003-04).
Local Chicago JET Alum Spotlight: James Kennedy
James Kennedy (Nara-ken, 2004-2006), a Chicago resident, is the author of The Order of Odd Fish, a 2008 Smithsonian Notable book for children. I recently attended a reading he did of the book at the Evanston Public Library’s Fantasy Festival. Children and adults alike giggled as James bounced around the room while emulating his various characters’ voices and mannerisms. James mentioned he has taken improvisational theater classes in Chicago, which was evident in his ability to keep the group entertained and engrossed in the fantastical story. James also talked about how his improv classes were beneficial in getting him through the JET program interview; he had no problem acting out a sample English lesson on the spot in front of strangers.
In “The Order of Odd Fish,” James’ language often soars to dizzying heights, built upon his silliness and brilliant sense of humor. Each sentence seems to compete with the next to be the most surreal and outrageous piece of writing possible. The book’s dust jacket states that “The Order of Odd Fish” is “equal parts Monty Python and Roald Dahl ….” and I think that comparison is spot on. “The Order of Odd Fish” brought back fond childhood memories of reading “The Witches” and listening to the silly banter of Monty Python.
The main character of the novel, Jo, enters a strange land full of 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.
