Another Canadian JET to visit Tohoku via the MOFA program
Article/Journalism, Blogs, Earthquake Tsunami, Japan Local, JETAA Chapters, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment, Travel/Tourism, Volunteer, Writers 
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Turns out the Ottowa Citizen article was not entirely correct about Brent Stirling (Fukushima-ken, Fukushima-shi, 2006-10) being the only Canadian among the 20 ex-JETs selected for the MOFA program to go back to their town/city in Tohoku, help with volunteering and write about and share their experience.
But the post on JETwit about the article did help generate a response from Toronto-based JET alum Tanya Gardecky (Miyagi-ken, Shiogama-shi) who will also be participating and whose travel blog you can follow here: http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/ShiogamaJET/
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Here are a few JET-related articles and radio piece written and produced in the past month by JET Alum Bluegrass Subchapter member Graham Shelby (Fukushima-ken). (Thanks to Graham for sharing the info.)
- Graham went to Nashville at the end of July to interview some of the new JETs about to depart from the consulate there. Here’s a radio piece he produced that aired this past week on the public radio station here in Louisville. (It’s short.)
http://www.wfpl.org/2011/08/15/audio-new-teachers-prepare-for-life-in-japan/
- Graham also put together a quick piece focusing on one of new JETs who happens to be headed to Fukushima. It aired a few times on NPR’s national newscasts during Morning Edition on August 1. They don’t archive the newscasts online, the newscaster’s intro sounded something like this:
“While many people are struggling to find jobs, hundreds of Americans, many of them recent college graduates, have found an employer eager to hire them – in Japan. From member station WFPL, Graham Shelby has more.”
- Lastly, Graham did another short piece that was Kentucky-specific that was picked up by a few stations here.http://www.wfpl.org/2011/07/30/kentuckians-prepare-for-japanese-teaching-assignments/
As Graham’s work demonstrates, there are clearly opportunities to find and tell compelling stories from the world of JETs and former JETs. If you have any ideas, angles, upcoming events or possible outlets in mind, please feel free to contact Graham gshelby3 [at] gmail.com.
JET Programme 25th Anniversary Symposium to be held by Japanese government
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FYI, this is a big deal and something to pay attention to, especially in terms of the future of JET. One of the speakers, notably, will be Jim Gannon (Ehime-ken, 1992-94), Executive Director of the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA). I believe AJET President Matthew Cook (Osaka, 2007-12) may also be in attendance.
Here’s the official info via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) website:
Holding of the Symposium and a Reception Commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the Establishment of the JET Programme
http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/announce/2011/8/0816_01.html
August 16, 2011
Japanese
- On Thursday, September 8, the Symposium Commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the Establishment of the JET Programme (Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme) will be held at U Thant International Conference Hall, United Nations University. The symposium will be co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), and the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR).
- The JET Programme aims to enhance foreign language education and promote international exchange at the local level. The symposium will be held to reflect on the results of the Programme’s efforts during the past 25 years, and contribute to the Programme’s further development, as well as to widely publicize the Programme to all walks of life.
- On the occasion of the holding of the Symposium Commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the Establishment of the JET Programme, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to hold a reception at the Iikura Guesthouse in the evening of the same day, with a view to deepening the understanding of the relevant parties in Japan and abroad on the significance and results of the Programme, among others, and seeking further coordination with parties related to the Programme including those from local governments and in the education field, and the diplomatic corps in Tokyo.
Additional information
Symposium Commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the Establishment of the JET Programme (Overview)
1. Time and date:
12:30 p.m. – 5:10 p.m. on Thursday, September 8, 2011
2. Venue:
U Thant International Conference Hall, United Nations University
(5-53-70, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo)
3. Co-organizers:
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology,
Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR)
4. Supporters:
National Governors’ Association,
Japan Association of City Mayors,
National Association of Towns and Villages
5. Scheduled programs and participants:
(a) Greetings by co-organizers:
Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications,
Minister for Foreign Affairs,
Minister for Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
(b) Greetings by guests:
Ambassador of the United States to Japan (to be confirmed),
Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Japan (to be confirmed),
Ambassador of the ROK to Japan
(c) Commemorative lecture:
Mr. James Gannon,
Executive Director, Japan Center for International Exchange
(d) Activity reports:
Dr. Angus Lockyer,
Chair, Japan Research Centre, University of London
Mr. Kim Jin Ah,
Director of International Cooperation Department,
Governors Association of Korea
(e) Panel discussion:
Panelists:
Dr. Akira Nakamura, Professor, Meiji University
Dr. Angus Lockyer,
Chair, Japan Research Centre, University of London
Mr. Kim Jin Ah,
Director of International Cooperation Department,
Governors Association of Korea
Mr. Keiji Yamada, Governor, Kyoto Prefecture
Mr. Masao Niisato, Professor, Tokyo International University
Ms. Yoko Kimura, Chairperson, Board of Directors, CLAIR
— Participants: Approximately 350 people including those from local governments and in the education field, and the diplomatic corps in Tokyo.
— Simultaneous interpretation will be provided.
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- (*This is a provisional translation. The above date denotes the date of the issue of the original press release in Japanese.)
Brent Stirling (Fukushima-ken, Fukushima-shi, 2006-10)
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Ottawa based JET alum Brent Stirling (Fukushima-ken, Fukushima-shi, 2006-10) is one of only 2 Canadians out of 20 JET alumni selected to return to the Tohoku region to volunteer, engage and share their experience for the benefit of others, according to an article in the Ottawa Citizen.
(Note: This post previously repeated the error in the Ottawa Citizen article that Brent was the only Canadian participating. But it turns out that Toronto-based Tanya Gardecky (Miyagi-ken, Shiogama-shi) will also be participating.)
Stirling, who writes on his blog ForYourBrentertainment and was actively involved in the creation of Quakebook following the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami, submitted a proposal which was accepted by the program established by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs together with the Japan Tourism Agency to bring 20 Tohoku-area JET alums back to Tohoku to play a role in helping their communities and then spread word of their experience afterwards.
Read the full Ottawa Citizen article here: “Months of blogging leads to trip to Japan: Kanata teacher will help with disaster relief in the country he writes about”
Tsunami: JET alum Harvard professor Ian Miller’s NY Times article
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Harvard history professor Ian Miller (Miyagi-ken, Miyako-shi)
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Thanks to a recent conversation with Peter Kelley, President of the National Association of Japan-America Societies, I just learned of this New York Times article by Harvard history professor and JET alum Ian Miller (Miyagi-ken, Miyako-shi) which ran March 19, 2011.
Bitter Legacy, Injured Coast
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/20/opinion/20miller.html?_r=1&pagewanted=1
By IAN JARED MILLER
Cambridge, Mass.
THE rugged Sanriku Coast of northeastern Japan is among the most beautiful places in the country. The white stone islands outside the port town of Miyako are magnificent. The Buddhist monk Reikyo could think of nothing but paradise when he first saw them in the 17th century. “It is the shore of the pure land,” he is said to have uttered in wonder, citing the common name for nirvana.
Reikyo’s name for the place stuck. Jodogahama, or Pure Land Beach, is the main gateway to the Rikuchu Kaigan National Park, a crenellated seashore of spectacular rock pillars, sheer cliffs, deep inlets and narrow river valleys that covers 100 miles of rural coastline. It is a region much like Down East Maine, full of small, tight-knit communities of hardworking people who earn their livelihoods from tourism and fishing. Sushi chefs around the country prize Sanriku abalone, cuttlefish and sea urchin.
Today that coast is at the center of one of the worst disasters in Japanese history. Despite the investment of billions of yen in disaster mitigation technology and the institution of robust building codes, entire villages have been swept out to sea. In some places little remains but piles of anonymous debris and concrete foundations.
I taught school in Miyako for more than two years in the 1990s, and it was while hiking in the mountains above one of those picturesque fishing villages that I came across my first material reminder of the intricate relationship between the area’s breathtaking geography, its people — generous and direct — and powerful seismic forces.
On a hot summer day a group of middle-school boys set out to introduce me to their town, a hamlet just north of Pure Land Beach. While I started up the steep mountainside the children bounced ahead of me, teasing me that I moved slowly for someone so tall. “Are you as tall as Michael Jordan, Miller-sensei?” yelled one boy as he shot past me up the trail.
“Not quite,” I told him, pausing on a spot of level ground to look out over the neat collection of tile roofs and gardens that filled the back of a narrow, high-walled bay.
“What is this?” I asked, pointing to a mossy stone marker that occupied the rest of the brief plateau. A chorus of young voices told me that it was the high-water mark for the area’s biggest tsunami: more than 50 feet above the valley floor.
“When was that?” I asked, but the boys couldn’t say. Read More
JETwit needs your help identifying any earthquake/tsunami/nuclear disaster relief projects or efforts that have been started, organized, managed or otherwise undertaken by JETs or JET alumni.
What else is missing from this list?
View Japan Relief Efforts in a larger map
View Japan Relief Efforts in a larger map
The ones we’re aware of to date (8/12/11) are:
1. Smile Kids Japan (founded by Mike Maher-King (Fukui-ken, 2006-11) collaborating with Tokyo-based NPO Living Dreams to form the Smiles & Dreams Tohoku Kids’ Project (among other efforts).
2. The Fruitree Project, started by Paul Yoo (Akita-ken), which has now evolved into Volunteer AKITA and has led to the Big CLEAN which has already brought volunteers to help cleaning efforts in Kessenuma.
3. I’ve heard that Fukushima JETs have been organizing efforts to clean up the beaches, but I don’t have any details. Can anyone provide more info?
4. Hearts For Haragama (http://hearts4haragama.wordpress.com). Billy McMichael (CIR Fukushima) is one of the 7 founders of project aimed at raising funds for the Haragama Youchien kindergarten in Soma, Fukushima. (Thanks to former JETAA DC President Michelle Spezzacatena for passing this on.)
5. “Kat Geeraert, an ALT in Soma (Fukushima), is doing an amazing job with her foundation “Friends of Soma.” http://www.somafriends.com/ (Thanks to Catherine Lefrancois (JHS ALT in Fukushima-ken, Fukushima-shi) for passing this on.)
6. AJET is playing a significant role in facilitating and coordinating volunteer efforts for current JETs and has also been collaborating with other good organizations/efforts such as Peace Boat, Foreign Buyers Club and 5toSurvive. (Thanks to Cailin Arena (Osaka) for passing this on.)
7. “Save Miyagi was founded by Canon Purdy (Miyagi-ken, 2008-10) to help out students in Minamisanriku. Canon is currently back in Japan, working with officials to see where the money will be used.” (Thanks to Jen Wang (Miyagi-ken) for passing on the info.)
8. Hotdogs and Hugs is an aid organization formed by Saga-ken JETs. Among other things, they organized a volunteer group that traveled all the way from Saga (western Kyushu) up to Tohoku, collecting donations and fundraising along the way. (Thanks to Ling Tran (Saga-ken, Yoshinogari-shi, 2009-11) for passing on the info.)
9. Osaka AJET: “We have done extensive food drives and collections through our schools we work in, those goods, money, supplies have then been coordinated with Kozmoz International (A small not-for profit in Kyoto) and we have taken the needed items to Tohoku ourselves. We will be doing another drive across Osaka, hopefully in dozens of schools where JETs are placed from the start of this second term.” (Thanks to Matthew Cook, who serves as both AJET Chair and is a member of Osaka AJET, for sharing this info.)
10. The MUD Project: It turns out that Colin Renie (CIR Yamagata-ken, 2007-10) has been running a volunteer project that has enabled many JETs to volunteer in Tohoku with particular emphasis on Minamisanriku as well as other areas of Miyagi and Iwate. Lots of good info, photos and updates on the project’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/mudproject
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What else is missing from this list?
Please post to the comments section or e-mail jetwit [at] jetwit.com with more info.
Yoroshiku!
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This editorial in support of the JET Programme by Hitoshi Tanaka appeared originally in Japanese in The Mainichi Daily News. Thanks to Jim Gannon (Ehime-ken, 1992-94), Executive Director of the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA), for sharing the article. And special thanks to Laura Kamutaka (CIR Miyagi-ken, Shiogama-shi, 2005-07) for translating it into English.
Don’t Cut Funding of Grassroots Exchange: Earthquake reveals and affirms overseas bond
http://www.jri.co.jp/MediaLibrary/file/report/tanaka/pdf/5570.pdf
Tanaka Hitoshi, Chairman, Institute for International Strategy, Japan Research Institute
The Tohoku earthquake swallowed many lives and left many missing. The unimaginable hardship of the disaster victims weighs heavily on our hearts, and many of us have a strong desire to help with this tragic situation. People who want to take action beyond making a charitable donation. People who want to work together with the disaster victims in any capacity, no matter how small the achievement. Some of those around me set up a nonprofit called Hope for Tomorrow to assist high school students affected by the earthquake, of which I’ve become a representative.
”Hope for Tomorrow” is designed to not only assist the students advancement but to help develop their language skills as well. There’s a reason for this. One of the tsunami victims was Taylor Anderson, an Assistant Language Teacher in Ishinomaki City of Miyagi Prefecture who taught English at both elementary and junior high schools. After the earthquake, the 24-year-old Virginia, US native worked to ensure her students’ safety and, in doing so, lost her life. In honor of her memory, Anderson’s parents have been collecting US donations with the intention of sending them to Japan to help restore school in Ishinomaki.
Anderson was in Japan through the JET Program, a Japanese government program that invites international youth to help Japanese students with foreign language instruction. After 24 years of existence, the program currently boasts over 4,000 participants from 36 countries, with over half coming from the United States. Most participants stay in Japan from two to three years, teach elementary to high school-level Japanese students, and maintain a strong bond with Japan even after returning to their home countries.
Ten years ago when I served as the Consulate General in San Francisco, I spoke with both JET participants who were about to leave for Japan and those that had recently returned. I remember those that returned all spoke passionately of their experiences and had great affection for Japan.
Even the JET participants’ response to the earthquake is remarkable. The JET Alumni Association has chapters across the country working to fundraise for relief efforts. There are those such as Stuart Harris, a JET participant in Iwate prefecture in 1989 who assembled a team of doctors right after the earthquake to provide relief to Japan. JET participants currently in Japan have also collected donations and vigorously volunteered to the relief effort.
Of course, it isn’t only the JET participants that have shown compassion towards Japan. A friend of mine who married an American found a network of people on Facebook, leading them to New York’s Union Square to collect donations less than a week after the earthquake. Passersby would donate cash and in no time more than $10,000 had been raised. We need to protect these precious bonds that transcend national lines.
Unfortunately, this kind of grassroots exchange has been decreasing each year. The number of JET participants has gone from 6,000 participants 10 years ago to 4,000. The Democratic Party of Japan has included the JET program in its budget cuts. From a financial standpoint alone, it seems counterintuitive to shrink a program that yields such positive results.
It is easy to see the Japan-US ties mainly through the relationship between the two governments. But that’s not true. Grassroots exchange is what sustains the important bond between the two countries and is something we must never forget.
JET alumni to revisit Tohoku to help boost tourism
Earthquake Tsunami, JETs in the News, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment, Travel/Tourism, Volunteer Comments Off on JET alumni to revisit Tohoku to help boost tourism
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Via Mainichi Daily News:
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110729p2g00m0dm010000c.html
JET alumni to revisit Tohoku to help boost tourism
(photo caption: Greg Lekich and other volunteers are pictured in Tagajo, Miyagi Prefecture, on April 20. (Photo courtesy of Greg.))
TOKYO (Kyodo) — About 20 former English teachers and international relations coordinators at local government offices will revisit places in northeastern Japan, where they used to work, on a Japanese government program aimed at boosting tourism affected by the March 11 quake and tsunami, Japanese officials said Thursday.
As the first batch of the program participants, 14 alumni of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program from Australia, Britain, Canada and the United States will make a weeklong visit to places of their former assignments in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures from Monday, they said.
The participants are required to write about their experiences and impressions of the current situation in the Tohoku region in their contributions to the media, including social networking sites Facebook and Twitter, the officials said.
The program will last for two months and the Japanese government is shouldering travel expenses for the JET alumni.
(Mainichi Japan) July 29, 2011
Former Yankee pitcher Hideki Irabu dies in apparent suicide; JET alum served as his translator
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JET alum George Rose (left) in his role as translator for Hideki Irabu (right).
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Former star pitcher Hideki Irabu was apparently found dead in his apartment by friends.
Notably, former JETAA New York President George Rose had served as Irabu’s translator during his time with the Yankees when they won the World Series.
Rest in peace, Irabu-san. Thanks for the memories and for doing your part to bridge the culture gap.
Video: Panel discussion with JET alums Anthony Bianchi, Laurel Lukaszewski and Jim Gannon
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Thanks to JET alum and Inuyama City Council Member Anthony Bianchi (Aichi-ken, Inuyama-shi, 1988-89) for sharing the video below (in four parts) taken by his son Matthew of a panel discussion from the JETAA USA National Conference held in Washington, D.C. July 14-17.
The panel featured Bianchi along with fellow JET alums Laurel Lukaszewski (Kagoshima-ken, 1990-92) (sculptor artist and former Executive Director of the Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C. as well as former President of Pacific Northwest JETAA) and Jim Gannon (Ehime-ken, 1992-94), Executive Director of the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA), and was moderated by JETwit publisher Steven Horowitz (Aichi-ken, Kariya-shi, 1992-94).
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
JET alum Congressional candidate to assume post at Mansfield Foundation previously held by JET alum
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The below announcement was recently sent out by JET alum David Boling, former U.S. Attorney who ran for Congress in Arkansas in the Democratic primary in the last election. David will be the new Deputy Executive Director of the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation which, among other things, manages the Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program, a Congressionally established professional exchange for mid-level federal government employees.
Notably, the position was previously held for 16 years by JET alum Paige Cottingham-Streater who recently was appointed Executive Director of the Japan-US Friendship Commission, a federal agency that provides grants for research, training and exchange with Japan. Paige, who was one of the founders of the JET Alumni Association in 1989, also recently spoke at the JETAA USA National Conference in Washington, D.C. on a panel moderated by former Monbusho English Fellow (i.e., pre-JET) Michael Green who previously served as special assistant to the president for national security affairs and senior director for Asian affairs at the National Security Council (NSC) from January 2004 to December 2005.
Here’s the announcement:
Dear Friends
First, I want to tell you how much I appreciate your support for my race for Congress in 2010. Your friendship and trust is something I treasure. I truly love Arkansas and want to do all that I can to serve the great people of Arkansas.
As you know I have been considering another run for U.S. Congress in 2012. It would have been a difficult race, but I believe that I could have won. I believe that the Second District is winnable for the Democratic Party in 2012. Another opportunity, however, has been offered to me that I feel is right for me and my family at this time.
Today I am excited to tell you that I have accepted a position with the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation as Deputy Executive Director. The Foundation, based in Washington DC, is a nonprofit organization that promotes understanding and cooperation among the nations and peoples of Asia and the U.S. One of my responsibilities will be to oversee the Mansfield Fellows. You may remember that I was a Mansfield Fellow earlier in my career.
During my campaign for Congress at one of the candidate debates I was asked to name my political hero. I responded that two people are my political heroes: Vic Snyder and Mike Mansfield. Everyone knew Vic Snyder. Fewer knew Mike Mansfield.
Mike Mansfield was a miner from Montana who after serving in World War II finished high school and then college. With the support of his wonderful wife,
Maureen, he went on to serve in the U.S. Congress and U.S. Senate. He was the Senate Majority Leader from 1961-1977 and was U.S. Ambassador to Japan for both Presidents Carter and Reagan. He died in 2001 at the age of 98.I had the good fortune to work for Vic Snyder for nearly three years and now I am delighted to have the chance to work for the foundation that honors Maureen and Mike Mansfield’s legacy.
My family and I are embarking on a new adventure in our lives. We promise to stay in touch and we ask that you do the same.
Thank you again for everything.
All the best,
David
Congressman to resign seat contested by JET alum
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You may have seen the news about Congressman David Wu (D-Oregon) resigning amid allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior. You may not have realized, however, that a JET alum, Rob Cornilles, ran on the Republican ticket and lost to Wu in the last election.
Stay tuned to see if Cornilles is able to vie for the open seat. Or better yet, let JETwit know if you hear anything.
JET alum works with Japan-America Society of Hawaii to run camp program for Tohoku students
Cultural Outreach, Earthquake Tsunami, Japan Society Round-up, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment, Travel/Tourism Comments Off on JET alum works with Japan-America Society of Hawaii to run camp program for Tohoku students
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I recently learned that former JETAA Hawaii President Kelsey Soma Turek (Fukuoka-ken, 2005-07), who by day is an Education Program Director at the Japan-America Society of Hawaii, is involved in the implementation of a program in Hawaii aimed at helping out students from Tohoku. In Kelsey’s words:
“The Rainbow for Japan Kids project is aimed at providing positive educational and cultural experiences for children in Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures who have experienced some sort of trauma/devastation/loss from the Great East Earthquake in March. The organization at which I work (Japan-America Society of Hawaii) is responsible for planning this project, working with supporters in Japan and Hawaii.
As Educational Program Director, I am personally in charge of arranging many of the activities (team development courses at Kualoa Ranch, Camp Erdman on Oahu’s North Shore, Kilauea Military Camp on the Big Island of Hawaii) for the 20 middle school students during their 10-day stay beginning tomorrow.
Generous donations make this project possible. We hope to do this quarterly over the next year. More info can be found at http://jashawaii.org/jpnaid3.asp.”
Do you know of a JET alum working for the benefit of the Tohoku region through the organization where they work? E-mail jetwit [at] jetwit.com to share their story for posting on JETwit.
JET alum with key role in post-Katrina response meets with JET alum working on Japan earthquake disaster response
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I learned from Jim Gannon (Ehime-ken, 1992-94), Executive Director of the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA), that in the course of his recent work with JCIE/USA to help coordinate U.S. efforts to support Japan with disaster relief, Jim had the opportunity to set up a meeting in New York for Japanese representatives from key volunteer organizations with someone who played a key role in the post-Hurricane Katrina response. And it turned out that person happens to be a JET alum as well– Shawn Escoffery (Tochigi-ken, 1998-99). Sean currently serves as the Director of the Strong Local Economies Program for the Surdna Foundation.
New Bruce Feiler column in the New York Times
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Attached is a new New York Times column (“The Life (and Death) of the Party: Mastering the Art of Dinner Party Conversation“) by JET alum Bruce Feiler (Tottori-ken, 1989-90), author of Learning to Bow, The Council of Dads, and several books on the Middle East including Walking the Bible, Abraham and Where God Was Born.
To read prior columns, please click here.
Bruce’s new book GENERATION FREEDOM: The Middle East Uprisings and the Remaking of the Modern World has just been published. You can see some of his recent media appearances by visiting www.brucefeiler.com.
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This Life
The Life (and Death) of the Party
By BRUCE FEILER
Published: July 8, 2011
I CALL it my insufferability test. It came about like this: A number of years ago, I was seated at a dinner party next to the celebrated C.E.O. of an American brewery. I was the lesser player here, so I began asking him questions about his beer. Fifteen minutes passed, then 30. He didn’t ask me a single question.
As dessert approached, I began slumping in my chair from trying to come up with query after query about organic hops and fluctuating wheat futures. Finally, I started dropping in teasers from the year I spent as a circus clown. “My friend the human cannonball …”; “That reminds me of the time I once got into a cage with nine tigers.” Surely these would pique his curiosity. Needless to say, I never told a story about the circus that night.
To me that encounter was a warning shot. I was like a rookie pitcher being plastered in his opening outing in the big leagues. If I hoped to avoid similar dinner party fiascoes in the future, I had to raise my game. So what is the best formula for handling a loudmouth, know-it-all, bore or clam?
With summer entertaining season upon us, it seemed like a good time to brush up on my techniques, and perhaps pick up some new tricks. So with the help of some veterans of the tablecloth trenches, here are some tips for navigating dinner party pitfalls.
EAT AND GREET In ancient Rome, senators hired nomenclatorsto follow them around and introduce them to people. These days, each of us has to be his own nomenclator. A good host often performs this role. “A lot of dinners I throw often have a specific point to them,” said Sunny Bates, a former Silicon Alley headhunter turned networking guru. “I make everyone go around and say who they are, where they’re from and what they most need.” Other starter questions I’ve seen work: “If you could change one thing about the human body, what would it be?” and “What about you, physically, is perfect?” Knowing something about all the other guests is more than good manners; it can also come in handy if you’re seated next to a dud and need to seek relief in someone a few seats away. If I’m at an event with no host at the table, I’ll go so far as to walk around and briefly introduce myself to the other guests. Think of a dinner party as being like a crime scene: plan your escape route. Read More
