Dec 18

Posted by Tom Baker The Japan Writers Conference, a free annual event that always attracts many current and former JETs in Japan’s English-language writing community, is held in a different part of the country every year. The 2024 host city has just been announced: Futaba, Fukushima Prefecture. The 2024 JWC will be held on the […]


Sep 20

JET alum and travel writer Patrick Murphrey to speak at Japan Writers Conference in Nagoya

Posted by Tom Baker JET alum Patrick Murphrey will give a presentation on his experiences as a published writer — particularly with regard to travel writing — at this year’s Japan Writer’s Conference. The conference, which is free, will take place in Nagoya on Oct. 14-15. Here’s the official description of his talk: Patrick MurphreyPleasure Combined with […]


Sep 12

Posted by Tom Baker JET alum and novelist Charles Kowalski will give a presentation on worldbuilding in fiction at this year’s Japan Writer’s Conference. The conference, which is free, will take place in Nagoya on Oct. 14-15. Here’s the official description of his talk: Charles KowalskiThe Worldbuilder’s ToolboxShort Lecture with Q&ACreating an entirely new world is […]


Sep 9

Posted by Tom Baker JET alum Susan Laura Sullivan will be part of a troika of writers discussing the concept of hybridity at this year’s Japan Writer’s conference. The conference, which is free, will take place in Nagoya on Oct. 14-15. Here’s the official description of her presentation: Jane Joritz-Nakagawa, Susan Laura Sullivan, & Marcus […]


Sep 6

JET poet Warren Decker in lineup for Isobar Press 10th anniversary event

Posted by Tom Baker JET alum and poet Warren Decker will be in the lineup at an Oct. 14 event in Nagoya to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Isobar Press. He and other poets will read from and discuss their work as part of this year’s Japan Writers Conference. The conference, which is free, will take place […]


Aug 28

Posted by Tom Baker JET alum and prolific author Suzanne Kamata will discuss the art of blurbing — how to get good blurbs for one’s own books and how to write them for others’ — at this year’s Japan Writers Conference. The conference, which is free, will take place in Nagoya on Oct. 14-15. Here’s the official description […]


Feb 17

Posted by Tom Baker (Chiba, 1989-91) The Japan Writers Conference, a free annual event for English-language writers of all types, is looking for published writers to give presentations on the art and/or business of writing. Many JWC presenters in past years have been JETS. You can read about some of them in the JETwit archives. […]


Nov 20

2022 Japan Writers Conference on video and online

Posted by Tom Baker When the 2022 Japan Writers Conference took place at Tokai University last month, hosted by novelist and JET alum Charles Kowalski, it was the first time for the event to be held in person since before the pandemic. Even so, there were still a few online sessions. Some of the sessions […]


Nov 12

European Literature Festival in Tokyo

Posted by Tom Baker The sixth annual European Literature Festival in Tokyo will take place Nov. 22-27. It is a multilingual event featuring talks by scholars and writers from Japan and the European Union. Sessions to be presented in English include an appearance at the Aoyama Book Center by Irish poet Paula Meehan and and […]


Oct 1

Posted by Tom Baker JET alum and prolific author and editor of fiction and nonfiction Suzanne Kamata will host a panel discussion on how the pandemic has changed the writing life and the publishing world at this year’s Japan Writers Conference. The conference, which is free, will take place in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Oct. 15-16, but participants […]


Sep 26

Poet Michael Frazier to address death and hope at Japan Writers Conference

Posted by Tom Baker JET alum and acclaimed poet Michael Frazier, whose work has appeared in the anthology Umoja, will hold a workshop at this year’s Japan Writers Conference. Here’s the official description of his presentation: Michael FrazierO Death, Where is Your Sting?: A Poetics of Hope!Craft WorkshopPoetry Turn on the news and it is inevitable to see […]


Sep 26

Posted by Tom Baker JET alum Jillian Marshall, author of “Japanthem,” will delve into the nature of memoir in a presentation at the Japan Writers Conference. Here’s the official description of her presentation: Jillian MarshallReimagining Memoir: Storytelling as Analytical InquiryShort Lecture with Q&A onlineNonfiction What lies between the traditional boundaries of non-fiction genres? This presentation examines the […]


Sep 19

Posted by Tom Baker JET alum and author Coffee Quills will speak about newly emerging forms of publishing in a presentation at the Japan Writers Conference. Here’s the official description of their presentation: Coffee QuillsSpinning Web Fiction for Fun & ProfitShort Lecture with Q&AFiction, Other GenreGame Writing Quick discussion of what authors and writers want, going into […]


Sep 13

Posted by Tom Baker Sarah Coomber (Yamaguchi, 1994-1996) is the author of “Under the Same Moon,” a memoir in which she describes moving to Japan in search of a reset in life. One month from now, she will share some of her memoir writing tips in a presentation at the Japan Writers Conference. Most of this year’s […]


Sep 11

Posted by Tom Baker Tokai University Professor and JET alum Charles Kowalski will be the host of this year’s Japan Writers Conference, at his university’s Shonan Campus in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Oct 15-16. He is the author of the Japan-based middle-grade fantasy Simon Grey and the March of a Hundred Ghosts, and the contemporary thrillers Mind Virus and The Devil’s […]


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