This week author and translator John Stevens joins us from Hawaii. Stevens has penned many books over his long exalted career, mainly books dealing with Japanese martial arts, poetry and biography.
“A book should be enlightening for the writer, and for the people reading it.” —John Stevens
Ep. 21 Show Notes:
Today we have with us Abby Denson, award-winning author of Cool Japan Guide: Fun in the Land of Manga, Lucky Cats and Ramen, Cool Tokyo Guide: Adventures in the City of Kawaii Fashion, Train Sushi and Godzilla the Kitty Sweet Tooth series (with Utomaru) and her upcoming book which we’re going to talk about today, Uniquely Japan: A Comic Book Artist Shares Her Personal Faves – Discover What Makes Japan The Coolest Place on Earth! (April 5, 2022).
Abby has scripted comics for Amazing Spider-Man Family, Powerpuff Girls comics, Simpsons comics, Sabrina The Teenage Witch, Josie and the Pussycats, Disney Adventures and many others.
Ep. 20 Show Notes:
In this episode of the Books on Asia Podcast, sponsored by Stone Bridge Press, podcast host Amy Chavez talks with novelist David Joiner about his new novel that takes place in Kanazawa, a city in Japan’s Ishikawa Prefecture.
The novel introduces the city of Kanazawa, its connection to the famous Japanese literary master Izumi Kyōka, and provides the setting for a story that revolves around an American married to a Japanese, and the Japanese family’s dynamics. Highlighted are some of the differences between traditional and modern Japan and the foreigner’s place in it.
At the end of the podcast, Amy asks Joiner what his 3 favorite books on Japan are and he elaborates on his choices:
Sound of the Mountain and Snow Country, both by Yasunari Kawabata.
Dawn to the West by Donald Keene
The Roads to Sata, by Alan Booth
Read a review of David Joiner’s novel Kanazawa by Tina DeBellegarde on the Books on Asia site.
The Books on Asia Podcast is sponsored by Stone Bridge Press. Check out their books on Japan at the publisher’s website. Amy Chavez, podcast host, is author of Amy’s Guide to Best Behavior in Japan and the upcoming The Widow, the Priest, and the Octopus Hunter: Discovering a Lost Way of Life on a Secluded Japanese Island (May, 2022). Don’t miss out on upcoming episodes with authors and translators on Asia by subscribing to the Books on Asia podcast.
In this episode of the Books on Asia Podcast, sponsored by Stone Bridge Press, host Amy Chavez talks with anthropologist, shamisen player, author and translator Liza Dalby about her books and her new translation of the recently deceased novelist cum Buddhist nun Setouchi Jakuchō’s memoir Places. Liza is author of the Geisha, Kimono: Fashioning Culture, East Wind Melts the Ice: A Guide to Serenity Through the Seasons, and Hidden Buddhas: A Novel of Karma and Chaos. Her previous translations are: Little Songs of Geisha: Traditional Japanese Ko-Uta.
Ep. 18 Show Notes:
In this episode of the Books on Asia Podcast, sponsored by Stone Bridge Press, host Amy Chavez talks with Kathleen Burkinshaw in the U.S. about her book The Last Cherry Blossom, and about hibakusha, the Japanese word that refers to victims of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki that ended WWII.
Podcast 17 Show Transcript:
In this episode of the Books on Asia Podcast, sponsored by Stone Bridge Press, we have guest interviewer Lisa Wilcut speaking with award-winning writer and translator Meredith McKinney. McKinney is translator of many Japanese classics such as Sei Shonagon’s 11th century classic The Pillow Book, and the 14th century Essays in Idleness, published together with Hōjōki. She has also translated Kusamakura and Kokoro (see our review) by Natsume Sōseki, one of Japan’s most celebrated modern writers. Today, she is going to talk about her long career and also about her just released book on the wandering poet Saigyō called Gazing at the Moon (Shambhala, September, 2021)
Books on Asia Podcast 16: Show Notes
On this episode of the Books on Asia Podcast, sponsored by Stone Bridge Press, we have returning to the show Alex Kerr, author of such notable books as Lost Japan, Dogs and Demons, Finding the Heart Sutra and Another Kyoto. Today Alex is going to talk to podcast host Amy Chavez about his latest book Another Bangkok released July 1, 2021. He introduces Thailand’s capital city via its architecture, arts and culture, and shows us how they are similar to Japan. Just a note to listeners that, in addition to the podcast, Alex has provided some visuals of the interior pages of the book for those interested, which can be accessed on the Books on Asia YouTube channel.
Books on Asia Podcast 15: Show Notes
In this episode of the Books on Asia Podcast, host Amy Chavez talks with the co-editors of Yamamba: In Search of the Japanese Mountain Witch, an anthology just released by Stone Bridge Press. Rebecca Copeland is a professor of Japanese literature, a writer of fiction (The Kimono Tattoo) and literary criticism, and a translator of Japanese literature (Grotesque, The Goddess Chronicle). Linda C. Ehrlich is an independent scholar and poet who has published on world cinema and traditional theater.
Books on Asia Podcast 14 Show Notes:
Cathrine Pawasarat, author of Gion Festival: Exploring its Mysteries is one of the founders of the Clear Sky Retreat Center in British Columbia, Canada. Her previous book is From Wasteland to Pureland: Reflections on the Path to Awakening. The former Kyoto resident talks with us today about Kyoto’s most famous event, the Gion Festival that happens every July in the former capital.
Books on Asia Podcast 13 Show Notes:
On the Books on Asia Podcast episode 12: The Art of the Short Story, podcast host Amy Chavez talks with Tina deBellegarde about what makes a good short story, and why certain short story writers are so appealing. Tina has been nominated for the Agatha Award for Best First Novel, has a short story published in the Mystery Writers of America anthology called “When a Stranger Comes to Town” and, most recently won the USA Prize in the Writers in Kyoto annual story competition.
They discuss Japanese short story writers such as Haruki Murakami and Banana Yoshimoto, Hiromi Kawakami, Aoko Matsuda, Kyoko Nakajima and foreign writers, including Lafcadio Hearn and, more recently, Rebecca Otowa. Amy also mentions two short story collection from China, one by the well-known author Xu Xu called Bird Talk and Other Stories, and an anthology of flash fiction called The Pearl Jacket and Other Stories: Flash Fiction from Contemporary China which prompts a discussion on flash fiction, which Tina defines for us and elaborates upon, including the works of Mieko Kawakami. (Click below to see Show Notes). Go to Issue 8 to see all the books discussed in the Short Story Podcast.
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