Author Heidi Varian interviewed on SPARK

[New Cover!]

During the first week of October KQED-TV will re-air the episode of SPARK featuring the San Francisco Taiko Dojo. Heidi Varian, author of the Stone Bridge Press book Way of Taiko, is interviewed.

Unable to watch SPARK on TV? Catch the taiko segment on broadband here where you can also buy the video and view the educator guide.

Author Gilles Poitras appearing at two events in October

Gilles Poitras, author of Anime Essentials and The Anime Companion Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, will be appearing at two upcoming trade events.

Mr. Poitras will be signing copies of The Anime Companion 2 at the NCIBA Tradeshow in the Oakland Convention Center in Oakland, CA on Saturday, October 8 at 12:30 pm.

He will also be in Shaker Heights, Ohio on October 17 at 9:30 am for a presentation on anime and manga for CAMLS.

The Midnight Eye Guide reviewed in Fortean Times

Fortean Times reviews The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film which you can read here.

Mirei Shigemori reviewed in Journal of Japanese Gardening

ROTH Tei-en's Journal of Japanese Gardening, September/October Issue: "[Mirei Shigemori: Modernizing the Japanese Garden] is well-packaged with attractive photos and helpful illustrations that show various garden layouts. Of particular note is a splendid 2-page graphical timeline of Shigemori's life and work...a masterful display of visual and numerical data."

The Midnight Eye Guide reviewed in J-SELECT

J Select reviews The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film in its October/November issue: "The book is a study in recent Japanese society as much as its cinema and for that alone it deserves a thorough going over. Worth every penny. Two thumbs and eight fingers up!"

The Anime Companion 2 reviewed at Midwest Book Review

The Anime Companion 2 is reviewed in the September issue of MBR's Reviewer's Bookwatch at Vogel's Bookshelf.

Publisher Peter Goodman to be a guest on World Talk Radio: Writer's Roundtable

Stone Bridge Press publisher Peter Goodman will be a guest on Writer's Roundtable this Wednesday at 10:20 am PDST. You can listen live at World Talk Radio and later in the archives.

For two hours each week on Writer's Roundtable, Antoinette Kuritz and a variety of co-hosts talk with successful writers, agents, editors, book designers, ghost writers, reviewers, read & critique group leaders - anyone and everyone from the writing community who can motivate, educate, and inspire writers in the art, craft, and business of writing.

New Book: jrock, ink.

Jrock is short for Japanese rock: edgy, all about talent, and filled with dazzling musicality

jrock, ink.: a concise report on 40 of the biggest rock acts in japan

by Josephine Yun

The growth of anime, new radio stations, and downloadable music has spurred overseas fan interest in Japanese music. As Puffy AmiYumi star in their own Cartoon Network show and as the 5,6,7,8's song "Woo Hoo" sneaks up in TV commercials, some much harder rockers from Japan are playing concerts in American cities, showing up at packed anime conventions, releasing their albums Stateside, contributing to film and TV soundtracks, and yet still keeping their music unique rather than comply with overseas tastes.

jrock, ink.: a concise report on 40 of the biggest rock acts in japan, published by Stone Bridge Press, is an executive report on the energized Japanese rock scene today. It introduces some of the hottest names in jrock history. Read about Dir en grey, Gackt, L’Arc~en~Ciel, the pillows, Psycho le Cému, and of course Shonen Knife, who toured with Nirvana in 1993 and are still cutting edge. These rock acts and 34 others each have backgrounds, musical pedigrees, critiques, and up-to-date discographies, all in a stunning full-color package featuring original art. The book easily reads from right to left, similar to a manga graphic novel.

Author Josephine Yun grew up watching Japanese historical dramas and listening to rock music. She has covered classical music and jpop for City Paper, Baltimore's alternative weekly, and is an editor for jrockonline.com. Yun wrote the official English biography for the band X Japan, and now presents panels at large anime conventions. Artist Yana Moskaluk is a leading illustrator at Art.Lebedev Studio, Russia's largest design company, and designer Yelena Zhavoronkova is a graphic artist and very good friend of the author.

jrock, ink.: a concise report on 40 of the biggest rock acts in japan is written by Josephine Yun. It is 125 pp., paper, with 42 color illustrations. It retails for US$18.95, ISBN 1-880656-95-7

The Anime Companion 2 reviewed at FPS

FPS -- Frames Per Second Magazine reviews The Anime Companion 2: More... What's Japanese in Japanese Animation? which you can read here.

Gilles Poitras and Frederik L. Schodt quoted in The New York Times

In "Manga for Girls," The New York Times discusses shojo manga, quoting both Gilles Poitras, author of The Anime Companion and other SBP titles, and Frederik L. Schodt, author of Dreamland Japan and other SBP titles.

New Book: The Flower Shop

"The concept is crucial, yet impossible to pin down. It is a flower shop, but it also works without flowers. The customers are important, but not absolutely necessary. The work is beautiful, but can be very hard to do." — Alexandra, staffer at Blumenkraft
The Flower Shop: Charm, Grace, Beauty, Tenderness in a Commercial Context

Leonard Koren's book Wabi-Sabi has become the key guide to appreciating the beauty of things imperfect, incomplete, and impermanent. His book Arranging Things explores the messages behind the placement of objects for both commercial and non-commercial purposes. Koren's latest, The Flower Shop, extends his reach into retail environments, teaching by example that commerce can successfully be mixed with love and a devotion to beauty and customer service.

Meet the owner, designer, staff and clientele of Blumenkraft, a flower shop located in the low-key but hip 4th District in Vienna. Blumenkraft uses unique glass containers ("blumariums") for vases and strips all flower stems of the leaves, leaving only the blooms. The staff create surrealistic arrangements, and customers look as if they are witnessing a miracle: the miracle of the creation of beauty. Children play inside the wiggling worktables and the music is as dynamic as the window displays.

Blumenkraft (literally, "Flower Power" but not in the clichéd 1960s sense) is a place of inspiration, refuge, and virtue that will inform and enlighten anyone interested in design, modern business, and flowers at the intersection of beauty and commerce. Mixing analysis, anecdote, and observation, Koren once again reveals the key principles of practical wisdom at work in the world. His own photographs illustrate the clear and concise text of The Flower Shop.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leonard Koren was trained as an artist and architect and writes books about design and aesthetics. In the mid-seventies he founded and published the influential avant-garde WET, The Magazine of Gourmet Bathing. His recent books include Undesigning the Bath, Gardens of Gravel and Sand and 13 Books.

The Flower Shop: Charm, Grace, Beauty, Tenderness in a Commercial Context is 112 pp, 5.5 x 8.5" paperback, with 100 duotone photos. September 2005, $19.95, ISBN 1-933330-00-7

The Midnight Eye Guide reviewed at Bizarre Magazine

Bizarre Magazine, October 2005 about The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film: "Growing out of their excellent Midnight Eye website, this handy tome on new Japanese film fills a yawning void in readable coverage of the diverse new-new-wave directors who've taken the world by storm. [Tom] Mes and [Jasper] Sharp serve up informed profiles of recent Japanese cinema's major names as well as critical accounts of their key movies and lashings of useful background material."

Japanese Yoga and Yoga Poems in Yoga Magazine

Yoga spotlights Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation in its September issue's On the Bookshelf.

It also reviews Yoga Poems: Lines To Unfold By: "This anthology is absolutely delightful and captures the spirit of yoga... [Leza] Lowitz shows her talented skills in this collection... Be inspired and marvel at her skill of instilling life into the practice of yoga. A pleasing addition to anyone’s library and a must-have for the poetic mind."

The Japan Journals reviewed in The Asahi Shimbun

Asahi Shimbun, September 3-4, 2005: "...This volume is both a precious edition to any Richie collection and a good start for anyone wanting to meet him."

The Anime Companion 2 recommended at IGN FilmForce

IGN: IGN FilmForce Weekend Shopping Guide 9/9/05: "Not content to rest on the first volume's laurels (and a fine volume it was), anime fans will want to snag their own copy of the highly anticipated Anime Companion 2 (Stone Bridge Press, $18.95 SRP). For anyone who's ever been confused by a Japanese comic or cartoon, this is a necessary addition to your shelf, as its extensive glossary clears up even the most obscure reference."

Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves reviewed by Amazon Top 100

Amazon Top 100 Reviewer on Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves -- The Samurai Film Handbook: "Super-fan that [Patrick Galloway] is, one would be hard pressed to find a more knowledgeable expert on the Samurai genre. From the most ludicrous splatterfest to the most powerful and moving drama, Galloway treats each film with respect and notes the quality of its merits on its own terms."

Holly Thompson interviewed in Eye-Ai

Eye-Ai interviewed Holly Thompson in its August 2005 issue. She is author of Ash, a tale of a young woman returning to Japan years after having witnessed the death of a friend. You can read more about this book at The World of Ash, which also has a reader's guide for book groups.

Check out the Fred Patten News Page

The Fred Patten News Page now offers the latest information about Fred Patten, a highly respected fan of science fiction, anime and manga. He is the author of the Stone Bridge Press title Watching Anime, Reading Manga: 25 Years of Essays and Reviews, a collection providing an incisive history of how anime came to America.

Earlier this year Fred suffered a stroke, and so the news page has been created to update friends and fans about his condition and activities. You can read about how to contact him and also how to help out. Also, his entire collection of sci-fi and anime/manga materials have been donated to UC Riverside, which you can read about (with free subscription) in the Riverside Press-Enterprise.

jrock ink reviewed at jrocknyc

jrocknyc reviews jrock, ink: a concise report on 40 of the biggest rock acts in japan which you can read here.

Author Josephine Yun interviewed, jrock, ink. reviewed at SFGate.com

In ASIAN POP Hello Kitty! Rock! Rock!, SFGate columnist Jeff Yang covers Jrock in the US by interviewing Josephine Yun and reviewing her book, jrock, ink.: a concise report on 40 of the biggest rock acts in japan.

The Anime Companion 2 reviewed at ActiveAnime.com

Active Anime reviews The Anime Companion 2: More... What's Japanese in Japanese Animation? which you can read here.

jrock, ink. reviewed at centigrade-j

centigrade-j:"Destined to become to fans of Japanese rock what Manga Manga was to fans of Japanese comics, it’s the first of its kind; an exciting first step towards a Western Jrock scene indepedent of anime, manga, and video games."

Author Helen McCarthy interviewed and Hayao Miyazaki reviewed in Neo Magazine

Neo Magazine, Issue 010, September 2005 about Hayao Miyazaki -- Master of Japanese Animation: "It's easy to be sceptical and wonder what this book could possibly offer anyone who had ready access to the Internet and a couple of hours to spare. Sure enough, stills, plot information and Miyazaki shrines are all out there, but they don't offer anywhere near the kind of depth of discussion that McCarthy presents us with. Sales figures, quotes, anecdotes and statistics all provide a comprehensive and occasionally surprising glimpse at the genius behind the magic you see on the movie screen. If you thought you could not discover something new about Miyazaki that you don't already know, you're either wrong, or you've already read this book."

Dreamland Japan reviewed in Neo Magazine

Neo Magazine, Issue 009, August 2005: "What Dreamland Japan does very well is provide you with really in-depth (yet somehow never dull or over explanatory) summary of how the Japanese manga market actually works. You name it, and [Frederik L.] Schodt has written about it with confidence and authority."

Read more Japan Journals in Metropolis

In The Film Files, Metropolis Magazine prints entries of Donald Richie's personal journals, entries not found in the collection, The Japan Journals: 1947-2005.

Missed out on the sold-out hardcover of The Japan Journals? Never fear! The paperback will be out this Fall!

Sacred Sanskrit Words reviewed in Ascent Magazine

Ascent Magazine, in its Fall 2005 issue, reviews Sacred Sanskrit Words: For Yoga, Chant and Meditation, which you can read here.

Author Patrick Galloway interviewed at Yellow-Menace.com

Yellow Menace interviews Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves: The Samurai Film Handbook author Patrick Galloway which you can read here.