Update: Patrick Drazen's presentation at Anime-zing

Patrick Drazen, author of Anime Explosion! The What? Why? & Wow! of Japanese Animation, will be speaking at the Lake County Discovery Museum as part of their Anime-zing exhibit. The topic is Way Beyond Hello Kitty - Sanrio's Other Anime.

Autographed copies of Drazen’s book will be available for purchase.

Author Heidi Varian to perform taiko at San Jose Barnes & Noble

The Way of Taiko author Heidi Varian will be part of a group performing taiko at the Barnes & Noble on Stevens Creek Blvd. in San Jose. She will also be signing copies of her book.

Come listen to the drums and support a good cause! For every purchase you make that day, a portion of the proceeds will go to Young Audiences of Northern California that supports arts education for children throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Another event is being held the day before in San Francisco. Click here for more information and for easy-to-print vouchers

Author Patrick Galloway interviewed in San Francisco Chronicle

The San Francisco Chronicle interviews Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves author Patrick Galloway about the three-week samurai film series playing at The Balboa Theater. Patrick will be presenting Harakiri on Friday, Dec. 10 as well as signing copies of his book.

The Way of Taiko tops Kumidaiko.com gift list

Kumidaiko, The Souce for Taiko News, lists The Way of Taiko as #1 in its "Top 5 Gifts for Taiko Enthusiasts!"

The Four Immigrants Manga reviewed in San Francisco Art Institute's magazine

Henry Kiyama, author/illustrator of The Four Immigrants Manga: A Japanese Experience in San Francisco, 1904-1922, is featured in the quarterly publication from his alma mater, the San Francisco Art Institute (it was called the Mark Hopkins Institute of Art when he started there in 1914).

Lucy Martin writes, "Exposing its author's creative and personal outlook as a Japanese immigrant in San Francisco at the turn of the 20th century, it offers a framework for understanding the contemporary manga that permeate the current global, literary, and visual scene."

The Way of Taiko reviewed at Spectre Collie

In "Fat Drum" blogger Chuck Jordan discusses taiko in America and calls The Way of Taiko, "...The kind of thing that would've been a perfect gift for me had I not already bought it myself."

The Japan Journals reviewed by Amazon Top 100

One of Amazon.com's Top 100 Reviewers has posted his review of Donald Richie's The Japan Journals: 1947-2004 which you can read here.

The Japan Journals is now available in paperback! Visit The Japan Journals web page to read a journal entry along with information about the DVD collection of Donald Richie's films.

Spirituality & Health reviews two SBP titles

Spirituality & Health reviews and excerpts two of the latest Stone Bridge Press titles:

Light from the East: A Gathering of Asian Wisdom
REVIEW and EXCERPT

The Way of Taiko
REVIEW and EXCERPT

Native American in the Land of the Shogun reviewed in Journal of World History

Journal of World History, Volume 16, Issue 2 on Native American in the Land of the Shogun: "[Frederik L. Schodt's] readable and well-rounded account of this early part of [Ranald] MacDonald's life exemplifies one of the many strengths of this book."

Protoculture Addicts reviews two SBP titles

Protoculture Addicts review two Stone Bridge Press titles in Issue #86.

The Anime Companion 2: More... What's Japanese in Japanese Animation?: "This is really an essential reference to well understanding anime and manga. A superb and enjoyable book. A must!"

Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves: The Samurai Film Handbook: "Another one of those superb reference books that can only come from Stone Bridge Press... It is a beautiful, enjoyable and, above all, useful book… A must."

Mirei Shigemori lecture reviewed at Total Image Nation

Total Image Nation reviews the lecture in August by Mirei Shigemori photographer/designer Markuz Wernli Saito about the book's unique design process.

Mirei Shigemori reviewed in The Japan Times

The Japan Times reviews Mirei Shigemori: Modernizing the Japanese Garden which you can read here.

Japanese space tourist to cosplay as Char Aznable

The Mail & Guardian Online has a good article about Daisuke Enomoto's planned trip to the International Space Station. Enomoto plans to cosplay (costume play) as Char Aznable from Mobile Suit Gundam!

Gundam fans in Tokyo might also want to check out the Gundam Generating Futures exhibit.

Three SBP titles reviewed at Midwest Book Review

MBR: Internet Bookwatch, November 2005 reviews Watching Anime, Reading Manga, Cruising the Anime City, and Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves.

Markuz Wernli Saito interviewed in The Japan Times

The Japan Times interviews Markuz Wernli Saito, photographer/designer of Mirei Shigemori: Modernizing the Japanese Garden, which you can still read for the next few days here.

The Flower Shop is a December Book Sense Notable

The Flower Shop: Charm, Grace, Beauty, Tenderness in a Commercial Context is going to be a Book Sense Notable in December.

Book Sense is a national marketing campaign on behalf of the independent bookstores of America. It is both a local and national effort to shine a light on the knowledge and diversity of independent bookstores.

Patrick Galloway to speak at nwFilmCenter in Portland

Patrick Galloway, author of Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves: The Samurai Film Handbook, will introduce the Saturday, Nov. 26 screening of Samurai Rebellion at the nwFilmCenter in Portland. He will also be signing copies of his book.

Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves reviewed at Anime.com

Anime.com calls Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves "...A fun read, written by a fan of Samurai movies *to* the fans of Samurai movies. Each review of the film picks are top notch, full-fledged gush-a-thons that really get you juiced up about seeing the film and enjoying it as much as the author."

Author Patrick Galloway to open samurai film festival in San Francisco

Patrick Galloway, author of Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves: The Samurai Film Handbook, will be speaking about samurai films and signing copies of his book on December 2nd, the first evening of the samurai film festival at Balboa Theater in San Francisco. You can check the festival schedule as a PDF or elsewhere at the Balboa website.

Covers for Light from the East and The Way of Taiko

Here are the cover images for two new books from Stone Bridge Press, Light from the East and The Way of Taiko.

Author H.E. Davey to lecture on Japanese calligraphy in El Cerrito, CA

On November 14, the El Cerrito Art Association will present a free lecture and demonstration entitled "Meditation & the Art of Japanese Calligraphy" featuring H.E. Davey. The event will take place at 7:30 PM at the El Cerrito Community Center at 7007 Moeser Lane. Guests should go to the El Cerrito City Council Chambers at the community center.

Mr. Davey is the Director of the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts, which was established in 1981. In addition to teaching classes at the Sennin Foundation Center in Japanese forms of yoga and meditation, healing arts, martial arts, and brush calligraphy, he is the author of several award-winning books, including Brush Meditation: A Japanese Way to Mind & Body Harmony from Stone Bridge Press. He exhibits his Japanese calligraphy and ink painting regularly in Japan, where he has won numerous honors, including the Associate Grand Prize (Jun Tai Sho) at the International Japanese Calligraphy Exhibition.

For more information about "Meditation & the Art of Japanese Calligraphy," contact the El Cerrito Art Association at 510-526-9564.