jrock at the library

Rock critic Josephine Yun, who explores the wild world of jrock in jrock, ink., illustrated by Yana Moskaluk, will be doing a music presentation and book signing at the Central branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore on Saturday, April 7, at 2 PM. There's no better way to learn about Japanese rock! Copies of the book will be for sale.

More info here.

Books On Tour

Certain Stone Bridge titles are on the road this month:

The 2007 Poets House Showcase at Poets House in New York will include the beautiful paperback of Yoga Poems by Leza Lowitz and The Haiku Apprentice by Abigail Friedman:

Saturday, March 31
Members Preview: 4:00-5:00pm
Public Reception: 5:00-7:00pm
Showcase will be on view through April 30
Admission Free

The Poets House Showcase, an awe-inspiring display of all of the poetry published in the United States since last year, opens with a festive reception and the chance to chat with fellow writers and readers about the latest innovations in contemporary verse.

More info from the Poets House.

Numerous Stone Bridge books will also be available for reference and as prizes at I-Con, a HUGE convention at Stony Brook University March 23-25.

Attended by over 6,000 people each year, I-CON is a three day festival, designed to encourage literacy, creativity and interest in science and technology through science fiction and its related genres. Programming at I-CON spans a wide range of topics and interests, including science fiction, fantasy, horror, Japanese animation (otherwise known as Anime), science and technology, comic books, and medieval reenactment.

Anime Encyclopedia in Library Journal

The March 15th, 2007 issue of Library Journal contains a review of Stone Bridge Press reference title The Anime Encyclopedia: Revised and Expanded Edition by Helen McCarthy and Jonathan Clements. The Journal calls this massive book "the most comprehensive source on the subject available." We completely agree!

Asia Shock and Divining the Asian Zodiac in Midwest Book Review

Asia Shock by Patrick Galloway receives a glowing review in the Midwest Book Review's March 2007 "Library Bookwatch":

Written by multinational traveler and lifelong student of Asian film culture and philosophy Patrick Galloway, Asia Shock: Horror and Dark Cinema from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, and Thailand is a movie buff's guide to the horror and shock cinema of the far east. Asia Shock is not a comprehensive encyclopedia of all films in the genre, but rather a "reviewer's choice" of top shocking picks, some with in-depth reviews and some with capsule reviews, nearly all with extensive notes on unique cultural paradigms, viewing tips, and genre considerations. Focusing on over 50 critical and fan-favorite gory, chilling, and startling Asian horror movies, Asia Shock is the connoisseur's definitive guide to the classics of this pop-culture genre.

Divining the Asian Zodiac by Fumio Shiozawa is featured in the Midwest Book Review's March 2007 "Wisconsin Bookwatch":

A gifted illustrator and expert art director, Fumio Shiozawa's Divining the Asian Zodiac: Ancient Guide to Life And Love" is a full-color, in-depth exploration of Asian astrology that includes the use of horoscopes, personality profiles, compatibility charts, and Zodiac animal fables. Based on the work of ancient astrologers who invented the Asian zodiac because they held that each human being has a destiny that guides th way we feel and act, this metaphysical divination system sought to explain the influence of birth years in the forms of animals and their related folklore. Through the pages of "Divining The Asian Zodiac", Shiozawa seeks to aid his readers in discovering their own paths into the future. A unique and inherently beautiful work of text and image, "Divining the Asian Zodiac" is an enthusiastically recommended addition to Metaphysical Studies reading lists and Astrology reference collection.

China Tells How the World Began! in the Asian Reporter

The March 13th edition of The Asian Reporter includes a review of China Tells How the World Began!, one of the first books in the Asian Folktales Retold series from Heian, an imprint of Stone Bridge Press. The reviewer, Josephine Bridges, praises how author "Miwa Kurita avoids obvious morals and encourages young readers to think for themselves."

The Asian Folktales Retold series collects uniquely illustrated versions of originally oral stories from Indonesia, Vietnam, and China.

Abigail Friedman in Canada and Hawaii

In the coming months, Abigail Friedman will be appearing in Honolulu, Quebec City, and Montreal. Friedman's The Haiku Apprentice: Memoirs of Writing Poetry in Japan was a June 2006 Book Sense Pick and was recently named a nonfiction finalist for the Kiriyama Prize.

March 16-18
Montreal Zen Poetry Festival
Friedman will participate in various readings and panels.
Festival venues are throughout Montreal.

March 28
Japan-America Society of Hawaii
American Savings Bank Tower, 8th Floor, Room 2
1001 Bishop St., Honolulu, HI 86813
808.524.4450
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Friedman will speak about "Haiku and the Art of Diplomacy."

April 14-15
Salon international du livre
Quebec City Convention Centre

Abigail Friedman a Finalist for the Kiriyama Prize

Abigail Friedman has been named a finalist for the Kiriyama Prize, in the nonfiction category, for her book The Haiku Apprentice: Memoirs of Writing Poetry in Japan. This moving tale about the author's transformative experiences with the everyday people in a Japanese haiku group was a June 2006 Book Sense Pick, and has received wide praise.

Abigail Friedman joined the Foreign Service in 1988 and served her country in DC, Paris, Tokyo, the Azores and most recently as Consul General in Quebec City. She is a member of the Haiku Society of America and Haiku Canada, a founding member of the bilingual Quebec Haiku Group in Quebec City, and a blogger via The Stone Lantern.

The Kiriyama Prize is awarded annually in recognition of outstanding books that promote greater understanding of and among the nations of the Pacific Rim and of South Asia. Authors from anywhere in the world are eligible. Eligible books will be written in English or translated into English from any other language, and must be published in the US or Canada. The fiction and nonfiction winners will be announced on March 27th.

Pacific Rim Voices, sponsor of the Kiriyama Prize, continues to develop a family of projects celebrating literature from and about the Pacific Rim and South Asia. It sponsors WaterBridgeReview.org, a website featuring reviews of many of the books that are entered for the Prize together with author interviews and other resources. Recognizing the importance of instilling in young people an appreciation and respect for other cultures, the organization also sponsors PaperTigers.org, a website offering a lively, colorful presentation of books for young readers.

Cosplay: Catgirls and Other Critters in the Daily Yomiuri

Cosplay: Catgirls and Other Critters was reviewed by Tom Baker in The Daily Yomiuri on Feb. 24th, 2007. In the review, "Even in Boise, cosplay is the cat's meow," Baker writes that "while most of Poulos' slim book is given over to step-by-step tailoring techniques, he also gives advice on how to comport oneself in costume and warns against such hazards as getting one's tail caught in an elevator door."

The Anime Encyclopedia in Ain't It Cool News

Scott Green recently reviewed The Anime Encyclopedia, Revised & Expanded Edition in Ain't It Cool News. Here are a few short excerpts from the extensive review:

It is obvious that some intense measures needed to be carried out in order to remain sane while writing about EVERY anime.

While the criteria for evaluation seems fairly, universally applied, anime fans are passionate about their favorites and in all likelihood, while tracking down a personal top list, most fans will find an assessment with which they strongly disagree. The positive side to this idea driven approach is that the encyclopedia gets energized in works that explore concepts in unique manners.