In the Pool in Japanzine

In Japanzine, Zack Davisson reviews Hideo Okuda's comic masterpiece In the Pool. Here's an excerpt from the great review:

After the first few pages the reader is pitched head-first into a bizarre, perverse and addicting world, at the center of which is Dr. Irabu, a fat, pasty middle-aged man who gets sexual pleasure from watching injections. He's a fantastically weird character who seems in need of more than a little psychological help himself. This is clearly a case of the inmates running the asylum.

Asia Shock at The Thunder Child

The Thunder Child, a Sciene Fiction and Fantasy Web magazine, recently reviewed Patrick Galloway's Asia Shock: Horror and Dark Cinema from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, and Thailand, remarking that it "is a very well-written primer for the fan who is fascinated with extreme Asian Cinema but doesn’t know where to start."

The Haiku Apprentice in Modern Haiku and the WaterBridge Review

April is National Poetry Month, and there is no better way to celebrate than to read Abigail Friedman's The Haiku Apprentice: Memoirs of Writing Poetry in Japan, a June 2006 Book Sense Pick and a recent Finalist for the Kiriyama Prize. Two new reviews highlight different aspects of this remarkable exploration of haiku as a down-to-earth life path:

Imagine picking up yet another learning-to-write-haiku book and quickly discovering it is a page-turner...Friedman keenly felt the contrast between writing haiku and foreignservice dispatches. In haiku she discovered she had to cultivate an awareness of meaning beyond the words...she learned to deal with the personal dimension in haiku.
-Joseph Kirschner in modern HAIKU

The spirit of warmth and common purpose she experiences in that first encounter with the group of 30 or so Japanese men and women immediately engages [Friedman]. The memoir that follows, while not a how-to book in the typical mold, offers so graceful an entry into the pleasures of experiencing haiku it will surely inspire readers interested in trying their own hands at the evocative form.
-Bridget Boylan in the WaterBridge Review
(This issue of the WaterBridge Review features reviews of the2007 Kiriyama Finalist books.)

Ash Reviewed at Reader Views

At Reader Views, Deborah Gaynor looks at Holly Thompson's novel Ash. Gaynor finds the book to be "hauntingly beautiful and well worth reading." Why? Because it is "a heart-wrenching story. The characters are well-developed and powerful. [They] linger in your mind long after finishing the book." We couldn't agree more!

Eve Kushner in The Monthly

Eve Kushner, whose amazing new book, Crazy for Kanji: A Student’s Guide to the Wonderful World of Japanese Characters, will be out this July from Stone Bridge Press, has an equally fascinating essay in this month's edition of The Monthly. In "The Way of Kanji," Kushner exlpores the ancient Japanese script as a spiritual path. The Monthly is available in many East Bay locations, and Kushner's article will be online shortly.

Asia Shock Event Reviewed in The Asian Reporter

Mike Street, who recently reviewed Patrick Galloway's unstoppable guidebook to dark Asian cinema, Asia Shock: Horror and Dark Cinema from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, & Thailand, for The Asian Reporter, was luckly enuogh to be at Galloway's reading, screening, and book signing at legendary Powell's City of Books in Portland. The full review of the event is online here, and below is a sneak preview:

Although a casual observer might have wondered what bloody maniac was reading at Powell’s, those who attended saw what has made Patrick Galloway’s books so popular and enjoyable. A mixture of knowledge, humor, and eviscerating honesty, Galloway’s presentation gave Asian horror-film fans all they wanted, and more — the same way the films they love do.

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.

Waiting on the Weather in the Globe and Mail

In the book section of the Globe and Mail, Gail Singer reviews Waiting on the Weather: Making Movies with Akira Kurosawa by Teruyo Nogami. Here's an excerpt:

What is so startling about this account is its homey, accessible matter-of-factness. There isn't a note of tension, anxiety or breathlessness. Would Kurosawa have been okay with it? Probably not, as the author herself concedes.

The entire review is online here.

Asia Shock in the Asian Reporter

In a glowing review, Mike Street of the Asian Reporter writes:

Just as with Stray Dogs, Galloway has produced a book full of wit, wisdom, and vital information, all told in his entertaining and flowing prose, making Asia Shock delightful for fans and essential to students of extreme Asian film.

Galloway at Powell's in Portland, March 11th

Patrick Galloway, whose excellent guidebook, Asia Shock: Horror and Dark Cinema from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, & Thailand, is turning heads all over the place these days, will be reading, showing film clips, and signing books at Powell's City of Books on Burnside on March 11th. Don't miss it!

Read the Twitch review of Galloway's Cody's reading for a "preview" of this event.

Sunday, March 11th 2007 07:30 PM
1005 W Burnside
Portland, OR 97209

Coming this Spring!

Although we already announced our Spring list, it's time for a little more information about the books you can't wait to love!





APRIL

The Art of Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles
By Tommy Yune; Foreword by Carl Macek
ISBN 978-1-933330-29-7, $19.95, 144 pages
The exclusive, full-color tie-in to the new Robotech film includes series history, characters guides, and many pages of film art and drawings, assembled by production insiders.

A Dictionary of Japanese Buddhist Terms
By Hisao Inagaki, with contributions by PG O'Neill
ISBN 978-1-933330-05-1, $65.00, 548 pages
The return of a vital resource for students of Buddhism and Japanese culture. Nearly 5,000 entries on Buddhist terms, personal names, ceremonies, texts, and sects.

Family Crests of Japan
ISBN 978-1-933330-30-3, $18.95, 156 pages
Presents over 850 family crests with descriptions, cultural backgrounds, and a selection of photographs showing how crests are used on banners, signs, and buildings. Bold iconic designs from a unique tradition.

Indonesian Fables of Feats and Fortunes
Told and edited by Kuniko Sugiura; Illustrated by Koji Honda
ISBN 978-0-89346-950-4, $16.95, 32 pages
Stories from Indonesia make up the latest entry to the Asian Folktales Retold series. Meet a mischievous small deer, a rooster that sings, and a baby water buffalo that saves the day.

Indonesian Tales of Treasures and Brides
Told and edited by Kuniko Sugiura; Illustrated by Koji Honda
ISBN 978-0-89346-951-1, $16.95, 32 pages
A poor man woos a princess, a young man tricks a goddess, and two stepsisters with very different attitudes go on an adventure full of treasures and pumpkins.


MAY

Anime Classics Zettai!: 100 Must-See Japanese Animation Masterpieces
By Brian Camp and Julie Davis
ISBN 978-1-933330-22-8, $18.95, 400 pages
Extended reviews of 100 top Japanese animation films, TV series, and made-for-video series, from 1958 to the latest Cartoon Network hits. Engaging entries include data, personnel, summary, style, critical comments, and viewer-discretion guides.

China for Businesswomen: A Strategic Guide to Travel, Negotiating, and Cultural Differences
By Tracey Wilen-Daugenti
ISBN 978-1-933330-28-0, $16.95, 200 pages
Based on interviews with women executives and entrepreneurs who have succeeded in China, this concise book is packed with straightforward advice on overcoming gender and cultural obstacles.

The Films of Kiyoshi Kurosawa: Master of Fear
By Jerry White
ISBN 978-1-933330-21-1, $19.95, 224 pages
Following Kiyoshi Kurosawa from his humble beginning in the pink film industry to his career as the celebrated filmmaker of "Cure," "Pulse," and "Loft," this guide includes essays on 25 films, a descriptive filmography, and a sit-down interview.

A Tractate on Japanese Aesthetics
By Donald Richie
ISBN 978-1-933330-23-5, $9.95, 80 pages
In this anticipated new book, legendary critic Donald Richie explains Japanese aesthetic concepts, looking at how perceptual values in Japan were drawn from raw nature and then modified by elegant expressions of class and taste.


JULY

Crazy for Kanji: A Student's Guide to the Wonderful World of Japanese Characters
By Eve Kushner
ISBN 978-1-933330-20-4, $19.95, 200 pages
Putting the craze back in crazy, this exploration of kanji (Japanese written characters) places kanji in context, explaining why kanji look like they do, how to tell "husband" from "prisoner," where to find kanji in Wales, and how to learn kanji faster. Includes puzzles, almost 100 illustrations, and even kanji sudoku!


STONE BRIDGE CLASSICS

APRIL

The Book of Tea
By Kakuzo Okakura
ISBN 978-1-933330-17-4
"A seminal guide to Asian life and thought. Very highly recommended."-Midwest Book Review.

A Diplomat in Japan: The Inner History of the Critical Years in the Evolution of Japan when the Ports were Opened and the Monarchy Restored
By Sir Ernest Satow
ISBN 978-1-933330-16-7, $14.95, 672 pages
An inner history of the critical years of social and political upheaval that accompanied Japan's first encounters with the West.

Epochs of Chinese and Japanese Art: An Outline History of East Asiatic Design
By Ernest F. Fenellosa
ISBN 978-1-933330-26-6, $18.95, 800 pages
Still regarded as a monumental survey of Eastern art, this comprehensive volume was intended for art collectors and general readers as well as travelers and scholars.

The Ideals of the East: With Special Reference to the Art of Japan
By Kakuzo Okakura
ISBN 978-1-933330-25-9, $10.95, 200 pages
The 1904 book that famously declared "Asia is one," and was among the first studies in English to reference Zen in its exploration of the roots of Japanese beauty.

Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things
By Lafcadio Hearn
ISBN 978-1-933330-24-2, $10.95, Paper, 160 pages
A miscellany of ghost stories, odd tales, and curious observations by a master storyteller who penetrated Japan more deeply than any other Westerner.

The Mikado's Empire: A History of Japan from the Age of Gods to the Meiji Era (660 BC - AD 1872)
By William Elliot Griffis
ISBN 978-1-933330-18-1, $14.95, 512 pages
In its day the most popular book on the then-mysterious nation of Japan, this volume covers the history and culture of Japan from the earliest times to the Meiji Restoration of 1868.

Things Japanese: Being Notes on Various Subjects Connected with Japan
By Basil Hall Chamberlain
ISBN 978-1-933330-27-3 $14.95, 540 pages
An engaging collection about everything from the abacus to zoology in Japan, designed to preserve knowledge about a society that was modernizing beyond recognition.

Unbeaten Tracks in Japan: An Account of Travels in the Interior including Visits to the Aborigines of Yezo and the Shrine of Nikko
By Isabella L. Bird
ISBN 978-1-933330-19-8, $12.95, 352 pages
The first recorded account of Japan by a Westerner, this 1878 book captures a lifestyle that has nearly vanished. The author traveled 1,400 miles by horse, ferry, foot, and jinrikisha.

Asia Shock in Book News

The February 2007 issue of Reference and Research Book News, a quarterly publication, includes the following review of Asia Shock by Patrick Galloway. Perhaps Stone Bridge Press will now be known as the "typically enthusiastic" press. Fine with us!

The author defines “dark cinema” as “a meta-genre that embraces the macabre and disturbing, shocking and profane, dire and devastating extremes of the contemporary film experience,” thus encompassing horror, exploitation film, black comedy, psychological thrillers, and even some types of police procedurals and art house fare. In this work he takes the reader on a tour of 41 of his favorite examples of dark cinema from Japan, Korea, China, and Thailand, describing them in synopsis and offering his own typically enthusiastic judgments.

See a pdf of the issue here, on page 277.

Galloway and White in the Star-Ledger

For his excellent story on Asian horror films, "Ghosts or Gore: Asian horror flicks tap age old traditions," New Jersey Star-Ledger film critic and member of the New York Film Critics Circle Stephen Whitty interviewed two Stone Bridge authors: Patrick Galloway, author of Asia Shock: Horror and Dark Cinema from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, and Thailand, and Jerry White, author of the forthcoming The Films of Kiyoshi Kurosawa: Master of Fear.

The story, online here, ran in the New Jersey Star-Ledger on Sunday (February 4), and will continue to run in various Newhouse papers.

"If you want these films with an Asian person, they'll sit through them shivering," says Patrick Galloway, the author of "Asia Shock" (Stone Bridge Press). "It resonates on a deep cultural level. Ghost lore, for example, looms very large in China, where you'd hear these stories from the time you were a child. And in Japan, the longhaired female ghost -- it's become a cliché, but she comes from Kabuki."

"Ah yes, the black-haired ghost," says Jerry White, a fifth-grade teacher in Glen Ridge -- and the author of the upcoming "Kiyoshi Kurosawa: Master of Fear" (Stone Bridge Press). "You see that a lot, you see dead little girls showing up a lot -- these are things that re-occur. And many of these films are looking back to old traditions, like 'The Ghost Story of Yotsuya,' or the folk stories gathered by Lafcadio Hearn."

The extensive article also includes a great quote from Thai director Oxide Pang (Bangkok Dangerous, The Eye):

"The Western people, they love the Asian ghost...In Hollywood, they try to make everything reasonable. Why is the ghost trying to kill you? Why is their face so horrible? It Asia, we're not concerned about this. The ghost is scary, you know? Scary is not reasonable."

Asia Shock in the East Bay Express

In this week's issue of The East Bay Express, Anneli Rufus reviews Patrick Galloway's excellent film guidebook, Asia Shock: Horror and Dark Cinema from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, and Thailand. Here's the buzz:

Pacific grim: What with brain-sauce spaghetti, switchblade cellphones, and other wonders, could horror flicks from Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong be any better? Patrick Galloway savors the genre in Asia Shock ($19.95), from Berkeley's Stone Bridge Press. Check out Organ, Convent of the Sacred Beast, and Eight Immortals Restaurant: Human Meat Roast Pork Buns. And who could resist such source-material details as "Back in 1995, a report came out of the town of Shenzhen in mainland China concerning hospital staff eating aborted fetuses and offering them to others as a nutritional supplement"?

Divining the Asian Zodiac reviewed by Foreword

ForeWord Magazine's weekly e-newsletter, ForeWord This Week, has a review of Divining the Asian Zodiac by Fumio Shiozawa, out just in time for Chinese New Year! Here's the listing:

Astrology. DIVINING THE ASIAN ZODIAC: ANCIENT GUIDE TO LIFE AND LOVE by Fumio Shiozawa (Heian, color illustrations, 127 pages, softcover, $18.95, 978-0-89346-949-8): colorful book details the characteristics of each sign in the Chinese Zodiac and how to get along with others, based on their signs.

The full newsletter is online here.

Leza Lowitz and Donald Richie at Four Stories Tokyo, February 15th

Four Stories, a reading series originally only in Boston (The Boston Globe has called it "the city's hippest reading series"), is debuting in Tokyo at The Pink Cow on Thursday, February 15th. Two Stone Bridge authors, Leza Lowitz (Yoga Poems) and Donald Richie (The Donald Richie Reader, The Inland Sea) will be reading new fiction. They will be joined by authors Eric Shade and Tracy Slater. The evening's theme: "Growing Pains: Stories of adolescence, growing up, and breaking all the rules."

Thursday, February 15, 2007
The Pink Cow (offering music, art, and great food and cocktails for order!)
Villa Moderuna B1, 1-3-18 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
6:30-9 p.m.
Information

Patrick Galloway shares "Top 5 Most Deliciously Appalling Moments" with Wired

In "Table of Malcontents," Chris Baker of Wired magazine reviews Asia Shock: Horror and Dark Cinema from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, and Thailand by Patrick Galloway, and catches up with Galloway about the most gruesome moments in Asian Shock cinema! Awesome! Baker writes:

Galloway has all sorts of interesting insights and facts that'll make you want to rewatch your favorites, or check out some that you've never seen.

Way of Taiko in Midwest Book Review

In their January review of Heidi Varian's The Way of Taiko, the Midwest Book Review's "California Bookwatch" has some exciting things to say about this excellent book:

If world drumming is of interest then Japanese taiko drums must be on the list of things to learn about; and there's no better place to learn than through the pages of THE WAY OF TAIKO, covering the rich history and playing of Japanese taiko drums. Bright color photos throughout accompany an introduction to taiko instruments and movement, a review of training and drumming, and details on connected spirituality. A gorgeous presentation discusses taiko past, present and future.

Jasper Sharp to introduce "Move Over, Ozu"

On Sunday, February 4th, Jasper Sharp, co-author of The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film, will be appearing at the Watershed (Bristol, U.K.) to introduce the Bristol leg of a new film tour organised in conjunction with the Japan Foundation: "Move Over, Ozu: The 21st Century Japanese Family on Film." This illustrated talk kicks off a month-long event which will include showings of the following films:

• Hanging Garden (Kuchu Teien) Sun 04 Feb
• License to Live (Ningen Gokaku) Sun 11 Feb
• A Laughing Frog (Warau Kaeru) Sun 18 Feb
• Hush! Sat 24 Feb
• Canary (Kanaria) Sun 25 Feb

Heidi Varian to be on "Pacific Time"

The Way of Taiko author Heidi Varian is expected to appear on KQED's radio show "Pacific Time."Catch the show here after the fact, or, if you live in one of these cities, listen live! In the Bay Area, the show airs Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. on KQED 88.5FM.

Waiting on the Weather in the Japan Times

"No one, perhaps not even Akira Kurosawa's immediate family, knew him better."

In Thursday's Japan Times, Mark Schilling, author of The Yakuza Movie Book, writes a tremendous review of Teruyo Nogami's Waiting on the Weather: Making Movies with Akira Kurosawa. Here's an excerpt:


The self-portrait that emerges is of a smart, passionate woman who was in love with film and filmmaking long before she met Kurosawa -- a love that continues to this day. The translation for the book's English edition, by Juliet Winter Carpenter, perfectly captures Nogami's salty personality, and Nogami's photos and 27 drawings of Kurosawa and his world add to what is sure to become a classic memoir, essential for our understanding of one of the greatest filmmakers of the 20th century.

Schilling also interviews Nogami-san in a related feature titled "In the presence of 'the Emperor'" Again, an excerpt:

What impression did you have of Kurosawa when you first worked with him on "Rashomon?"

Kurosawa had had a big hit with his first film ["Sugata Sanshiro" (1943)], so he was quickly elevated to the top rank. When he arrived [at the Daiei Studio to make "Rashomon"], he was still young -- only 40. He was like a star. He came with all these famous actors from Tokyo, which made him shine even more. He cut a stylish figure -- I was a bit scared of him. But I consider myself lucky. If it hadn't been for Itami-san [Nogami volunteered to care for Itami's teenage son, Juzo, who would later become one of Japan's premier filmmakers, after his widowed mother moved to Tokyo], I wouldn't have been in Kyoto [working at the Daiei Studio]. Kurosawa just happened to come along, and I just happened to be there. It was all a matter of chance. Kurosawa believed in luck; he felt that something would always turn up. In that sense, he had a lot of confidence.

"Japanimation" at the Barbican with Helen McCarthy

Helen McCarthy, co-author of The Anime Encyclopedia, Revised & Expanded Edition, is hosting a major anime series at the Barbican in London over the next few months. Here are the details. Highights include a discussion and screening of modern interpretations of Akira Kurosawa's classic Seven Samurai.

Anime Encyclopedia in ForeWord and Frames Per Second Magazine

The Anime Encyclopedia, Revised & Expanded Edition by Jonathan Clements and Helen McCarthy was recently noted in the Footnotes section of ForeWord Magazine's e-newsletter and also on Frames Per Second's "New and Notable This Week" blog.

Galloway in the Chron

A big story by Pam Grady on Patrick Galloway, author of Asia Shock: Horror and Dark Cinema From Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, and Thailand, appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle yesterday. The feature, which has been blogged like mad by sites such as Comic Book Web, Kung Fu News, and SF360, includes discussion of big issues:

Galloway recognizes that the differences go beyond Hollywood's instinct to oversimplify, but points to a larger dichotomy. "I'm trying to find out, for one reason, why the Asian dark film is so much darker, and you've got to start with the age of the culture, with the spiritual underpinnings of the culture, folklore and just your typical anthropological considerations of a given culture," he says.

Don't forget to check out Galloway's own blog and website.

Author Helen McCarthy to be on LBC Radio next week

Helen McCarthy, author of Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation and co-author of The Anime Encyclopedia, Revised & Expanded Edition, will be interviewed by reporter Ben Taylor for London's LBC Radio live on January 15 at 12:45 pm GMT. She will be discussing the new Barbican season of anime and of course, her new book!

Humphrey The Lost Whale in Your Big Backyard

Humphrey The Lost Whale, a children's book written by Richard Hall and Wendy Tokuda and illustrated by Hanako Wakiyama, published under SBP's Heian imprint, is reviewed in this month's issue of Your Big Backyard. The magazine is published by the National Wildlife Federation.

The Haiku Apprentice reviewed in The Japan Times

The Haiku Apprentice by Abigail Friedman was reviewed in The Japan Times on Sunday, January 7. The reviewer, David Burleigh, writes that Friedman's account of being a haiku apprentice is "notable for its frankness and enthusiasm...Friedman has made a lively narrative out of the things she learned..." We couldn't agree more! And we still love Friedman's own, bilingual (French/English) blog, The Stone Lantern.

Haiku Apprentice, Midnight Eye reviewed in Metropolis

Metropolis, "Japan's #1 English Magazine," recently reviewed both The Haiku Apprentice: Memoirs of Writing Poetry in Japan by Abigail Friedman and The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film by Tom Mes and Jasper Sharp.

Hillel Wright reviews The Haiku Apprentice:

"The Haiku Apprentice gives the reader an original, thoughtful and personal glimpse of one expat’s productive encounter with Japan."

Kevin McGue reviews The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film:

"Five years ago, Donald Richie’s A Hundred Years of Japanese Film seemed destined to be the definitive resource on the topic for years to come. We now have The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film, which serves as the perfect companion piece."

Michael Guillén Interviews Patrick Galloway

After Patrick Galloway's engaging event at Cody's Books in San Francisco on December 15th, Michael Guillén caught up with the author of Asia Shock: Horror and Dark Cinema from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, and Thailand for an in-depth interview. You can find the interview on both The Evening Class and Twitch. Guillén also posted a glowing review of the reading/screening!

In the Pool reviewed in The Japan Times

The Japan Times recently reviewed In the Pool by Hideo Okuda and translated by Giles Murray:

"It's hilarious...By these off-the-wall portrayals of ordinary people in seemingly harmless but nonetheless extraordinary predicaments, In the Pool delivers a good time indeed."

Read the review

Anime Encyclopedia 2 reviewed at Anime on DVD

It's a Xmas treat (really, it's dated 12/25/06) to get a new review for The Anime Encyclopedia Revised & Expanded posted at Anime on DVD:

"If I only had space on my overcrowded shelf for one book on anime, this would be it. If I had no space on my shelf I'd select two books at random and drop them into the bin, just to make room- it's that indispensable."

Another solution is to buy several copies of The Anime Encyclopedia 2 and build a new shelf with them. They are that sturdy!

Read the rest of the review here

Patrick Galloway Live at Cody's Dec. 15th!

PATRICK GALLOWAY, in ASIA SHOCK: Horror and Dark Cinema from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong & Thailand, takes on Asian masters of suspense, the supernatural, exploitation, and good old, bone-chilling, blood-curdling fear. His adventures into the world of dark cinema will delight newbies and devotees alike. In the book, he offers viewing tips, genre/cultural overviews, extensive reviews, highlights, and screenshots, covering everything from Nakagawa's classic Ghost of Yotsuya to Oldboy, Pulse, and Another Heaven.

At this special event, he will speak, sign books and show some wild film clips: Friday, Dec. 15th, 2006. 7:00 PM at Cody's Stockton Street, San Francisco (2 Stockton Street @ Market - that's across from the Apple Store)
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Peter Goodman interviewed in the Water Bridge Review

In a rare inside look at the publishing business, Peter Goodman, Stone Bridge Press founder and editor, is interviewed by author Gail Tsukiyama in the December 2006 issue of the Water Bridge Review. Read it here.

Behind the Scenes of the Anime Encyclopedia 2

Toon Zone interviewed Helen McCarthy and Jonathan Clements, co-authors of the new Anime Encyclopedia 2, for an extensive feature on what's new and what's awesome in this recently released guidebook to end all guidebooks (over 3,000 entries!).

The interview can be read online.

Anime Companion 2 in the Asian Reporter

In the wake of Gilles Poitras' recent (highly successful!) event at Cody's Books, the Asian Reporter features a review of The Anime Companion 2. Oscar Johnson writes that it's a "must-have for fans of anime and manga alike." Not bad at all. See the pdf here (scroll to the last page).

70 Japanese Gestures in the Asian Reporter

70 Japanese Gestures, by Hamiru-aqui, translated by Aileen Chang, was reviewed by Josephine Bridges in the Asian Reporter on October 24th. Read it online as a pdf (page 5).

"An accessible, fascinating, and funny compendium of Japanese body language."

Yakuza Style

In an online companion to the current Men's Vogue, Mark Schilling, author of the Yakuza Movie Book contributes some insightful thoughts in an essay on Seijun Suzuki's far-from-standard films. This is a special addition to David Samuels' story on infiltrating the yakuza (Japanese gangster) underworld in search of the "perfect three-button suit." Includes movie clips!