Category: Misc.

Quotations, articles and other items of interest

Schumacher’s Picture Dictionary

Anyone doing research on Japanese culture, and on Japanese religion in particular, will be familiar with Mark Schumacher’s A-Z Photo Dictionary of Buddhism and Shinto in Japan. It’s an invaluable resource, acknowledged overseas by scholars and museums. On October 4 Writers in Kyoto was fortunate to host its creator at a dinner talk when he …Read More

Japan and the Beats (ToPoJo vol 5)

Review of TOKYO POETRY JOURNAL VOL. 5: ‘JAPAN AND THE BEATS’ There’s something deliciously cool about ToPoJo 5. There’s a handwritten poem on the front cover by Nanao Sakaki, with GWOOON BALI BALI! crying out for attention. There’s a back cover photo of Allen Ginsberg et al. in which his hair, jacket and tie stand …Read More

Short Short Stories

Driven by social media and falling concentration spans, the trend of recent times is for shorter and shorter fiction. Twitter is a prime example, with writers challenged to fit something meaningful into 140 characters. This was highlighted in a recent article in The Author, house magazine of the UK’s Society of Authors, which cited a …Read More

Richardson on Frost (Jan 21)

Mark Richardson, one of the most prominent scholars on the poet Robert Frost (1874-1963), will be presenting material related to the poet on Jan 21 (for details, please see the right-hand column). In particular he will be discussing an interesting but never published––and never mailed––letter that affords a fascinating look into the poet’s life and …Read More

A listing of writings about Kyoto

Books set in Kyoto start with the classics… Murasaki Shikibu – The Tale of Genji (Genji Monogatari) (c.1000-21) Sei Shonagon – The Pillow Book (Makura no Sōshi) (1002) Kamo no Chomei – An Account of a Ten Foot Square Hut (Hojoki) (1212) anon – Ōkagami (the Great Mirror) date unknown anon – The Tales of the Heike (Heike Monogatari) mid-13th …Read More

Quotations about writing

Timeless advice on writing from famous authors Created by Maria Popova (www.brainpickings.org) on Jun 18 2012. Marilynne Robinson: “Beauty,” Writing, What Storytelling Can Learn from Science, and the Splendors of Uncertainty “We are part of a mystery, a splendid mystery within which we must attempt to orient ourselves if we are to have a sense of …Read More

Haruki Murakami, when asked recently about what advice he would give to an aspiring writer had an interesting take on the matter.  “The act of writing is the same as sweet-talking a woman, in that you can get better, to an extent, with practice. Fundamentally, though, your abilities are determined by the talents you’ve been …Read More

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