Wong Kar-Wai film series at Row House Cinema, November 5 - 11; special $28 all-you-can-see week pass available.

The Row House Cinema in Lawrenceville will present a series of films by legendary Hong Kong director Wong Kar-Wai, featuring six movies restored in 4K, from November 5 through 11.

Celebrate the Hong Kong director who reimagined filmmaking through abstract plotlines and vibrant colors. Don’t miss the brilliant 4k restorations of six Wong Kar-wai classics.

The lineup includes Happy Together (春光乍洩), Chungking Express ( 重慶森林), and In the Mood For Love (花樣年華) from November 5 through 11, a one-night screening of Fallen Angels (墮落天使) on November 5, a one-night-only screening of As Tears Go By (旺角卡門) on November 7, and a one-night-only screening of Days of Being Wild (阿飛正) on November 10. Tickets for individual shows are available online, as well as for a $28 week pass that allows you to see any and all movies during the film series (including repeats but exclusing any special events).

The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street in Lawrenceville (map).

Tickets now on sale for Sasami in Pittsburgh, March 22.

Tickets for Sasami's performance at Club Cafe on March 22 went on sale today at 10:00 am. A 2019 Pitchfork review introduced the singer-songwriter like this:

[T]he Los Angeles-based polymath has made her name over the years as the synth player in Cherry Glazerr. Her debut record, SASAMI, is a union of synthesizer decay and guitar reverb that embodies shoegaze’s supernatural ability to conjure sadness from the void.

The 21+ show begins at 8:00 pm. Club Cafe is located at 58 S. 12th Street in the South Side (map).

Quantum Theatre presents Lucy Kirkwood play Chimerica, November 27 - December 19.

The Quantum Theatre will present the Lucy Kirkwood play Chimerica from November 27 through December 19 at The Maverick Hotel in East Liberty.

Lucy Kirkwood’s award-winning play reminds us of an image that arrested the world: a protester facing down four tanks in Tiananmen Square in 1989. Who was he, and who was the photojournalist who captured it? From there to the fraught present of US/China relations, it examines capitalism and culture, journalism and censorship.

Tickets are now available. The Maverick Hotel is located at 120 S. Whitfield St. (map).

Dominic Yang and "The Great Exodus from China," November 3 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host Dr. Dominic Yang and his talk "The Great Exodus from China" on November 3.

The Great Exodus examines one of the least understood forced migrations in modern East Asia—the human exodus from China to Taiwan following the Nationalist collapse and Chinese Communist victory in 1949. Peeling back layers of Cold War ideological constructs on the subject, the book tells a very different story from the conventional historiography.

Dominic Meng-Hsuan Yang (楊孟軒) is Associate Professor of East Asian History in Department of History, University of Missouri-Columbia. Dominic completed his PhD in Department of History, University of British Columbia (2012). He has been a recipient of multiple SSHRC awards (Canada) and Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation grants, as well as the Taiwan Fellowship. His first book The Great Exodus from China won the Memory Studies Association First Book Award in 2020, and in 2021, was selected as a Finalist for the International Book Award in the category of History: General. For his research, Dominic also received University of Missouri Provost’s Outstanding Junior Faculty Research and Creative Activities Award in 2020

The event will be held on Zoom and will begin at 7:30 pm. Registration is required.

Kiku hiring servers, experienced sushi chef.

Kiku Japanese Restaurant, located in Station Square and considered among the best and most authentic Japanese restaurants in the area, is hiring servers and an experienced sushi chef. The ads are reposted below; those interested should send their resumes to contact [at] kikupittsburgh.net.

K-pop Halloween Party, October 31 at Phat's Bar in Oakland.

Phat's Bar in Oakland will host a Kpop Halloween Party on October 31, in collaboration with the local group that hosts BTS cupsleeve events. The 18+ event runs from 7:00 pm to 12:00 am, and attendees must be vaccinated.

Phat's opened in January and is located at 418 Semple St. (map). It's run by the family behind Ineffable Cà Phê.

"Belonging Otherwise: Chinese Undergraduate Students at South Korean Universities," November 1 at Pitt.

via moreweeping

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will present Dr. Jiyeon Kang and her talk "Belonging Otherwise: Chinese Undergraduate Students at South Korean Universities" on November 1, part of the center's Asian Now Fall Lecture Series.

Following the South Korean government’s drive in the 1990s for globalization and deregulation of higher education, Korean universities aggressively recruited Chinese students as both symbolic and economic resources. The number of Chinese students studying at Korean universities consequently increased 57-fold between 2000 and 2019 (from 1,200 to 68,537). This presentation will share the findings from interviews with some of these Chinese students, who chose South Korea with academic and cultural aspirations but often found that neither Korean students nor the university itself welcomed them into classes or communities. As a result, Chinese students have not adapted to Korean university in the ways imagined by the normative framework, but instead make their study-abroad experience livable by constituting material, technological, and imagined modalities of belonging. These modalities of “belonging otherwise” reveal South Korea as a node of commercialized, non-elite, inter-Asian student mobility, and illuminate Chinese students’ strategies in this new regime of study abroad.

It runs from 4:30 to 5:45 pm in 211 Lawrence Hall, and is free and open to members of the Pitt community who abide by the university's health guidelines.

"Digging Cambodian Rock: Global Media Archaeologies of Popular Music," October 27 at Pitt.

via KUNR, story by NPR.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will present David Novak and his talk "Digging Cambodian Rock: Global Media Archaeologies of Popular Music" on October 27, part of its Asia Now Fall Lecture Series.

Thinking toward a media archaeology of global popular music, this presentation will trace the contemporary circulation of “golden era” 1960s and 1970s "Cambodian Rock." The lecture seeks to contextualize and historicize revivals of pre-Khmer Rouge pop recordings through the mediated movements, dubs, and remixes of cassette tapes among North American independent labels and the activities of online archivists and heritage centers in present-day Cambodia, which helped to generate the documentary film Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten, the play Cambodian Rock Band, and the Los Angeles based group Dengue Fever. Drawing from ethnographic interviews with contemporary preservationists and reissue labels in Cambodia, California, Oregon, and Massachusetts, the lecture considers the role of music in memories of genocide and war, the importance of physical materials in the global recognition of Southeast Asian history, and the ethical politics of media access in the transition to a digital archive.

It runs from 4:30 to 5:45 pm in 211 Lawrence Hall, and is free and open to members of the Pitt community who abide by the university's health guidelines.

"Not Safe For Life" 1999 Takashi Miike film Audition (オーディション) at Row House Cinema, October 29.

The 1999 Takashi Miike film Audition (オーディション) will play at Row House Cinema on October 29.

In this Japanese thriller, a widower schemes to find love but finds his dream woman to be a hellish nightmare. Director Takashi Miike’s film starts off feeling like a heartwarming romantic comedy before descending into grisly and terrifying chaos.

Pitt hiring part-time Chinese instructors for spring 2022.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures is hiring part-time Chinese instructors for the spring 2022 term.

The Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures seeks part-time instructors of Chinese Language for the Spring term of 2022. The position is semester-based. Instructors must have at least a Bachelor’s degree, native or native-like proficiency in Chinese, and have status to work on University of Pittsburgh campus. Preference will be given to applicants who have background knowledge and prior experience in teaching foreign languages, language pedagogy and second language acquisition. Duties include teaching recitation sections. Interested applicants should submit a CV and cover letter. The position will be filled as soon as qualified candidates are found.

Those interested should apply on the university's site.

2021 movie My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission (僕のヒーローアカデミア THE MOVIE ワールドヒーローズミッション) in Pittsburgh, from October 29.

The 2021 movie My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission (僕のヒーローアカデミア THE MOVIE ワールドヒーローズミッション) will play in Pittsburgh from October 29 through November 4. A synopsis, from the distributor.

When a sinister organization threatens to wipe out all superhuman powers, the fate of the world is on the line. With two hours until the collapse of civilization, Deku, Bakugo, and Todoroki manage to work as a team, but there’s still one problem. Deku’s on the run for murder.

It is scheduled so far to play at the AMC Loews Waterfront, the Waterworks Cinemas, the Cranberry Cinemas and Cinemark Theaters in Monaca, Monroeville, North Hills, and Robinson. Tickets are available online; please note, some shows are dubbed in English while others are in Japanese with English subtitles.

Miyazaki Week coming to Row House Cinema, from November 12.

Following its Wong Kar-Wai film series from November 5, the Row House Cinema in Lawrenceville will present Miyazaki Week from November 12 through 18. The films announced so far are 1979's Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro (ルパン三世 カリオストロの城), 1997's Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫), and 2001's Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し). Tickets and showtime information is now available online. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street (map) in Lawrenceville.

2019 Taiwanese film Detention (返校) available virtually via Row House Cinema.

The 2019 Taiwanese film Detention (返校) is now available virtually via Row House Cinema for a limited time.

Set in Taiwan during the “White Terror” period of martial law, a high school girl awakens in an empty school only to find that her entire community has been abandoned except for one other student. Soon they realize that they have entered a realm filled with vengeful spirits and hungry ghosts.

Adapted from the eponymous video game, this masterful debut from director and co-writer John Hsu creates an at once shocking historical drama, a melancholy coming-of-age tale, and a nightmarish horror film; that recalls the best of Guillermo del Toro (The Devil’s Backbone, and Pan’s Labyrinth), and with enough blood, striking sound design, art direction and special effects to evoke the best of Silent Hill.

The film is available to those in North America, and the cost to unlock is $10.

"Lions Stories: an introduction to Chinese Lion Dance," November 4 at Northland Public Library.

via @SteelDragonMartialArts

Northland Public Library will host "Lions Stories: an introduction to Chinese Lion Dance" with Chris Young of Steel Dragon on November 4.

An emblematic symbol of Chinese culture, the Chinese lion dance has a continuous history of over a thousand years. Used in ceremonies ranging from the more formal and solemn to the more informal and joyous, a lion dance can also be used to tell a story and simply entertain. Join Chris Young, founder of Gong Lung or Steel Dragon, as he presents overview of lion dance, including its history, some of the different types, and some of the structure and meanings in the dance.

The event runs from 6:00 to 7:30 pm; it's free, but registration and masks are required. Northland Public Library is located at 300 Cumberland Road in McCandless Township (map).

Short films from Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Asian America part of Pittsburgh Shorts Film Festival, November 18 - 21.

Though the Three Rivers Film Festival will feature no full-length Asian films this year, its companion festival, the Pittsburgh Shorts Film Festival running from November 18 through 21, will feature shorts from Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Asian America.

The program of films includes "Americanized," "Raspberry," and "Windup" from the USA; "Annah la Javanaise" from Indonesia; "Colorful" and "Georgia" from Korea; and "Dinner" from Vietnam. The short films are grouped into various blocks and play at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater in East Liberty (map) and, in some cases, virtually. Tickets are available online.
Still from "Windup."

Japanese-English Language Social Hour at Pitt, November 18.

Interior of Pitt's Cathedral of Learning, from the 2019 Yasuda Women's University promotional catalog.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will present an Japanese-English Language Social Hour on November 18.

A Japanese-English language social hour to bring together visiting students from Yasuda University and local Pitt students. An evening of language and cultural exchange.

Pitt's English Language Institute has hosted large cohorts of Yasuda Women's University students each fall since 2016. The event starts at 4:00 pm in the Global Hub on the first floor of Posvar Hall, and is open to members of the Pitt community compliant with its health regulations.

K-pop Halloween Party, October 31 at Phat's Bar in Oakland.

Phat's Bar in Oakland will host a Kpop Halloween Party on October 31, in collaboration with the local group that hosts BTS cupsleeve events. The 18+ event runs from 7:00 pm to 12:00 am, and attendees must be vaccinated.

Phat's opened in January and is located at 418 Semple St. (map). It's run by the family behind Ineffable Cà Phê.

Virtual Reading & Conversation: "Dear Memory: Letters on Writing, Silence, and Grief” by Victoria Chang (w/ Kao Kalia Yang, “The Late Homecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir”), October 27 online with White Whale Bookstore.

Bloomfield's White Whale Bookstore will host an online reading and conversation on October 27 with Victoria Chang and Kao Kalia Yang.

We’re looking forward to virtually welcoming Victoria Chang to Pittsburgh in celebration of her most recent book: Dear Memory: Letters on Writing, Silence, and Grief. She’ll be joined in conversation by Kao Kalia Yang, who’s the author of The Late Homecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir.

Eric Nam in Pittsburgh, February 16.

Korean-American singer Eric Nam will perform in Pittsburgh on February 16, he announced this afternoon. Tickets for the show at Mr. Smalls Theater in Millvale will go on sale on October 20.

Kelly Yang part of Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures series, October 24.

Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures will present Kelly Yang on October 24 as part of its "Words & Pictures" series.

New York Times bestselling author Kelly Yang is back with another heartwarming and inspiring story of Mia and friends!

Mia Tang is going for her dreams! After years of hard work, Mia Tang finally gets to go on vacation with her family — to China! A total dream come true! Mia can’t wait to see all her cousins and grandparents again, especially her cousin Shen. As she roams around Beijing, witnessing some of the big changes China’s going through, Mia thinks about the turbulent changes in her own life. Mia is more determined than ever, now that she finally has . . . room to dream!

Kelly Yang is the author of Front Desk, which won the 2019 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature and was chosen a Best Book of the Year by NPR, the Washington Post, the New York Public Library, and may others. Kelly’s family immigrated to the United States from China when she was a young girl, and she grew up in California, in circumstances very similar to those of Mia Tang.

The online lecture starts at 6:00 pm and is free, and will be available online for one week.

1926 Japanese silent film A Page of Madness (狂った一頁) at Row House Cinema for Silent Sunday 2021, October 24.

The 1926 Japanese silent film A Page of Madness (狂った一頁) will play at Row House Cinema on October 24 as part of the theater's Silent Sunday 2021.

A man takes a job at an asylum with hopes of freeing his imprisoned wife in this Japanese silent film, but a strange storm has an odd effect on the patients.

Tickets are $22 and allow guests to see as many films as they wish. The day of movies starts at 12:05 pm, with A Page of Madness beginning at 2:15 pm. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street (map) in Lawrenceville.

2004 Studio Ghibli film Howl's Moving Castle (ハウルの動く城) in Pittsburgh, October 24, 25, and 28.

The 2004 Studio Ghibli film Howl's Moving Castle (ハウルの動く城) will play in Pittsburgh on October 24, 25, and 28 as part of Studio Ghibli Fest 2021. From the distributor:

From director Hayao Miyazaki and the legendary Studio Ghibli, Howl’s Moving Castle is an Academy Award®-nominated acclaimed fantasy based on the novel of the same name by Diana Wynne Jones.

Sophie, a quiet girl working in a hat shop, finds her life thrown into turmoil when she is literally swept off her feet by a handsome but mysterious wizard named Howl. The vain and vengeful Witch of the Waste, jealous of their friendship, puts a curse on Sophie and turns her into a 90-year-old woman. On a quest to break the spell, Sophie climbs aboard Howl's magnificent moving castle and into a new life of wonder and adventure. But as the true power of Howl's wizardry is revealed, Sophie finds herself fighting to protect them both from a dangerous war of sorcery that threatens their world. Featuring the voice talents of Lauren Bacall, Christian Bale, Billy Crystal, Blythe Danner, Emily Mortimer and Jean Simmons.

It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville, North Hills, and Robinson, and tickets are available online. The October 24 and 28 shows are dubbed in English while the October 25 show is in Japanese with English subtitles.

EPIK High coming to Pittsburgh, March 19, 2022.

Legendary Korean hip hop group EPIK High is coming to Pittsburgh on March 19, 2022. Tickets went on sale for today for the show at Mr. Smalls Theater in Millvale.

"Music on the Edge Presents Devon Osamu Tipp: New Music for Shakuhachi and Electroacoustic Sound," October 23 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of Music presents "Music on the Edge Presents Devon Osamu Tipp: New Music for Shakuhachi and Electroacoustic Sound" on October 23.

Music on the Edge presents Pitt PhD candidate Devon Osamu Tipp performing new music by Pitt graduate composers for shakuhachi and electroacoustic elements. The program will include works by Brian Riordan, Ryan McMasters, Mark Micchelli, Jason Belcher, Emmanuel Berrido, Ramin Akhavijou, and Tipp.

Pittsburgh based composer/performer Devon Osamu Tipp creates unorthodox musical environments from ostensibly incompatible realms. A PhD candidate at the University of Pittsburgh, Tipp’s music draws influence from his Japanese and Eastern European roots, his experiences as a jeweler and painter, and his studies of gagaku and hogaku in Japan and the US. His compositions focus on rhythmic and timbral transmutation of cyclical materials, ranging from the orchestral, to string basses prepared with honey stirrers, to concerti for traditional Japanese instruments. He received his BMus from Montclair State University, where he studied composition and microtonal music with Dean Drummond, and shakuhachi with Elizabeth Brown. His music has been performed by microtonal specialists Kjell Tore Innervik, Veli Kujala and Tolgahan Çogulu. He has also worked with Rarescale, the Thin Edge New Music Collective, the TAK Ensemble, and members of Avanti! Chamber Orchestra. His compositions have been featured at the Soundscape Festival, Bowdoin Festival, Beyond 2020: Microtonal Music Festival, and the 2015 Tokyo International Double Reed Society Conference.

The event will be broadcast live online for the general public, though limited in-person seating is available in Bellefield Hall for COVID-safety-compliant university students, faculty, and staff. The event starts at 7:30 pm and registration is required.

Japanese guitarist MIYAVI at Thunderbird Cafe, October 22.

Japanese guitarist MIYAVI will play the Thunderbird Cafe on October 22.

Takamasa Ishihara (石原 崇雅), better known by his stage name Miyavi (雅), is a Japanese singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer and actor. He is known for his finger-slapping style of playing a guitar. He has been active since 1999, first as guitarist for the now defunct visual kei rock band Dué le Quartz and then as a solo artist starting in 2002. In 2007, he became a member of the rock supergroup Skin and in 2009 founded his own company, J-Glam. He toured worldwide several times, with over 250 shows in 30 countries as of 2015.

Tickets for the 18+ show are available online from $30 (plus the multitude of fees); doors open at 7 pm, show starts at 8 pm. The Thunderbird Cafe & Music Hall is located at 4023 Butler St. in Lawrenceville (map).

"Imperial Gateway: Colonial Taiwan and Japanese Expansion in South China and Southeast Asia, 1895–1945," November 15 at Pitt.

via @seijishirane

The University of Pittsburgh will host Dr. Seiji Shirane and his talk "Imperial Gateway: Colonial Taiwan and Japanese Expansion in South China and Southeast Asia, 1895–1945" on November 15, part of the center's Asia Now Fall Lecture Series.

This talk examines how Japanese colonizers and Taiwanese subjects transformed colonial Taiwan—the sub-tropical island Japan acquired from China in 1895—into a staging ground for imperial expansion across the East and South China seas. Taking advantage of Taiwan's proximity and cultural affinities with South China and Southeast Asia, Japanese colonial leaders innovated new strategies to compete with the Chinese and Western powers for regional hegemony. They mobilized Taiwanese overseas as economic and cultural brokers in the pre-war period (1895–1937) and as military personnel during the Asia-Pacific wars (1937–45). Studying the intricate ties between colonial governance and international relations helps us transcend the conventional emphasis on two-way relations between Japan's home islands and each of its colonies. A regional approach to Taiwan allows us to recover transnational networks often neglected due to divisions in area studies. Japanese imperialism was a contested process among not only state agencies but also mobile colonial subjects whose interests did not easily map on to national, local, or ethnic categories. The overseas Taiwanese in particular challenge prevailing assumptions of imperial hierarchies. Gradations of power and categories of identity—colonizer and colonized—were much more fluid outside Taiwan's territorial borders.

It runs from 4:30 to 5:45 pm in 211 Lawrence Hall, and is free and open to members of the Pitt community who abide by the university's health guidelines.

Charles Yu with Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures, October 18.

Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures will present an online discussion with author Charles Yu on October 18 as part of its Ten Evenings series.

The author of four books and numerous television scripts, Charles Yu won the 2020 National Book Award for Interior Chinatown, an ambitious satire about race, pop culture, immigration, assimilation, and escaping roles we are forced to play. Willis Wu doesn’t perceive himself as the protagonist in his own life: he’s merely Generic Asian Man. Sometimes he gets to be Background Oriental Making a Weird Face or even Disgraced Son, but always he is relegated to a prop. Yet every day, he leaves his tiny room in a Chinatown SRO and enters the Golden Palace restaurant, where Black and White, a procedural cop show, is in perpetual production. He’s a bit player here, too, but he dreams of being Kung Fu Guy—the most respected role that anyone who looks like him can attain. Or is it?

Tickets for the 7:30 pm event are available online for $10 to $15. It's a virtual event, and those who purchase tickets can watch it anytime for one week.

"Belonging Otherwise: Chinese Undergraduate Students at South Korean Universities," November 1 at Pitt.

via moreweeping

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will present Dr. Jiyeon Kang and her talk "Belonging Otherwise: Chinese Undergraduate Students at South Korean Universities" on November 1, part of the center's Asian Now Fall Lecture Series.

Following the South Korean government’s drive in the 1990s for globalization and deregulation of higher education, Korean universities aggressively recruited Chinese students as both symbolic and economic resources. The number of Chinese students studying at Korean universities consequently increased 57-fold between 2000 and 2019 (from 1,200 to 68,537). This presentation will share the findings from interviews with some of these Chinese students, who chose South Korea with academic and cultural aspirations but often found that neither Korean students nor the university itself welcomed them into classes or communities. As a result, Chinese students have not adapted to Korean university in the ways imagined by the normative framework, but instead make their study-abroad experience livable by constituting material, technological, and imagined modalities of belonging. These modalities of “belonging otherwise” reveal South Korea as a node of commercialized, non-elite, inter-Asian student mobility, and illuminate Chinese students’ strategies in this new regime of study abroad.

It runs from 4:30 to 5:45 pm in 211 Lawrence Hall, and is free and open to members of the Pitt community who abide by the university's health guidelines.

"Digging Cambodian Rock: Global Media Archaeologies of Popular Music," October 27 at Pitt.

via KUNR, story by NPR.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will present David Novak and his talk "Digging Cambodian Rock: Global Media Archaeologies of Popular Music" on October 27, part of its Asia Now Fall Lecture Series.

Thinking toward a media archaeology of global popular music, this presentation will trace the contemporary circulation of “golden era” 1960s and 1970s "Cambodian Rock." The lecture seeks to contextualize and historicize revivals of pre-Khmer Rouge pop recordings through the mediated movements, dubs, and remixes of cassette tapes among North American independent labels and the activities of online archivists and heritage centers in present-day Cambodia, which helped to generate the documentary film Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten, the play Cambodian Rock Band, and the Los Angeles based group Dengue Fever. Drawing from ethnographic interviews with contemporary preservationists and reissue labels in Cambodia, California, Oregon, and Massachusetts, the lecture considers the role of music in memories of genocide and war, the importance of physical materials in the global recognition of Southeast Asian history, and the ethical politics of media access in the transition to a digital archive.

It runs from 4:30 to 5:45 pm in 211 Lawrence Hall, and is free and open to members of the Pitt community who abide by the university's health guidelines.

Virtual Book Club: Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, online on October 20 with Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will discuss Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi in its next Virtual Book Club on October 20.

Join a lively discussion with fellow book lovers via Zoom to discuss Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. Register below to receive the Zoom link for the discussion.

Set in an old, very unique Tokyo coffee shop, customers take turns sitting in the chair that allows a person to travel back in time for only as long as it takes a single cup of coffee to cool. The customers embark on emotional journeys reconnecting with loved ones and making up for past regrets.

Copies of the book are available through Hoopla, OverDrive and the Catalog.

The book club will meet from 2:00 to 3:00 pm on Zoom.

Asian grocery chain not coming to Hill District space after all.

The City of Pittsburgh announced today that Salem's Market has been selected to open in the Hill District space formerly occupied by Shop n' Save. In the running as a finalist was Fresh International Market, a small chain of large Asian groceries that got its start in Michigan in 2012. Its proposal was, admittedly, much weaker than the other three finalists, and the Hill Community Development Corporation notes it was submitted after the deadline. But, while only 4.2% of respondents ranked it as their top choice, it was voted the top second choice should the first choice not be chosen, though the numbers used were not clear.

OCA Pittsburgh Free Medical and Dental Clinic, October 18.

The Organization of Chinese Americans Pittsburgh Chapter is hosting its annual Free Medical and Dental Clinic, with Chinese-language support, on October 18 at Montefiore Hospital in Oakland (map). The clinic takes place from 6:00 to 10:00 pm on the hospital's 9th floor. Registration is strongly encouraged and can be completed by calling the numbers on the flyer: either Tong-change Lee at 724-309-5942, or Ru Tong at 412-403-4166.

Wong Kar-Wai film series coming to Row House Cinema in November.

The Row House Cinema in Lawrenceville will present a series of films by legendary Hong Kong director Wong Kar-Wai, featuring six movies restored in 4K. The lineup includes Happy Together (春光乍洩), Chungking Express ( 重慶森林), and In the Mood For Love (花樣年華) from November 5 through 11, a one-night screening of Fallen Angels (墮落天使) on November 5, a one-night-only screening of As Tears Go By (旺角卡門) on November 7, and a one-night-only screening of Days of Being Wild (阿飛正) on November 10.. Tickets are now available online.

The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street in Lawrenceville (map).

Asian short films "Asian Voices," part of Reel Q: Pittsburgh LGBTQ+ Film Festival, available for online streaming.

The six Asian short films that comprise "Asian Voices," part of this year's Reel Q: Pittsburgh LGBTQ+ Film Festival, are now available for online streaming. They include "Swingin'" from Taiwan, "As Bold As Red, As Soft As Velvet" from Singapore, "Summer Shimmer" from China, "My Mother's Girlfriend" from India, "Mutya" from the Philippines, and "Between Us" from Japan. The films are available in Pennsylvania and can be viewed for a 7 days 7 hours after unlocking.

2021 documentary The Rescue, on 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue, in Pittsburgh from October 14.

The 2021 The Rescue, on 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue, opens on October 8 and will play in Pittsburgh from October 14. From the official site:

THE RESCUE chronicles the enthralling, against-all-odds story that transfixed the world in 2018: the daring rescue of twelve boys and their coach from deep inside a flooded cave in Northern Thailand. Academy Award®-winning directors and producers E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin keep viewers on the edge of their seats as they use a wealth of never-before-seen material and exclusive interviews to piece together the high stakes mission, highlighting the efforts of the Royal Thai Navy SEALs and U.S. Air Force Special Tactics and details the expert cave divers' audacious venture to dive the boys to safety. THE RESCUE brings alive one of the most perilous and extraordinary rescues in modern times, shining a light on the high-risk world of cave diving, the astounding courage and compassion of the rescuers, and the shared humanity of the international community that united to save the boys.

It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and tickets are available online.

2021 Korean film Made On The Rooftop (메이드 인 루프탑) at ReelQ Film Festival, October 14.

The 2021 Korean film Made On The Rooftop (메이드 인 루프탑) will play at Pittsburgh's 36th annual ReelQ Film Festival on October 14.

This quirky romantic comedy starts with a heartbreak, as Ha-neul must leave his uptight and closeted boyfriend and seek comfort and shelter from his BFF, where he gets sympathy and fashion advice along with a place to crash. Directed by Kim Jho Gwang-soo. In Korean with English subtitles.

It will be available to watch online on the 14th from 7:00 pm, and pre-order is available now.

"Four Evenings" discussion with Charles Yu and his 2020 novel Interior Chinatown, October 14 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Global Studies Center will host a discussion with novelist Charles Yu on October 14, part of the Center's "Four Evenings" series in collaboration with Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures. Yu will speak as part of the latter's "Ten Evenings" series on October 18.

The author of four books and numerous television scripts, Charles Yu won the 2020 National Book Award for Interior Chinatown, an ambitious satire about race, pop culture, immigration, assimilation, and escaping roles we are forced to play.

Willis Wu doesn’t perceive himself as the protagonist in his own life: he’s merely Generic Asian Man. Sometimes he gets to be Background Oriental Making a Weird Face or even Disgraced Son, but always he is relegated to a prop. Yet every day, he leaves his tiny room in a Chinatown SRO and enters the Golden Palace restaurant, where Black and White, a procedural cop show, is in perpetual production. He’s a bit player here, too, but he dreams of being Kung Fu Guy—the most respected role that anyone who looks like him can attain. Or is it?

The "Four Evenings" discussion with Yu will be led by Dr. Kirsten Strayer, Program Coordinator for the University of Pittsburgh's SCREENSHOT: Asia festival. The event starts at 6:00 pm and will be online; registration is required.

More theaters announced for 2021 movie My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission (僕のヒーローアカデミア THE MOVIE ワールドヒーローズミッション) in Pittsburgh, from October 29.

More local theaters have been announced for the 2021 movie My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission (僕のヒーローアカデミア THE MOVIE ワールドヒーローズミッション), which will play in Pittsburgh from October 29 through November 4. A synopsis, from the distributor.

When a sinister organization threatens to wipe out all superhuman powers, the fate of the world is on the line. With two hours until the collapse of civilization, Deku, Bakugo, and Todoroki manage to work as a team, but there’s still one problem. Deku’s on the run for murder.

It is scheduled so far to play at the AMC Loews Waterfront, the Waterworks Cinemas, the Cranberry Cinemas, and Cinemark Theaters in Monaca, Monroeville, North Hills, and Robinson, though more locations may be announced later. Tickets are available online; please note, some shows are dubbed in English while others are in Japanese with English subtitles.

Japanese film Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (偶然と想像) at Carnegie Museum of Art, October 10.

The 2021 Japanese film Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (偶然と想像) will play at the Carnegie Museum of Art on October 10 as part of the SCREENSHOT:ASIA film festival.

An unexpected love triangle, a failed seduction trap, and an encounter that results from a misunderstanding, told in three movements to depict three female characters and trace the trajectories between their choices and regrets.

The movie starts at 5:00 pm, and tickets may be purchased online. The museum is located at 4400 Forbes Ave. in Oakland (map), accessible by buses 28X, 58, 61A, 61B, 61C, 61D, 67, 69, 71B, 71D, 75, and P3. The SCREENSHOT:ASIA film festival in its first year and runs from October 6 through 10.

2021 Chinese film My Country, My Parents (我和我的父辈) in Pittsburgh, from October 8.

The 2021 Chinese film My Country, My Parents (我和我的父辈) will play in Pittsburgh from October 8. It's the third installment of the "National Day Celebration" series, after 2019's My People, My Country (我和我的祖国) and 2020's My People, My Homeland. From a distributor:

Actress Zhang Ziyi, actor-and-director Wu Jing, comedian Shen Teng, and actor-and-director Xu Zheng come together to direct four short films as part of a new anthology drama paying tribute to China’s families.

It will play at the AMC Loews Waterfront, and tickets are available online.

"Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (JET) Info Session," October 12 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host a Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (JET) Info Session on October 12. It will be an online meeting by the Consulate General of New York and JET alumni.

Please join us at this information session to learn more about the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) program in the Global Hub, 1st floor Posvar Hall. To register for Zoom virtual attendance, click here

The session will be held at the Global Hub on the first floor of Posvar Hall (map). It is not open to the public, only to the Pitt community following university COVID safety protocols.

1926 Japanese silent film A Page of Madness (狂った一頁) at Row House Cinema for Silent Sunday 2021, October 24.

The 1926 Japanese silent film A Page of Madness (狂った一頁) will play at Row House Cinema on October 24 as part of the theater's Silent Sunday 2021.

A man takes a job at an asylum with hopes of freeing his imprisoned wife in this Japanese silent film, but a strange storm has an odd effect on the patients.

Tickets are $22 and allow guests to see as many films as they wish. The day of movies starts at 12:05 pm, with A Page of Madness beginning at 2:15 pm. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street (map) in Lawrenceville.

"Pitfalls of Parental Pressure" (within Asian-American communities), October 6 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh will host "Pitfalls of Parental Pressue" on October 6 as part of its Mental Health Awareness Month programming.

This event focuses on parental pressure within the Asian American community (specifically in East/Southeast Asian families) that leads to students becoming workaholics and having a toxic relationship with rest. We will also be providing resources on how to talk to parents about mental health, with mental health vocabulary words and sentences translated into different Asian languages for family members who do not understand English.

It begins at 8:00 mp in 548 William Pitt Union and is free for the Pitt student community.

Kelly Yang part of Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures series, October 24.

Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures will present Kelly Yang on October 24 as part of its "Words & Pictures" series.

New York Times bestselling author Kelly Yang is back with another heartwarming and inspiring story of Mia and friends!

Mia Tang is going for her dreams! After years of hard work, Mia Tang finally gets to go on vacation with her family — to China! A total dream come true! Mia can’t wait to see all her cousins and grandparents again, especially her cousin Shen. As she roams around Beijing, witnessing some of the big changes China’s going through, Mia thinks about the turbulent changes in her own life. Mia is more determined than ever, now that she finally has . . . room to dream!

Kelly Yang is the author of Front Desk, which won the 2019 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature and was chosen a Best Book of the Year by NPR, the Washington Post, the New York Public Library, and may others. Kelly’s family immigrated to the United States from China when she was a young girl, and she grew up in California, in circumstances very similar to those of Mia Tang.

The online lecture starts at 6:00 pm and is free, and will be available online for one week.

Virtual Reading & Conversation: "Dear Memory: Letters on Writing, Silence, and Grief” by Victoria Chang (w/ Kao Kalia Yang, “The Late Homecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir”), October 27 online with White Whale Bookstore.

Bloomfield's White Whale Bookstore will host an online reading and conversation on October 27 with Victoria Chang and Kao Kalia Yang.

We’re looking forward to virtually welcoming Victoria Chang to Pittsburgh in celebration of her most recent book: Dear Memory: Letters on Writing, Silence, and Grief. She’ll be joined in conversation by Kao Kalia Yang, who’s the author of The Late Homecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir.

Both books are available for purchase via White Whale. The talk begins at 7:00 pm and registration is required.