Peak sakura season in Pittsburgh: cherry blossoms at the Japanese garden in Shadyside.

The cherry blossoms are in full bloom today at the Japanese garden at UPMC Shadyside.

“New Housewives” in Contemporary China: Through the Lens of Chen Hengzhe, April 20 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures will host Dr. Hua Huang and the lecture "'New Housewives' in Contemporary China: Through the Lens of Chen Hengzhe" on April 20.

Chinese, Japanese films continue in Pittsburgh through April 19.

The 2017 Chinese animated film Have a Nice Day (大世界) and the ten films comprising the Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival will continue in Pittsburgh through April 19.

"We pho realz": Two Sisters Vietnamese Kitchen coming soon to East Liberty.

Two Sisters Vietnamese Kitchen, a new Vietnamese restaurant, is coming soon to 216 N. Highland Ave. in East Liberty (map).

New Korean restaurant Soju now open in Garfield.

A new Korean restaurant called Soju has recently opened in Garfield. Named after the ubiquitous (and cheap) Korean alcohol, Soju describes itself as

Family-owned restaurant/bar featuring Korean-American Cuisine

and is located at 4923 Penn Ave. (map).

Asians and Asian Americans Uniting for Change, April 13 at Pitt.

Several Asian and Asian-American organizations at the University of Pittsburgh are collaborating to present "Asians and Asian Americans Uniting for Change" on April 13 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm in room 407 Cathedral of Learning.

Exploring topics like Asians in Graduate Study, Asian Activism in America, Asian American Political Identity, and the History of Asians in the American Labor Movement.

CMU Summit on US-China Innovation and Entrepreneurship, April 13 - 15; International Career Fair on the 14th and 15th.

Carnegie Mellon University will host the 7th annual CMU Summit on US-China Innovation and Entrepreneurship from April 13 through 15.

The CMU Summit operates on a regular basis to host events ranging from tech webinars, tech talks, to Job Fair, and Startup Bootcamp. The annual CMU Summit Conference is one of the largest, top-tier Innovation and Entrepreneurship conferences held by university students in the United States. Each year, we host panel discussions that address cutting-edge issues in various technology and business fields. We also host the New Venture Competition during the annual conference, showcasing innovation ideas of high-potential startup teams. In addition, we provide financing and talents recruiting channels and mentorship programs for early stage startups, and pair them up with seasoned entrepreneurs and investors across the US and China.

Additional information about the summit and its panels is available on the official website. Highlights for the general public include the International Career Fair on the 14th and 15th.

Career Fair is one of the most distinctive and popular events in the history of CMU Summit. The world-class talents that CMU has nurtured will be gathering together to start the journey of contributing to the society and the business world.

Mental Health Awareness Session for International Students, April 16 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling program and the Global Citizen Lab will present a Mental Health Awareness Session for International Students on Monday, April 16.

We would like to raise mental health awareness, discuss the stigma against mental health, and introduce you to different resources available on campus.

Snacks will be provided.

The event will start at 9:00 pm in room 630 of the William Pitt Union (map), and is free.

Poet Li-young Lee at Carnegie Library Lecture Hall, April 26.

Via World Literature Today.

Asian-American poet Li-young Lee, a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, will speak at the Carnegie Library Lecture Hall on April 26. An introduction, from Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures:

Celebrated poet Li-Young Lee returns with a breathtaking new volume about the violence of desire and the peace of love.

The Undressing is a tonic for spiritual anemia; it attempts to uncover things hidden since the dawn of the world. These mysterious, unassuming poems investigate the human violence and dispossession increasingly prevalent around the world, as well as the horrors of growing up as a child of refugees. Lee draws from disparate sources, including the Old Testament, the Dao De Jing, and the music of the Wu Tang Clan. While the subjects of these layered, impassioned poems are wide-ranging, their driving engine is a burning need to understand our collective human mission. Read the title poem from The Undressing online.

Author Min Jin Lee to return to Pittsburgh in April 2019.

via minjinlee.com

The Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures Series announced its 2018-2019 Ten Evenings lineup last night, and bestselling Korean-American author Min Jin Lee is scheduled to speak at the Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland on April 1. Lee read from her book Pachinko at the City of Asylum in February.

PACHINKO follows one Korean family through the generations, beginning in early 1900s Korea with Sunja, the prized daughter of a poor yet proud family, whose unplanned pregnancy threatens to shame them all. Deserted by her lover, Sunja is saved when a young tubercular minister offers to marry and bring her to Japan.

So begins a sweeping saga of an exceptional family in exile from its homeland and caught in the indifferent arc of history. Through desperate struggles and hard-won triumphs, its members are bound together by deep roots as they face enduring questions of faith, family, and identity.

Single tickets for the April 1, 2019 talk will go on sale July 5.