Reading and conversation with author Gina Apostol, July 23.

City of Asylum will host author Gina Apostol for a free conversation and reading on July 23. A synopsis of her latest novel, Insurrecto:

Two women, a Filipino translator and an American filmmaker, go on a road trip in Duterte’s Philippines, collaborating and clashing in the writing of a film script about a massacre during the Philippine-American War. Chiara is working on a film about an incident in Balangiga, Samar, in 1901, when Filipino revolutionaries attacked an American garrison, and in retaliation American soldiers created “a howling wilderness” of the surrounding countryside. Magsalin reads Chiara’s film script and writes her own version. Insurrecto contains within its dramatic action two rival scripts from the filmmaker and the translator—one about a white photographer, the other about a Filipino schoolteacher.

The event runs from 7:00 to 8:30 pm; it's free but online RSVP is required. The City of Asylum's Alphabet City venue is located at 40 N. West Ave. on the North Side (map).

"Storytime: Japanese and English" at Carnegie Library in East Liberty, June 18.

via archdaily.org

The next installment of the monthly program "Storytime: Japanese and English" will take place on June 18 at the Carnegie Library in East Liberty.

Celebrate our city’s diverse culture as we explore new words through songs, action rhymes and stories in both English and Japanese for children and their parents or caregivers. For children age birth – 5 and their caregivers.

It runs from 11:00 to 11:30 am. The library is located at 130 S. Whitfield St. (map).

Homestay hosts needed for Chinese, Japanese, Korean visitors this year.

GlobalPittsburgh shares news of its needs for host families from July through next January for various cohorts of visitors, including Korean English teachers, Chinese students, and Japanese students from Yasuda University.

Love Ramen's Atwood Street location temporarily closed for renovations; new spot on Fifth Ave. open.

The Love Ramen at 229 Atwood St. in Oakland (map) is temporarily closed for renovations. During that time, according to a county inspection report, it will revamp the menu and add a new bathroom. A new self-serve noodle place from the owners of Love Ramen opened this month at 3608 Fifth Ave. (map), in what was formerly Hanami and Thai Hana. Staff refer to the place as Love Ramen in English, though it exists online as Malaxiangguo because the lone English-language signage on the window is an advertisement for hot pot.

Free Chinese, Japanese, Korean classes in Pittsburgh in June.

via @japangov

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will continue to offer free Chinese, Japanese, and Korean classes at some of its branches this June. Check out the class information below in addition to its language resources on the shelves and online.

As the library notes: these classes are free; registration is not required; no materials are needed and nothing needs to be bought; new participants are welcome at any time; classes are for adults (unless otherwise noted) but well-behaved young people are welcome to join as well.

Zhang Yimou's 2018 film Shadow (影) to continue in Pittsburgh through June 6.

The 2018 Zhang Yimou film Shadow (影), which opened in Pittsburgh on May 24, will continue here through June 6. The distributor provides a summary:

With SHADOW, director Zhang Yimou (HERO, HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS) once again pushes the boundaries of wuxia action to create a film like no other, masterfully painting a canvas of inky blacks and greys punctuated with bursts of color from the blood of the defeated. In a kingdom ruled by a young and unpredictable king, the military commander has a secret weapon: a “shadow”, a look-alike who can fool both his enemies and the King himself. Now he must use this weapon in an intricate plan that will lead his people to victory in a war that the King does not want.

Tickets and showtime information is now available online. The theater is located at 1035 S. Braddock Ave. in Regent Square (map).

MAMAMOO's "gogobebe" at this weekend's K-pop Class, June 1.

The weekly K-pop Dance Class at Yanlai Dance Academy will do MAMAMOO (마마무)'s "gogobebe" for its second meeting on June 1. The class is held each Saturday from 4:00 to 5:00 pm, and the cost is $18 for a drop-in session. Yanlai Dance Academy is located at 2260 Babcock Blvd. in the North Hills (map).

Host families needed for 45 visiting Japanese Pony-league baseball players in August.

The Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania shares news of a group of visiting Pony-league baseball players from Japan and the need for host families in Pittsburgh during their August 5 - 10 stay. Those interested should contact the organizers at the bottom of the flyer.

Lgbtqia+ Advisory AAPI Town Hall, June 1 downtown.

The Lgbtqia+ Advisory Council of Pittsburgh will host an Lgbtqia+ Advisory AAPI Town Hall on June 1.

A discussion on LGBTQIA+ & Asian American Experiences

It runs from 2:30 to 4:30 pm at the Allegheny County Department of Human Services at 1 Smithfield St. (map).

Pagdiriwang and Dedication of the Philippine Nationality Room, June 9 at Pitt.

A pagdiriwang celebration and the dedication of the new Philippine Nationality Room in the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning are scheduled for June 9. The dedication ceremony takes place from 2:00 to 3:00 pm at Heinz Chapel, with a reception scheduled for 3:00 to 5:00 pm on the first floor of the Cathedral of Learning.

The room is located on the third floor of the building, room 313, and opened to the public in December.