"An Evening of Traditional and Contemporary Japanese Music," February 26 (online) at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of Music will present "An Evening of Traditional and Contemporary Japanese Music" on February 26.

Please join graduate students Devon Osamu Tipp (PhD candidate in Music Theory/Composition) and Kanoko Kamata (2nd year PhD student in Sociology) for an evening of traditional and contemporary music for shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute) and shamisen (three string spike lute). Music featured on the program will include traditional and solo works, and music by composers Elizabeth Brown and Nancy Beckman.

Kanoko Kamata is a second year PhD student at the Sociology Department and studying about social movements, especially how people are discouraged or encouraged to participate in social movements. Her late grandmother was a singer and Shamisen player of min’yo, folk songs. She started her Shamisen training in Tokyo in Ikuta ryu (Kyoto style). Now she is learning Shamisen from Sumie Kaneko in Yamada ryu (Tokyo/Edo style). For more information, please visit www.kanokokamata.com.

Pittsburgh based composer/performer Devon Osamu Tipp creates unorthodox musical worlds from ostensibly incompatible realms. An Andrew Mellon Predoctoral Fellow in Music Theory/Composition at the University of Pittsburgh, Tipp has studied traditional Japanese music both in the US and Japan, and has appeared at conferences and festivals in the US, Europe, and Asia. For more information, please visit www.greengiraffemusic.info

The online event starts at 7:00 pm and a link to the stream is available here.

2016 Korean film Train to Busan (부산행) online at Pitt, February 10.

The Office of International Services at the University of Pittsburgh will present the 2016 Korean film Train to Busan (부산행) on February 10 as part of its Watch Party Wednesday series. From the Korean Movie Database:

A mysterious viral outbreak pushes Korea into a state of emergency! As an unidentified virus sweeps the country, Korean government declares martial law. Those on an express train to Busan, a city that has successfully fended off the viral outbreak, must fight for their own survival… 453 km from Seoul to Busan. The struggle to survive by those who have others to protect! Get on board to stay alive!

< The movie starts at 7:00 pm and free and open to the Pitt community, though registration is required.

"'Authors and Anecdotes' Book Club: Featuring Caroline Kim," February 11 at Pitt.

via @carolinewriting

The University of Pittsburgh will present "'Authors and Anecdotes' Book Club: Featuring Caroline Kim" on February 11.

Join this week's featured author, Caroline Kim, the 2020 Drue Heinz Literary Prize winner for our featured book, The Prince of Mournful Thoughts and Other Stories.

Exploring what it means to be human through the Korean diaspora, Caroline Kim’s stories feature many voices. With humor, insight, and curiosity, Kim’s wide-ranging stories explore themes of culture, communication, travel, and family. Ultimately, what unites these characters in the book across time and distance is their longing for human connection and a search for the place—or people—that will feel like home.

Click HERE to be directed to the University of Pittsburgh Press website to learn more about The Prince of Moral Thoughts and Other Stories. Purchasing options for the book is available on this site, and it can also be purchased at any independent bookstore of your choice. (While we encourage you to read the books ahead of time it is not a requirement to participate in the series.)

Join our special guest host, Chloe Wertz, Publicist at the University of Pittsburgh Press, as we not only discuss her book, but also dive into Kim's personal literature collection, her favorite readings, and participate in a live Q&A!

5 random attendees to this book club session will receive a free copy of The Prince of Moral Thoughts and Other Stories, courtesy of the University of Pittsburgh Press!

The event starts at 12:00 pm and is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

"Videation: Scattered Speculations on Asian Video (Pasts and Futures)," February 10 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will present Dr. Joshua Neves and his talk "Videation: Scattered Speculations on Asian Video" on February 10. The title of the talk is the name of his chapter in Asian Video Cultures. An overview of the talk from the Asian Studies Center newsletter:

Please join us on 2/10 @ 6:30 pm for the keynote lecture of the 2021 Asia Pop series with Dr. Joshua Neves of Concordia University. His talk pursues a series of speculations about Asian video cultures since the 1990s along three main lines of inquiry. First, it situates recent attention to internet and mobile video practices within a longer history. Second, the presentation reflects on key insights drawn from his research into the cultural and geopolitics of video technologies. Finally he turns to contemporary video forms and practices on the internet and social media tracing a range of issues about short video aesthetics, popular politics, platformization, and global tensions.

The talk was postponed from its originally-scheduled January 27 date. The talk begins at 6:30 pm, online, and registration is required.

Oriental Market to move to new location in early March.

Signage at Oriental Market, an Asian grocery on McKnight Road, says it will move to its new location further up the street in early March. Its new store will be at 7300 Old McKnight Road (map), which used to house David's Bridal.

"Paisley Rekdal & Matthew Salesses Live Reading and Conversation," February 22 with City of Asylum.

City of Asylum will host "Paisley Rekdal & Matthew Salesses Live Reading and Conversation" on February 22.

Appropriate, A Provocation — Utah’s poet laureate Paisley Rekdal’s newest book is a timely, nuanced work dissecting the thorny debate around cultural appropriation and the literary imagination. Paisley Rekdal will be joined in conversation by bestselling author Matthew Salesses for a live discussion and audience Q&A.

How do we properly define cultural appropriation, and is it always wrong? If we can write in the voice of another, should we? And if so, what questions do we need to consider first? In Appropriate, creative writing professor Paisley Rekdal addresses a young writer to delineate how the idea of cultural appropriation has evolved—and perhaps calcified—in our political climate. What follows is a penetrating exploration of fluctuating literary power and authorial privilege, about whiteness and what we really mean by the term empathy, that examines writers from William Styron to Peter Ho Davies to Jeanine Cummins. Lucid, reflective, and astute, Appropriate presents a generous new framework for one of the most controversial subjects in contemporary literature.

The online event runs from 7:00 to 8:15 pm. It is free and open to the public, though registration is required.

Crazy Rich Asians at Tull Family Theater, February 5 and 9.

The movie Crazy Rich Asians will play at Tull Family Theater in Sewickley on February 5 and 9. A synopsis from the distributor:

"Crazy Rich Asians” follows native New Yorker Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) as she accompanies her longtime boyfriend, Nick Young (Henry Golding), to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore. Excited about visiting Asia for the first time but nervous about meeting Nick’s family, Rachel is unprepared to learn that Nick has neglected to mention a few key details about his life. It turns out that he is not only the scion of one of the country’s wealthiest families but also one of its most sought-after bachelors. Being on Nick’s arm puts a target on Rachel’s back, with jealous socialites and, worse, Nick’s own disapproving mother (Michelle Yeoh) taking aim. And it soon becomes clear that while money can’t buy love, it can definitely complicate things.

Tickets for the two dates are available online. The Tull Family Theater is located at 418 Walnut St. in Sewickley (map).

2020 Korean-American film Minari (미나리) in Pittsburgh, from February 12.

The 2020 Korean-American film Minari opens nationwide on February 12, and is currently scheduled to play at a local theater. A synopsis, from the distributor:

A tender and sweeping story about what roots us, Minari follows a Korean-American family that moves to an Arkansas farm in search of their own American Dream. The family home changes completely with the arrival of their sly, foul-mouthed, but incredibly loving grandmother. Amidst the instability and challenges of this new life in the rugged Ozarks, Minari shows the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home.

While more theaters may be announced later, it is currently scheduled to play at the Waterworks Cinemas; ticket information is not yet available.

2020 Goro Miyazaki film Earwig and the Witch (アーヤと魔女) to stay in Pittsburgh through February 11.

The 2020 Goro Miyazaki film Earwig and the Witch (アーヤと魔女), which opened in Pittsburgh on February 3, will stay in some local theaters through the 11th. A synopsis, from the distributor:

Growing up in an orphanage in the British countryside, Earwig has no idea that her mother had magical powers. Her life changes dramatically when a strange couple takes her in, and she is forced to live with a selfish witch. As the headstrong young girl sets out to uncover the secrets of her new guardians, she discovers a world of spells and potions, and a mysterious song that may be the key to finding the family she has always wanted.

After its initial run at local Cinemark and AMC theaters, it will continue at the Waterworks and Cranberry cinemas through the 11th. Tickets are available online; please note that some screenings are in Japanese with English subtitles while others are dubbed in English.

"2021 Lunar New Year Virtual Celebration," February 23 at Pitt.

via fourbrickstall (Creative Commons)

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center, Global Studies Center, and Institute for International Studies in Education will host the "2021 Lunar New Year Virtual Celebration" on February 23.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The event will occur in the evenning at Eastern Time because that is the best time for our global participants.

Join us for a virtual Lunar New Year celebration as we learn about the meanings and traditions of this important and festive holiday from global perspectives! All are invited!

It runs from 9:00 to 10:00 pm and is open to the Pitt community. Registration is required.