Vietnamese-American author Viet Thanh Nguyen (online) at Pittsburgh International Literary Festival, May 19.

City of Asylum will host Vietnamese-American author Viet Thanh Nguyen online for its Pittsburgh International Literary Festival on May 19.

Vietnamese-American novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen discusses The Committed, his much-anticipated sequel to his Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Sympathizer. This newest novel is fierce in tone, capacious, witty, sharp, and deeply researched. The Committed marks not just a sequel to its groundbreaking predecessor, but a sum total accumulation of a life devoted to Vietnamese American history and scholarship. It asks questions central to Vietnamese everywhere—and to our very species: How do we live in the wake of seismic loss and betrayal?

The hour-long talk begins at 7:00 pm and is free and open to the public, though registration is required.

Kusama: Infinity available to stream via Harris Theater, through May 31.

The 2018 documentary Kusama: Infinity is available to stream online via the Harris Theater through May 31.

Now the top-selling female artist in the world, Yayoi Kusama overcame impossible odds to bring her radical artistic vision to the world stage. For decades, her work pushed boundaries that often alienated her from both her peers and those in power in the art world. Kusama was an underdog with everything stacked against her: the trauma of growing up in Japan during World War II, life in a dysfunctional family that discouraged her creative ambitions, sexism and racism in the art establishment, mental illness in a culture where that was particularly shameful and even continuing to pursue and be devoted to her art full time on the cusp of her 90s. In spite of it all, Kusama has endured and has created a legacy of artwork that spans the disciplines of painting, sculpture, installation art, performance art, poetry and literary fiction. After working as an artist for over six decades, people around the globe are experiencing her installation Infinity Mirrored Rooms in record numbers, as Kusama continues to create new work every day.

Actually, the film is always available to stream via its official site, but through the 31st some proceeds will go to support the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's Harris Theater.

Chinese film My Love (你的婚礼) remains in Pittsburgh through May 17.

The 2021 Chinese movie My Love (你的婚礼), which opened in Pittsburgh on May 7, will remain here through May 17. A synopsis, from the distributor:

This is a romance and lovely story for over 15 years between a boy and a girl. Back in high school, Zhou Xiaoqi (Xu Guanghan) was a student with swimming speciality. You Yongci (Zhang Ruonan) was a transfer student of the same high school. At the first sight, Zhou fell in love with You. Before Zhou expressed his true feelings, You left without saying goodbye. Zhou holds and protects this young and ignorant pure love inside his heart for over 15 years…

It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront (map), and tickets are available online.

2020 Japanese movie Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train (劇場版「鬼滅の刃」 無限列車編) remains in Pittsburgh through May 20.

The 2020 Japanese animated movie Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train (劇場版「鬼滅の刃」 無限列車編), which opened in Pittsburgh on April 22, will remain here through at least May 20. A synopsis of the top-grossing film in Japan last year, from the theaters:

Tanjiro Kamado, joined with Inosuke Hashibira, a boy raised by boars who wears a boar's head, and Zenitsu Agatsuma, a scared boy who reveals his true power when he sleeps, board the Infinity Train on a new mission with the Fire Pillar, Kyojuro Rengoku, to defeat a demon who has been tormenting the people and killing the demon slayers who oppose it!

It will play locally at numerous local theaters, depending on the day, including AMC Loews Waterfront, AMC South Hills Village, Waterworks Cinemas, Cranberry Cinemas, the Cinemark in Monroeville, and the Chartiers Valley Luxury 14. Tickets are available online.

2020 Korean-American film Minari remains in Pittsburgh through (at least) May 26.

The 2020 Korean-American film Minari, which opened in Pittsburgh on February 11, will remain here through at least May 26. 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.

It will continue at the AMC Loews Waterfront and Tull Family Theater, and tickets are available online.

Zhang Yimou film Cliff Walkers (悬崖之上) remains in Pittsburgh through (at least) May 18.

The 2021 Zhang Yimou film Cliff Walkers (悬崖之上), which opened in Pittsburgh on April 30, will remain here through at least May 18. A brief summary from Asian Movie Pulse:

Based on a script by Quan Yongxian, the previously known as “Impasse” film focuses on four communist party special agents, Zhang, Lan, Yu and Chiuliang, who arrive in Manchukuo in 1931, after training in Russia, in order to carry out a secret mission codenamed “Utrenya”. The operation is to take place in Harbin, where a witness to a Japanese massacre is hiding. The four of them decide to split, although Lan and her husband are rather reluctant to separate. Before they do, however, they promise each other that, whoever survives, should find their children, who have been left behind before their training begun.

It will play locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront (map) and tickets are available online.

Mieko Kawakami (online) at Pittsburgh International Literary Festival, May 18.

Japanese author Mieko Kawakami will appear with translators Sam Bett and David Boyd online as part of the Pittsburgh International Literary Festival on May 18.

Mixing wry humor and riveting emotional depth, Mieko Kawakami is one of Japan’s most important and best-selling contemporary writers. She exploded onto the cultural scene first as a musician, then as a poet and popular blogger, and is now an award-winning novelist. Her first novel to be published in English, Breast and Eggs, was rated one of Time Magazine’s 10 best books of 2020. The novel is a radical and intimate portrait of contemporary working class womanhood in Japan, recounting the heartbreaking journeys of three women in a society where the odds are stacked against them. Hear from Mieko Kawakami and her translators live to discuss Breast and Eggs and celebrate the launch of Kawakami’s next, highly anticipated English release, Heaven. LitFest 2021 marks the novel’s debut event—an evening not to be missed!

The one-hour talk starts at 8:00 pm; it is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

Pitt hiring bilingual Mandarin-English Research Support Specialist for two Hillman Library collections.

The University of Pittsburgh is hiring a bilingual Mandarin-English Research Support Specialist for two collections in Hillman Library.

Archives and Special Collections - Pennsylvania-Pittsburgh - (21003189) The Research Support Specialist will support both the Archives & Special Collections Department (Hillman Library location) and the East Asian Library as a shared position. Incumbent will work regularly-scheduled hours in EAL or A&SC at the reference desk providing reference services to library users in a face-to-face, phone, or online setting. Incumbent will offer high quality directional/policy and explanatory reference and refer requests for customized or expert reference and research services to the appropriate specialist, manage the EAL Gateway Document Delivery Service and assist EAL librarians on instruction and projects. Duties also include managing the Aeon (A&SC content management system) request and activity queues to oversee all materials in use at A&SC Hillman and facilitate the transfer of library materials to/from various departments and libraries. The Shared Position will coordinate the hiring, interviewing, orientation, and supervising of student assistants and conduct collection maintenance activities for A&SC (Hillman) and EAL. Candidates will be expected to recognize, respect, and work effectively with individuals and groups with diverse perspectives and backgrounds in all aspects of their work and take initiative in learning about issues relating to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Position requires a B.A. In lieu of degrees, person should have a minimum of four years experience in an academic research library and demonstrate a working knowledge of research collections in order to have an understanding of the academic research process. Requires fluency in the English and Chinese languages. Requires fluency in the English and Chinese languages.

More information on Pitt's job website.

Combating Hate against Asian Communities - Allyship and Advocacy: Responses to Xenophobia and Hate Crimes, May 11 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Office for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion will present "Allyship and Advocacy: Responses to Xenophobia and Hate Crimes" on May 11.

Join the Office for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion as we welcome Professor Sheila Velez Martinez who will lead the discussion, Allyship and Advocacy: Responses to Xenophobia and Hate Crimes Targeting Asian Communities. This discussion will address how the Pitt community can increase advocacy and support members of the Asian community. Professor Velez Martinez is the Jack and Lovell Olender Professor of Asylum Refugee and Immigration Law, the Co-Director for the Center for Civil Rights and Racial Justice, and the Director of the Immigration Law Clinic for the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Law.

We encourage you to share this invitation with your networks and we look forward to your participation.

The online event runs from 2:00 to 3:00 pm and registration is required.

Asian American Heritage Month Celebration with Jasmine Cho and Allegheny County Bar Association, May 26.

The Allegheny County Bar Association will host Jasmine Cho for an online Asian American Heritage Month Celebration on May 26.

All members are invited to join the ACBA Asian Attorneys Committee to celebrate Asian American Heritage month with special guest Jasmine Cho, a Pittsburgh-based artist, author and “cookie activist”. She is most known for using portrait cookies to elevate representation for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. She is also a Food Network Champion (“Christmas Cookie Challenge” Season 3, Episode 8) and the Founder of Yummyholic. During this networking session, Cho will discuss and demonstrate her work. There is no cost to attend, but registration is required here.

The event starts at 5:30 pm and registration is required.