Pitt hiring Visiting Instructor I for Korean Language Program.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures is hiring a Visiting Instructor I for its Korean Language Program.

The Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures at the University of Pittsburgh invites applications for the position of visiting instructor for its Korean language program, pending budgetary approval. The appointment will begin Fall 2024, and end Spring 2025. The candidate must hold an MA degree in teaching Korean as a second language, foreign language teaching, applied linguistics, or a related field by the time of appointment and possess broad competence in teaching Korean language courses. The successful candidate will teach six courses per year. The candidate must be a native or near-native user of Korean and English and should have at least two years’ experience teaching Korean language courses at a North American institution, preferably in person. Other duties may include mentoring students, holding office hours, developing teaching materials as needed, normal service duties in the Department, and working with other Asia specialists in the Department and on campus.

The Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures offers Bachelor of Arts degrees in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean, as well as an Interdisciplinary Master of Arts degree in East Asian Studies. We provide quality Korean language instruction to our students through a high number of contact hours (5 hours per week at the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-year levels) and low maximum enrollments for our courses (maximum 12 students in recitation classes). Our programs are also supported by the University of Pittsburgh’s National East Asian Resource Center and Asian Studies Center.

If interested, please send your CV, a cover letter explaining your interest in the position, and contact information for two professional references by July 15, 2024. Candidates with desirable qualifications will be contacted for interviews. If you have any questions, please contact Mi-Hyun Kim at kimmh@pitt.edu.

2023 documentary Kim's Video in Pittsburgh, July 19 - 23.

The 2023 documentary Kim's Video will play in Pittsburgh from July 19 through 23.

An elegiac tribute to a vanished New York and endangered video store culture, part-documentary and part-heist drama, Redmon and Sabin’s film tells the story of the rise and fall of Korean immigrant Youngman Kim’s fabled video store empire—and that’s just the beginning. An investigation into the fate of the massive Kim’s collection, shipped to a village in Sicily following the last rental store’s closure and a deal with a shady politician, inspires a plot by the filmmakers to bring thousands of discs and VHS tapes back home, pulled off in a manner that must be seen to be believed.

It plays at the Harris Theater in downtown's Cultural District (map), and tickets are available online.

Comedian Ronny Chieng comes to Pittsburgh as part of The Love To Hate It Tour, November 30.

Comedian Ronny Chieng will perform in Pittsburgh on November 30.

Ronny Chieng is a stand up comedian, actor and Correspondent on "The Daily Show". In addition to two Netflix stand-up comedy specials, Ronny has starred in "Crazy Rich Asians", Marvel's "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings", "M3GAN", "American Born Chinese", "Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.", "Vacation Friends 2", "Joy Ride" and will star in the upcoming Hulu series "Interior Chinatown".

Tickets go on sale 10:00 am EST today, June 28. The show will be held at the Byham Theater in downtown's Cultural District (map) at 7:00 pm.

Japanese rock band Boris (ボリス) returns to Pittsburgh, October 18, performing entirety of Amplifier Worship.

The Japanese rock band Boris (ボリス) will return to Pittsburgh on October 18 to perform "Amplifier Worship" in its entirety.

In 2024, Boris will undergo a tour performing all the songs off their first album. We have already reached a quarter-century since the release of that 1st album, “Amplifier Worship”. Boris has been in constant pursuit of their own ideal “heavy” since their formation in 1992. From the outset they became like a chimera, evolving at a rapid pace, establishing a unique style with extreme downtuning and megavolume. Their broad sense of “Heavy Rock” swelled grotesquely, as it engulfed powerviolence, ambient and drone, with a trance component of krautrock and so on.

Japanese rock band BURNOUT SYNDROMES in Pittsburgh, August 24.

The Japanese rock band BURNOUT SYNDROMES will play in Pittsburgh on August 24. Tickets for the show at Mr. Smalls Theater in Millvale will go on sale tomorrow, June 28.

Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan performing in Pittsburgh, November 16.

The Cloud Gate Dance Theater of Taiwan will perform in Pittsburgh on November 16.

Claimed as “Asia’s leading contemporary dance theater” (The Times), Cloud Gate has set out to engage with local history, culture, and subject matter through classical, folk, and modern dance for over 50 years. Cloud Gate combines their practices in Qi Gong, martial artist, modern dance, street dance, and ballet—transforming ancient aesthetics into a thrilling celebration of motion.

Cloud Gate shares 13 Tongues by artistic director CHENG Tsung-lung, a work based on Bangka/Wanhua, the oldest district of Taipei, and legendary 1960s street artist “Thirteen Tongues”. Through imagination and storytelling recalling childhood memories and visual art, 13 Tongues evokes centuries of human endeavor, behavior, and belief.

The performance will be held at the Byham Theater in downtown's Cultural District (map). Group tickets are available for purchase now, but individual tickets will go on sale August 16.

Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka in Pittsburgh, November 2.

Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka will perform in Pittsburgh on November 2.

Atsuko is growner than ever, having figured everything out from doing laundry to charcuterie platters to her relationship with her father. No notes or tweaks needed, she's a perfect human!!

ATSUKO OKATSUKA is a stand-up comedian, actor, and writer based in LA. Atsuko was born in Taiwan and spent her childhood in Japan. Her debut standup special, THE INTRUDER – directed by Tig Notaro premiered on HBO, December 2022 and was named the "Best Debut Special of 2022" by the New York Times and one of the "Best Specials of 2022" by Vulture and Variety. She won the 2023 Gracie Award for "Best Special" and Atsuko was nominated for "Best Comedian" by the Wowie Awards. She was named one of Variety’s 10 Comics to Watch for 2022, and when she made her late-night stand-up debut on THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH JAMES CORDEN, Vulture proclaimed she “won late-night.” She has performed to sold-out crowds all over North America on her 2023 theater tour, FULL GROWN, which she will be taking to Europe, Asia and Australia/NZ in 2024.

Atsuko is currently developing a half hour comedy series based on her life with FX. Her on-screen credits include HISTORY OF THE WORLD PT. II (Hulu), ROOM 104 (HBO), and THE SHOW NEXT DOOR WITH RANDALL PARK (ROKU+). Atsuko was recently featured on THIS AMERICAN LIFE with Ira Glass and told the story of how she got to the USA. She was raised by her grandmother, and they created the #DropChallenge together which has amassed more than 10 million views. Her unique upbringing brings an artfully-offbeat resilient persona which is perfectly embodied in her blunt bangs and bowl cut.

The performance is at the Byham Theater in downtown's Cultural District (map) and tickets for the 7:00 pm show are available online.

Sushi Atarashi, Wushiland Boba to open in East End's Meridian development next spring.

Sushi Atarashi, a small chain of sushi restaurants in Pittsburgh, and national bubble tea chain Wushiland Boba are confirmed as tenants for the East End Meridian development in Shadyside set to open next spring, according to restaurant ownership and a June 25 Pittsburgh Business Times article.

Sushi Atarashi is the rebranded outcome of Sushi Fuku, as the two split back in 2015 with the S. Craig St. location in Oakland retaining the original name. Sushi Atarashi---atarashi means "new" in Japanese---has several locations around the Pittsburgh area in addition to the original Oakland Avenue location, and is aiming to open a revolving sushi restaurant in Robinson later this summer. Restaurant ownership confirms revolving sushi will be part of this new Meridian location as well. Wushiland Boba is a growing chain that opened its first Pittsburgh location in January. Sushi Atarashi and Wushiland Boba will join Market District, Shake Shack, and Barnes & Noble at The Meridian, which is replacing a small strip mall in Shadyside.

Spice Island Tea House holding its final take-out offer through 3 pm today, June 25.

Spice Island Tea House, the longtime Oakland restaurant that closed its doors on September 30, will hold its final take-out event through 3:00 pm today, June 25. The restaurant has been holding occasional pop-up events since the fall. Supplies and quantities are limited, but orders may be placed via their Squarespace site.

2024 Japanese animated film Blue Lock: Episode Nagi (劇場版ブルーロック -EPISODE 凪) in Pittsburgh, from June 27.

The 2024 Japanese animated film Blue Lock: Episode Nagi (劇場版ブルーロック -EPISODE 凪) will play in Pittsburgh from June 27.

"That's a hassle." That was second-year high schooler Nagi Seishiro's favorite phrase as he lived his dull life. Until Mikage Reo, a classmate who dreamed of winning the World Cup, discovered Nagi's hidden skill, inspiring him to play soccer and share his outstanding talent. One day, he receives an invitation to the mysterious BLUE LOCK Project. What awaits him there is an encounter with the finest strikers assembled from across the country. Nagi's dream of becoming the best, alongside Reo, will take this prodigy to a world he's never known. A prodigy can only be shaped when someone discovers him... now, striker Nagi Seishiro's incredible talent and persona will set the soccer world ablaze.

The movie is the 13th-highest grossing film this year in Japan, where it was released in April. It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark in Robinson, and tickets are available online.