Concert film TAEYONG: TY TRACK IN CINEMAS in Pittsburgh, October 16 and 19.

The upcoming concert film TAEYONG: TY TRACK IN CINEMAS, with Taeyong from the Korean group NCT, will play in Pittsburgh on October 16 and 19.

Experience the unparalleled talent of NCT’s TAEYONG in his first solo concert 'TY TRACK' on the big screen! Dive into the mesmerizing world of TAEYONG, experiencing his diverse music and captivating performances. 'TY TRACK' presents a stunning array of music and vibrant stages that showcase TAEYONG's unique artistic vision, all presented on a cinematic scale. Witness the journey behind the scenes as TAEYONG prepares for his groundbreaking concert. Step onto the stage with him, and hear the heartfelt stories he has longed to share. 'TAEYONG: TY TRACK IN CINEMAS' is a deep dive into the music, the artist, and the incredible journey that has shaped his path.

It is scheduled to play locally, so far, at the AMC Loews Waterfront, though additional theaters are likely to be announced later. Tickets are available online.

Upcoming film Jung Kook: I Am Still in Pittsburgh, from September 18.

The upcoming film Jung Kook: I Am Still will play in Pittsburgh from September 18.

Jung Kook of BTS, the '21st Century Pop Artist,' ascended to global stardom with his debut solo single 'Seven (feat. Latto)' in July 2023. Achieving unprecedented success, Jung Kook became the first Asian solo artist to top the Billboard HOT 100, Global 200, and Global 200 Excl. US charts. His singles 'Seven,' '3D (feat. Jack Harlow),' and 'Standing Next to You' all reached the top 10 of the Billboard HOT 100, making him the only K-pop solo artist to achieve this feat. His album ‘GOLDEN’ also made history by staying on the Billboard 200 for 24 consecutive weeks. Through exclusive, unseen interviews and behind-the-scenes footage, alongside electrifying concert performances, this brand new film showcases Jung Kook’s eight-month journey, capturing his unwavering dedication and growth. Join Jung Kook as he shares his remarkable rise to fame and heartfelt moments with ARMY around the world in 'JUNG KOOK: I AM STILL'.

It runs select dates through September 29. Jung Kook: I Am Still is scheduled to play locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark theaters in McCandless, Monroeville, and Robinson, and tickets are available online.

US Steel hiring Executive Assistant, remote based in Pittsburgh; "Japanese language skills a huge plus."

US Steel is hiring an Executive Assistant for a position remote but based in Pittsburgh. The ad identifies that "Japanese language skills are a huge plus."

U. S. Steel is committed to fostering an inclusive workplace culture and celebrate the diversity of our employees.

We are seeking a highly organized and proactive Executive Assistant to provide comprehensive support to the VP of Finance and Strategy, the Chief Labor Relations Officer, and the VP of Government Affairs. The ideal candidate will excel in managing complex calendars, coordinating travel arrangements, organizing events, and handling expense reports. This role requires exceptional attention to detail, excellent communication skills, and the ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment.

University of Pittsburgh hiring Instructor of Korean.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures is hiring an Instructor of Korean.

The Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures at the University of Pittsburgh invites applications for the position of full-time instructor for its Korean language program, pending budgetary approval. The appointment will begin in the fall of 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 new hire will be expected to teach six Korean courses at all levels, including both lectures and recitations, per year. The successful candidate must possess native or near-native competence in all skill areas of Korean and English and should have at least two years of experience teaching Korean language courses at a North American institution of higher education, preferably in person. Other duties may include mentoring students, holding office hours, developing teaching materials as needed, performing 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.

Applicants should submit a letter of application, CV, teaching demonstration video of a Korean language class, evidence of teaching ability (e.g., student teaching evaluations), sample syllabus for one course, statements of teaching philosophy, and diversity and inclusion, and the names and contact information for three persons able to provide confidential professional letters of recommendation (we do not need the letters themselves at this time, but we do need the names of the recommenders). Questions may be directed to Kelly Britcher, Faculty Actions and Recruitment Coordinator (ksb85@pitt.edu). Deadline for the receipt of applications: November 8, 2024. 

More information is available on the full job ad.

I Bowl (一碗面) now open in Squirrel Hill.

A little while ago paper went up on the windows at 2209 Murray Ave. in Squirrel Hill, the home shared by Mr. Egg's Kitchen and Teppan BBQ (and, from 2006 to 2020, the home of Ka Mei). Signage recently went up for I Bowl (一碗面), a noodle restaurant currently open for take-out only. A look at their menu, via Fantuan delivery service; ordering in-store is done via a kiosk near the door.

Running Dish, an all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ and revolving sushi place, coming soon to Pittsburgh / Homestead.

Local news has reported that Running Dish, an all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ and revolving sushi place, is one of two new restaurants slated to come soon to the Waterfront, located in Homestead just across a bridge from Pittsburgh. WPXI says it "has signed a lease and is in the permitting phase" while Patch says it will be located across from Starbucks. Running Dish will be one of six all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ places that either opened in 2024 or are set to open in the near future, and will be one of three revolving sushi places in the area, besides Kura Sushi and the soon-to-open Atarashi in Robinson.

“Except for the Oriental slant to his eyes, he was American”: Asian American Adoptees and the Myths of Postracialism," September 13 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of Communication will Carnegie Mellon University's Sarah Hae-In Idzik and her talk “Except for the Oriental slant to his eyes, he was American”: Asian American Adoptees and the Myths of Postracialism" on September 13.

The transnational adoptee, Eleana Kim (2010) has written, is often considered the figure of “postnational cosmopolitanism” (267) par excellence. Products of transnational movement and visible elements of “blended international families,” and yet almost invisibly absorbed into white US life, foreign adoptees have for decades been figures around which the hopes of postracial progressivism have coalesced. Yet just as scholars have critiqued attitudes of postracialism as continuing to perpetuate inequality through the liberal disavowal of racism as a structuring element of US life (see Watts 2021, Squires 2014, Bonilla-Silva 2018[2003], Omi and Winant 2015[1986], Halualani 2011, Eng 2010), so, too, have critical adoption scholars noted the limitations on these optimistic treatments of adoptees and their experiences of race in the US. This paper examines the contradictions of postracial discourse in the case of Asian American adoptees, asking what work the insistence in minimizing adoptees’ racial difference has done since the 1950s, when transnational adoption was institutionalized. Following Pate (2014) and Woo (2019), who note that the political project of racial tolerance in the form of Asian adoption, necessary for the US’ expansionist aims in Asia during the Cold War, was predicated on the absorption and assimilation of Asian adoptees into white families, I explore postracial and assimilationist ideology around adoption as a form of intimization of power, and further, as one significant way in which Asian Americans are racialized through discourse. This talk thus explores interdisciplinary connections between scholarship on postracialism, critical adoption studies, Asian American studies, and critical rhetorics of race.

The talk runs from 3:00 to 4:45 pm in 602 Cathedral of Learning.

James Welker talks "Feminists, Lesbians and Queer Girls’ Manga" September 12 at Carnegie Mellon.

James Welker will give a talk on "Feminists, Lesbians and Queer Girls’ Manga/a>" at Carnegie Mellon University on September 12.

Join us for an enlightening guest lecture by James Welker, the author of Transfiguring Women in Late Twentieth-Century Japan: Feminists, Lesbians, and Girls’ Comics Artists and Fans (University of Hawaii Press, 2024). This groundbreaking book delves into the dynamic and overlapping communities of women and adolescent girls in 1970s and 1980s Japan who challenged traditional gender and sexual norms. The lecture will explore the ūman ribu (women’s liberation) movement, the rezubian (lesbian) community, and the world of queer shōjo manga (girls’ comics), highlighting how these groups redefined the concept of “women” by selectively appropriating Western ideas while remaining deeply rooted in Japanese culture.

Welker will provide a broad historical overview of these movements and offer insights into how acts of transfiguration reshaped what it meant to be a woman in Japan. Drawing from a vast archive of dictionaries, sexology texts, literature, magazines, comics and interviews, his book talk promises to be a rich exploration of how these communities forged new understandings of gender and sexual expression.

James Welker is a professor in the Department of Cross-Cultural Studies, Kanagawa University, Yokohama, Japan. His research focuses primarily on gender and sexuality in postwar and contemporary Japan, especially fan cultures, feminisms, and the LGBT(Q) community. He is the author of Transfigurations: Redefining Women in Late Twentieth-Century Japan (forthcoming).

The talk starts at 5:00 pm in Carnegie Mellon University, Posner Hall 343 (map).

Korea-United States Journalists Exchange, September 20 at Pitt.

The Asian Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh will host a Korea-United States Journalists Exchange on Friday, September 20.

The Korea-United States Journalists Exchange, launched by the East-West Center in 2005, is co-sponsored by the East-West Center, Korea Press Foundation, and Pacific Century Institute to increase public understanding of the two countries and their relationship.

The bilingual program offers opportunities for six to eight Korean journalists to visit the United States and for six to eight United States journalists to visit Korea. Following these study tours, all Korean and American participants meet at the East-West Center in Honolulu to share their experiences and new perspectives and to exchange opinions on how media coverage of each country can be improved.

A total of 209 journalists, including North Korean defector media, have participated in this program, and Americans have traveled inside North Korea on two different programs.

It runs from 2:15 to 3:30 pm in 4217 Posvar Hall (map) and registration is required.

Opening reception for 芸［Gei] : The Beauty of Ephemeral and Eternal at Contemporary Craft, September 13.

Contemporary Craft will host the exhibition 芸［Gei] : The Beauty of Ephemeral and Eternal from September 13, 2024 through January 18, 2025, featuring a host of Japanese and Japanese-American artists and performers. It begins with an Opening Reception on the 13th from 5:30 to 8:00 pm, free and open to the public.

芸［Gei]: The Beauty of Ephemeral and Eternal invites viewers to explore the captivating duality of Japanese Sogetsu Ikebana and craft, highlighting the profound cultural connections woven through these art forms. Ikebana (生け花, living flowers), the traditional Japanese art of flower arrangement, captures the fleeting beauty of nature. Conversely, we celebrate the eternal through masterful craft objects. These objects embody enduring skill and meticulous attention to detail. From exquisite ceramics to intricate metal and wood sculptures, these crafts echo with the wisdom and patience of their makers, preserving techniques practiced over generations while celebrating individuality and collaboration.

 

Featured artists Tadao Arimoto, Yoko Sekino-Bové, Carol Kumata, and Miwa Neishi engage in dialogue with Sogetsu Pittsburgh, led by Reiko Nakajima and Atsumi Sewell. Embracing the notion of living sculpture in Sogetsu Ikebana, this juxtaposition prompts contemplation of time, materiality, processes, culture, and heritage. Ikebana celebrates simplicity and imperfection, while traditional crafts speak of a lineage committed to perfection and continuity, enriching our understanding of tradition and innovation.

 

芸［Gei] uncovers connective networks bridging natural forces with disciplined artistry. Through a community of hands and dedicated practice, these mycelial connections energize a diverse spectrum of artistic spirits. Join us in contemplating the harmony between impermanence and eternity, where fleeting blossoms and timeless crafts weave a narrative of Japan’s rich cultural tapestry—connecting past, present, and future.

Special events include:

• Opening Reception - Friday, September 13, 5:30 - 8:00 pm. Free and open to the public.
• Artist-Led Guided Tour - Saturday, September 14, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm. Free, though registration is required.
• Sogetsu Ikebana: Fundamentals & Techniques with Sogetsu Pittsburgh - Saturday, October 5, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm.
• 茶道 [Japanese Tea Ceremony] – A Talk and Demonstration by Yoko Motoyama - Saturday, October 19, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm. Free, though registration is required.
• Sogetsu Ikebana: Freestyle & Form with Sogetsu Pittsburgh - Saturday, November 9, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm.
• Guided Tour – 芸 [Gei]: The Beauty of Ephemeral and Eternal - Saturday, January 18, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm. Free, though registration is required.

Contemporary Craft is a gallery and creative space that broadly states its mission as "To engage the public in creative experiences through contemporary craft.." It is located at 5645 Butler St. in Lawrenceville (map).