Cinnamon Beach book review
Category: Book Reviews (Page 1 of 4)
by Allen S. Weiss. Stone Bridge Press, p179Reviewed by Stephen Mansfield Early in ‘Illusory Dwellings,’ Allen S. Weiss, writing of the journey and the environs it takes us to in the quest for identity, states, “We map a city according to our fantasies and desires, and in turn the city frames our lives and inflects …Read More
Each of Us a Petal (Victorina Press, 2024) by Amanda HugginsReview by Rebecca Otowa A member of Writers in Kyoto, the author has won prizes and honorable mentions in the WiK Writing Competition, and her work has been included in WiK anthologies. (A short bio follows the review.) The present book is a collection of …Read More
A Tiny Nature: Recollections of Poems and TreesBy Robert Weis (self-published, September 2023) Review by Rebecca Otowa ********************From the WiK Website:“In this ‘recollections of poems and trees’, Robert Weis unites two seemingly distant worlds: that of short poems inspired by haiku and that of bonsai trees. Flora and poetry blend naturally on these pages through …Read More
The Gion Festival: Exploring its Mysteries by Catherine Pawasarat (2022) Reviewed by Paul Carty The Gion Festival, an integral part of Kyoto’s cultural heritage, spans the month of July, culminating in vibrant processions on July 17th and 24th. Catherine Pawasarat’s book, The Gion Festival: Exploring its Mysteries, provides a comprehensive guide to this historic event, …Read More
Report by Felicity Greenland (all photos by her unless otherwise stated) John Dougill’s latest book, Off the Beaten Tracks in Japan: A Journey by Train from Hokkaido to Kyushu, was launched in Kyoto on Sunday November 19. The event was held at Irish Pub Gnome, with music by Quin Arbeitman on piano, and 35 guests …Read More
Recently I reviewed a travel book by Alex Kerr, Hidden Japan (Tuttle, 2023), and in that review I extolled the virtues of “armchair travel” (traveling in one’s imagination instead of physically). At the same time as I was writing that review, I was also reading John Dougill’s Off the Beaten Tracks in Japan (Stonebridge Press, …Read More
A Flash of LightningOn Reading David Joiner’s The Heron CatchersReview by Rebecca Copeland Herons are lithe, elegant birds. Gliding over water, nesting in fields, or soaring through the air, the heron’s perceived ability to transcend the elements has led to fabulous fairytales, stately dances, and sublime paintings. Haiku poet Matsuo Bashō wrote verses about the …Read More
What an honor to hold the newest book by author Rebecca Otowa in my hands. Inspired at Miidera Temple by a picture showing “100 Views of Miidera” in the style of small cards, 100 Objects in My Japanese House contains intricate, colorful images drawn by the author and divided into three broad categories: Exterior, Deities, …Read More
Book Review by Rebecca OtowaHidden Japan by Alex Kerr (Tuttle, 2023) The original Hidden Japan was in Japanese, titled Nippon Junrei, and this translation gives us another example of Alex Kerr’s stupendous literary, cultural and linguistic gifts. It comprises a description of journeys in 2017-2019 and is in a way an extension, or re-visitation, of …Read More
Kyoto Writing Competition
WiK Anthologies
The Nature of Kyoto (2023)
Eds. Lisa Twaronite Sone & Robert Weis
Foreword by Pico Iyer
Structures of Kyoto (2021)
Eds: Rebecca Otowa & Karen Lee Tawarayama
Foreword by Judith Clancy
Encounters with Kyoto (2019)
Eds: Jann Williams & Ian Josh Yates
Foreword by Juliet Winters Carpenter
Echoes (2017)
Eds: John Dougill, Amy Chavez, & Mark Richardson
Preface by Alex Kerr
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