Writers in Kyoto, Words & Music Bōnenkai, Dec. 10thReport by Mark Willis Pulling open the door to Irish Pub Gnome at six o’clock on December 10th, I found the basement pub already filled with writers, readers, singers, and listeners gathered for the Writers in Kyoto Words & Music bōnenkai. I left my daypack on an …Read More
Category: Events (Page 2 of 9)
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
Malcolm Ledger lives in a remarkable house, a restored ryokan situated by a wooded mountain stream in Kyoto’s north-west. So special is the setting that the prestigious Aman franchise chose it for the location of their Kyoto hotel. Though billed as a maple-viewing party, the event was more of a socialising and networking occasion. The …Read More
Robert Weis has a passion for Japan, and for Kyoto in particular. ‘It’s my spiritual home,’ he says. He draws inspiration from its famous and not so famous spots, and for WiK’s fifth anthology he wrote of the significance of mountains around Kyoto. His appreciation of trees, especially maples, is evident in his writing. ‘When …Read More
On Sunday, October 29, Writers in Kyoto had the honour and pleasure of a lunchtime talk by Japanese garden expert, Marc Keane. After some twenty years in Japan, when he not only studied about Japanese gardens but designed them, he returned to America where he taught at Cornell University before relocating recently back to Kyoto. …Read More
by Kirsty Kawano The Japan Writers Conference 2023 This year’s Japan Writers Conference was held at Sugiyama Jogakuen University in Nagoya on October 14-15. Presentation topics ranged from English-teaching textbooks to budging writer’s block, using technology, and building fantasy worlds. The conference covered a lot of genres and offered a lot of inspiration and motivation …Read More
Report by Lisa Twaronite Sone of a workshop given by Felicity Tillack, Sept. 23, 2023 at Ryukoku University Omiya Campus Writers in Kyoto member Felicity Tillack, a writer, director and cinematographer, held a screenwriting workshop for WiK members late last month, in which she offered far more than writing tips. Tillack candidly shared insight based …Read More
Zoom talk, August 20, 2023, reported by Kirsty Kawano Writers in Kyoto member and AI professional Mike Freiling shared his knowledge of ChatGPT in a Zoom presentation on August 20, 2023. The sheer speed at which ChatGPT’s capabilities are evolving is a concern for writers, and even people involved in the development of AI are …Read More
Writers in Kyoto held its Words & Music open-mic style event on July 16, 2023, in a return to an in-person format. The date was, of course, yoi-yama, the eve of the Gion Festival’s first procession, and we enjoyed that atmosphere at the event venue, the Gnome Irish pub. A number of participants came dressed …Read More
Jann WilliamsMay 14, 2023 A yellow caterpillar inspires poetry, a heart is opened, elusive scents are pursued, the sense of touch is playfully explored, a TikTok video is born, lives are changed. These instinctive and creative responses were evoked by an invitation to discover the beauty and wonder of nature, amidst the verdant forest foliage …Read More
WiK Writing Competition
Ninth Annual Writing Competition Winners (2024) (Coming in Mid-May)
Previous years:
Eighth Annual Writing Competition Winners (2023)
Seventh Annual Writing Competition Winners (2022)
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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