The Japan Foundation New York together with International Programs, the Center for Asian and Pacific Studies, the Obermann Center, and the Division of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures present a workshop and bilingual reading with Murata Sayaka and Ginny Tapley Takemori on Tuesday, October 30, 2018.

Murata Sayaka is one of Japan’s most prominent writers, known for her frank explorations of the role of sex and gender in contemporary society. She received the prestigious Akutagawa Prize in 2016 for her novella Convenience Store Woman. Her work has appeared in Granta and elsewhere.

Ginny Tapley Takemori has translated works by more than a dozen Japanese writers, including Murakami Ryu and Nosaka Akiyuki. She lives at the foot of a mountain in Eastern Japan.

Workshop: From コンビニ人間 to Convenience Store Woman

2-3:15 pm | 318 Phillips Hall

Ginny Tapley Takemori will discuss the process of translating Murata Sayaka’s award-winning, best-selling novel into English, and Murata Sayaka will share her thoughts on being translated from the writer’s perspective.

Reading: Convenience Store Woman

7-8 pm | 106 Gilmore Hall 

Join us for a bilingual reading of the novel inspired by Murata Sayaka’s many years of work in that most ubiquitous of Japanese places, the convenience store. Prairie Lights bookstore will be on hand to sell copies of the book, with a signing to follow.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Dongwang Liu at dongwang-liu@uiowa.edu, (319) 335-1305.