With the generous support of the Japan Foundation Institutional Support Grant to the University of Iowa, and with additional support from International Programs, I was able to accompany a small group of my faculty colleagues on my first trip to Japan in late July and early August of 2017.

Two of my areas of specialization are World War II in Europe and post-war memory - so a trip to Japan was a natural for me. One of my ambitions is to develop a course on World War II as a global event, which is a deviation from the more typical courses which focus on either Asia or Europe, and append the other theater as a footnote (while neglecting North Africa and Europe's overseas colonies entirely). I have also spoken to an academic press about writing a global history of sexuality in World War II; this trip provided fodder for thought for that project.

The Japan Foundation, International Programs, the Center for Asian and Pacific Studies, and the Division of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures are pleased to invite master woodcarver Kitazawa Hideta and noh performer and playwright David Crandall to the University of Iowa campus for a three-day event of workshops, and performances (November 12-14). ​​​​​​

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.

Dr. Hyaeweol Choi describes her academic journey as “rather peculiar and unconventional.”While pursuing her undergraduate degree in Korea in the 1980s, Hyaeweol was deeply engaged in intellectual political movements that advocated Korean scholars developing indigenous ways of knowing and creating a deeper understanding of their own history, society, and culture instead of constantly relying on Euro-American theories and methods. With that background, she was resistant to the idea of going to the U.S. for her advanced studies. However, after being accepted to and receiving a scholarship to SUNY-Buffalo, she decided to take a chance and move to the U.S. When she told her colleagues of her decision, many of them were shocked, some even actively opposed the idea. Still, she decided to take the plunge and now looks back fondly at that decision.

Join the UI Japanese Program for two evenings (October 15 & 16) of bilingual readings with author Takiguchi Yūshō.  Takiguchi Yūshō, winner of the Akutagawa Prize and 2018 International Writing Program participant, will read selections from two of his works in the original Japanese, and members of the Workshop in Japanese Literary Translation will read their English translations. Both events are free and open to the public. 

Please join the UI Japanese Program for two evenings of bilingual readings with author Fujino Kaori!  Fujino Kaori, winner of the Akutagawa Prize and 2017 International Writing Program participant, will read from two of her short stories in the original Japanese, and members of the Workshop in Japanese Literary Translation will read from their English translations. Both events are free and open to the public. 

A Half-Century of Japanese Writers in Iowa: Writing and Translating at the International Writing Program, 1967-2017

For Dr. Kendra Strand, one of the best things about living in Iowa City is being able to walk to and from her classes on a nice day, taking in the scenery. But it’s not just the daily strolls she loves the most—rather, it’s being able to take a different street each day and discover new places, views, and perspectives wherever she goes.

Want to learn more about traditional Japanese culture? Join the UI Center for Asian and Pacific Studies Program and the Japanese Program as they host their first Japanese culture festival (文化祭 bunkasai) on Thursday, November 10, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in 1117 University Capitol Centre. 

The Center for Asian Pacific Studies will host two evenings of bilingual readings next week with International Writing Program writer-in-residence Shibasaki Tomoka.

The Japan Foundation Institutional Project Support (IPS) Grant is funding graduate students to conduct research in Japan, with additional support from the Center for Asian and Pacific Studies (CAPS). Laurel Taylor is a second-year student in the UI's MFA in Translation program who conducted research on the culture of translation in Tokyo in the summer of 2016. At Iowa, she is translating short stories and a novel by the contemporary Japanese novelist Shibasaki Tomoka, a participant in the International Writing Program for 2016.