Halloween event!
Our next cafe will take place on Thursday, October 26th, 2023 (19:30 - 21:15) at Ryozan Park Lounge, near Sugamo Station on the JR Yamanote line.
Our next cafe will take place on Thursday, October 26th, 2023 (19:30 - 21:15) at Ryozan Park Lounge, near Sugamo Station on the JR Yamanote line.
Bringing arts and humanities research to a broader audience.
Artists, authors, activists and academics giving free, lively, and accessible talks in English.
Artists, authors, activists and academics giving free, lively, and accessible talks in English.
What is a "humanities cafe"?
Each presenter gives a 10-15 minute talk in English about any aspect of their work. For example, they might explain an ongoing research project, talk about a book of poetry or a translation they're working on, or discuss their photography career...
The talks are all pitched (TED-style) at a general audience - so no specialist knowledge is required. There'll also be plenty of time to relax with a drink and exchange ideas with other attendees.
Events are organized by the Tokyo Humanities team (Alex Watson, Laurence Williams, Samantha Landau, and Koji Yamamoto). The evening is compèred by Alex Watson (Meiji University).
Events are organized by the Tokyo Humanities team (Alex Watson, Laurence Williams, Samantha Landau, and Koji Yamamoto). The evening is compèred by Alex Watson (Meiji University).
Speakers at THC 14
(Thursday, October 26th, 2023)
Jenevieve Van-Veda
(Aberystwyth University)
"Visualizing the Night Parade of 100 Demons"
about JENEVIEVE
Jenevieve Van-Veda is a PhD candidate at Aberystwyth University (Wales, UK), where she researches the Gothic idiom in a global context. Research interests include Japanese and Welsh folklore, myth, and ghosts.
Waiyee Loh
(Kanagawa University)
"Singapore & Japan in Comics:
Charlie Chan and Rurouni Kenshin"
Charlie Chan and Rurouni Kenshin"
about WAIYEE
Waiyee Loh is Assistant Professor of World Literature at Kanagawa University in Yokohama, Japan. Her research interests centre on the history of British and Japanese imperialism and their legacies today, as seen through the eyes of contemporary fiction and pop culture. In this talk, she will explore how two works of historical fiction from Japan and Singapore – Rurouni Kenshin and The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye – draw on the creative possibilities that the comics medium offers to interrogate the familiar stories we tell about the past, stories which often seem closed or even inevitable.
Philip Pholeros Porter
(University of Technology, Sydney)
"Cafe Poetry Project - Australia"
about Philip
Philip Pholeros Porter (formerly Philip Porter) is an Australian poet of Greek and Australian heritage. He is published in magazines, journals and anthologies in Australia, England, Ireland, New Zealand, Greece and the USA. For ten years (2012-2022) he convened the North Shore Poetry Project (NSPP), facilitating workshops, readings and Poetry Dinners. He has co-edited collected works of the NSPP; “A Patch of Sun” and “The Intimacy of Strangers.” Philip is currently a Fellow of the University of Technology, Sydney and Special Advisor to the President of Meiji University, Tokyo.
Erica Ward & Perfumer Kō
"Collaborating to Interpret Tokyo into Art and Fragrance"
about Erica
Erica Ward is a California-born, Tokyo-based watercolor artist. She takes inspiration from Japanese design and often uses Japanese motifs in her work. By arranging everyday sights and objects in surreal ways within her artworks, Ward asks the viewer to consider the mundane daily objects in their surroundings as things of beauty and symbols of culture.
After gaining sixteen years of experience working with both Japanese and overseas fragrance companies, Perfumer Kō became independent to search for space to work creatively with fragrance.
At the Tokyo Humanities Cafe, Erica Ward and Perfumer Kō will present on their process and experience in creating a collaborative zine that interprets areas of Tokyo into both illustrations and fragrances.
After gaining sixteen years of experience working with both Japanese and overseas fragrance companies, Perfumer Kō became independent to search for space to work creatively with fragrance.
At the Tokyo Humanities Cafe, Erica Ward and Perfumer Kō will present on their process and experience in creating a collaborative zine that interprets areas of Tokyo into both illustrations and fragrances.
Location
RYOZAN PARK LOUNGE
〒170-0002 東京都豊島区巣鴨1-6-6 東邦ホワイトテラス1F
2 minutes' walk from JR Sugamo Station (Yamanote line)
5 minutes' walk from Komagome Metro (Namboku line)
〒170-0002 東京都豊島区巣鴨1-6-6 東邦ホワイトテラス1F
2 minutes' walk from JR Sugamo Station (Yamanote line)
5 minutes' walk from Komagome Metro (Namboku line)
Admission is free!
(However, the bar asks that you buy at least one drink, so please make sure to do that - and maybe more - to thank them for supporting our event)
Admission is free!
(However, the bar asks that you buy at least one drink, so please make sure to do that - and maybe more - to thank them for supporting our event)
Photos (on Facebook) from our last events in June and August
Photos from previous events (at our old venue in Shimokitazawa)
Photos from previous events (at our old venue in Shimokitazawa)
Any other questions?
Contact the event host, Alex Watson
(Associate Professor, Department of Arts and Letters, Meiji University)
(Associate Professor, Department of Arts and Letters, Meiji University)
Leave your email address and first name (or alias) below and we'll add you to the THC mailing list. We send out reminders a few times a year to let people know about upcoming cafés.
Needless to say, we won't sell, divulge, or mishandle info in any way.
Needless to say, we won't sell, divulge, or mishandle info in any way.
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