The Japanese American Cultural & Community Center and Shotokio Crew announce the inaugural “Little Tokyo Book Festival” for Saturday, September 24, from 10 am to 7 pm, in the Aratani Theatre and prepare to welcome over 30 authors.
The Little Tokyo Book Festival is the collaboration of JACCC and the Shotokio Crew, which is comprised of local, prominent community leaders who have a strong desire to bring Asian American writers and all people who love books to Little Tokyo.
The Little Tokyo Book Festival will feature three dynamic panels and two “round robin” style reading on the Aratani Theatre stage.
The Little Tokyo Book Festival will introduce new books written within the past 24 months as well as old favorites.
The program will feature panel sessions with:
Lily Havey (Gasa Gasa Girl Goes to Camp),
Todd Shimoda (Why Ghosts Appear),
Nick Nagatani (Buddhahead Triology),
Karen Ishizuka (Serve the People: Making Asian America in the Long Sixties),
Sonoko Sakai (Rice Craft),
Sesshu Foster (World Ball Notebook),
Nina Revoyr (Lost Canyon),
Sarah Kuhn (Heroine Complex) and
Cynthia Kadohata (The Thing about Luck).
The schedule of the day is as follows:
10 - 10:10am - Opening Remarks
Nick Nagatani
10:10 - 11:20am - “Past” Panel with Lily Havey, Nick Nagatani, Todd Shimoda and Naomi Hirahara as the moderator
11:30 - 12:30pm - “Little Tokyo”; Round Robin with Amy Uyematsu, Mia Nakaji Monnier, traci katokiriyama, Sunny Seki, Serena Kuhn, Mari Naomi
12:30 - 1:45pm Lunch Break / Book Signings on JACCC Plaza
Karen Ishizuka
1:50 - 2:55pm - “Community” Panel with Karen Ishizuka, Sonoko Sakai, Sesshu Foster and Oliver Wang as the moderator
Cynthia Kadohata
3 - 4:10pm - “Identity / Self” Panel with Nina Revoyr, Cynthia Kadohata, Sarah Kuhn and Traise Yamamoto as the moderator
4:20 - 5:35pm – LA Asian American Pacific Islander Authors Round Robin with Angela Penaredondo, Kenji Liu, Yumi Sakugawa, Taz Ahmed, Chiwan Choi, and Neelanjana Banerjee
5:40pm - Closing Remarks
5:45 - 7pm - Book Signings on JACCC Plaza
7pm - Open Reception on JACCC Plaza
Currently sponsors include Friends of Little Tokyo Library and Aihara & Associates Insurance Services. For questions regarding sponsorship opportunities, please contact Helen H. Ota at hota@jaccc.org
