Japan is facing many of the same existential crises as America. So why hasn’t Japan voted in someone like the American president in? blog.pureinventionbook.com/p/america-is...

米軍F-4ファントム機墜落事件（1968年6月2日）の57周年集会に参加する。6月15日（日）13:30-16:30に早良市民センターで開催される。当時の写真を展示する形で参加する予定です。また、当時の学生運動に参加された方々による反戦メッセージの発表も行われる。ご関心のある方はぜひお越しください。 Event: 57th anniversary of the crash of a US Air Force F-4 Phantom into Kyushu University (1968.6.2), held June 15, 13:30-16:30, Sawara Shimin Center

Giving a paper on the pre-1968 history of Kyushu University's student movement, at the "Re-examining Japan's Cold War" conference at Ritsumeikan U. in Kyoto.

I interviewed a former student who created a Kyudai branch of the Senki-ha 戦旗派 Bund faction in 1970, a wannabe Red Army. He was arrested for participating in a Molotov-cocktail-throwing demonstration in Tokyo in 1972, served almost 3 years in jail.

Spent a fascinating afternoon interviewing Takagi Toru 高木徹, a former leader in the revolutionary party 中核派, who was active in Kyushu leftist movements in 1959-1969. He was very kind to allow me to pepper him with many questions.

I summarize recent publications in Mormon literature and arts, including some great new stories and a novel, a major national film with Mormon characters and belief at its center, and a landmark LDS art critical reader.

A symposium on the New Left in Japan at Kyoto University on November 30. See you there!

A great introduction to an important historian, Harvard's Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, her work ... and her quote, "Well behaved women seldom make history." projects.iq.harvard.edu/laurelx/well...

I interviewed two full-time members (常任/職業革命家) of the radical Chūkaku-ha in Fukuoka (中核派福岡地域委員) at their office, talked about the history, structure and activities or the party. I interviewed some 革マル派 a few months ago, and had lunch with a former 解放派 member this week, so I get radical sect bingo.

Heidi Naylor reviews "A Craving for Beauty: The Collected Writings of Maurine Whipple", which I co-edited. "The life of Maurine Whipple, author of The Giant Joshua, is one of the saddest stories in LDS literature . . . The volume is a treasure trove." www.dialoguejournal.com/articles/cau...

The Fall 2024 issue of *Dialogue* is here! Dive into essays, poetry, and art exploring themes of faith, resilience, and social change. It includes: William Morris, Strait is the Way (fiction, time travel as a spiritual gift) www.dialoguejournal.com/issues/fall-...

Nathan Kitchen, the former president of Affirmation, introduces his new memoir, The Boughs of Love: Navigating the Queer Latter-day Saint Experience During an Ongoing Restoration, which was published by BCC Press earlier this month. www.associationmormonletters.org/2024/11/nath...

My research interests: 1. Japan’s 1960s/70s student movements in Kyushu, esp. Kyushu University. I am interviewing former students of all stripes, asking about motivations and activities. After years of studying early 20th c, it is great to do interviews with living witnesses. 九州の学生運動, 大学紛争, 市民運動

Richard J. Smethurst, a distinguished scholar of modern Japanese history and my graduate advisor at Pittsburgh, passed away earlier this month. Dick was an excellent scholar, a lover of the theater, and a generous and congenial advisor. andrewrhall.substack.com/p/rememberin...

Kyushu University student movement: 1968 I am starting a whole new direction in my research and teaching today, the student demonstrations that started in June 1968, when a USAF Phantom jet crashed into Kyudai. I spent the first of many days in the amazing 九大文書館 archive.

David G. Pace’s new book, "American Trinity & Other Stories from the Mormon Corridor" (BCC Press). Christopher T. Lewis’ forward places the stories in their MoLit context, in particular the tradition of Three Nephites. @cristovaotluiz.bsky.social www.associationmormonletters.org/2024/02/davi...

I talk to Alison Brimley, Jack Harrell, and William Morris about the craft of storytelling and their speculative and mathematical short stories in the newly released collection, The Path and the Gate. www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKbT... Dialogue Book Report Podcast @dialoguejournal.bsky.social

I really dug the Japanese comedy/drama "Rebooting" ("Brush up life"), on Netflix. A woman dies young, but is given the chance to relive her life and improve her karma. Great script and cast. Ando Sakura is a top dramatic actress who does great with comedy. High concept + observant comedy of manners.

I talk with Larry Menlove and David G. Pace about their stories in the short story collection, "The Path and the Gate", the craft of writing, post-Mormons interest in writing about Mormons, and physicality in fiction. youtu.be/TEbOoPWRu7g

Humor in Mormon Literature. In this episode of Dialogue Book Report, I talk to Theric Jepson and Stephen Carter about humor, specifically in Jepson's collegiate novels Byuck and the newly released Just Julie's Fine. @thmazing.bsky.social @dialoguejournal.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=5E5_...

There has been so much interesting Mormon-related short fiction coming out in the last few months, I thought it was time to break out this occasional effort at seasonal cataloging. Wayfare Magazine’s literature publications have played a key role. www.associationmormonletters.org/2023/11/this...

Things to Seek After:An Exploration of LDS Literature. Authors in The Path and the Gate: Mormon Short Fiction on "Why MoLit?" Alison Brimley, Joe Plicka, Jack Harrell, Theric Jepson, Mattathias Singh, Ryan Habermeyer, Eric Freeze, Ryan McIlvain, Robert Raleigh www.wayfaremagazine.org/p/things-to-...

Looking for the next good read in modern Korean (and Japanese) history? Check out Education, Language and the Intellectual Underpinnings of Modern Korea, 1875-1945, edited by Andrew Hall and Leighanne Yuh (Brill, 2023). brill.com/edcollbook/t...

In this episode of @dialoguejournal.bsky.social Book Report, I talk with authors in the new collection The Path and the Gate: @thmazing.bsky.social, Danny Nelson, and Steven Peck. They discuss writing craft, speculative fiction, and Mormon doctrine in fiction. www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Zrf...

Taipei trip, Oct. 2023. History conference at Academia Sinica. The Chiang Kaishek memorial was fascinating. A big militaristic monument to CKS on top. But the museum underneath was divided into a traditional exhibit honoring CKS, and an exhibit on history of the oppression of the Guomindang regime.