PAST EVENTS
© Tobias Hutzler
SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2026
3:30–5:30 PM
What’s Japanese in Japanese Horror – With Authors Hideo Furukawa and Tomoka Shibasaki, Presented by MONKEY New Writing from Japan
Moderator: Roland Kelts, contributing editor of MONKEY New Writing from Japan
Host: Peter Tatara, Director, Film, Culture and Community, Japan Society New York
Location: Japan Society New York, 333 E 47th St, New York, NY 10017
From the oni demons, yurei ghosts, and yokai spirits of folklore, to pop culture sensations like Exit 8 and The Ring, horror runs through the veins of Japanese culture. Often distinctly psychological and provocative, Japanese horror is beloved by those who like their scares with a sharp edge of sophistication. The latest issue of the acclaimed literary magazine MONKEY New Writing from Japan celebrates Japanese psychological horror. Japan Society welcomes an all-star panel of authors, editors, and translators to discuss the worldwide appeal of Japanese horror and what traditional and modern cultural influences make it unique. Some of the most unsettling stories in this issue will be performed by the authors and translators in bilingual readings.
Featuring authors Hideo Furukawa and Tomoka Shibasaki, translator Kendall Heitzman, and MONKEY founder Motoyuki Shibata.
© Taiyō Matsumoto
SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2026
1:00–3:00 PM
From Page to Screen – The Art and Anxiety of Adaptation, Presented by MONKEY New Writing from Japan
Moderator: Roland Kelts, contributing editor of MONKEY New Writing from Japan
Host: Peter Tatara, Director, Film, Culture and Community, Japan Society New York
Location: Japan Society New York, 333 E 47th St, New York, NY 10017
Hideo Furukawa and Tomoka Shibasaki are two of Japan’s most highly acclaimed authors, and their books have been adapted into successful films shown worldwide. Shibasaki’s Asleep or Awake was turned into the live-action film Asako I & II by Oscar-winning director Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car). Furukawa’s Tale of the Heike: The Inu-Oh Chapters was adapted into the epic animated feature Inu-Oh by Masaaki Yuasa (Devilman Crybaby).
In conversation with Japanamerica author Roland Kelts, Furukawa and Shibasaki address the sometimes jarring experience of having their original words transformed into immutable images, when works of the imagination leap from one medium to another. Were the adaptations consistent with their imagination and visions, or wildly divergent? How involved did they want to be and did they actually become in the transformative process? Is live-action preferable to animation for literary adaptations–or vice versa? And what specific scenes, images, and moments did they either admire or abhor? (Yes, the authors will show us a few choice clips!)
SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2026
2:00–4:00 PM
Hideo Furukawa and Tomoka Shibasaki in conversation with Matthew Sharpe
Moderators: Roland Kelts, contributing editor of MONKEY New Writing from Japan, Motoyuki Shibata, founder of MONKEY New Writing from Japan
Host: Sayaka Toyama, Director, SEIZAN Gallery
Location: SEIZAN Gallery, 525 W 26th St, New York, NY 10001
Roland Kelts and Motoyuki Shibata moderated a wide-ranging conversation among the three acclaimed authors, from a discussion of their latest works to their writing practices. Kendall Heitzman, a principal Furukawa translator, as well as Ted Goossen, MONKEY co-founder, joined the conversation.
MONKEY, the Japanese literary journal, and MONKEY New Writing from Japan feature visual work by artists, illustrators, and photographers, including SEIZAN artists Akino Kondoh, Asako Tabata, and Motohide Takami. To celebrate this special event, recent paintings by Asa Hiramatsu, a regular MONKEY contributor, were on view in the gallery.
FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2026
5:30–7:00 PM
MONKEY Vol. 6: Horror at Kinokuniya New York
Moderator: Roland Kelts, contributing editor of MONKEY New Writing from Japan
Host: John Fuller, Manager, Kinokuniya New York
Location: Kinokuniya New York, 1073 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10018
Kinokuniya New York celebrated MONKEY Vol. 6 Horror in an evening exploring the strange, uncanny, and unforgettable worlds of contemporary Japanese horror literature, featuring a literary discussion with authors Hideo Furukawa and Tomoka Shibasaki, translators Ted Goossen and Kendall Heitzman, MONKEY contributing editor Roland Kelts, and MONKEY founder Motoyuki Shibata, followed by a Q&A and book signing.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2026
7:00–8:00 PM
Rebecca Brown, Hideo Furukawa, & Tomoka Shibasaki w/ Roland Kelts & Motoyuki Shibata
Moderator: Roland Kelts, contributing editor of MONKEY New Writing from Japan
Host: Prof. Ted Mack, University of Washington's Center for Japanese Studies
Location: Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave., Seattle, WA, 98122
Seattle writer Rebecca Brown sits down with Japanese authors Hideo Furukawa and Tomoka Shibasaki to discuss MONKEY New Writing from Japan. They are joined by contributing editor Roland Kelts and MONKEY founder Motoyuki Shibata. MONKEY New Writing from Japan is the English-language offspring of the Tokyo-based Japanese literary journal MONKEY.
TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2026
7:00–8:00 PM
MONKEY: New Writing from Japan, Vol. 6 Horror – Your Host of Ghosts!
Moderator: Roland Kelts, contributing editor of MONKEY New Writing from Japan
Host: Japan Society Boston
Location: Online
No one does psychological horror better than Japan, and horror is the theme of the new issue of MONKEY New Writing from Japan! Join for a literary discussion with authors Kaori Fujino and Hideo Furukawa, translators Laurel Taylor and Kendall Heitzman, MONKEY founder Motoyuki Shibata, and contributing editor Roland Kelts.
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THURSDAY, May 1, 2025
4:30– 6:30pm
An Afternoon with Novelist Aoko Matsuda: On Maintaining a Feminist Writing Practice Across Languages
Location: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Aoko Matsuda, who is featured in almost every volume of MONKEY, represents a significant, award-winning voice in contemporary Japanese literature, distinguished by her incisive social commentary and innovative narrative techniques that interrogate gender politics and cultural conventions in Japanese society.
Beyond her accomplishments as an author, Matsuda has gained international recognition as a literary translator. She has skillfully rendered works by acclaimed writers such as Karen Russell, Amelia Gray, and Carmen Maria Machado into Japanese. Through her frequent contributions to Japanese media outlets, she serves as a compelling public intellectual who illuminates structural inequalities and cultural contradictions in contemporary Japan from a feminist perspective.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2024
Japan’s Literary Boom!
Moderator: Roland Kelts, contributing editor of MONKEY New Writing from Japan
Host: Japan Society Boston
Location: Online
The launch of MONKEY New Writing from Japan, volume 5: Creatures, hosted by contributing editor Roland Kelts and featuring Motoyuki Shibata, Tomoka Shibasaki, and Leo Elizabeth Takada.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2024
3:00–5:00 PM
Hiromi Kawakami & Adam Ehrlich Sachs
Writers Speak Across Cultures
Moderator: Motoyuki Shibata, founder of MONKEY New Writing from Japan
Host: Charles Exley, University of Pittsburgh
Location: Cathedral of Learning, G24, University of Pittsburgh
Join us for a conversation between Hiromi Kawakami, in town from Tokyo for only two days, and the Pittsburgh-based author Adam Ehrlich Sachs.
TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2024
2:00–4:00 PM
Translators in Conversation
Moderators: Ted Goossen and Motoyuki Shibata, founders of MONKEY New Writing from Japan
Host: Chris Lowy, Carnegie Mellon University
Location: McConomy Auditorium, Cohon Student Center, CMU
Panelists: David Boyd, Ted Goossen, Sam Malissa, Motoyuki Shibata, Meg Taylor
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Sunday, April 7, 2024
2:00–3:30 pm
Author Reading and Signing Event with Hiromi Kawakami & Ted Goossen
Introduced by Motoyuki Shibata, founder of MONKEY New Writing from Japan
Location: Kinokuniya New York
In special collaboration with Stone Bridge Press and Monkey, we are pleased to invite author, Hiromi Kawakami and Ted Goosen for an author talk and signing event at Kinokuniya New York on Sunday, April 7th at 2pm!
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Saturday, April 6, 2024
2:00–4:00 pm
Hiromi Kawakami & Kelly Link in Conversation
Moderator: Motoyuki Shibata, founder of MONKEY New Writing from Japan
Location: SEIZAN Gallery New York
Join us for a conversation between Hiromi Kawakami, in town from Tokyo for only two days, and the American author Kelly Link.
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Thursday, April 4, 2024
5:30pm–
Motoyuki Shibata
Sponsor: Literary Arts
Location: McCormack Family Theater, Room 132, Brown University
As part of Writers on Writing, Motoyuki Shibata will read from recent literary work. Following the reading, Motoyuki Shibata will discuss the work with the audience.
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