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Stone Bridge Press Authors Lafcadio Hearn From his wikipedia page: Patrick Lafcadio Hearn (/hɜːrn/; Greek: Πατρίκιος Λευκάδιος Χερν; 27 June 1850 – 26 September 1904), known also by the Japanese name Koizumi Yakumo (小泉 八雲), was a writer, known best for his books about Japan, especially his collections of Japanese legends and ghost stories, such as Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things. In the United States, Hearn is also known for his writings about the city of New Orleans based on his ten-year stay in that city. Born in Greece to a Greek mother and an Anglo-Irish father, a complex series of conflicts and events led to young Lafcadio Hearn being moved to Ireland, where he was abandoned first by his mother (leaving him in the care of her husband's aunt), then his father and finally by his father's aunt, who had been appointed his official guardian. At the age of nineteen he was put on a boat to the United States, where he found work as a newspaper reporter, first in Cincinnati, Ohio, and later in New Orleans. From there he was sent as a correspondent, first to the French West Indies, where he stayed for two years, and then to Japan, where he would remain for the rest of his life. In Japan he married a Japanese woman with whom he had four children, and became a naturalized Japanese citizen. His writings about Japan offered the Western world a glimpse into a largely unknown but fascinating culture. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lafcadio_Hearn Titles by Author Kwaidan Lafcadio Hearn Twenty unusual tales from Japan collected by one of the greatest writers on the country. Read More

Stone Bridge Press Authors Stuart D. B. Picken Ordained a minister in the Church of Scotland, Stuart Picken taught religion and philosophy in Japan since 1972 and served as international adviser to the High Priest of the Tsubaki Grand Shrine, Mie Pref. His books include Shinto: Japan's Spiritual Roots and Essentials of Shinto . http://www.infonia.ne.jp/~source/ssk/ssk_links.htm Titles by Author Shinto Meditations for Revering the Earth Stuart D. B. Picken The first book in English to apply ancient Japanese Shinto traditions to daily spiritual fulfillment. Read More

Stone Bridge Press Authors Jarrell D. Sieff Jarrell D. Sieff has lived in every kind of Japanese residence and community and travels regularly to Japan for his San Francisco-based import/export business. Titles by Author A Practical Guide to Living in Japan Jarrell D. Sieff The perfect book for anyone planning a life in Japan. Read More

Stone Bridge Press Authors Frank MacHovec Dr. MacHovec is a retired clinical psychologist who worked 30 years in mental health clinics and hospitals and in private practice. In addition to BA, MA, and PhD degrees, he earned two post-PhD diplomates and was a certified forensics examiner who testified as expert witness in civil and criminal cases. Titles by Author Light from the East Frank MacHovec Important and inspiring teachings of Asian wisdom in a single, accessible volume. Read More

Stone Bridge Press Authors Gil Asakawa Gil Asakawa has worked in the media as a writer, editor, music critic and online expert for 40 years. He's currently Asoociate Editor for New Hope Network's Nutrition Business Journal. Gil and his partner Erin Yoshimura recently launched visualizAsian.com, a website featuring live interviews with Asian American Pacific Islander leaders to inspire others to follow in their footsteps. The author of Being Japanese American (Stone Bridge Press, 2004) and co-author of The Toy Book (Knopf, 1991). He is a nationally-known speaker and commentator on Japanese American and Asian American identity and issues. He writes a blog, Nikkeiview.com, about pop culture and politics from an Asian American perspective. He also tweets, spends too much time on Facebook, and is a member of every social site and service he hears about. http://nikkeiview.com/blog/ Titles by Author Tabemasho! Let’s Eat! Gil Asakawa Your favorite Japanese foods, home-cooked, packaged, or served in restaurants, and how they came to delight the American palate. Read More Being Japanese American Gil Asakawa A celebration of JA culture: facts, recipes, songs, words, and memories that every JA will want to share. Read More

Stone Bridge Press Authors Wes "Scoop" Nisker For nearly 40 years, Mr. Nisker has worked in radio, first as a news anchor and more recently as a commentator, during his career winning the Billboard Magazine, Columbia School of Journalism, and San Francisco Media Alliance awards for excellence in FM radio programming. Mr. Nisker has studied Buddhist meditation for over three decades with teachers in Asia and America, and for the past 15 years has been leading his own retreats and workshops in Buddhist insight meditation and philosophy at venues internationally. He is an affiliate teacher at the Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California, and does regular workshops at Esalen Institute and other venues. For the past year and a half Mr. Nisker has been performing his monologue to critical acclaim in venues around the country. A DVD and CD of his shows are available from his website wesnisker.com. Mr. Nisker's teaching and performance schedule is also listed on his website. http://www.wesnisker.com Titles by Author Crazy Wisdom Saves the World Again Wes "Scoop" Nisker “[Wes “Scoop” Nisker] delivers zen zingers with Borscht Belt timing.”—The New York Times Read More The Big Bang, the Buddha, and the Baby Boom Wes "Scoop Nisker Hang on for a wild journey through the political and spiritual adventures of the baby-boom generation. Read More

Stone Bridge Press Authors Azby Brown Azby Brown is a leading authority on Japanese architecture, design, and environmentalism and the author of several groundbreaking books, including Small Spaces (1993), The Japanese Dream House (2001), The Very Small Home (2005), and The Genius of Japanese Carpentry (1989/2014). He is lead researcher for Safecast, a global citizen-science organization that pioneered crowdsourced environmental monitoring. Azby Brown has lived in Japan since 1985. https://azbybrown.com/ Titles by Author Just Enough Azby Brown How the mindset of traditional Japanese society can guide our own efforts to lead a green lifestyle today. Read More

Stone Bridge Press Authors Soji Shimada Born in 1948 in Hiroshima prefecture, Soji Shimada has been dubbed the 'God of Mystery' by international audiences. A novelist, essayist and short-story writer, he made his literary debut in 1981 with The Tokyo Zodiac Murders , which was shortlisted for the Edogawa Rampo Prize. Blending classical detective fiction with grisly violence and elements of the occult, he has gone on to publish several highly acclaimed series of mystery fiction, including the casebooks of Kiyoshi Mitarai and Takeshi Yoshiki. He is the author of 100+ works in total. In 2009 Shimada received the prestigious Japan Mystery Literature Award in recognition of his life's work. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Soji-Shimada/112193998792163 Titles by Author

Stone Bridge Press Authors T.K. Nakagaki Rev. Dr. T. K. Nakagaki is a Buddhist priest, ordained in the 750-year-old Jodoshinshu tradition of Japanese Buddhism. He graduated from Ryukoku University in Kyoto, majoring in Buddhist History in 1983, and later conducted advanced study in Jodoshinshu Buddhist doctrine at Gyoshin Buddhist Seminary in Osaka, Japan, from 1983-1985. He received an M.A. in Linguistics from California State University at Fresno in 1994, and earned a Doctorate of Ministry in Multifaith studies from the New York Theological Seminary in 2012. Rev. Dr. Nakagaki is currently President of the Buddhist Council of New York, Hiroshima Peace Ambassador, Peace Correspondent of Nagasaki City, Community Clergy Liaison for the NYC Police Department, and former Vice President of the Interfaith Center of New York. He is the author of three books in Japanese and is also a noted Japanese calligrapher. https://sites.google.com/site/revtkenjitsunakagaki/ Titles by Author The Buddhist Swastika and Hitler's Cross T.K. Nakagaki A remarkable cross-cultural history that rescues the swastika, an ancient Buddhist symbol, from its deployment by the forces of hate. Read More

Stone Bridge Press Authors Eve Kushner Eve Kushner is a writer in Berkeley, California. In addition to placing 315 articles in 35 markets, she has published two books. Both are in their second printings. You can find out all about her and her work at www.evekushner.com . Eve is now focusing exclusively on kanji, the most complicated script used in Japanese writing. In December 2011 she launched Joy o' Kanji (www.joyokanji.com ), a lifelong project. She aims to write one essay about each of the Joyo kanji, the characters used in daily life in Japan. Readers can download these essays in PDF format for an extremely low price. With comprehensive information about every aspect of a character, as well as photos of kanji in real-life uses, these essays reveal the personalities of each kanji (the character of the characters!) as nothing ever has. The site also features photo albums of kanji in action, as well as plenty of free essays (particularly about radicals). With all of her writing about the Japanese language, Eve has tried to show that kanji can be charming, poetic, and fun, not the source of fear and loathing that people often make these characters out to be. This exploration builds on Kanji Curiosity, the weekly kanji blog she wrote for JapanesePod101.com from 2007 through 2010. The "Japan Times" praised that blog as "informative and entertaining." Her Japan-related writing has also appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, East Bay Monthly, East Bay Express, and Japanophile, among other places. She has spoken about her love of kanji several times on the NPR-affiliated radio show "The World in Words" and has appeared on the NBC talk show Asian Pacific America and on a reality show on TV Tokyo (again because of her love of kanji). http://www.evekushner.com Titles by Author Crazy for Kanji Eve Kushner A passionate and playful guide to kanji that examines characters from every angle for an in-depth understanding. Read More

Stone Bridge Press Authors Michael Rowley Michael Rowley is the author of Kanji Pictographics , Kana Pictographix, and Michael Rowley's KanjiPictoGraphix Dragon Pack . He runs Papernapkin.com, a creative studio for design, illustration, and photography. He is a best-selling author of visual books for understanding complex subjects about chemistry, Japanese, and geography. His latest project is the iPhone app Kanji PictoCards for the iTunes store. Titles by Author Kanji Pict-o-Graphix Michael Rowley A visual delight, this bestselling, award-winning book makes a great classroom resource and a wonderful study aid. Read More Michael Rowley's Kanji Pictographix Dragon Book Michael Rowley For the first time, a full-color selection of Michael Rowley's best-selling Japanese kanji mnemonics, especially for beginners! Read More

Stone Bridge Press Authors Kip Mesirow Kip Mesirow is the co-founder of the Japan Woodworker in Berkeley in 1971, and later Hida Japanese Tool Company. He has been to Japan numerous times, and studied joinery with Makoto Imai a highly regarded teahouse builder. His projects include among others, buildings at the SF Zen Center. He now manufactures custom copper light and other architectural fixtures in Vermont. Titles by Author The Care and Use of Japanese Woodworking Tools Kip Mesirow & Ron Herman Finally back in print, an intimate guide to Japanese woodworking tools. Read More