TEAM

WE'LL SEE YOU IN TOKYO!

Kartika Lestari

LEAD ORGANIZER. Kartika grew up in Indonesia, and currently lives in Japan. She is a former full-time climate researcher, who one day arrived at a point that recalled her youth’s passion for writing. She started taking writing more seriously in 2021. Her work has appeared in Grande Dame Literary and White Enso, among others. Since 2023, she has served as the lead co-organizer of the Japan Writers Conference. She is pleased to meet all writing enthusiasts, despite their background, in JWC events.

C.E.J. Simons

HOST. C. E. J. (Christopher) Simons is Senior Associate Professor of British Literature at ICU, and director of the ICU Peace Research Institute. He holds degrees in literature and creative writing from Harvard University and the University of Toronto, and a doctorate in British poetry from Lincoln College, Oxford. His teaching and research covers early British literature to contemporary British and Irish poetry, with a focus on Romantic-period poetry and Early Modern poetry and drama. His most recent critical publication is Sons of Demons: Magic, Masculinity, and Poetics from Shakespeare to Yeats (Routledge, 2025).

Iain Maloney

CO-ORGANIZER. Iain is the author of nine books, including the critically acclaimed The Only Gaijin in the Village (Birlinn, 2020), a memoir about his life in rural Japan. He is also a university lecturer, editor, and journalist. He was born and raised in Aberdeen, Scotland and currently lives in Gifu, Japan. In addition he is the lead guitarist of the band Red Flag Waltz. More at www.iainmaloney.substack.com

Swastika Jajoo

CO-ORGANIZER. Swastika works as Manager for Fukushima Seaside, Japan and is simultaneously pursuing her PhD in Linguistics at Tohoku University. She has previously been an Editorial Resident for The Seventh Wave, and has published her poetry in Eunoia Review, Mudroom and Parentheses Journal among others. She has been nominated for Best of Net and Pushcart Prizes, and loves few things as much as she loves chai and Curious George.

Patrick Han

LEAD WEBMASTER. Patrick is a free-lance science writer and editor, who is currently involved with a project intersecting blog design, data visualization, and kakenhi application. He is the web design specialist at JWC. He was born in Taiwan; grew up in southern France and then in northern Germany; and holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from Penn State. He currently lives in Fukushima prefecture and dreams of writing fiction that is worthwhile someday.

Debonair Marc Antomattei

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER. Marc is an artist and writer/publisher of avant-garde-style books. He’s a lover of fine things, sartorial things, mechanical watches, alcoholic spirits, art, design, and photography, and he’s now the official photographer for the Japan Writers Conference.

Saki Usui

GENERAL ASSISTANT. Saki is an undergraduate student at Department of International Education, Tsuru University, Japan. At JWC, she helps translate from English to Japanese and assists all things before and during the events.

John Gribble

ADVISOR (Retired co-organizer). John is a poet and writer on music and other topics. A native of Southern California, he has lived in Tokyo since 1993. His work appears internationally and his books include 100 Poets, One Song Each (a translation of The Ogura Hyakunin Isshu of Fujiwara no Teika), Ueno Mornings and Another Wrong Fedora. He has been involved with the JWC since the first conference in 2007 and served as co-organizer from 2009 to 2023. Since 2024, he has kindly helped the team as an advisor.

LEAD ORGANIZER. Kartika grew up in Indonesia, and currently lives in Japan. She is a former full-time climate researcher, who one day arrived at a point that recalled her youth’s passion for writing. She started taking writing more seriously in 2021. Her work has appeared in Grande Dame Literary and White Enso, among others. Since 2023, she has served as the lead co-organizer of the Japan Writers Conference. She is pleased to meet all writing enthusiasts, despite their background, in JWC events.

SPONSOR & CO-ORGANIZER. C. E. J. (Christopher) Simons is Senior Associate Professor of British Literature at ICU, and director of the ICU Peace Research Institute. He holds degrees in literature and creative writing from Harvard University and the University of Toronto, and a doctorate in British poetry from Lincoln College, Oxford. His teaching and research covers early British literature to contemporary British and Irish poetry, with a focus on Romantic-period poetry and Early Modern poetry and drama. His most recent critical publication is Sons of Demons: Magic, Masculinity, and Poetics from Shakespeare to Yeats (Routledge, 2025).

CO-ORGANIZER. Iain is the author of nine books, including the critically acclaimed The Only Gaijin in the Village (Birlinn, 2020), a memoir about his life in rural Japan. He is also a university lecturer, editor, and journalist. He was born and raised in Aberdeen, Scotland and currently lives in Gifu, Japan. In addition he is the lead guitarist of the band Red Flag Waltz. More at www.iainmaloney.substack.com

CO-ORGANIZER. Swastika works as Manager for Fukushima Seaside, Japan and is simultaneously pursuing her PhD in Linguistics at Tohoku University. She has previously been an Editorial Resident for The Seventh Wave, and has published her poetry in Eunoia Review, Mudroom and Parentheses Journal among others. She has been nominated for Best of Net and Pushcart Prizes, and loves few things as much as she loves chai and Curious George.

LEAD WEBMASTER. Patrick is a free-lance science writer and editor, who is currently involved with a project intersecting blog design, data visualization, and kakenhi application. He is the web design specialist at JWC. He was born in Taiwan; grew up in southern France and then in northern Germany; and holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from Penn State. He currently lives in Fukushima prefecture and dreams of writing fiction that is worthwhile someday.

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER. Marc is an artist and writer/publisher of avant-garde-style books. He’s a lover of fine things, sartorial things, mechanical watches, alcoholic spirits, art, design, and photography, and he’s now the official photographer for the Japan Writers Conference.

GENERAL ASSISTANT. Saki is an undergraduate student at Department of International Education, Tsuru University, Japan. At JWC, she helps translate from English to Japanese and assists all things before and during the events.

ADVISOR (Retired co-organizer). John is a poet and writer on music and other topics. A native of Southern California, he has lived in Tokyo since 1993. His work appears internationally and his books include 100 Poets, One Song Each (a translation of The Ogura Hyakunin Isshu of Fujiwara no Teika), Ueno Mornings and Another Wrong Fedora. He has been involved with the JWC since the first conference in 2007 and served as co-organizer from 2009 to 2023. Since 2024, he has kindly helped the team as an advisor.