Program & Schedule
Table of Content
Saturday Schedule
NOV 14
ROOM 1
Poetry
ROOM 2
Fiction & Nonfiction
ROOM 3
Miscellany
09:40–10:30
C.E.J. Simons
The Verse Fabricator: Playing Fast & Loose with Biographical Fact in the Lyric Poem
Keywords: poetry, biography, life writing, fantasy
Charles Kowalski
There are No Small Parts
Keywords: fiction, supporting characters
Roger Lowther
Self-Publishing in Japan
Keywords: self-publishing, formatting, distributing, marketing
10:40–11:30
Kimberly K. Williams
Flexible Poetry: Considering Mix Mode Forms
Keywords: mixed mode poetry, mixed media, found poems, mapping poems, visual poems
Baye McNeill
Thinking Out Loud: What Column Writing Can Teach You About Voice and Clarity
Keywords: voice, clarity, revision, column writing, structure
Sarah Holding
Beyond the Book
Keywords: author platform, self-publishing, visibility, discoverability, career development
11:40–12:30
Syed Saifuddin
Poetry Across Borders: How Creative Writing Builds Cultural Understanding in a Fragmented World
Keywords: poetry, cultural diplomacy, cross-cultural communication, international literature, creative writing
Michael Pronko
Piecing Together a Writing Process—Essentials and Variables
Keywords: fiction, novel, writing process, writing prep, writing life
Melinda Falgoust
From Page to Screen: Adapting Your Own Story
Keywords: adaptation, screenwriting, story structure, film development, cross-media storytelling
12:30–13:30
Lunch Break
13:30–14:20
Alan Spence
The Art and Craft of Haiku: Writing the Moment
Keywords: poetry, haiku, English, art, craft
Sara K. Ellis
Just a Glass of Water—or a Really Good Sandwich: Food as World Building in Speculative Fiction
Keywords: speculative, food, sensory, worldbuilding, foodways
James Shea,
Loren Goodman, Dorothy Tse
Three Writers Reckon with AI
Keywords: AI, authorship, creative process, publication, literary forms
14:30–15:20
Gregory Dunne & Richard Jones
What Writers Can Learn from Ken Rogers: Poetry, Editing and Literary Community
Keywords: Ken Rodgers, English-language poetry in Japan, literary editing, Robert Brady, literary legacy
Jacqueline Swenson
Finding Stories in Ordinary Life: Training Your Creative Observation Skills
Keywords: story structure, narrative techniques, emotional continuity, fiction craft
Cassandra Lord
Travelling Japan: Making Adventuring into a Living
Keywords: travel, skills, earning, online publications
15:30–16:20
Alex K.T. Martin
When Myth Meets Journalism: Writing Phantom Wolves of Japan
Keywords: narrative nonfiction, journalism, wildlife, Japanese culture, field research
Ian Willey
Writing Microfiction That Glows (and Grows)
Keywords: microfiction, prose poetry, writing techniques, voice
Suzanne Kamata and Wendy Nakanishi
How to Be a Good Art Friend
Keywords: writing, publishing, literary citizenship, motivation, support
16:30–17:20
Kimberly K. Williams
Playing in Space: Whole Page Poetry
Keywords: poetry, space, play, poetic arrangement, poetic sequencing
Alec McAuley, w/ Suzanne Kamata, Kazumi Wilds, Lisa Wilcut
Writing for Children in 2026 (SCBWI Japan)
Keywords: KidLit, collaboration, translation, children, publishing
Thomas Baker
From Manuscript to Marketing
Keywords: manuscript, editing, agent, publisher, marketing
19:00–21:00
Sunday Schedule
NOV 15
ROOM 1
Poetry
ROOM 2
Fiction & Nonfiction
ROOM 3
Miscellany
10:00–10:50
Paul Rossiter, John Pazdziora et al.
The Year’s Work at Isobar
Keywords: renga, hyakuin, Minase, Glasgow, Tokyo
Keith Scribner
How—and Why—to Bring More Humor into Your Writing
Keywords: humor, funny, literary, absurdity, craft
Ally Hongo
Writing Japan Beyond the Cliché: Ethics and Responsibility in Travel Storytelling
Keywords: travel writing, Japan, human-centered storytelling
11:00–11:50
Alonna Shaw
From Death Patrol to Tidal Language: How Witness Becomes Form
Keywords: visual poetry; image-text; condensed poetry; eco-poetry; creative process
Angelino Donnachaidh
Worldbuilding for Story: Nurturing a Self-Sustaining Creative Feedback Loop
Keywords: worldbuilding, fantasy, scifi, speculative fiction, story-centric
Robert Lunday, Iain Maloney, Edward Levinson, Suzanne Bhagan
Writing Rural Japan
Keywords: writing process, travel writing, Japanese culture, nature writing, memoir
12:00–12:50
David Gilbey
Reeling & Writhing Poetry Editing Workshop
Keywords: poetry, editing, workshop, publication, writing
Coffee Quills
Challenge Yourself! How Writing Outside Your Comfort Zone Helps (Even When You Fail)
Keywords: challenges, timed, countable, prompts, vibes
Angelino Donnachaidh, Felicity Tillack, Ian M. Rogers, Patrick Han
Artful Intelligence: Creative Purpose, Craft Discipline, and Artistic Community in the Age of the Automated Hack
Keywords: AI, creativity, community, craft, publishing
12:50–13:50
Lunch Break
13:50–14:40
Dr. Kanwalpreet & Navpreet Kaur Dhillon
Demolishing Walls: Through Poetry, Prose, and Pictures
Keywords: walls, tearing, separate, escape, wallpaper, hope
Hamza Cherifi
Writers as Peace Keepers: How to instill a mindset of inclusion through texts
Keywords: writers, peace, discourse, perception, relevance
Monique Bae
Authentically Promoting Your Work
Keywords: authenticity, storytelling, marketing, self-promotion, collaboration
14:50–15:40
Philip Rowland
Mind the Gap: Crafting Space and Silence in Short-form Poetry
Keywords: space, silence, short-form poetry
Iain Maloney
Cowriting a Rock Star Memoir: Craft, Contracts, and Conundrums
Keywords: memoir, nonfiction, cowriting, ghostwriting, biography
Rachael L. Rhine Milliard
Editing: The Witherto’s and Whyfor’s
Keywords: editing, self-editing, tips for editing
Schedule
9:40–10:30
ROOM 1 – Poetry
C.E.J. Simons
The Verse Fabricator: Playing Fast & Loose with Biographical Fact in the Lyric Poem
Keywords: poetry, biography, life writing, fantasy
ROOM 2 – Fiction & Nonfiction
Charles Kowalski
There are No Small Parts
Keywords: fiction, supporting characters
ROOM 3 – Miscellany
Roger Lowther
Self-Publishing in Japan
Keywords: self-publishing, formatting, distributing, marketing
10:40–11:30
ROOM 1 – Poetry
Kimberly K. Williams
Flexible Poetry: Considering Mix Mode Forms
Keywords: mixed mode poetry, mixed media, found poems, mapping poems, visual poems
ROOM 2 – Fiction & Nonfiction
Baye McNeill
Thinking Out Loud: What Column Writing Can Teach You About Voice and Clarity
Keywords: voice, clarity, revision, column writing, structure
ROOM 3 – Miscellany
Sarah Holding
Beyond the Book
Keywords: author platform, self-publishing, visibility, discoverability, career development
11:40–12:30
ROOM 1 – Poetry
Syed Saifuddin
Poetry Across Borders: How Creative Writing Builds Cultural Understanding in a Fragmented World
Keywords: poetry, cultural diplomacy, cross-cultural communication, international literature, creative writing
ROOM 2 – Fiction & Nonfiction
Michael Pronko
Piecing Together a Writing Process—Essentials and Variables
Keywords: fiction, novel, writing process, writing prep, writing life
ROOM 3 – Miscellany
Melinda Falgoust
From Page to Screen: Adapting Your Own Story
Keywords: adaptation, screenwriting, story structure, film development, cross-media storytelling
Lunch Break
13:30–14:20
ROOM 1 – Poetry
Alan Spence
The Art and Craft of Haiku: Writing the Moment
Keywords: poetry, haiku, English, art, craft
ROOM 2 – Fiction & Nonfiction
Sara K. Ellis
Just a Glass of Water—or a Really Good Sandwich: Food as World Building in Speculative Fiction
Keywords: speculative, food, sensory, worldbuilding, foodways
ROOM 3 – Miscellany
James Shea,
Loren Goodman, Dorothy Tse
Three Writers Reckon with AI
Keywords: AI, authorship, creative process, publication, literary forms
14:30–15:20
ROOM 1 – Poetry
Gregory Dunne & Richard Jones
What Writers Can Learn from Ken Rogers: Poetry, Editing and Literary Community
Keywords: Ken Rodgers, English-language poetry in Japan, literary editing, Robert Brady, literary legacy
ROOM 2 – Fiction & Nonfiction
Jacqueline Swenson
Finding Stories in Ordinary Life: Training Your Creative Observation Skills
Keywords: story structure, narrative techniques, emotional continuity, fiction craft
ROOM 3 – Miscellany
Cassandra Lord
Travelling Japan: Making Adventuring into a Living
Keywords: travel, skills, earning, online publications
15:30–16:20
ROOM 1 – Poetry
Alex K.T. Martin
When Myth Meets Journalism: Writing Phantom Wolves of Japan
Keywords: narrative nonfiction, journalism, wildlife, Japanese culture, field research
ROOM 2 – Fiction & Nonfiction
Ian Willey
Writing Microfiction That Glows (and Grows)
Keywords: microfiction, prose poetry, writing techniques, voice
ROOM 3 – Miscellany
Suzanne Kamata and Wendy Nakanishi
How to Be a Good Art Friend
Keywords: writing, publishing, literary citizenship, motivation, support
16:30–17:20
ROOM 1 – Poetry
Kimberly K. Williams
Playing in Space: Whole Page Poetry
Keywords: poetry, space, play, poetic arrangement, poetic sequencing
ROOM 2 – Fiction & Nonfiction
Alec McAuley, w/ Suzanne Kamata, Kazumi Wilds, Lisa Wilcut
Writing for Children in 2026 (SCBWI Japan)
Keywords: KidLit, collaboration, translation, children, publishing
ROOM 3 – Miscellany
Thomas Baker
From Manuscript to Marketing
Keywords: manuscript, editing, agent, publisher, marketing
19:00– Sat Night Social
Details TBA
10:00–10:50
ROOM 1 – Poetry
Paul Rossiter, John Pazdziora et al.
The Year’s Work at Isobar
Keywords: renga, hyakuin, Minase, Glasgow, Tokyo
ROOM 2 – Fiction & Nonfiction
Keith Scribner
How—and Why—to Bring More Humor into Your Writing
Keywords: humor, funny, literary, absurdity, craft
ROOM 3 – Miscellany
Ally Hongo
Writing Japan Beyond the Cliché: Ethics and Responsibility in Travel Storytelling
Keywords: travel writing, Japan, human-centered storytelling
11:00–11:50
ROOM 1 – Poetry
Alonna Shaw
From Death Patrol to Tidal Language: How Witness Becomes Form
Keywords: visual poetry; image-text; condensed poetry; eco-poetry; creative process
ROOM 2 – Fiction & Nonfiction
Angelino Donnachaidh
Worldbuilding for Story: Nurturing a Self-Sustaining Creative Feedback Loop
Keywords: worldbuilding, fantasy, scifi, speculative fiction, story-centric
ROOM 3 – Miscellany
Robert Lunday, Iain Maloney, Edward Levinson, Suzanne Bhagan
Writing Rural Japan
Keywords: writing process, travel writing, Japanese culture, nature writing, memoir
12:00–12:50
ROOM 1 – Poetry
David Gilbey
Reeling & Writhing Poetry Editing Workshop
Keywords: poetry, editing, workshop, publication, writing
ROOM 2 – Fiction & Nonfiction
Coffee Quills
Challenge Yourself! How Writing Outside Your Comfort Zone Helps (Even When You Fail)
Keywords: challenges, timed, countable, prompts, vibes
ROOM 3 – Miscellany
Angelino Donnachaidh, Felicity Tillack, Ian M. Rogers, Patrick Han
Artful Intelligence: Creative Purpose, Craft Discipline, and Artistic Community in the Age of the Automated Hack
Keywords: AI, creativity, community, craft, publishing
Lunch Break
13:50–14:40
ROOM 1 – Poetry
Dr. Kanwalpreet & Navpreet Kaur Dhillon
Demolishing Walls: Through Poetry, Prose, and Pictures
Keywords: walls, tearing, separate, escape, wallpaper, hope
ROOM 2 – Fiction & Nonfiction
Hamza Cherifi
Writers as Peace Keepers: How to instill a mindset of inclusion through texts
Keywords: writers, peace, discourse, perception, relevance
ROOM 3 – Miscellany
Monique Bae
Authentically Promoting Your Work
Keywords: authenticity, storytelling, marketing, self-promotion, collaboration
14:50–15:40
ROOM 1 – Poetry
Philip Rowland
Mind the Gap: Crafting Space and Silence in Short-form Poetry
Keywords: space, silence, short-form poetry
ROOM 2 – Fiction & Nonfiction
Iain Maloney
Cowriting a Rock Star Memoir: Craft, Contracts, and Conundrums
Keywords: memoir, nonfiction, cowriting, ghostwriting, biography
ROOM 3 – Miscellany
Rachael L. Rhine Milliard
Editing: The Witherto’s and Whyfor’s
Keywords: editing, self-editing, tips for editing
Program
Conference Abstracts by Presenter
The Art and Craft of Haiku: Writing the Moment
Keywords: Poetry, Haiku, English, Art, Craft
Based on my new poetry collection, The Particular Silence, being published by Isobar and launched at Japan Writers Conference in November, a poetry reading opening up into discussion of English language haiku, sharing an understanding of haiku as a way of seeing (and of being).
Alan Spence is an award-winning Scottish poet and playwright, novelist and short story writer. Professor Emeritus in Creative Writing at University of Aberdeen, Scotland. Edinburgh City Makar (Poet Laureate) 2017-2021. Awarded Order of the Rising Sun from Government of Japan 2018. (Fostered Japan-Scotland cultural ties through Japan-based novels and collections of haiku and tanka).
Writing for Children in 2026 (SCBWI Japan)
Keywords: KidLit, collaboration, translation, children, publishing
Writing for Children in 2026 brings together a writer, an illustrator, and a translator from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Japan to discuss today’s evolving publishing landscape. With over 30 publications among them, they will address key challenges, including shifting market demands, book bans and anti-DEI policies, the decline of print outlets, and the rise of AI-generated books. The session will also highlight opportunities in educational publishing and the complexities of international collaboration. The writer will share strategies for navigating global markets and building resilience through partnerships. The illustrator will discuss cross-cultural collaboration with authors and editors, and how strong creative relationships lead to better books. The translator will explore bringing Japanese picture books into English, focusing on preserving nuance and the interplay between text and illustration. Together, these perspectives offer practical insight for creators crafting children’s literature in 2026.
Alec McAulay teaches creative writing at Yokohama National University and is the Assistant Regional Advisor for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). Suzanne Kamata, an American based in Shikoku, is an award-winning author. Tokyo illustrator Kazumi Wilds, an MFA graduate, has published internationally. Yokohama-based writer/translator Lisa Wilcut brings Japanese children’s literature into English, collaborating with publishers and literary agencies to share acclaimed authors worldwide.
When Myth Meets Journalism: Writing Phantom Wolves of Japan
Keywords: narrative nonfiction, journalism, wildlife, Japanese culture, field research
As a journalist based in Tokyo, I would like to share what I have learned about researching, reporting, and writing long-form narrative nonfiction in Japan. My session will explore the challenges of building trust with sources, navigating archives, conducting fieldwork in remote communities and transforming years of reporting into a compelling book.
Drawing on my upcoming book, Phantom Wolves of Japan: In Search of a Lost Mountain Guardian (Tuttle, Sept. 29), I will discuss how a seven-year investigation into the Japanese wolf — a distant subspecies of the gray wolf declared extinct in 1905 but still a subject of reported sightings in parts of the country — became a lens through which to explore Japan’s history, folklore, science and relationship with nature. I hope the session will offer practical insights into research-driven writing, cross-cultural storytelling and the process of finding universal stories within deeply local subjects.
Alex K.T. Martin is a Tokyo-based journalist and senior writer at the Japan Times. Formerly with the Wall Street Journal’s Tokyo bureau, he has received honors from SOPA and WAN-IFRA for reporting on the Japanese wolf and the impact of the Fukushima nuclear disaster on wildlife.
Writing Japan Beyond the Cliché: Ethics and Responsibility in Travel Storytelling
Keywords: travel writing, Japan, human-centered storytelling
Japan is one of the most photographed, romanticized, and repeatedly described destinations in the world, yet many of its most meaningful stories remain untold. Travel coverage often prioritizes places over people, while government-funded promotional campaigns, tightly controlled press trips, limited editorial platforms, language barriers, and insufficient research resources narrow what writers are able to see and say. Drawing on my work with the Japan Travel Awards, destination storytelling, and the creation of “70 Remarkable Japanese Places,” this session examines both the ethical choices writers make and the systems shaping English-language travel narratives about Japan. It asks why human-centered stories remain rare, how “only in Japan” narratives flatten nuance, how funding and access influence what gets published, what is lost when writers rely on the same English-language sources, and asks what needs to change to produce work that is more human, complex, and true to the country it represents.
Ally Hongo is co-founder of Shiitake Creative and the Japan Travel Awards. A writer and editor, she is the lead author of 70 Remarkable Japanese Places and focuses on uncovering human-centered stories across Japan.
From Death Patrol to Tidal Language: How Witness Becomes Form
Keywords: visual poetry; image-text; condensed poetry; eco-poetry; creative process
My book Tidal Language began with what I privately called “death patrol”: daily walks along a Central California beach where I photographed stranded marine life and wrack at the shifting edge between ocean and land. Over four years, the small and the magnificent moments I witnessed began to percolate with strange subtextual humor. Those captured images and texts became the way forward. Projected process materials and pages from the finished visual-poetry book will frame one craft question: how does a long practice of witness become form? The talk follows how repetition, constraint, image-text pairing, and sequencing moved the project from documentation into book form. It considers how the work changed my sense of narrative, away from a fairy-tale transformation arc and toward the coexistence of erosion and emergence. Participants will leave with practical examples for sustaining a long project, trusting its constraints, and recognizing clues when form begins to emerge.
Alonna Shaw is a poet, visual artist, ModPo community teaching assistant, and a Collaboration Support Fellow at ACUT, University of Tokyo. She facilitates informal close-reading gatherings and has worked as a crime-fiction editor. Her visual-poetry work includes Tidal Language and That Spot; three poems are forthcoming in Tokyo Poetry Journal.
Worldbuilding for Story: Nurturing a Self-Sustaining Creative Feedback Loop
Keywords: worldbuilding, fantasy, scifi, speculative fiction, story-centric
Worldbuilding has become an increasingly foregrounded and sophisticated part of the discourse of writing craft. Its pundits draw expertise from fields as diverse as history, linguistics, anthropology, religious studies, climatology, ecology, and civil engineering to create useful resources.
This depth just as easily can enrich the writing process as overwhelm the writer. It can even pull away from story craft, becoming a separate end unto itself that has to be forcibly welded back into the structure rather than acting as an integral mechanism.
This talk will focus on worldbuilding specifically for story, character, and the craft of fiction writing. It will draw case studies from literature, film, and television for finished works, and for process from the speaker’s own work. While introducing concepts, approaches, techniques, and resources, it will aim at inspiring new and experienced worldbuilding writers to think more clearly about worldbuilding, storytelling, and writing as complementary processes.
Angelino Donnachaidh is a Mexican-American father, author, and Japanese-English translator who lives in Osaka, Japan. His last book was the CWA Muse Medallion and North Street Prize winner Tamiu: A Cat’s Tale. His next book is the upcoming samurai scifi/fantasy action/thriller double-novel The Mayhem Protocols.
Artful Intelligence: Creative Purpose, Craft Discipline, and Artistic Community in the Age of the Automated Hack
Keywords: AI, creativity, community, craft, publishing
In this panel, four writers of different backgrounds will discuss the intersections of writing and generative tech. The panel will explore the implications of AI-generated writing from literary, philosophical, ethical, and business perspectives. In addition, it will attempt to unpack and discuss the excitement, ambivalence, or even hostility that many feel toward the current realities and future possibilities of generative AI in writing from reasoned and nuanced perspectives. It will also examine writers’ options for protecting themselves and their works in the age of AI.
This panel will consider writing as:
- Money-making endeavor
- Literature/art
- Entertainment
- Emotional/philosophical/political expression
- Tool of public discourse, education, social cohesion, and collective context-framing
- Weapon
- Legal regulatory sphere
Angelino Donnachaidh is a Mexican-American author, writer, and translator in Osaka. Felicity Tillack is an Australian filmmaker and writer in Kyoto. Ian M. Rogers is an author, editor, and instructor at Western Connecticut State University. Patrick Han is a science writer for Tohoku University, proofreader/editor, and literary fiction writer.
Writing Can Teach You About Voice and Clarity
Keywords: voice, clarity, revision, column‑writing, structure
Column‑writing is fast, public, and built on clear thinking. In this 50‑minute session, Baye McNeil uses five published columns as case studies to show how opinion pieces actually take shape. He walks writers through the real decisions behind each column: when an initial idea collapses and forces a new direction; how the deeper argument emerges; how tone choices shape reader response; and how small structural shifts sharpen clarity and momentum. He also shows how readers sometimes interpret a column in ways the writer didn’t expect, and how those reactions can influence future work. Each column becomes a short, practical lesson in stance, voice, and revision, offering tools writers can use for essays, memoir, newsletters, or commentary. Participants leave with a clearer sense of how to think on the page and how to revise with intention.
Baye McNeil is a Brooklyn‑born, Tokyo‑based writer, author, and columnist known for clear, candid prose and sharp cultural insight. His work appears in major Japanese and international outlets, and he is currently serializing his memoir You Couldn’t Tell Me Shit! on Substack.
The Verse Fabricator: Playing Fast & Loose with Biographical Fact in the Lyric Poem
Keywords: poetry, biography, life writing, fantasy
The mental crisis of Wordsworth’s epic poem The Prelude is both ‘true’ and, from a biographical perspective, fiction. The letters of Samuel Taylor Coleridge (for decades an opium addict) are filled with references to philosophical books and poems he claimed to be writing, but likely never existed. W. B. Yeats frequently records dates and incidents in his poetry and autobiographical writing that are inaccurately remembered. Does a biographical poem have any responsibility towards the reader to present biographical and historical facts accurately? Can close adherence to biographical fact make a poem less effective? How can poems use biographical fiction, hyperbole, and outright lies to communicate their themes? This session will offer a brief background to the growing critical study of ‘life writing’ in verse, and problematic examples from English literature. Participants will then have an opportunity to ‘fabricate’ short poems that play fast and loose with biographical fact.
C.E.J. Simons is Senior Associate Professor of British Literature at ICU, Tokyo. He has published five books of poetry, most recently Flight Risk (Isobar Press, 2021). His forthcoming book on magic in literature is Sons of Demons: Magic, Masculinity, and Form from Shakespeare to Yeats (Routledge).
Travelling Japan: Making Adventuring into a Living
Keywords: travel, skills, earning, online publications
In this session, Cassandra will share her tips on how to get your foot in the door in the travel writing space, and how to start taking steps to make travel writing into a living. Cassandra will go over some of the skills required, ideas for how to find your niche, and how to move from personal blogs to paid work. She will also share some of the realities of the world of travel writing – it’s not all fancy hotels and instagrammable days!
Cassandra Lord is a travel writer and content creator, often with a focus on food. She has had work published with many of Japan’s English-based travel media and travel sections, including The Japan Times, Japan Guide, Live Japan, and others.
There are No Small Parts
Keywords: fiction, supporting characters
Can supporting characters be more memorable than leading ones, or is such a thing…inconceivable? Every character is the hero of their own story, and authors who understand this can create supporting characters that steal every scene. This workshop features specific techniques for making every character unique: distinctive traits and worldviews, subverted expectations, combined archetypes, and real-life inspiration, as well as techniques for character development like retellings and character interviews. Come share ideas for creating minor characters with major impact!
Charles Kowalski is the award-winning author of the contemporary thriller MIND VIRUS and the SIMON GREY historical fantasy series based on the yokai lore of Tokugawa Japan. He teaches in the Department of Cultural and Social Studies at Tokai University in Kanagawa.
Challenge Yourself! How Writing Outside Your Comfort Zone Helps (Even When You Fail)
Keywords: challenges, timed, countable, prompts, vibes
This presentation examines different writing challenges normally labelled as being outside of regular fiction writing. Through specific limitations (talked about in detail during the presentation), personal writing skills and knowledge can level up after writers attempt writing outside their comfort zone. Writing experiences have been collected over a period of several years, with a few challenges undertaken more than once, and more than one failed. However, just as failure doesn’t automatically mean nothing was learned, a win doesn’t mean that all knowledge was gained.
Coffee Quills is a coffee quaffer, hedgehog hugger, and ink slinger. They enjoy mashing genres together for fun, optimistic stories, and have published 16 books ranging from political paranormal to spicy romance to knitting necromancers. Job-wise they’re a 4thewords developer, a Twitch streamer, and editor. Find them online!
Reeling & Writhing Poetry Editing Workshop
Keywords: poetry, editing, workshop, publication, writing
A closed workshop for eight participant-writers who will submit poems before the conference and then read and discuss each other’s poems with a view to preparing them for publication, recognising that there are both personal and professional benefits from a closely-focused discussion of emerging texts. The session will be two hours duration and participants must commit to the two hours. Those who sign up for the session will be contacted before the conference.
Poet David Gilbey was Adjunct Senior Lecturer in English at Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, Australia for more than forty years and the founding President of Booranga Writers’ Centre. He taught English at Miyagi Gakuin Women’s University in Sendai 1996, 2000 and 2007.
Demolishing Walls: Through Poetry, Prose, and Pictures
Keywords: walls, tearing, separate, escape, wallpaper, hope
This book ‘ Demolishing Walls: Through Poetry, Prose and Pictures’ is a unique concept. 25 artists have expressed themselves through poems, poetry and pictures on the theme ‘Walls’ which some have found liberating while others have felt constraining. Each artist has his/her own perspective on the theme leading to the creation of a beautiful anthology. The artists are from U.K, India, USA, Sweden, Wales, Costa Rica, South Africa among others. Each work, it might be poems , pictures or stories inspires the reader to think about the walls around them which might be abstract or physical. Others might think of building a wall to protect oneself.
Dr. Kanwalpreet teaches Political Science at an undergraduate college in India. Her passion is the creative word. Her poetry expresses her love for nature but also expresses anguish at human rights violation and atrocities on women. Navpreet Kaur Dhillon is a painter. She has exhibited her work at various exhibitions.
What Writers Can Learn from Ken Rogers: Poetry, Editing and Literary Community
Keywords: Ken Rodgers, English-language poetry in Japan, literary editing, Robert Brady, literary legacy
Following the passing of Ken Rogers in November 2024, this panel celebrates the life and literary legacy of one of the most influential figures in English-language poetry in Japan. For nearly four decades, Rogers served as managing editor of Kyoto Journal, helping foster a vibrant community of poets and writers. The first presentation examines his work as an editor and literary advocate, focusing on his championing of Kyoto poet Robert Brady through editorial and publishing efforts, including his collaboration with Richard Jones on the Poetry East – Kyoto special issue. The second presentation explores Rogers’s own poetry. Although he published sparingly and rarely promoted his work, his poems reveal a distinctive and deeply accomplished voice. Through discussion and selected readings, participants will discover an underappreciated poet while gaining insights into the roles of editing, literary advocacy, and community-building in sustaining writers and bringing important voices to a wider readership.
Gregory Dunne is a poet, critic, and professor at Miyazaki International University. He is the author of Quiet Accomplishment: Remembering Cid Corman and the poetry collection Other/Wise, and serves as Associate Poetry Editor at Kyoto Journal.
Writers as Peace Keepers: How to instill a mindset of inclusion through texts
Keywords: writers, peace, discourse, perception, relevance
Peace is essentially an existential mindset dictated by pervasive principles like “relevance” and “commoness”. A writer is equal to language: both entities shape and regulate conceptions by means of available repertoire of expression and worldview patters. This attribute of conceptual directiveness writers seem to enjoy poses responsibility for the nature of perceptions upheld by society. In this talk I aim to construct and negotiate a tapestry for the characteristics of peace promoting writing, with special emphasis on the need to deploy global, instinctive discourse. I also examine how references to natural elements, along with a description of their riots and interactive role, is likely to contest human centredness and spark common sense.
Hamza Cherifi is an Algerian writer affiliated with the Algerian Office of Author’s Rights, a division of the ministry of arts and culture. Hamza is also a university teacher giving lectures on linguistics for second year students in khemis miliana university, Algeria. https://univ-km.academia.edu/CherifiHamza
Cowriting a Rock Star Memoir: Craft, Contracts, and Conundrums
Keywords: memoir, nonfiction, cowriting, ghostwriting, biography
In 2025, I began the process of cowriting the memoir of rock star and musician David Abbruzzese (Pearl Jam, Green Romance Orchestra, Guns n Roses). Although I’d interviewed plenty of people—celebrity and otherwise—for articles and podcasts, this has been a completely new type of writing project for me. Cowriting a memoir involves not just learning every aspect of the subject’s life and character, but learning to mimic their voice, their verbal tics, and their linguistic idiosyncrasies in order to accurately and authentically reproduce them on the page. This presentation will delve into the world of cowriting, into the nitty-gritty of turning hours of interview into a coherent narrative in the subject’s own voice, the theoretical boundaries between memoir, biography, autobiography, into the publishing and legal perspective, and the ethical dilemmas that arise when memory, objective truth and subjective perspective clash.
Iain Maloney is the author of nine published books, including the memoirs The Only Gaijin in the Village and The Japan Lights. Originally from Scotland, he has been in Aberdeen for more than two decades and is currently Associate Professor at Sugiyama Jogakuen University in Nagoya. iainmaloney.substack.com
Writing Microfiction That Glows (and Grows)
Keywords: microfiction, prose poetry, writing techniques, voice
With the popularity of microfiction increasing, how does one write a micro that stands out? This presentation offers practical techniques for writing memorable micros. First, the difference between microfiction and prose poetry will be explained; a micro is a complete story in compressed ‘bonsai tree’ form, while a prose poem is more like a structured dream. This distinction will be supported with published examples that attendees can classify and discuss. Furthermore, the best micros possess accessible language, a compelling human voice, and an in medias res quality at the beginning and end to allow the story to grow in a reader’s mind. At each step, examples will be provided to illustrate these characteristics concretely. Last, attendees will work together to edit micro drafts to improve the language, voice, and structure. Attendees will leave this workshop armed with techniques enabling them to write memorable and publishable microfiction.
Ian Willey has published hundreds of haiku, poems, and microfiction pieces. He has received multiple Pushcart and Best of the Net nominations, and was nominated for Best Microfiction 2025. His collection of prose poems and micros, Ethan & Yuri Forever, will be published in 2026. He writes from Kagawa prefecture.
Finding Stories in Ordinary Life: Training Your Creative Observation Skills
Keywords: story structure, narrative techniques, emotional continuity, fiction craft
Readers often experience emotional continuity in a story before they consciously understand how it was created. One technique that offers this effect is the use of narrative echoes. The repeated images, mirrored dialogue, and thematic callbacks that quietly connect the scenes across a narrative.
This session will explore how writers can use these techniques to strengthen story cohesion and deepen the emotional impact without using heavy analysis or recap. With examples and practical craft discussion, the participants will learn how to plant narrative theme early, evolve them throughout the story, and allow them to reinforce character arcs.
Writers of nearly any genre could apply these techniques to help create stories that feel unified and emotionally resonant from the beginning to the end.
Jacqueline Swenson is a novelist whose work explores psychological tension and emotional storytelling. Her writing focuses on character-driven narratives and the quiet patterns that shape human choices. She enjoys studying the subtle techniques that create lasting impact in fiction.
Three Writers Reckon with AI
Keywords: Generative AI, Authorship, Creative process, Publication, Literary forms
Three writers compare notes on how AI is and isn’t changing their craft, their sense of authorship, and their understanding of what literature is for. Across fiction, poetry, and translation, one question keeps returning: do AI tools help or hollow out the kind of careful attention that writing demands? The panel will also address practical questions about AI and publishing, including whether AI tools can help writers develop, refine, and place their work. Rather than debating AI in the abstract, these writers speak from inside their own practice, asking what, if anything, only a human can bring to the page. The discussion will include substantial time for Q&A.
James Shea is the author of Last Day of My Face (University of Iowa Press), winner of the Iowa Poetry Prize. His translations include Applause for a Cloud (Black Ocean) and Moving a Stone: Selected Poems of Yam Gong (Zephyr Press). He directs the International Writers’ Workshop at HKBU.
How—and Why—to Bring More Humor into Your Writing
Keywords: humor, funny, literary, absurdity, craft
What’s so funny about literary writing anyway? This presentation will explore the use of humor in fiction and nonfiction and offer you practical craft strategies for incorporating it into your own work. The how: we’ll consider three main theories of humor and study helpful examples you can use as models. The why: humor allows narrators to cope and deflect, and it lets us (narrators and readers alike) recognize and experience the awkwardness, discomfort, and absurdity of life. As writer Lorrie Moore reminds us, “life…is a collection of moments that can be both tragic and comic at the same time.” Together we’ll read published examples, being careful to not over-analyze the magic out of them, and most importantly, we’ll discuss how to see our lives through a more humorous lens. If time permits, everyone will write a short humorous piece from a prompt to share.
Keith Scribner, a Professor in Oregon State University’s MFA Program, is the author of four novels published by Penguin-Random House including Old Newgate Road, a 2020 Connecticut Book Award winner. Before he was a Stegner Fellow and Jones Lecturer at Stanford University, Scribner taught for two years in Japan.
Flexible Poetry: Considering Mix Mode Forms
Keywords: mixed mode poetry, mixed media, found poems, mapping poems, visual poems
This presentation considers mixed mode poetry and how, through its hybrid nature, it can be useful in helping poets find full expression. Many writers are aware of hybrid forms such as the prose poem or the verse novel. In a similar way, mixed mode poetry combines poetry with non-literary elements and modes, such as poetry and maps or poetry and painting, even poetry and footnotes. Oftentimes, mixed mode poems will merge poetry with mixed media, including social media. This talk will look at examples from poets like Susan Howe, Claudia Rankine, and Kwame Dawes. It will also present a poem/video from Australian poet Sarah Rice and visual artist Caren Florence. Finally, this talk will discuss found poems as mixed mode poetry, and discuss how mixed mode poetry in all of its potential forms widens the playing field for poets.
Kimberly K. Williams is an award-winning poet. Her book, Sometimes a Woman (Recent Work Press), won the 2022 WILLA Literary Award for Poetry. Her book, Still Lives (Gazebo Books), won a 2023 Canberra Critics Award. Her fourth book (Liquid Amber Press) is forthcoming in July 2026. She lectures at CQUniversity.
Playing in Space: Whole Page Poetry
Keywords: poetry, space, play, poetic arrangement, poetic sequencing
This workshop explores how poems can use the space of the whole page. Traditionally, in English, poems are placed in the top left margin of a page. This workshop is grounded in the idea that, in poetry, form and content often complement or mirror each other. As such, this workshop asks, What happens to a poem when a poet makes use of the whole page and considers the positions of words, phrases, lines while creating? After looking at how some poets, like Tyehimba Jess, Alice Oswald, and M. NourbeSe Philip, use the whole page in their work, we will play with words in space ourselves. This workshop will look at single poems and also consider the sequencing of multiple poems across pages. Participants are invited to bring their own poems which are farther along in the drafting process and a readiness to play.
Kimberly K. Williams is an award-winning poet. Her book, Sometimes a Woman (Recent Work Press), won the 2022 WILLA Literary Award for Poetry. Her book, Still Lives (Gazebo Books), won a 2023 Canberra Critics Award. Her fourth book (Liquid Amber Press) is forthcoming in July 2026. She lectures at CQUniversity.
From Page to Screen: Adapting Your Own Story
Keywords: adaptation, screenwriting, story structure, film development, cross-media storytelling
Every writer has imagined it: your book becomes a film or streaming series. Then the adaptation happens. Your quiet character drama becomes an action movie. Your ending explodes. And somehow there’s a helicopter. What happened? Adapting a story for the screen isn’t just about formatting. It’s about rethinking how stories work visually. Scenes replace exposition. Character becomes action. Structure tightens. And some beloved elements simply won’t survive the translation. This session explores how writers can adapt their own work from page to screen without losing the heart of the story. We’ll look at the structural differences between prose and visual storytelling, how to identify the cinematic core of a narrative, and what must change when a story moves into a visual medium. This isn’t a roadmap to getting optioned. It’s about learning how to translate your story into a new language: film.
Melinda Falgoust is a novelist, screenwriter, and founder of Wagging Tales Press, a three-armed story studio spanning publishing, story development, and Hollywood-facing IP packaging. A former litigation paralegal, she brings a practical understanding of documentation and intellectual property to the business of storytelling across books, series, and screen projects.
Piecing Together a Writing Process —Essentials and Variables
Keywords: fiction, novel, writing process, writing prep, writing life
This lecture will focus on the big picture of developing a writing process as a novelist. The talk will identify some necessities for creating long-form stories, but also focus on the free choices and personal preferences that give novels their zing and make writing meaningful. The starting point will be an acknowledgment that while some questions about writing novels may be universal, the answers are as multiple, varied, and idiosyncratic as each individual writer. This talk will explore three areas: first, finding constructive input, such as reading and thinking like a writer; second, building habits for output, including side hustles and cross-pollination; and third, working out the psychic dynamics of the writing life, from overcoming fear to staying in flow. This talk will conclude with suggestions for integrating these three areas, considering substitutions and compensations, to establish a sustainable and individualized writing process.
Michael Pronko is an award-winning author based in Tokyo. He has published seven murder mysteries, four memoirs on Tokyo life, and a guide to jazz in Japan, as well as columns for Newsweek Japan and the Japan Times. He is Professor of American Literature and Culture at Meiji Gakuin University.
Authentically Promoting Your Work
Keywords: authenticity, storytelling, marketing, self-promotion, collaboration
Congratulations on your publication! Are you excited for people to read it? Yes! Are you excited to promote your work? …maybe not. Whatever came to mind when you thought of marketing is not what I am asking you to do. Rather, this is a chance for readers to gain insights into you as a person. You can harness the same skills that got you to the final draft of your manuscript to share your work and connect more with readers. This workshop will walk you through how I authentically promote my work online. You and other attendees will also have the opportunity to put your collective storytelling skills to work by crafting your own blurbs.
Monique Bae is a poet, essayist, and educator who lives in Tokyo, Japan. Her work has appeared in the Japan Times, Haikuniverse, and Chicken Soup for the Soul. Plenty more can be found on her website: moniquebae.com
The Year’s Work at Isobar
Keywords: renga, hyakuin, minase, Glasgow, Tokyo
This year, Isobar Press has published two books featuring hyakuin (100-link renga). Floating Words features a translation of Minase Sangin Hyakuin (1488 – perhaps the greatest hyakuin) by Kobe poet Yoko Danno, while Glasgow-Tokyo Line: An East-West Hyakuin by James MacGonigal, Glasgow poet and biographer of the great Scottish poet Edwin Morgan, and John Pazdziora, poet and specialist in Scottish literature, who lives in Tokyo. The hyakuin was done recently by email between Scotland and Japan, and follows the rules of the traditional form. (Unfortunately, Yoko Danno won’t be able to get to Tokyo, but her part in the renga will be taken by Janine Beichman; other readers of the two renga will be Paul Rossiter, Iain Maloney, and Philip Rowland.) [There will also be one – or more probably two – other new books out by November: details to be announced.]
Paul Rossiter has published eleven books of poetry. After retiring from teaching at the University of Tokyo in 2012, he founded Isobar Press, which specialises in publishing English-language poetry from Japan, and English translations of modernist and contemporary Japanese poetry. More information can be found at: https://isobarpress.com
Mind the Gap: Crafting Space and Silence in Short-form Poetry
Keywords: space, silence, short-form poetry
Louise Glück writes of George Oppen’s work: ‘What moves these poems is silence.’ Such poetry ‘summons’ rather than ‘imposes’ thought. This presentation explores poetic silence through a range of modern and contemporary short-form poems. Strikingly short poems may seem to have a head start: their very brevity draws attention to the surrounding white space. Yet for that space to evoke ‘eloquent, deliberate, silence’, the poet must choose carefully what to say, what to leave unsaid, and how to shape the poem so as to ‘harness the power of the unfinished’. As Glück suggests, this requires ‘restraint, juxtaposition, nuance.’ Drawing on exemplary poems, statements on poetics, and reflections on his own practice, the presenter will examine how poems gain resonance through crafted gaps, ellipsis, nuance, and implication. Attendees are welcome to share and discuss a short poem of their own that reflects this theme, if they wish.
Philip Rowland is a British poet and professor based in Tokyo. He is the founding editor of NOON: journal of the short poem and coeditor of Haiku in English: The First Hundred Years (Norton, 2013). Since 2016, his poetry collections and anthologies have been published by Isobar Press.
Editing: The Witherto’s and Whyfor’s
Keywords: editing, self-editing, tips for editing
This presentation will focus on explaining the types of editing, with a specific focus on line/copy editing. It will include some tips for self-editing, but will mostly focus on the editorial process, terminology, and how an editor approaches a manuscript. If there is time, I would also like to walk the audience through an editorial checklist they can use for self-editing before submitting a manuscript to an editor. I will provide a blank book proposal, the editing checklist, style sheet sample, and a blank editing contract to anyone who requests copies (these are things I provide for my clients as well). And I plan to leave plenty of time to delve into any questions people might have about the editing process.
Rachael L. Rhine Milliard has worked on everything from award-winning novels to doctoral dissertations. Rachael has master’s degrees in Diplomacy and Publishing. She is a member of the Editorial Freelancers’ Association (EFA), ACES: The Society for Editing, and the Society for Scholarly Publishing.
Writing Rural Japan
Keywords: writing process, travel writing, Japanese culture, nature writing, memoir
How is writing about rural Japan different from writing about Tokyo, Kyoto, or the other great cities? Four writers of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction will share their thoughts on writing projects focusing on small-town, village, and wilderness experiences in Japan. We will talk about how writers have treated various themes –landscape and geography, community life, culture, nature, and comparisons to other countries – across varied modes such as the travelogue, food writing, nature writing, memoir, and others.
Robert Lunday was a fellow at the Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center, a Writer in Residence at St. Albans School, and a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University. After retiring from teaching in Houston, Texas, he moved to Japan and lives with his wife, Yukiko, and five horses in Kyushu.
Self-Publishing in Japan
Keywords: self-publishing, formatting, distributing, marketing
Join Community Arts Media as we talk about the joys and challenges of self-publishing in Japan. Through our own good and bad experiences, we will share about publishing books and ebooks through KDP and IngramSpark and audiobooks through ACX, INaudio, and others. We will also touch on many other topics including software used for editing and formatting, cover design, translation, timing for book launches, marketing and social media.
Roger W. Lowther is the founder and director of Community Arts Tokyo. He has studied at The Juilliard School, Columbia University, and Reformed Theological Seminary and has authored 12 books including “Cow Pie Water,” “The Broken Leaf,” and “The Tsunami Violin.” He lives in downtown Tokyo. www.rogerwlowther.com
Just a Glass of Water—or a Really Good Sandwich: Food as World Building in Speculative Fiction
Keywords: Speculative, Food, Sensory, Worldbuilding, Foodways
Speculative writers often begin worldbuilding with power: political systems, economics, class structures, or magic systems. Such questions matter, but their overprioritization can leave settings that are immaculately structured but devoid of life. It’s easy to forget, as Vonnegut said, that the characters should want something, even if it’s just a glass of water.
A different approach might start at a more primal level. Foodways are an intimate means with which to impart cultures, relationships, and power. How and what people eat, and who gets to eat, is a backdoor into the values and hierarchies of a world while revealing the internal lives of characters through both sensory detail and immediacy.
This short lecture and workshop explores how writers of speculative fiction can world build from the plate up, accessing taste memories to create detailed settings while keeping readers anchored in the social and power dynamics of eating.
Sara Ellis is an associate Professor at Okinawa International University. A Lambda Emerging Writers Fellow (2011), she attended the Milford Science Fiction Workshop (2017, 2022). Her fiction appears in Fusion Fragment, Analog, and Shoreline of Infinity. Her debut novel, If the Stars Are Lit (Luna Press) was published in 2025.
Beyond the Book
Keywords: author platform, self-publishing, visibility, discoverability, career development
Drawing on my experience of traditional, hybrid and independent publishing in the field of children’s and YA publishing, I am offering a workshop to help children’s authors with a book coming out to think beyond the book itself. The session will cover brainstorming appealing talks, workshops and resources for schools, festivals and libraries, ideas about how to build a low-cost authentic author platform to engage with parents and teachers as well as readers, how to get creative with free emerging technologies to improve visibility and discoverability, and will end with goal-setting around backlist promotion and other housekeeping tasks to ensure sustainable career development.
Sarah Holding writes children’s and YA fiction, dividing her time between London and Himeji. Her latest work ‘Origami Girl’ is currently being translated into Japanese and will come out in 2027. Sarah enjoys playing jazz and making art and is a keen member of the satoyamakai in her village.
How to Be a Good Art Friend
Keywords: writing, publishing, literary citizenship, motivation, support
Wendy Nakanishi (aka Lea O’Harra) and Suzanne Kamata, two American women living in different prefectures on the island of Shikoku, first met a quarter of a century ago. At the time, neither had published a novel, yet both were aspiring fiction writers. In this session, they will hold a conversation about how they met (hint: their first meeting involves a short story written by one of them), and how they have alternately mentored and supported each other over the years. Their friendship has endured through rejections and acceptances, finding agents and getting dumped, feeling discouraged and coming up with the next idea. They will also discuss how they have managed to stay motivated and find readers abroad while living and writing in a remote part of Japan. Ultimately, Nakanishi and Kamata will present actionable ways to support and advance literary careers.
American Suzanne Kamata has lived in Shikoku for over half of her life. She is the award-winning author of a variety of books in various genres including. Wendy Jones Nakanishi (aka Lea O’Harra) is the author of several murder mysteries set in or related to Japan.
Poetry Across Borders: How Creative Writing Builds Cultural Understanding in a Fragmented World
Keywords: poetry, cultural diplomacy, cross-cultural communication, international literature, creative writing
In an era marked by political tensions, cultural misunderstandings, and increasing social fragmentation, poetry remains one of humanity’s most enduring forms of connection. This presentation explores how creative writing can serve as a form of cultural diplomacy by fostering empathy, dialogue, and mutual understanding across national and cultural boundaries. Drawing upon examples from literary traditions in India, Japan, and beyond, the session examines how poets transform personal experiences into universal narratives that resonate with readers from diverse backgrounds. Particular attention will be given to the role of poetry in encouraging cross-cultural exchange, preserving cultural heritage, and promoting peaceful engagement in an interconnected world. Participants will gain practical insights into writing for international audiences while remaining authentic to their own cultural perspectives. The presentation ultimately argues that poetry can act as a bridge between communities, creating spaces for understanding where political and social divisions often persist.
Syed Saifuddin is an Indian poet and independent writer whose work explores culture, identity, international affairs, and cross-cultural understanding. His poetry, articles and essays focus on building connections between people and societies through storytelling, literature, and creative expression. He is passionate about promoting dialogue through the written word.
From Manuscript to Marketing
Keywords: manuscript, editing, agent, publisher, marketing
Having successfully navigated the process having my nonfiction book published, I will share my experiences and lessons learned, which apply to both fiction and nonfiction: Getting the draft into a presentable manuscript; finding and engaging a literary agent or not; editors and editing; liability issues; finding and engaging a publisher; engaging a publicist or not; the author’s role in marketing the finished product.
Thomas J. Baker is author of “The Fall of the FBI,” and served 33 years in the FBI. In addition to his writings, he’s appeared on Fox News, MSNBC, CNN’s Crimes of the Century and NBC’s Date Line. Bachelor’s from Fordham, Master’s from John Jay, and graduated the British Police Staff College.