Swet Columns

July 28, 2018

EVENT REPORT – SWET Travel Writing Meet-up

By Rob Goss

The new travel writing group within SWET is up and running. Seventeen people came together on July 19 for the first meeting on a hot and humid night in Tokyo, some traveling from as far as Niigata and Kobe to the Book House Cafe, Jinbocho, Tokyo. We had a mix of writers, photographers, translators, interpreter-guides, and two tourism ambassadors... more

July 4, 2018

SWET Kansai Event Report: Photography and Flash Fiction Workshop

By Rebecca Otowa

I had been dreaming of putting together John Einarsen’s evocative photography and a writing workshop for some months, and on June 9, it came true. It was held in central Kyoto and seven people attended.

In addition to being the founding editor of the respected Kyoto Journal, John has published several books of his photographs, including Kyoto:... more

May 30, 2018

EVENT REPORT – Travel-Related Events and Updating the Japan Style Sheet

May 16, 2018 (Wednesday), Book House Cafe, Jinbocho, Tokyo

Ten people gathered for a SWET Talk Shop to discuss two topics: (1) the idea of setting up special-interest group (SIG) in SWET for travel writers and (2), the proposed plan for SWET to publish a new edition of the Japan Style Sheet.

Rob Goss introduced his ideas for a... more

February 3, 2017

Japan Writers Conference 2016 Remembered

We asked three people who attended the Japan Writers Conference, held October 27 and 28 at Tokushima University, on the island of Shikoku, to share their impressions and notes from the talks they attended. While by no means comprehensive—and we regret not including reporting on all the sessions—our three authors give us lively and diverse accounts of what they gained... more

November 8, 2016

Teaching Translation

SWET Presentation by Susan E. Jones Sept. 25, 2016 Report by Don Todt

If you’re a female college student in Japan who’s interested in becoming a translator, Susan E. Jones wants you prepared.

In fact, she’s so intent on accomplishing this goal that she’s spent the last ten years developing a course in teaching translation at Kobe College (神戸女学院大学).

Japan’s low birthrate has caused a... more

December 1, 2015

Collaborating and Mentoring for Writers, Editors, and Translators

Notes on November 20, 2015 SWET Talk Shop

SWET members gathered on November 20th at the Books on Japan library in Jinbocho, Tokyo, to hear tips on collaboration from freelance writer Winifred Bird, and to discuss the possibility of establishing a mentoring program within SWET. The conversation meandered into the growing importance of social media, at which point several participants suggested... more