ACF 978: Comic artist Matt Inman to be guest speaker for New People talk

#1 BESTSELLER COMIC ARTIST AND POP CULTURE PROVACATEUR MATT INMAN TO BE GUEST FOR NEW PEOPLE TALK

Creator Of Popular Web Site THE OATMEAL Appears At NEW PEOPLE For Autograph Session And Lively Presentation On Newly Published Book

NEW PEOPLE will welcome bestseller comic artist and pop culture provocateur Matthew Inman for a special talk presentation and autograph session beginning at 3:00pm on Saturday, April 16th. Inman is the creator of the celebrated website The Oatmeal. He will discuss his work and newest book, 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth (And Other Useful Guides), at the NEW PEOPLE event.

The NEW PEOPLE Talks are an ongoing series featuring visionary individuals that are introducing new and original hybrid values and fostering the exchange of philosophies and ideas across different cultures.

To attend the Matthew Inman event, individuals must reserve his book 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth (And Other Useful Guides), available for $15, ahead of time at www.newpeopleworld.com.


The event offers free admission with the online reservation of his book, 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth (And Other Useful Guides), available for $15.00 at www.newpeopleworld.com. Purchased copy will be distributed at the event. Inman’s autograph session will follow the presentation in the cinema. The Oatmeal's extremely popular merchandise will be available for purchase at the event, but attendance to the NEW PEOPLE Talk will be limited to those who purchase Inman’s book. This event is expected to sell out.

Inman ‘s 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth (And Other Useful Guides) is a hilarious comics anthology filled with quirky scenes such as samurai sword-wielding kittens and hamsters that love .50-caliber machine guns commingling with a cracked-out Tyrannosaur that is extremely hard to potty train. More than 60 of the artist’s illustrations and guides are also featured in full-color, such as "4 Reasons to Carry a Shovel at All Times" and "8 Ways to Tell if Your Loved One Plans to Eat You."


Inman’s website, The Oatmeal, was created in 2009 and features his humorous comics, drawings and creative, sometimes scathing social commentaries. The site receives more than 4.6 million unique visitors and 20 million page views a month. The Oatmeal also has been featured on programs including Last Call with Carson Daily and was named by Time magazine as one of the Best Blogs of 2010. More information is available at http://theoatmeal.com/book and http://www.facebook.com/theoatmeal.

About NEW PEOPLE, Inc.
Based in San Francisco, California, NEW PEOPLE, Inc. (www.newpeopleworld.com) offers the latest films, art, fashion and retail brands from Japan through its unique entertainment destination as well as through licensing and distribution of selective Japanese films. NEW PEOPLE Entertainment (www.newpeopleent.com), a film division of NEW PEOPLE, Inc. strives to offer the most entertaining motion pictures straight from the "Kingdom of Pop" for audiences of all ages, especially the manga and anime generation, in North America. Some titles include DEATH NOTE, GANTZ, KAMIKAZE GIRLS, and THE TASTE OF TEA.

ACF 967: Author Dong Jin Kim to speak about at The Korea Society

Homer Hulbert: Crusader for Korea
A talk by author Song Jin Kim
When: Wednesday, April 6, 2011 at 6:30 PM
Where: The Korea Society
950 Third Avenue @ 57th Street, 8th Floor, NYC
Entrance on 57th Street, the south-west corner of the intersection

The Korea Society presents Dong Jin Kim, author of Crusader for Korea, a biography of Dr. Homer B. Hulbert (1863-1949), a “hidden hero” of Korean independence. The publication is the culmination of years of effort by the author to secure a proper place in Korean history for the accomplishments of foreigners, such as Dr. Hulbert, who lived their lives in the service of Korea. Dr Hulbert (1863-1949) was an education reformer, Emperor Kojong's Royal envoy, and a tireless crusader for Korean Independence.

Admission: $10 Members/Student Guests; $20 Guests; $5 Student Members

Explore Korea card holders may attend this program for FREE with REGISTRATION.

For more information and to buy tickets online, click here.

Jerry Saltz Speaks at Saint Rose

The New York City comedian - er, art critic - Jerry Saltz entertained and enlightened a full house at The College of Saint Rose's St. Joseph's Auditorium on Tuesday, making for a must-see event on the local scene.

Saltz began by taking the blame for a scheduling snafu that had the lecture (the college's first in a new series sponsored by class of '46 alumna Cathryn Buckley Arcomano) moved at late notice from Wednesday to Tuesday. "Don't forgive me," he implored the crowd, "but don't forget me."

He then went on to spend a full hour, microphone in hand, pacing the stage like a medicine show veteran, extolling the virtues of everything from pottery to long hair to Glenn Beck, dropping names and bon mots, and generally being brilliant, controversial, and - dare I say it? - sincere.

Saltz alternately glorified and berated himself, showing a fair degree of honesty in the process, but he also engaged the audience in a direct, personal way that clearly showed why he is a much sought-after speaker. Much of what he had to say was intended for the many student-artists in the room, whom he frequently and cloyingly addressed as "My loves!" and to whom he offered plenty of concrete, if perhaps somewhat difficult-to-apply advice.

One of my favorite moments came early, when Saltz asked "how many of you are artists?" Upon seeing scores of hands shoot up, he exclaimed, "God have mercy on you!"

He spoke off the cuff, occasionally consulting notes when he got off track ("Where am I going? Don't worry, I'm comin' back."), but he didn't get far off track because this was essentially a well practiced performance with clear objectives pulled out of a repertoire of ideas from which he could pick and choose as time and energy allowed.

The art world, philosophy, and politics were recurring themes that Saltz tended to weave together. "Art can change the world," he declared, "incrementally and by osmosis." About the dialogue between artists and critics, he asserted that "when someone doesn't like you or your work, it doesn't mean you or your work are bad," and then went on to exhort the members of the audience, male and female alike, to "grow a pair."

Saltz is one of those folks who has become famous on Facebook, and he waxed poetic about the value of mass communication, stating emphatically his belief that "it's possible for the many to speak to one another coherently," and citing the uprisings in the Middle East as evidence of this. Connecting to that thought, he repeatedly advised people to consider "taking matters back into your own hands."

By this I think he meant to harness the power of art, which he characterized as "part of a cosmic force ... a self-replicating force ... no more and no less important than religion, science, and philosophy ... ." "Art," he added, "is the ability to imbed thought in material."

Further wisdom from Saltz: "Pleasure is one of the most important forms of knowledge."
And: "You need to be delusional."

A lively Q&A session ended the evening, which the rest of the audience and I seemed to take pleasure in - but perhaps we were just deluding ourselves.

ACF 906: Yakuza lecture and film screening at Japan Society on March 10th

Yakuza in Popular Media & Real Life: Cracks & Chasms
Lecture plus Film Screening
When: Thursday, March 10, 2010 at 6:30 PM
(Film to follow at approxiamately 8:15 PM)
Where: Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street, NYC
(between 1st and 2nd Avenues)

From popular films to games and comic books, yakuza culture has been portrayed and discussed in many media. Jake Adelstein, author of Tokyo Vice--one of the rare books revealing real yakuza culture in Japan--discusses the differences between the image the yakuza want to project and how the major groups really function, and what the taboos are of depicting yakuza in Japan.

After the Lecture:
Onibi: The Fire Within (at approximately 8:15 pm)
Directed by Rokuro Mochizuki
With Yoshio Harada, Reiko Kataoka, Sho Aikawa
Japan, 1996, 101 minutes, 35mm, color
In Japanese with live English subtitles

Often regarded as Rokuro Mochizuki's masterpiece, Onibi injects both sexual passion and subdued sentiment into the macho world of yakuza cinema. Jake Adelstein introduces the film.

TICKETS:
Lecture only: $12/$8 Japan Society members, seniors & students
Film only: $12/$9 Japan Society members, seniors & students
Lecture & Film: $16/$12 Japan Society members

Special offer available only at Japan Society Box Office or by telephone at (212) 715-1258. Offer not available online.

Buy Lecture Only Tickets Online or call the Japan Society Box Office at (212) 715-1258, Mon. - Fri. 11 am - 6 pm, Weekends 11 am - 5 pm.

This lecture and film screening are part of Japan Society's film series Hardest Men in Town: Yakuza Chronicles of Sin, Sex & Violence, which runs from March 9 - 19, 2011.

ACF 830: Korea In-Depth Lecture Series

The Korea Society, NY, will be presenting six of the world’s top experts in Korean studies in a new lecture series called Korea In-Depth. Dive deep into the history, politics, and arts of a dynamic country, close ally, and important trading partner of the United States.

Each lecture in the six-week series will feature a different scholar who will address thought-provoking developments in contemporary issues, literature, history, art, music, and architecture.

Anyone fascinated by the explosive growth of East Asia in world affairs and culture will benefit from this first-ever lecture series. Come and take in all six lectures—or however many you’d like—to deepen your awareness of Korea and its impact on Asia and the world.

The Korea In-Depth lectures will be held from 6:30 - 8:30 PM on Thursdays, from February 10th to March 17th, 2011.

For full info about all six lectures and to register in advance, click here.

The Korea Society is located at:
950 Third Ave @ 57th Street, 8th Floor
(The entrance is on 57th, the South-West corner of the intersection)
New York, NY 10022

ACF 727: The J-Pop Influence - lecture at Japan Society tonight, Tuesday, October 12th

The J-Pop Influence:
A Western Obsession
Tuesday, October 12, 6:30 PM

I just got notified about this event at Japan Society, so wanted to pass it on immediately.

Simone Legno, creator, Tokidoki; and Matthew Waldman, Chief Creative Officer & President, Nooka, Inc. will discuss how modern Japan has influenced the design of their clothing, accessories, watches and toys.

Buy Tickets Online or call the Japan Society Box Office at (212) 715-1258.

Japan Society is located at 333 East 47th Street, between 1st and 2nd avenues, New York, NY 10017