Emily Dickinson International Society (EDIS) in Kyoto, August 2007

Japanese Scholar's Site on the Kyoto Conference

2007-08-22T05:54:00.000-07:00

Dear EDIS Comrades:

One of our Japanese colleagues has produced a lovely site that captures the look and feel of the conference--from the door to the Palace Side hotel and their sign welcoming us to pictures of presenters at various sessions. Many thanks to Ms. Akira Asano for allowing me to link to her site (just click on the image of the program above or the hot link in the first sentence to access it).

Enjoy!
--mn

From the Beginning and the End of the Conference. . . .

2007-08-21T19:24:00.000-07:00

Dear Comrades:

Our local organizer, Professor Hiroko Uno, has sent the following pictures from the very beginning of the conference--the Board dinner the night before the conference's opening plenary--and the very end of the conference--visiting sights in Kyoto with conference participants.

(More pictures will be posted tomorrow!)

In Possibility,
mn

Michael Yetman, Jonnie Guerra, and Bob Eberwein

Gudrun Grabher and Junko Kanazawa

Martha Nell Smith, Mary Loeffelholz, Marilee Lindemann, Vivian Pollak

Eleanor Heginbotham, Georgiana Strickland, Jane Eberwein

Those are from our Board banquet on August 2. These below are from August 7, when Hiroko was still guiding participants around the sights of Kyoto and other places of particular literary interest:

Cynthia Hallen, Rebecca Romney, Stephanie Tingley at Ishiyama-dera Temple in Otsu, where Lady Murasaki often visited and stayed. People believe that she made the outline of The Tale of Genji there.

Lady Murasaki at Ishiyama-dera Temple

Send Pictures, Anecdotes, Reflections

2007-08-11T07:18:00.001-07:00

Dear EDIS Comrades -- I'm writing from Tokyo. Tomorrow is our last day in Japan, and we return to Takoma Park on Monday. After that, as promised, I'll be adding some of my stories about the marvelous Kyoto conference.

However, I'd like to take this opportunity to invite those of you who attended the conference to send me pictures, anecdotes, and reflections on this wonderful meeting and I'll post them here so that we can all share them.

And, for those of you who were with us in spirit but not in the flesh, please send comments, queries, and anything else you think would be a "mutual plum" for those of us engaged in and with the writings of Emily Dickinson. I believe one of the youngest members of our group--Eleanor Linafelt--has something she might like to pass along to us all, and so I invite her to do so.

Here's hoping this finds you all enjoying a blissful end to summer, as am I. This August has exceeded my wildest and highest expectations, and it is only the 11th.

In Possibility,
mn

“Arigato”

2007-08-05T07:54:00.000-07:00

THAT's the word I was looking for last night. “Arigato” to Hiroko Uno and all our wonderful hosts. This conference could not have been better.

Peace,
Martha Nell Smith

Today the Board Meeting; Tomorrow the Conference Begins!

2007-08-01T16:18:00.000-07:00

Dear EDIS Comrades:

This conference has exceeded my/our very high expectations. How I wish that those of you who are not here, could be here. Connectivity has been a bit of a problem (both because of schedule--you can't attend sessions and dinners and post comments--and because I have to be connected via a LAN line rather than through wireless), so you've not heard from me as much as I had imagined. However, I will be posting more over the next few days, and when I return to Maryland August 14 will post more extensive comments than I can manage to mount at this time.

Since we've arrived in Kyoto, we've been treated to a traditional Japanese dinner by the Emily Dickinson Society of Japan at a temple (Thursday., August 2); enjoyed a sumptuous feast at the conference banquet (Friday, August 3), which was followed by a lecture on the way of tea by a distinguished Japanese scholar; been treated to two days of remarkable presentations by Japanese and scholars from ten different countries; and now look forward to another morning of presentations.

Some conferees headed off this afternoon for an excursion that included a traditional tea ceremony (thanks SO much Hiroko Uno for arranging this!), while others charted various tours on their own around this beautiful city. My partner and I did the latter, joining Mary Loeffelholz in tours of three temples, two shrines, and ended up in a marvelous hole-in-the-wall restaurant that served delicious food delightfully. We speak almost no Japanese and they spoke little English, but we managed to communicate through pointing, gesturing, and drawing (the most fun in that regard was Mary's drawing of an octopus), and we ate one of the best meals we've ever had in our lives, managed to say "Thank you" in Japanese (alas, I'll have to add this later--my partner just went upstairs with the Fodor's and I can't remember; honestly, I'm afraid I'll misspell even the transliteration). They appreciated our effort and we deeply appreciated their wonderful meal preparation. Delectable, it was also beautifully arranged.

But the most important food we've had the good fortune to consume here has been the intellectual and poetic exchange between and among the scholars gathered for this days-long reflection on the writings of Emily Dickinson. Scholars known and unknown have offered keen insights--Chris Benfey launched this conference with several provocative observations, and the plenaries by Katsuhiko Inada and Toshikazu Niikura (consult the conference schedule) were feasts for the mind and heart.

As I wrote earlier, those of your who are longing for pics from Japan should go to Roxie's World. When more pictures come in from delegates at the conference, I'll post them here, but until then, please enjoy my partner's letters home.

Dwelling in possibility,
Martha Nell Smith

Lost in Translation in Kyoto; On Our Way to Kyoto

2007-07-31T19:54:00.000-07:00

We've been having a marvelous time in Tyoko for the last two days, staying at the Park Hyatt Tokyo ("Lost in Translation" hotel) and seeing some sights. I must say that the Japanese people are among the most gracious in the world--we are smitten with their hospitality, with the beauty of their country and their manners, and we feel very welcome. We are very excited to head to Kyoto today, and especially excited about the Fabrics of the East conference. I will be posting as much as connectivity enables me to do so in Kyoto, and will keep careful notes and glean some from others while it is going on. Please feel free to post questions in the comments section of this blog.

If you're interested in what we've been doing in Tokyo, please visit Roxie's World.

In Possibility,
mn

Looking Forward to This Wonderful Conference

2007-06-20T12:42:00.000-07:00

Many members of the Emily Dickinson International Society (EDIS) are looking forward to our international conference in Kyoto, Japan. The conference runs from August 3-6, and you can learn more about our wonderful hosts, this beautiful city, and the conference offerings by visiting the Fabrics of the East Conference Website.

On this blog, any EDIS members and conference attendees who want to join me will keep a record of this fabulous event so that those who cannot be with us in Japan can be with us virtually. As Emily Dickinson urged, we "dwell in Possibility" and are taking advantage of a medium and mode of communication that she did not have. See you in Kyoto!
--Martha Nell Smith