Think global; act local. Kyoto residents have a chance this weekend to act on this aphorism, joining a global cultural event without even leaving Japan.

The Japan International Poetry Society (JIPS), a group of bilingual poets founded in 2009, will host a poetry reading and discussion on Sept. 28. The event, titled "Transformation of Self, Metamorphosis of Mind," is being held in conjunction with 100,000 Poets for Change, a worldwide series that unites poetry with activism and was founded by American poet Michael Rothenberg. The series gathers poets, artists, musicians, writers from across the globe who hope to make a change in their localities through their art.

The theme of this year's Kyoto event centers around the possibility for change within the self, but also for society.

Featured at the Kyoto event will be poets Atsusuke Tanaka, Jane Joritz-Nakagawa, Leah Ann Sullivan, Sean Lotman, Eric Selland, Goro Takano, Trane DeVore, Ikuyo Yoshimura, Kiyoko Ogawa and Yoko Danno. Admission is free and open to the public; pre-registration is not necessary.

100,000 Poets for Change takes place at Heartpia Kyoto's Conference Room #4 in Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto, on Sept. 28 (1 p.m. till 5 p.m., For more information, call 075-222-1977 or visit www.100tpc.org. Contact Yoko Danno or Jane Joritz-Nakagawa via email at [email protected] or [email protected], respectively.