The upcoming "Ueno Poetrican Jam" is being touted as the biggest poetry-reading event ever to be held in Japan. About 60 poets have been selected from volunteers to participate, and recognized poets such as Sandaime Uotake, Shigeo Hamada and Ikuo Tani will also be on the bill.
Tani is senior editor of Wasteland, a journal in Japanese of word, music and poetry. He coordinates the monthly "Wasteland Gathering," a series of open-mike talks and poetry readings every fourth Friday at Tower Records in Shibuya, from 6:30 p.m. In the spring issue of Wasteland you can find Tani's interview with Hajime Kijima, focusing on the work of Langston Hughes, whose autobiography Kijima translated into Japanese.
"Ueno Poetrican Jam," Sept. 3, noon-8 p.m. at Suijo Ongaku-do in Ueno (the open-air stage beside Shinobazu Pond). For more information (in Japanese), contact Heartland at tel/fax (03) 5310-2520, or check out the "Ueno Poetrican Jam" Web site at www.3rdeyedisc.com/poetrican/