Managing editor Meg Taylor talks about MONKEY, an annual anthology that showcases translations of works by top Japanese writers and that has recently launched a new fiction-in-translation imprint with Stone Bridge Press.
Managing Editor Meg Taylor talks about MONKEY, an annual anthology that showcases translations of works by top Japanese writers and that has recently launched a new fiction-in-translation imprint with Stone Bridge Press.
MONKEY New Writing from Japan is set to launch volume 4, whose theme is Music. Previous volumes have focused on Food, Travel, and Crossings (transitioning out of the pandemic). Printed in color throughout and featuring fiction, essays, graphic art, and photographs, MONKEY is a stunning overview of Japanese literary and artistic creativity, each year presenting new creators and contexts, as well as introducing the very best talent in the art of translation. Expertly edited and curated by Motoyuki Shibata in Japan and Ted Goossen in Toronto, MONKEY is a must-read for anyone interested in Japanese literature and culture.
From December 2022 Stone Bridge Press began publishing new book-length works under the MONKEY imprint for distribution in print and digital formats throughout the world. The first two titles were The Thorn Puller by Hiromi Ito (trans. Jeffrey Angles) and Dragon Palace by Hiromi Kawakami (trans. Ted Goossen). In spring of 2024 Stone Bridge/MONKEY will release Takaoka's Travels by Tatsuhiko Shibusawa (trans. David Boyd).
In this conversation with Stone Bridge Press publisher Peter Goodman, Meg Taylor talks about MONKEY's mission and approach to presenting Japanese literature for an international audience. Topics covered include:
Click here to visit the MONKEY website.
The MONKEY fiction imprint at Stone Bridge Press
The Thorn Puller by Hiromi Ito
Dragon Palace by Hiromi Kawakami
Managing Editor Meg Taylor is the founder of the nonprofit MONKEY New Writing from Japan, based in Pittsburgh. She edits Japanese literature in translation and art books and exhibition catalogues. She is also the academic coordinator for the Publishing program at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) in Toronto.
Peter Goodman is publisher of Stone Bridge Press in Berkeley, California, which for over thirty years has specialized in books on Asia, especially Japan and China. For a complete list of Stone Bridge Press books, visit www.stonebridge.com.