Adam Kabat’s The River Imp and the Stinky Jewel and Other Tales: Monster Comics from Edo Japan (Columbia UP, 2023) is an in-depth introduction to the rich and ribald world of kibyōshi, a short-lived (1778-1807) subgenre of books combining text and illustration on the same page, much like comic books and manga today. This book presents a selection of five kib ... Show More
Aug 15
Aarthi Vadde, "We the Platform: How the Internet Changed Twenty-First-Century Literature (Columbia UP, 2026)
We the Platform: How the Internet Changed Twenty-First-Century Literature (Columbia University Press 2026) by Aarthi Vadde is a groundbreaking account of mass writing in the twenty-first century, identifying rarely recognized forms of literary possibility amid the profound upheav ... Show More
32m 22s
Aug 12
Jarvis C. McInnis, "Afterlives of the Plantation: Plotting Agrarian Futures in the Global Black South" (Columbia UP, 2025)
Built on the grounds of a former cotton plantation, the Tuskegee Institute, founded by Booker T. Washington, offered agricultural and industrial education as a strategy for Black self-determination. There―and in many other communities in the U.S. South, the Caribbean, and Cent ... Show More
1h 6m
Aug 10
Tsering Döndrup, "The Red Wind Howls" (Columbia UP, 2025)
The Red Wind Howls (Columbia UP, 2025) is an unsettling, gripping, and darkly funny novel by Tsering Döndrup, one of modern Tibet’s most celebrated writers. First self-published in 2006 after no publisher was willing to take the political risk, the novel traces Tibetan experience ... Show More
46m 15s
Feb 2025
Jaqueline Berndt, "The Cambridge Companion to Manga and Anime" (Cambridge UP, 2024)
In recent years, manga and anime have attracted increasing scholarly interest beyond the realm of Japanese studies. This Companion takes a unique approach, committed to exploring both the similarities and differences between these two distinct but interrelated media forms. Firmly ... Show More
42 m
Nov 2024
Mimi Okabe, "Manga, Murder and Mystery: The Boy Detectives of Japan’s Lost Generation" (Bloomsbury, 2023)
Little is known about the boy detective in Japanese detective fiction despite his popularity. Who is he, and what mysteries does he unveil about cultural understandings of youth in Japanese society?
Manga, Murder and Mystery: The Boy Detectives of Japan’s Lost Generation (Bloomsb ... Show More
23m 22s
Oct 2024
From the Vault: Kaibyō: The Strange Cats of Japan, Part 2
Spooky cats are an iconic part of Halloween, so in this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe dive into the world of Kaibyō: the various strange and supernatural cats found in Japanese tradition. (originally published 10/19/2023)See omnystudio.com/listener fo ... Show More
1 h
Oct 2024
From the Vault: Kaibyō: The Strange Cats of Japan, Part 1
Spooky cats are an iconic part of Halloween, so in this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe dive into the world of Kaibyō: the various strange and supernatural cats found in Japanese tradition. (originally published 10/17/2023)See omnystudio.com/listener fo ... Show More
51m 41s
Feb 2021
214-Japanese Folklore: Take Your Lumps
<p>Two short stories from Japan. On the first, an old man is in a tree surrounded by demons and faced with a desperate choice. On the second, a man has a pet that his wife is not thrilled about, so she makes that known. With scissors.</p>
<p>The creature is a sad cow! Or a vamp ... Show More
32m 58s
Dec 2019
Terrifying Tales of Japan
Japan is no stranger to rich folklore on various mythical beasts and urban legends, and not all of these stories are pleasant. Some tell of horrifying creatures. Others, about tyrannical demons. Join us today as we investigate the terrors in Japan. First, we'll take a voyage acro ... Show More
35m 38s
Oct 2019
From the Vault: Monstrosity/Cuteness Spectrum
It seems the unavoidable fate of all terrifying monsters, doesn’t it? We reduce the most horrifying creatures of myth, legend and folklore to an adorable kids costume or a mega-cute illustration. Why can’t we help ourselves? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and ... Show More
1h 23m