The SoA’s 2024 events calendar will launch in fine style on 29 January with a special Japan Week of online events.

The four events will reflect on different aspects of Japanese culture – visual, physical and how we translate its stories for an English-speaking audience – and will mark the announcement on 7 February of the inaugural Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation (GBSF) Prize for literary translations from Japanese.

• Industry Insider – Preserving culture in translation
  29 January 2024 / 14:00 / online
  A panel discussion on how words and stories cross borders
  
  
• Afternoon Tea with Polly Barton
  1 February 2024 / 14:30 / online
  In conversation with the writer and translator
  
  
• Feel Good Friday draw along with Kiriko Kubo
  2 February 2024 / 11:00 / online
  Get creative with the acclaimed illustrator
  
  
• Feel Good Friday – A virtual tour of downtown Tokyo
  2 February 2024 / 14:00 / online
  Explore the city with Angus Lockyer & Jelena Sofronijevic

To mark the week, we have commissioned original artwork from Japanese illustrator and visual artist, Kiriko Kubo.

Commenting on the upcoming programme, the SoA’s Head of Events Sophia A Jackson, said:

We are excited to be kicking off our 2024 #SoAatHome online events programme with a collaboration with our Prizes department, a week of activity celebrating Japanese literature and illustration.  As we launch our inaugural Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation Prize for translations of books from Japanese into English, this is a great way to champion Japanese culture and we hope you will tune in to one or more of the four events – whether it’s a panel discussion, in-conversation event or a Feel Good Friday draw along, there should be something for everyone.

We announced the shortlist for the GBSF Prize on 1 December, as part of the 2023 Translation Prizes. The winners of all eight prizes will be celebrated in a ceremony at the British Library Knowledge Centre – in-venue and streamed online – on 7 February.

#SoAatHome 2024 Spring / Summer festival

Other events in the first half of 2024 include Afternoon Teas with Bonnie Garmus, Nicola Solomon and Kim Moore; Industry Insiders on ghostwriting contracts, festivals and sustainable publishing; Professional Development events on self-promotion, setting boundaries and collaboration; and Feel Good Fridays on writing in nature, draw alongs, and more.

To find out more and reserve your place, visit societyofauthors.org/events.