Press Release
HKBU International Writers’ Workshop features Japanese Poet Yasuhiro Yotsumoto
Tuesday, 7 November 2023
The International Writers’ Workshop (IWW) at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) will host its Distinguished Writers Series in November. Mr Yasuhiro Yotsumoto, an award-winning poet from Japan, will share his insights on poetry writing with HKBU students at a masterclass on 13 November. He will also discuss his works at the Literary Reading and Conversation on 14 November to inspire literary creativity in teachers and students of HKBU and the general public.
Born in Osaka, Japan, Mr Yotsumoto mainly writes in his mother language Japanese. However, most of his writing journey is spent outside Japan, with the first eight years in the US and the subsequent 26 years in Germany. He has published 15 poetry collections, two novels, and numerous volumes of essays and literary criticism. He has won several awards for his exceptional poetry collections, including the Ayukawa Nobuo Award for Prisoner of Japanese, and the Hagiwara Sakutaro Award for Afternoon of Forbidden Words. Mr Yotsumoto is also actively engaged in translating foreign language poetry. Notably, he translated Kid written by Simon Armitage into Japanese, and curated anthologies for both classical poets (Dante Meets Li Po) and contemporary poets (Poetics Homo Sapiens).
The Literary Reading and Conversation session on 14 November is free of charge and open to the public. Those who are interested in joining can register online. Only HKBU students can join the masterclass with limited quota.
Further details about the event can be found on the webpage of the Faculty of Arts and the IWW Facebook page.
Each year in the fall semester, the IWW’s Distinguished Writers Series honours one esteemed international writer who will give a literary reading and discuss his or her literary works with local writers and readers. IWW also runs a competitive residency programme in the spring semester each year, with an open call for applications from potential writers-in-residence who will be featured at the IWW Literary Festival in March. IWW will organise a series of events to celebrate its 20th anniversary at the 2024 Literary Festival with details to be announced soon.
About IWW
Founded in 2004, the International Writers’ Workshop (IWW) is one of the signature programmes in the Faculty of Arts at HKBU. The IWW has hosted nearly 150 writers from more than 53 different countries, and it is one of the few writers-in-residence programmes in Asia. A self-funded, non-profit initiative, the IWW has promoted world-leading cultural and educational activities throughout its history, and it remains a reliable stakeholder championing HKBU’s commitment to the literary arts in Hong Kong, the nation, the region, and the world. Please visit our website and Facebook page for further information.
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