What a lively crew we were yesterday at our Tokyo Station meeting! Burton Watson, Philip Rowland, and special guest stars Yoko Danno and Jane Nakagawa joined us for great literary conversation, middling to good soba, and Ahadada business talk. We’d planned to pick up Mark Spitzer’s Demon Tool from the printer’s after the meeting, but found through a timely phone call that it wasn’t quite ready. Friday afternoon is the magic day.

Our conversation ranged from Laura Riding (Philip’s specialty), through Gertrude Stein, Cid Corman, and Lindley Williams Hubbell. Jane will be joining us on some Ahadada projects and will be publishing her next book with us, and Yoko Danno showed me a new, exciting manuscript. We also did some minor editing on her endlessly forthcoming Kojiki. (Good news–it’s almost done!) The only members missing were Danny S. (had to work), and Dan S. off in the wilds of Canadada. After coffee Burton had to scurry off early, Philip lingered to jaw more about Riding with Jane, and then he too hit the tube. Jane, Yoko, and I scoured Maruzen for some books. Yoko bought a translation of Rumi’s love poems, Jane an anthology of 20th centry French poetry with a great selection of younger poets, and I picked up Sweeny Todd or the String of pearls, and the Yellow House–a close look at what happened between Gauguin and Van Gogh during the time they made art together. What a memorable day! Jess