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A beige Isuzu Rodeo SUV with a Virginia license plate reading "KITSUNE" is parked, and its brake lights are on. Another vehicle is partially visible to the left.

Twelve Days of Kitsune!

Christmas is one of my favorite holidays — but it wasn’t exactly popular during Heian and Kamakura eras in Japan, for obvious reasons. So here on the blog we’re going to celebrate Twelve Days of Kitsune, and each post we’ll discover a new folk tale, period foods, or… 

A black and white ink drawing of a legendary creature with the body and wings of a bird, perched on a tree. Japanese text appears in the upper left corner. The creature has a fierce expression and feathery details.

Catch a Kitsune at Anime Crossroads!

You can find the two-hour panel “Japanese Folklore & Mythology: A Primer for Anime, Manga, & Film” at Anime Crossroads on Dec 8. Admission is included with con badge. We’ll talk about Japanese folklore, supernatural creatures such as tengu and dragons and kitsune, why it’s smart to fart… 

Six people stand outdoors on grass, surrounded by leafless trees. The central figure wears a long dress, while the others are dressed in darker modern clothing. The lighting is subdued and the sky appears overcast.

Prepping for NaNoWriMo and Kitsune-Mochi

Assassin's Creed
Assassin’s Creed (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I don’t typically attempt NaNoWriMo in the way that many writers do — I mean, actually writing a new novel — but I do use it as a shameless excuse to dedicate more time to side projects I wouldn’t otherwise. I have no memory of what I did with it last year, honestly, but two years ago I wrote an Renaissance espionage/thriller novella based on too many hours of Assassin’s Creed parkour and a single Within Temptation lyric. You need NaNoWriMo to justify toys like that.

Five illustrated yokai monsters from Japanese folklore are shown against a plain background. Each creature has a distinct appearance, including unusual limbs, eyes, and faces. The illustration is signed "Kent Komoda.

Laura Presents on Japanese Folklore at Gen Con Indianapolis

I will be presenting a two-hour panel on Japanese Folklore & Mythology at Gen Con Indianapolis, August 19, 2012. We’ll have two hours to talk about Japanese folklore, supernatural creatures, and why it’s smart to fart at a kappa and greet your friends with, “Moshi moshi!”

Black and white line drawing of a fox with nine tails, shown sitting and looking over its shoulder. There are three Chinese characters on the right side of the image.

Laura Presents on Japanese Folklore at AnimeWorld Chicago

I will be presenting a two-hour panel on Japanese Folklore & Mythology at AnimeWorld Chicago, August 3-5, 2012. Though it’s really about the fascinating creatures and stories of Eastern legend, I’ll drop in a bit about the world of Kitsune-Tsuki!