On this episode of the Books on Asia Podcast, sponsored by Stone Bridge Press, we have guest interviewer Lisa Wilcut speaking with award-winning writer and translator Meredith McKinney. McKinney is translator of many Japanese classics such as Sei Shonagon's 11th-century "The Pillow Book" and the 14th-century "Essays in Idleness," which was published along with "Hōjōki." She has also translated "Kusamakura" and "Kokoro" (see our review) by Natsume Sōseki, one of Japan's most celebrated modern writers. Today, she is going to talk about her long career and also about her just-released book on the wandering poet Saigyō called "Gazing at the Moon" (Shambala, September, 2021).

The Books on Asia Podcast is sponsored by Stone Bridge Press, publisher of fine books on Asia for over 30 years. Subscribe to the Books on Asia Podcast.

About the Interviewer

Lisa Wilcut is a writer, editor, translator, and educator based in Yokohama. She writes and edits works on Japanese culture for both scholarly and general audiences and teaches courses in Japanese society and culture as well as philosophy at the University of Maryland Global Campus in Yokosuka. She holds an MA in Japanese language and literature from Stanford University and an MA in philosophy from San Francisco State University. She also writes short fiction and poetry. Find her on LinkedIn.