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By Purdy, Director of Publicity

I recently lunched with the publicity director at Kodansha’s US office. In the interest of full disclosure, OUP distributes Kodansha books in the US, so it gives us an excuse to lunch at nice restaurants each season to talk shop. As we whined about the media and dined on the Parisian/Maghreb fare at Barbes on 36th St., our conversation took the inevitable turn to books and authors we were excited about on our respective Spring lists. I confessed I favored working with Ashraf Ghani & Clare Lockhart on their book about fixing failing states in this crazy mixed up world we live in. I confessed that as a young idealist in the 80s I dreamed of changing the world, but Ghani & Lockhart were actually doing it. They were consulting with world leaders of foreign governments and trying to make the world a better place. I confessed that it gave me a rush and chills to think that somehow I was contributing to their great good efforts, that I was living what i had only dreamed of doing as a boy in upstate New York.

Jennifer nodded. Then she got a gleam in her eye and she told me all about her fave title on the Spring 2008 Kodansha list, A Geisha’s Journey: My Life As a Kyoto Apprentice. It was a book about young Japanese girl who sets out to master the ancient art of being geisha. I was fascinated as Jennifer spoke about young Ruriko’s transformation from a 15 year old school girl into the adult geisha, Komomo.

Komomo is appearing in NYC this week and a brief interview with Komomo appears below.

Event Notes:

On Friday, May 23 at 1 p.m. there will be a signing and permformance at Kinokuniyya (Bryant Park Store), 1073 Avenue of the Americas.

At 3:30 there will also be an informal signing and performance at the Ippodo Gallery, 521 W. 26th Street.

On Saturday, May 24 at 3 p.m., Komomo will be appearing at Kiteya Soho, 464 Broome St., New York, NY (near Greene St.). She will be autographing books and performing.

Komomo will also teach a two-day geisha workshop at the Japan Society on May 21 and 22. She will participate in a lecture featuring Ogino on May 22. (Sorry! This is sold-out).

OUPblog: In the book, you expressed some uncertainty before you became a geisha. What doubts were going through your mind?

Komomo: I wasn’t sure if I was ready to become a full geisha because they are required to entertain the customers with their “skills in the arts” much more than an apprentice. Also, I thought that perhaps I should experience the outside world at that time because I thought I might miss opportunities.

OUP: “Geisha Experience Tours” – in which everyday women are dressed as apprentices and are professionally photographed in popular sites throughout Kytoto – have become very popular lately. Do you feel that these tourist excursions have commercialized or tarnished the image of the geisha profession?

Komomo: I think so. If everyday women walk in the city in geisha costume, I want them to somehow indicate that they are not professional geisha.

OUP: You lost many freedoms when you made the decision to become a geisha. How difficult was that for a teenager to live under such restrictions?

Komomo: I once thought about quitting the apprenticeship without becoming a geisha because I wanted to be free and to choose whatever I wanted to do in the outside world – I wanted to go to university, study abroad, etc.

However, as I mulled it over and over, I realized I hadn’t achieved anything that I could be proud of. Whatever path I decided to take, I thought I would need to have some kind of expertise to contribute – otherwise no one would take me seriously. I decided to continue my work in the hanamachi (geisha district) because I thought, even if I had freedom, it wouldn’t do me any good until I achieved something and found something to be proud of. At that time, though, I felt like I was in limbo – like I still had a lot to accomplish.

OUP: Is there anything you miss about the outside world or anything that you regret you’re missing?

Komomo: I think it’s never too late to start anything. If there is something that I want to do, I will do it. There is nothing that I regret.

OUP: What do you do in your free time?

Komomo: Once in a while, when I get free time, I usually dine out and go shopping with my friends.

OUP: What does the future hold for you? Do you still have the option of marrying and having a family while being a geisha?

Komomo: I believe that being a geisha is a lifelong profession—we can continue to work as a geisha regardless of age. However, in today’s hanamachi in Kyoto, geisha usually quit their jobs when they decide to get married. This might change in the future, though. Unlike the old days, geisha don’t have a danna (a rich man who acts as a geisha’s individual patron), therefore, if we want to continue working as a geisha, getting married might become an obstacle.

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Wow - yesterday's post generated 76 LJ comments overnight. I think that may be a record. They are fascinating to read through. Thank you everyone for sharing your opinion about this.

After dinner last night, I wrote back to her. I decided that this was indeed a "teachable moment" and if I was going to complain about emails like this, I should reach out and try to help. MySpace said Courtney was online when I sent it.

"Dear Courtney,

Are you sure that you want to write a "different" paper? Because I have a very interesting idea if you do.

Sincerely,
Laurie Halse Anderson

PS - When you write back, please don't use the abbreviations you use when texting your friends. I really love English, punctuation and all. Yes, I know it's a pain, but that's what you have to deal with if you write to an author."

So far, she hasn't written back. I suspect she won't because I am certain the paper was due yesterday.

I think I need a new page on the web site. I could title it: "kan i rite 2 u?" The page will explain the no-homework policy and give kids the basic facts they want for papers as well as links to more information. And it will gently point out the differences between formal and informal writing styles.

As to srtajustice's post about language evolution, I am tempted to agree, but I think it is too soon to tell. The technology that is fueling these abbreviations and linguistic short-cuts is itself rapidly evolving. I don't think the teenagers in ten years will be using the same kinds of phones or IMing to communicate, so I don't think this language will stick around.

I predict that in ten years, the FaceBook equivalent will have groups called "u gru up in teh 00s if u rite lik dis." And people will chuckle fondly.

Have any of you shared this with your students? What did they say?
Any last thoughts?

Teachers - here is an email that came into my MySpace account on Sunday afternoon. I have not altered it one bit except to put quotations around it.

"hi my names courtney. and 1st i would like to say thanks so much for aprovin me. :] i have this english report and we had to pick an author to write about and i chose u. do u have anything interestin bout u that i could put in there any cool facts or anything. i really want my paper to be different. if u could message me back today that would be great thanks so much bye"

This is very typical of the email I get. Sadly. (edited to add: Courtney claims to be a high school freshman on her page.)

My inclination is to hit the delete key. My strong-worded "I won't do your homework" policy is everywhere. With just the tiniest amount of effort, the student can find all kinds of information about me - like on my website.

And for the record - the use of "u" for "you" and the total disregard for capitalization and punctuation (fine for texting friends, but not fine in this context), not to mention the other grammar errors - make my teeth hurt.

What do you think about this? Am I being appallingly old-fashioned and cranky? If this were your student, how would you want me to respond? I am not looking to make Courtney feel stupid or ignorant, but I want to be the village auntie and tell her it is time to raise her standards.

Or I could just hit the delete key.

What do you think?