Hey, my blog speaks Japanese!
If you can read the title of this post, come and meet me in Japan, because that’s where I’ll be very soon.
Over the last few months I’ve used various euphemisms to allude to this news: “something else exciting, yet to be announced”; “a forthcoming writing-related trip”; “a bunch of other bits and pieces”; “other news on the horizon which is the current source of both excitement and blind panic”.
It is still all of those things, the last one most acutely. But now there has been a formal announcement, so I can at least spill the edamame:
I am thrilled to be the recipient of an Asialink Literature Residency and will be spending three months in Nagoya from April-July.
Here’s an excerpt from my official bio which explains what I’ll be up to:
During her residency at Aichi Shukutoku University, McKinlay will bring together her academic and creative interests, researching and developing a novel for adults centering on Australian-Japanese cross-cultural negotiations against the backdrop of the Second World War. She will also establish links with Japanese poets and children’s writers.
And if you’d like to learn about Asialink and the various programs on offer, you can visit their website here.
I am indebted to the WA Department of Culture and the Arts and the Australia-Japan Foundation for making my residency possible.
Meg McKinlay 
Omedetou gozaimasu!!!!!!! What a great opportunity Meg! Eat lots of umeboshi onigiri for me please 🙂 Congratulations!
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Thanks Cristy! I'll be happy to take care of your umeboshi quota. Any particular karaoke I should keep in mind on your behalf?
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Sounds exciting, Meg! Congratulations. Do you speak Japanese?
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Thanks, Kate. And yes, I do, though I'm pretty rusty at the moment, not having been for several years.
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Huzzah! Japan gains a(nother) fabulous writer..at least temporarily!
I have already planned the karaoke menu…
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私のｂｌｏｇも日本語ができます! It's so neat that you're in Nagoya! There should still be cherry blossoms there…right?
Have a great time and please think of me when you're eating sushi or unagi!
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Mary, your blog is a wonder on so many levels!
I am not quite in Nagoya yet – five days and counting (I'm hoping the cherry blossoms will hang on just a little longer). I will certainly raise a norimaki in your general direction when I get there.
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