The rising Japanese literary star, ANDO Jose, is making his international literary festival debut at the Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) this year! Mr. Ando debuted in 2020 with Jackson Alone, whose English translation was published earlier this year. All three of Mr. Ando’s published works so far were nominated for the Akutagawa prize, one of the most prestigious literary prizes in Japan, with one winning work, DTOPIA. Mr. Ando is known for writing mixed-race and queer characters and discussing race, sexuality, and identity through his works. 

On October 30, the author will converse with moderator Viveka Ichikawa about his creative works, especially Jackson Alone; the significance of his characters’ identities and experiences; and the reasons why he writes on the themes that he does. The pair will discuss the importance of featuring minorities in literature and how Mr. Ando has been able to convey this message to his readers.

*Registrants are encouraged to arrive on time when doors open at 5:30 PM. We will have an in-person waiting line before the event, where we will release any empty seats, on a first-come first-served basis. 

*Following the talk event, there will be a book-signing session with ANDO Jose. The signing session is exclusively available to registered participants; you must already be onsite for the event prior to the signing session. There is no separate registration for the signing session.

Register Here

Guest

Jose Ando was born and raised in Tokyo, and is of African-Asian heritage. His debut novel Jackson Alone was awarded the 59th Bungei Prize. It was also shortlisted for the Akutagawa Prize, as was his second novel, The Camouflaged Man. His third novel, Dtopia, won the 172nd Akutagawa Prize, solidifying his presence as one of Japan’s brightest young literary stars. 

Explore ‘Jackson Alone’ on JF Canada Digital Library

Moderator

Viveka Ichikawa (she/her), PhD, MSW, RSW, is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at Toronto Metropolitan University. She is a mixed heritage Japanese cis woman and a settler migrant to Tkaronto. Her scholarship is deeply informed and inspired by anti-oppressive, decolonial, anti-racist, and critical feminist thinkers, activists, writers, and scholars. As a psychotherapist, she has worked closely with racialized and LGBTQ+ migrant communities, as well as mixed heritage individuals, couples, and families. She has led and co-led research initiatives in Canada and Japan with self-identified mixed heritage people, exploring their experiences of racialization and racism, as well as mental health and well-being. She currently serves as a Global Representative of the Critical Mixed Race Studies Association (2026–2028) and is passionate about strengthening global collaboration and increasing representation from the Global South and formerly colonized parts of the world within Critical Mixed Race Studies.  

Interpreter

Jocelyne Allen is a Japanese translator and interpreter and has translated hundreds of short stories, novels, and manga, including the Eisner Award-winning Frankenstein by Junji Ito and the critically acclaimed Our Dreams at Dusk by Yuhki Kamatani. As an interpreter, she has worked with Japan’s most celebrated authors and artists, including Sayaka Murata, Nagata Kabi, Kyoko Nakajima, and Asano Inio. @brainvsbook

Co-presented by

Related Programming

Lives on the Line 
Saturday, October 31, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm (ET) In-person at Emmanuel College, Room 119 (75 Queen’s Park Crescent, Toronto) | Ticketed Admission | Available Now

Akutagawa Prize-winning author Jose Ando and writer, editor, and musician Jared Bland, writing under the pen name Alex Spring, come together for a gripping conversation about crime, identity, community and justice. In Ando’s Jackson Alone, four queer, mixed-race Black Japanese men come together to investigate the sudden emergence of a violent pornographic video that features someone who looks like them, revealing the depths of racism and homophobia along the way. In Bland’s Lower City, a young steelworker is drawn into a dangerous world after a brutal crime shakes his Hamilton community, forcing him to confront fear, division and his own sense of responsibility. Together, the authors will explore how crime fiction can reveal the fault lines in our communities, and what it takes to find solidarity and justice when the stakes are high.

A book signing will follow this event.

Details here