Lisa Ko's The Leavers at Smithfield Critics Book Discussion Group, July 18 downtown.

Lisa Ko's The Leavers will be the topic of discussion with the Smithfield Critics Book Discussion Group at the downtown branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.

One morning, Deming’s mother, Polly, an undocumented Chinese immigrant, goes to her job at a nail salon and never comes home. With his mother gone, eleven-year-old Deming is left mystified and bereft. Eventually adopted by a pair of well-meaning white professors, Deming is moved from the Bronx to a small town upstate and renamed Daniel Wilkinson. Far from all he’s ever known, Daniel struggles to reconcile his adoptive parents’ desire that he assimilate with his memories of his mother and the community he left behind.

The group meets from 12:00 to 1:00 pm, and the library is located at 612 Smithfield St. (map).

Pipa soloist Yang Jin in Oakland, September 23.

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's branch in Oakland will host pipa soloist Yang Jin on September 23 as part of its World Kaleidoscope series.

2016 Stephen Chow movie The Mermaid (美人鱼) at Oakland's Carnegie Library in October.

The October installment of International Cinema Sunday will feature the 2016 Stephen Chow movie The Mermaid (美人鱼), the highest-grossing movie in China that year.

Shutaro Noguchi playing at Howlers, July 12.

Japanese musician Shutaro Noguchi (currently based in Louisville, Kentucky) will play at Howlers on July 12. A Forced Exposure review describes his forthcoming LP thus:

[T]he sound is wonderfully hybridized. At times its merger of prog, pop, fusionism and complexity make me think of a collision between the Glenn Phillips Band and Todd Rundgren's Utopia with Terje Rypdal sittin' in. I know I'm making it sound like a crazy quilt, and I suppose if sort of is, but only in the sense that it avoids the monochromaticism of so much contemporary music. Shutaro does not grab a single schtick and just shake it until his arm is tired. He mixes up of ballads and thunder (sometimes in a single song) in a way that strikes me as somehow very Japanese. But mostly it just strikes me about the head. In the most pleasant of ways. Take off your helmet and give it a try. You'll never know what hit you.

The show starts at 8:00 pm and tickets are $10. Howlers is located at 4509 Liberty Ave. in Bloomfield (map).

Manila Killa at Spirit Hall, September 28.

via @manilakilla.

EDM artist Manila Killa will play at Spirit Hall on September 28, opening for Whethan. Ones to Watch profiled him back in January:

[Chris] Gavino is known around the world as future bass producer Manila Killa, half of indie-dance and house duo Hotel Garuda, and founding member of the internet-born music collective Moving Castle. All things considered, these notable achievements would prove impressive for anyone in the world of electronic music and are even more astounding when viewed in context.

Gavino managed to achieve these monumental feats all while still attending college full-time, where he was studying business management. Balancing both college and an ever-growing music career where he was asked to play shows across the country, Gavino chose the path most artists rarely do. The rising producer fully committed himself to both worlds, succeeding in further honing and developing his craft without sacrificing his academic pursuits.

Tickets are $23 in advance or $25 at the door. The all-ages show starts at 7:00 pm (doors open at 6:00). Spirit is located at 242 51st Street in Lawrenceville (map).

Pitt's GSPIA hiring bilingual Mandarin-English student for "math camp" support.

Dr. Sera Lenardi in Pitt's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs is hiring a bilingual Mandarin-English student for its preparatory math camp for incoming students this summer.

Applicants must also be proficient in IT setup including helping new students set up their internet access and install software in both English and Chinese language operating systems.

The Student Assistant must be proficient in working with mathematical equations in LaTeX, programming Qualtrics survey, and good in explaining introductory statistical concepts. Must have participated both days in either the 2016 or 2017 GSPIA Math Camp.

Japanese-English Reading Circle in Shadyside continues from July 7.

The Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania's Japanese-English Reading Circle will begin again with a new series of four meetings from July 7 at Kenmawr Apartments in Shadyside.

Join us for the Japanese-English Reading Circle.

Mission: to promote language learning through reading and language exchange. We aim to keep positivity and motivation high while developing reading fluency, vocabulary, content discussion, and reading strategies in a fun, collaborative environment.

Meetings: will consist of icebreaker language games, discussions about book topics, questions about language, formation of reading goals, and reading strategy sharing/reflection

Who can join: Japanese learners of English or English-speaking learners of Japanese. Any proficiency level is okay, although it would help to have at least beginner level knowledge of the second language you are studying. You can also sign up for the Facebook group or Google group for reminders.

The meetings are held every other Saturday in July and August (and at many other times throughout the year) from 5:00 to 6:30 pm. The apartment complex at 401 Shady Ave. (map) has a large number of Japanese residents who work and study in the city, and often hosts cultural events for its international residents.

He Xiangyu part of "River Separates Water" exhibition at Wood Street Galleries, July 6 through August 26.

Chinese artist He Xiangyu will be one of three artists whose work comprises a "River Separates Water" exhibition at the Wood Street Galleries downtown from July 6 through August 26. He's 2017 film The Swim documents his attempt to swim across the Yalu River from China to North Korea. From a February Elephant profile:

What gave him the idea for The Swim? “I married my wife in 2012,” he says, “and we moved from Beijing to Pittsburgh. When I revisited my hometown (Kuandian) for the first time in two years, I asked my parents what was going on, what the people were doing, and I got a very strange, distant feeling like I didn’t know it anymore. I had been creating a series of drawings called the Palate Project in America and I was interested in the feeling of being in a foreign place and also more general feelings of the body. After I got that strange feeling at home I wanted to explore what was going on here in a very personal, physical way, in touch with the elements of the town: the water. That river is very familiar to me from childhood. Though as a child I wasn’t quite aware of the North Koreans, my parents are doctors and know the local people, as well as some of the defectors. Most of them weren’t happy to talk about their experience because they are trying to remain hidden. But my parents helped me get in touch.”

The gallery is open four days a week at 601 Wood Street downtown (map).

"Let's Learn Chinese," July 5 (and every Thursday) at Carnegie Library in Oakland.

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's main branch in Oakland hosts "Let's Learn Chinese" each Thursday evening.

Experience Chinese language and culture through books, storytelling, songs, games and more!

It runs from 6:30 to 7:30 pm each Thursday in the Children's Department. The library is located at 4400 Forbes Ave. in Oakland (map) and is accessible by buses 28X, 54, 61C, 61D, 67, 69, 71A, 71B, 71C, 71D, and 93.

Attack on Titan Season 2 the Movie: The Roar of Awakening (進撃の巨人 ～覚醒の咆哮~) in Pittsburgh, July 10 and 11.

The 2018 movie Attack on Titan Season 2 the Movie: The Roar of Awakening (進撃の巨人 ～覚醒の咆哮~) will play at the Southside Works Cinema on July 10 and 11.