"LitFest 2025: Bringing Chinese Literature to America with Editor Han Zhang (Riverhead Books) & Translator Jeremy Tiang," October 19 with City of Asylum.

City of Asylum will present "Bringing Chinese Literature to America with Editor Han Zhang (Riverhead Books) & Translator Jeremy Tiang" on October 19, part of LitFest 2025.

Publishers, book clubs, and bookstores alike are abuzz with rave reviews for one of the season’s hottest books: Yueran Zhang’s Women, Seated. The riveting story shines a spotlight on a powerful Chinese family’s fall from grace, detailing a world of luxury, wealth, and around-the-clock service, with secrets hidden in every shadow. Full of drama and intrigue most American audiences are chomping at the bit for, one could almost forget that this bestseller likely wouldn’t have made it to a front-of-store display without the work of editor Han Zhang and translator Jeremy Tiang. 

Fourth River Public Music Industry Seminars: Record Labels, with Melanie Sheehan and Joyce Lim, October 18 at Wood Street Galleries.

Fourth River will present "Fourth River Public Music Industry Seminars: Record Label," with guest speakers Melanie Sheehan and Joyce Lim, on October 18 at the Wood Street Galleries.

What is the role of a label in 2025? How do you get on their radars to get signed? What are the pros and cons of big, major labels and small, indie labels? How do you start your own? This session will cover the world of music labels in the present day and help musicians engage with them with agency. Guest speakers: Melanie Sheehan (US General Manager, Rough Trade Records) and Joyce Lim (1432r).

Fourth River, a collaboration between Honcho PGH and The Rising Artist Foundation, is proud to present our FREE Public Music Industry Seminars, every Saturday from Oct. 11 to Nov. 15 at Wood Street Galleries. Named in homage to the city's underground, essential aquifer, this program will help artists nourish and navigate their creative careers with clarity. Each week, we'll present different topics with leading guest speakers to help demystify the music industry for rising music makers.

The event runs from 2:00 to 3:00 pm and is free and open to the public, though online RSVP is required. Wood Street Galleries are located at 601 Wood St. downtown (map).

Studio Ghibli Week returns to Row House Lawrenceville, November 7 through 13.

The Row House Lawrenceville will show four films as part of its annual Studio Ghibli Week, running this year from November 7 through 13. Porco Rosso (紅の豚), Ponyo (崖の上のポニョ), Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫), and My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ) comprise this year's programming. Tickets and movie information is available online; please note, some screenings are in Japanese with English subtitles while some are dubbed in English. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler St. (map).

Pittsburgh Taiko Beginner Classes, four Sundays starting October 19.

Pittsburgh Taiko is resuming a series of Beginner Classes starting October 19 and running for four Sundays. through November 9.

Learn taiko drumming with Pittsburgh Taiko!

On Sunday mornings starting October 19, Pittsburgh Taiko will hold a four-week introductory class. This class is for people who are interested in joining our performing group or anyone who wants to just give taiko a try.

Taiko combines energetic hits with calm focus, balances group unity with individual expression, and requires both power and subtlety.  

Each class is from 10 to 11:30 AM at our studio in Bellevue. 

Dates for the four-week course:

• Class 1: Sunday, October 19
• Class 2: Sunday, October 26
• Class 3: Sunday, November 2
• Class 4: Sunday, November 9

No experience is necessary! If you recently took one of our workshops, this will be a more in-depth study of some of the topics we introduced there.

These classes are designed for adults and older kids (high school or older). Discounted rates are available for full-time students and JASP members.

Note that our studio is a masked space, and unfortunately it is not accessible to folks who can't climb stairs.

Please read the FAQ information at pittsburghtaiko.com/classes before registering.

Sessions are $50 for the general public and $40 for JASP members and students. Registration may be completed online. The studio is located at 2 N. Balph Ave., second floor in Bellevue (map).

2002 Japanese horror film Ju-on: The Grudge (呪怨) at Rangos Giant Cinema, October 17.

The 2002 Japanese horror film Ju-on: The Grudge (呪怨) will play at the Rangos Giant Cinema on October 17.

“Ju-on: The Grudge” brought worldwide attention to the Japanese horror film industry with its terrifying blend of unique storytelling and unforgettably frightening visuals. Rangos Giant Cinema’s immersive Dolby Atmos surround sound adds another layer to the nightmare, making this screening an experience that will be sure to haunt you. Join us on Fri., Oct. 17 at 9:30 p.m.

Tickets are available online; tickets for the cinema are separate from tickets fro the Kamin Science Center. The newly-renamed Kamin Science Center, formerly known as the Carnegie Science Center, is located at 1 Allegheny Ave. on the North Shore (map).

Opal Buffet & Bar coming to the Waterfront, bringing all-you-can-eat sushi, Brazilian steak, and pan-Asian cuisine.

Open Buffet & Bar, from the team behind Pittsburgh's Nan Xiang Soup Dumplings, has announced on social media it will be opening in the former Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery spot (map). The menu will feature all-you-can-eat Brazilian steakhouse, sushi, and pan-Asian cuisine for $43. More details will be emerging soon.

Screening of 15-minute documentary We Were the Scenery and Cathy Linh Che talk, November 6 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of English will host a screening of the documentary We Were the Secenery and a talk with writer/producer Cathy Linh Che on November 6. A synopsis, from the documentary's official site:

In 1975, Hoa Thi Lê and Hue Nguyen Che fled from Vietnam by boat and docked in the Philippines, where they were utilized as background extras during the filming of Apocalypse Now. This documentary short film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2025 and won the Short Film Jury Prize: Nonfiction, the Special Jury Prize for Short Documentary Film at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, Best International Short Documentary Film at Galway Film Fleadh, Best International Short Dox at DokuFest, and the Excellence in Short Filmmaking Documentary and Audience Award at the Asian American International Film Festival.

The event runs from 2:00 to 3:00 pm in 501 Cathedral of Learning and is free and open to the public.

2025 Japanese animated movie Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: A Lonely Dragon Wants to be Loved (小林さんちのメイドラゴン さみしがりやの竜 in Pittsburgh, October 20.

The 2025 Japanese animated movie Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: A Lonely Dragon Wants to be Loved (小林さんちのメイドラゴン さみしがりやの竜 will play in Pittsburgh on October 20.

Miss Kobayashi, Tohru, Kanna, and Iruru's peaceful lives are shattered when Kanna’s father, Kamun Kamui, leader of the Chaos Forces, arrives and forces her to return to the Dragon World to fix a past mistake. With a war brewing between Chaos and Harmony, Kanna must find a way to unite the two worlds, but is torn between her loyalty to her friends and her father's demands. Miss Kobayashi, however, refuses to let her go and tries to mend Kanna and Kamui’s broken bond. As dragons clash, Iruru uncovers a hidden force manipulating the war. Can they stop the war before it consumes both worlds?

It is scheduled to play locally, so far, at the AMC Loews Waterfront, and tickets are available online.

2025 movie Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle (劇場版「鬼滅の刃」無限城編) stays in Pittsburgh area through (at least) October 15.

The 2025 movie Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle (劇場版「鬼滅の刃」無限城編), which opened in Pittsburgh-area theaters on September 11, will stay here through (at least) October 15.

The Demon Slayer Corps plunge into Infinity Castle to defeat Muzan. However, the remaining Hashiras and the Demon Slayers who survived Tanjiro's Final Selection are pitted against the remaining members of the Twelve Kizuki first.

It is scheduled to play locally at several local theaters, including the AMC theaters in Waterfront and South Hills, the Cinemark theater in Monroeville, and Moraine Pointe Cinemas in Butler. Tickets are available online.

Opal Buffet & Bar coming to _____.

Open Buffet & Bar, from the team behind Pittsburgh's Nan Xiang Soup Dumplings, will be opening somewhere in Pittsburgh. Details haven't been announced because they are running a "guess where?" promotion on Instagram. The restaurant is eyeing a 2026 opening.