The Academy of Reason & Wonder Inquiry No. 3: CATS vs DOGS

Please join us for the most controversial lectures so far at The Academy of Reason & Wonder!

Inquiry No. 3: CATS vs DOGS will pit Zack Davisson (translator and author of Kaibyo: The Supernatural Cats of Japan) against nemesis Ivan Schneider (scholar and author of “The Search for Dog in Cervantes”) to present their perspectives and debate on topics such as:

CATS vs. DOGS
Which would you rather encounter in a dark alley?
In the afterlife?
In a floating dream?
In a post-apocalyptic nightmare?
In a book?
In a song?
Which side are you on?

Doors at 7:00PM
Sliding scale donation $5 – $20
Proceeds go to speakers, artists, and supporting this series.

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/academy-of-reason-wonder-inquiry-no-3-cats-vs-dogs-tickets-44842859199

7:30 CATS. After Zack introduces you to Kaibyo: The Supernatural Cats of Japan, you’ll never see cats the same way again. And you may have trouble sleeping.

8:00 DOGS. Ivan sniffs out the talking dogs in Don Quixote and in Beatles songs.

8:30 CATS vs. DOGS. Debate between Zack and Ivan on the relative merits of cats and dogs, with consideration of animal portrayals in popular culture, literature, arts, folklore, and music. Audience participation will be encouraged.

9:00 PERFORMANCE: Bipetsual – Zack on vocals, Ivan on guitar/vocals.

9:30 Mingling, refreshments, conversations with the speakers. (NO FIGHTING)

About the speakers

Zack Davisson is an award winning translator, writer, and scholar of Japanese folklore and ghosts. He is the author of Kaibyo: The Supernatural Cats of Japan, Yurei: The Japanese Ghost, The Ghost of Oyuki, and The Secret Biwa Music that Caused the Yurei to Lament from Chin Music Press. He contributed articles to Weird Tales Magazine, Japanzine, Metropolis Magazine and the comic book Wayward from Image comics. As a translator, he was nominated for the 2014 Japanese-US Friendship Commission Translation Prize, and is the translator of the Eisner Award winning and Harvey nominated Shigeru Mizuki’s Showa 1926-1939: A History of Japan. For Drawn and Quarterly, Davisson translates and curates the famous folklore comic Kitaro. For Dark Horse, he translates Satoshi Kon’s work, including OPUS, SERAPHIM: 266613336 WINGS, and THE ART OF SATOSHI KON. He was also a researcher and on-screen talent for National Geographic’s TV special Japan: Lost Souls of Okinawa, has appeared as a commentator on Chinese news network CCTV, and maintains the popular Japanese folklore website http://HYAKUMONOGATARI.COM/ He currently resides in Seattle, Washington, with his wife, Miyuki, their dog Mochi, cats Bagheera and Sheer Khan, and several ghosts.

Ivan Schneider is the author of “The Search for Dog in Cervantes,” an academic paper that claims Cervantes initially intended to include a talking dog in Don Quixote. The paper was recently published in the Animal Narratology special issue of Humanities, a peer-reviewed, open-access journal. Ivan wrote his master’s thesis for a degree from Harvard Extension School on “Narrative Complexity in the Talking-Dog Stories of Cervantes, Hoffmann, Gogol, Bulgakov, and Kafka.” Ivan also writes for The Seattle Review of Books and plays guitar and ukulele. Ivan’s website:http://ivantohelpyou.com/

The Academy of Reason & Wonder is a lecture series that occurs on a nearly monthly basis at The Grocery, a creative space on North Beacon Hill. Sign up to be notified of future events: https://tinyurl.com/grocerystudiosevents.

The Academy of Reason & Wonder seeks to fan the flames of inspiration to generate positive energy in ourselves, our communities, and, by extension, our world. It brings people together to educate, inspire, and encourage the pursuit of reason. Ignite your own curiosity and wonder through personal perspectives on topics such as history, science, language, philosophy, music theory, or wonders of the natural world.