The Minamata Story

Promotion and advertising at the Association of Asian Studies Conference, EcoJustice and Activism Conference, etc. Advertising in program guides, convention bag inserts and prize support with anime conventions (Anime Expo, A-Kon, Otakon, etc.) Pursue endorsements from eco activism organizations and eco activists.   Galleys/e-galleys (100+ copies) sent to national media outlets, trade publications and audience-focused websites and reviewers. (The New York Times, The Japan Times, Kyoto Journal, LA Times, National Book Review, Book Forum, Book Riot, Booklist, BookPage, Forword, Kirkus, Library Journal, NPR, Pop Matters, Portland Book Review, City Book Review, Publishers Weekly, Rain Taxi, SF Chronicle, Shelf Awareness, The Guardian, Washington Post, Seattle Times, East Bay Express, AV Club, JQ Magazine, Asian Review of Books and many more.  Special outreach for reviews, interviews and excerpts with the author to Japan related and eco justice related outlets. (Japan Times, Eco Warriors, etc.) Author is very active.  Pursue features, reviews and interviews in The Japan Times, The New York Times, Animation Magazine, OtakuUSA, Crunchy Roll, KQED San Francisco, NPR Digital review copies on Edelweiss and Netgalley Giveaways with websites focused on key audience of Japan general interest, eco justice, anime and manga. (100+ copies.)

The true story of how one Japanese village suffered and survived the mercury poisoning of its waters.A powerful graphic novel /manga that tells the story of "Minamata disease," a debilitating and sometimes fatal condition caused by the Chisso chemical factory's careless release of methylmercury into the waters of the coastal community of Minamata in southern Japan. First identified in 1956, it became a hot topic in Japan in the 1970s and 80s, growing into an iconic struggle between people versus corporations and government agencies. This struggle is relevant today, not simply because many people are still living with the disease but also because, in this time of growing concern over the safety of our environment--viz. Flint, Michigan--Minamata gives us as a very moving example of such human-caused environmental disasters and what we can do about them.