The Pillow Book Reimagined: Generations in Conversation

What makes your heart beat faster?
What things have lost their power?
What remains elegant, even now?

A thousand years ago, a woman in Kyoto wrote down her answers. Today, women in Vancouver are writing theirs—and discovering that some observations are timeless, while others belong only to this moment.

The Pillow Book Reimagined brings together elders and students, scholars and storytellers, for an evening of intergenerational dialogue. We'll share contemporary lists inspired by Sei Shōnagon's ancient prompts, explore what changes and what endures across generations, and celebrate the radical act of paying attention.

Come for the conversation. Stay for the revelation that your observations—yes, yours—matter just as much as those written by candlelight a millennium ago.

Program Highlights:

Voices Across Generations
Hear contemporary Shōnagon—women ranging from their 50s to 90s—read entries from The Modern Pillow Bookproject. What makes a heart beat faster in 2026? What things have lost their power? What remains elegant despite everything? Their answers surprise, delight, and cut deep.

Scholarly Illumination & Dialogue
Dr. Sharalyn Orbaugh (UBC Department Head, Modern Japanese Literature and Popular Culture) and Dr. Sonja Arntzen (Professor Emerita, University of Toronto, and translator of The Pillow Book) offer brief lectures on Shōnagon's literary innovation and enduring cultural legacy—insights only decades of scholarship can provide. Then, they step into dialogue with our contemporary Shōnagon and the audience. Academic rigor meets lived wisdom. Historical context meets present urgency.

Shōnagon Now: A Documentary Glimpse
Watch excerpts from our video project capturing older women as they write, reflect, and claim Shōnagon's legacy as their own. See the moment a woman discovers she has something to say. Witness the laughter, the pauses, the fierce honesty of those who've earned the right to notice what matters.

Your Turn: Live List-Making
The evening concludes with an invitation: What's on your list? We'll provide Shōnagon's prompts and space for you to write. Some observations you'll keep private. Others you might share. All will matter. Because noticing—truly noticing—is how private experience becomes collective wisdom.

Plus:

• Complimentary refreshments will be served
• Opportunities to meet the like-minded and connect with fellow observers
• A chance to add your voice to a conversation that started 1,000 years ago and shows no sign of ending