X-Change through Conversation: Pico Iyer & Paul Holdengräber
Aflame: Learning from Silence, by Pico Iyer.
Photo by Hiroko Takeuchi.
Photo by Eva Zubero.
When
Tuesday, April 22, 2025
Doors Open: 6:30 pm | Event: 7:00 pm
Where
Japanese American Cultural & Community Center
244 S. San Pedro Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Parking
For transit and parking, see Go Little Tokyo’s guide (here).
Where
About
JACCC proudly presents X-Change, an exclusive series of illuminating conversations with some of today's most profound thinkers, hosted by renowned interviewer Paul Holdengräber.
For our inaugural event, we invite you to witness a truly extraordinary encounter. At 7:00 pm sharp, following a ceremonial cleansing arrow shot by JACCC Master Artist in Residence Hirokazu Kosaka on the Garden Stage, accompanied by guest violinist Vijay Gupta, renowned interviewer Paul Holdengräber will dive into a powerful conversation with acclaimed author and global citizen Pico Iyer. Using Iyer's latest work, Aflame: Learning from Silence, as their point of departure, they will explore Iyer's profound insights gained through years of silent meditation after losing his family home in a devastating Santa Barbara wildfire over three decades ago.
In Iyer's own words:
"In Buddhist Japan, life is sometimes said to involve 'joyful participation in a world of sorrows.' Life will always be difficult, in other words, but that need never be incompatible with wonder and beauty and even joy.
We've all been thinking about how to remain confident and strong in Southern California as so many lives have been tragically upended and even destroyed by fire. I flew back into the area to talk about my new book, Aflame--addressing climate change and monasticism and silence and my own loss of everything in the world in a wildfire—the very day flames were roaring around Los Angeles. Driving back to the house we'd rebuilt after the fire, I found it pitch-black, with no phone service, because high winds threatened another fire around our house.
How can we stay calm in the face of mounting uncertainty? And how can we remain hopeful in the midst of impermanence?
I'd love to talk about these urgent questions, and what wise and seasoned Japan may have to bring to them."
Join us for this transformative dialogue where ancient wisdom meets contemporary challenges, and discover how mindfulness can help us navigate life's inevitable upheavals with grace and resilience.
Reception and book signing to follow. A ping pong table will be provided by Little Tokyo Table Tennis for audience members to enjoy during the event.
Where ideas meet, transform, and illuminate our shared human experience.
X-Change is a JACCC series that fosters dynamic discussions across a variety of fields. Led by Paul Holdengräber, the series will delve into Japanese concepts such as MA (the pause or emptiness necessary for growth) and DŌ (the pursuit of excellence and collective thinking). Known for his engaging interview style and deep cultural knowledge, Holdengräber has hosted renowned cultural conversations at NYPL, earning praise from figures like Laurie Anderson and Salman Rushdie for his ability to connect diverse ideas and spark meaningful dialogue.
Things To Know
Pico Iyer
Pico Iyer was born in Oxford, England in 1957. He won a King’s Scholarship to Eton and then a Demyship to Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was awarded a Congratulatory Double First with the highest marks of any English Literature student in the university. In 1980 he became a Teaching Fellow at Harvard, where he received a second Master’s degree, and in subsequent years he has received an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters.
Since 1982 he has been a full-time writer, publishing 15 books, translated into 23 languages, on subjects ranging from the Dalai Lama to globalism, from the Cuban Revolution to Islamic mysticism. They include such long-running sellers as Video Night in Kathmandu, The Lady and the Monk, The Global Soul, The Open Road and The Art of Stillness. He has also written the introductions to more than 70 other books, as well as liner and program notes, a screenplay for Miramax and a libretto. At the same time he has been writing up to 100 articles a year for Time, The New York Times, The New York Review of Books, the Financial Times and more than 250 other periodicals worldwide.
His four talks for TED have received more than 10 million views so far.
Since 1992 Iyer has spent much of his time at a Benedictine hermitage in Big Sur, California, and most of the rest in suburban Japan.
Paul Holdengräber
Paul Holdengräber is an interviewer, curator of public curiosity, and was the Founding Executive Director of Onassis Los Angeles (OLA). Prior he was Founder and Director of The New York Public Library’s LIVE from the NYPL cultural series where he interviewed and hosted over 600 events, including interviews with Patti Smith, Wes Anderson, Mike Tyson, Werner Herzog and many more.
Before his tenure at the library, he was the Founder and Director of The Institute for Art & Cultures at the LACMA. He holds a Ph.D. in comparative literature from Princeton University. In 2003, the French Government named him Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, and then promoted him in 2012 to the rank of Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres. In 2010, The President of Austria awarded him the Austrian Cross of Honor for Science and Art.
Photo by Eva Zubero.
Accessibility
We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. To be respectful of those with allergies and environmental sensitivities, we ask that you please refrain from wearing strong fragrances. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact info@jaccc.org.
Plan Your Visit
JACCC is a 7-minute walk from the L.A. Metro Rail's Little Tokyo/Arts District Station, which connects to both the A and E lines via the Regional Connector.
For additional transportation options and parking details, check out Go Little Tokyo's Guide to the area here.