Ann Katagiri - Steven R. Southard (Poseidon's Scribe)

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Author Interview – Ann Katagiri

Just before they closed, Leaves Book and Tea Shop held one last Afternoon with Authors event. That’s where I met Ann Katagiri. Just as Leaves combines books with food, so does Ann. Not only is she an author, but she’s soon to start her own cafe. Not only is her book a fun read, but it might inspire you to learn a new language, or two. As you’ll find out from the interview, Ann has specific dreams, and pursues them with determination and passion.

Bio

Ann Katagiri is a polyglot author who speaks English, Japanese, and Mandarin Chinese. Her three debut bilingual books, all titled Den Chan: The Cat Who Crossed the Ocean, were independently published in December 2023. Based on a true story, the books follow the adventures of an orange tabby cat who travels from Japan to Texas. The children’s books are written in bilingual pairs of Japanese & English, English & Mandarin Chinese, and Mandarin Chinese & Japanese. Proudly printed and bound in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, each book purchase supports five small businesses. The books are written in hope of inspiring language learning in everyone, regardless of age. She often does vendor events around the DFW area, selling her three books, t-shirts, and lots of different hand-made kitty merch. All of her items that she doesn’t craft are sourced from other creatives, supporting local small businesses 100%. Her next venture is one true to her heart, Den Chan Cafe, coming in September 2026.

Interview

Poseidon’s Scribe: How did you get started writing? What prompted you?

Ann Katagiri: Writing has always been important in my family, especially growing up with a father who is an academic and published author as well as a mother who is an English teacher. For me, writing started off as a place to put words to my feelings, morphed into four years of travel blogs, then my current trilingual blog, A Halfie’s Rambles, started in 2019.

P.S.: Who are some of your influences? What are a few of your favorite books?

A.K: My life has been influenced by so many people and things that it is a little hard to name specifics. Living a life growing up in both Japan and Texas, as well as living and working in China for over 3 years has shaped me in profound ways. One of my life-long dreams of traveling to 30 countries before I turned 30 definitely gave me a whole new perspective on how to view the world and its wonderful people.

My all-time favorite book is one from Japan, The 14 Forest Mice series!

P.S.: You’ve said Den Chan, the Cat Who Crossed the Ocean is based on a true story. In brief, what was that story?

A.K: Growing up in the outskirts of Tokyo, my siblings and I met Den Chan as a tiny orange ball of fur. We adopted him shortly before we moved to Texas to start high school and he was a treasured part of our family for years to come. My books capture the story of us moving and how that came about, written from Den Chan’s perspective, but embodying my family’s true story.

P.S.: You published Den Chan in three versions, each with two languages. Translation can often be tricky, with culture-specific idioms and connotations for various words. Did you encounter translation difficulties with the three versions of this book? If so, how did you resolve them?

A.K: It was definitely a little frustrating at times, since I had many language experts helping me who only spoke two of the three languages. Whenever I edited one language, I made sure that the other two reflected that same change. However, the books are not so-called “direct translations” but specifically translated to reveal each language’s hidden nuances and meanings to make the most sense. I also wanted the books to be helpful to anyone trying to learn any of the three languages.

P.S.: You call your blog “A Halfie’s Rambles.” What is a halfie, and what are you rambling about?

A.K: I absolutely love this question! I call myself a halfie because in Japanese, “hafu” is a nickname for anyone who is of mixed blood, typically of two races. Halfie is more slang, but I wanted to proudly show that I straddle two different cultures and am proud to be fully both Japanese as well as Texan. I love to especially ramble about any topic I’m passionate about, travel, recipes, cultures, and languages!

P.S.: In the “Who’s the Rambling For?” section of your blog, you mentioned the term “Third Culture Kid.” What does that mean, and how would you say your life blends two cultures to form a third?

A.K: Even though “Third Culture Kid” typically refers to kids who grew up in a third country that neither of their parents are from, I always felt like I belonged in this group because the culture my siblings and I created definitely became a “third” culture for us. When we talk to each other, it is typically a mix of both Japanese and English (honestly, whichever comes to mind first) and the food we make is usually a fun mix of both countries (think, Salisbury steak with rice and pickles instead of with mashed potatoes and green beans).

P.S.: You make and sell little plush stuffed animal versions of the orange cat, Den Chan, to supplement the book. What other non-writing hobbies or interests do you have? Do they complement your writing or are they a relief from writing?

A.K: I love visiting science museums and local coffee shops when I have free time or am traveling. For me, blog post drafts typically are inspired by something that happens throughout my life, so even if they don’t turn into a book, they definitely become part of my blog drafts that then get chosen to be published as part of my free monthly post in three languages!

P.S.: I’ve read that you attended culinary school, and taught others how to cook. Please tell us about that experience. Also, does your cooking expertise impact your writing in any way?

A.K: Attending culinary school had been a dream of mine since I was 15, but despite being accepted to the CIA in NY, I didn’t have the money to pay for tuition at 17. After living and working in Beijing for a few years and having the chance to teach kids baking and cooking classes, I realized that attending culinary school was a dream I simply couldn’t give up. In 2021, I successfully graduated from a Japanese and French culinary school in Japan, happily falling in love with making chocolates and baking breads. My cooking expertise is sometimes shared through recipes on my blog that I write in a simplified way so that readers can follow along easily.

P.S.: In one blogpost, you casually mention hugging a giant panda. Did that really happen? If so, what was it like? They are bears—large, dangerous, wild animals—right?

A.K: YES and it was absolutely magical as well as the most expensive few minutes of my life. Due to conservation efforts to not let tourists hug baby pandas anymore, the one option I had to make this dream of mine come true was to visit the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China. You can make a donation in order to spend a few minutes sitting and taking pictures with a Giant Panda who is distracted eating bamboo! They also have a program where you can become “Panda Keepers” for the day and help out at the research base, which I would highly recommend!

P.S.: You’re one of the few authors I’ve interviewed who started her own publishing company. Why did you do that, and how is that decision working out?

A.K: I branched out on my own because there wasn’t a publishing house out there who would publish my books in the three languages I speak: English, Japanese, and Mandarin Chinese. I also have a passion for supporting local small business and not big monopolies, so rather than giving up on this dream of mine, I incorporated A Halfie’s Rambles to make it come true. This decision is something I will stand by for as long as I’m alive because it means the world to me to have the honor of printing and binding my three books with the help of 3 small businesses in DFW. Every Den Chan book purchase proudly supports them as well as myself and my illustrator.

P.S.: What is your current work in progress? Would you mind telling us a little about it?

A.K: I am actually currently working very hard to open Den Chan Cafe, which will be based on my three bilingual books, created for language and cat lovers. It will be fueled by the same passion to support local small businesses, this time, expanding with new artists. All sourcing will be done from local farms as well as a coffee roaster who sources direct from coffee farms in El Salvador. I do have a sequel I am writing that will cover Den Chan’s life in Texas, but it will come out after the cafe is up and running!

Poseidon’s Scribe: What advice can you offer aspiring authors?

Ann Katagiri: Know exactly what you want and how much you’re willing to work for it, that way, it won’t matter what others say. Creating your own publishing company isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I always like saying, “there’s always a way for what you believe in”. If you are going to be amazing, I hope you have the courage to stand out from the crowd.

Poseidon’s Scribe: Great advice. Thank you, Ann.