Contemprary Tanka Poet Mariko Kitakubo.
お知らせ
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May 18, 4:00 p.m. PST (May 19, 8:00 a.m. JST), I participated in the Wednesday Poetry Zoom Meeting hosted by Ms. Kathabela Wilson from Karuizawa where the leaves are bright green. I was fortunate to spend a rich and inspiring time enjoying improvised poems with everyone and presenting my new English tanka poems at the meeting. |
Thursday, May 19, 2022
Ms. Chúc Mỹ Tuệ, founder and editor-in-chief of SHABDA PRESS, announced that they will be publishing a collection of English tanka and haiku sequences created by myself and Ms. Deborah P Kolodji.
I am very grateful and honored by their announcement because SHABDA PRESS publishes one book of poetry a year in print with their goal to produce beautiful, high-quality, well-designed poetry books.
I will announce the details of the publication at a later date.
Ms. Chúc Mỹ Tuệ, thank you very much.
* Photo above shows "INDIGO" (Tanka poetry collection by Mariko Kitakubo published) and "highway of sleeping towns" (Haiku & Senryu collection by Debora P Kolodji) both published in 2016 from SHABDA PRESS.
Friday, May 13, 2022
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From 4 pm PST 2022.4.27 (8 am JST 2022.4.28), I participated in the Wednesday Poetry Zoom Meeting hosted by Ms. Kathabela Wilson and read a new piece of English haiku and tanka sequences that I had composed with Ms. Deborah P. Kolodji. I was also happy to have an opportunity to share with today's participants some of the collaborative works that we enjoyed in our previous poetry reading. Thank you all for a rich and inspiring time. |
Thursday, April 28, 2022
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From 4:00 pm PST on April 20 (8:00 am JST on April 21), I participated in the Wednesday Poetry Zoom Meeting hosted by Ms. Kathabela Wilson. We created a piece of English tanka sequence and another sequence of poems about wisteria flowers together with everyone. It was an exciting time, as we were inspired by each other's unique expressions, which developed in a flash. Thank you very much for everyone! |
Wednesday, April 20, 2022
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On April 19 at 7:30 pm PST (April 20 at 11:30 am JST), I participated in the Poetry Zoom event, Cobalt Poets Reading, presided at by Mr. Rick Lupert. Ms. Chúc Mỹ Tuệ was today's featured poet. She had made great efforts in the publication of "INDIGO" from Sabda Press. It was an enriching time for me. Her powerful and positive poetry based on her own history drew me into her world. I presented a reading with Ms. Deborah P. Kolodji of our 23rd English Haiku and Tanka sequence. |
Wednesday, April 20, 2022
The 36th issue of KOKAKO, a New Zealand poetry magazine, was delivered safely across the equator and through the sea where the first typhoon of this year moving northward.
It is a very precious thing in recent days when travel between countries is so difficult.
The fact that Ms. Deborah P Kolodji, an American Haiku poet, and myself, a Japanese Tanka poet, jointly created this sequence with the subject matter of Inokashira Park near my home gives this sequence a rich local and international flavor.
My sincere thanks to the editors, Ms. Patricia Prime and Ms. Margret Beverland.
Inokashira Park
empty swan boats
cherry blossoms
floating (D)
whiteness
of the new canvas
blank
to paint our time
spring again (M)
morning sun
sparkles on the lake
ducks gather (D)
soon
they will fly to
Kamchatka
skies and water
waterfowl (M)
cloud cover
we cross the bridge
into silence (D)
tell me
your folklore
newborn water
hidden spring
in the park (M)
Deborah P. Kolodji & Mariko Kitakubo
Monday, April 18, 2022
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From 4:00 p.m. PST on Apr. 6 (8:00 a.m. JST on Apr. 7), I participated in the Wednesday Poetry Zoom Meeting presided at by Ms. Kathabela Wilson. The pleasure of creating some sequences by all the participants on beautiful seasonal flowers was an exceptional opportunity for me to feel the closeness to each other although we live in different countries. My sincere thanks to Ms. Kathabela for suggesting this wonderful session. This time again, I was happy to have the opportunity to perform a reading of two pieces of the English Haiku and English Tanka sequence, which Ms. Deborah P Kolodji and I created together. I realized once again that the joy of being connected in the world of poetry, transcending national borders, is a rich source of support for our spirit as we live through tough times of covid, military invasions, and carnage. |
After the meeting, Ms. Kathabela Wilson posted a wonderful comment. Thank you very much!
"We all arrived spontaneously with flowers today! You can see all the variations! Nature shows us how to bloom. And so we had all brought in flowers from the gardens and shared. Totally unplanned Mariko with forget me not Sharon with rose and bougainvilla... We wrote a spontaneous 8 poet tanka sequence with Mariko waving her wand on each! So beautiful and listen to two tanka/haiku new sequenced by Mariko and Debbie! Rick played his 280 year old flute. ... AND Mariko her percussion! Happy Spring Wednesday! Mariko Kitakubo Deborah P Kolodji Sharon Hawley Kris Kondo Charles Harmon Ritchie Albert Sigrid Saradunn."
Thursday, April 7, 2022
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From 4:00 p.m. PST on Mar. 30 (8:00 a.m. JST on Mar. 31), I participated in the Wednesday Poetry Zoom Meeting presided at by Ms. Kathabela Wilson. |
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I performed a reading under the cherry blossom trees in Aoyama Cemetery in Tokyo of the 23rd sequence I created with Ms. Deborah P Kolodji. It brought back fond memories of when I came here with her three years ago. |
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Blessed with fine weather, I shared with everyone in the meeting a piece of sequence themed around the atmosphere of the season of cherry blossoms in full bloom and world peace, which is under threat. I was able to spend a new and memorable day. |
Thursday, March 31, 2022
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I participated in Mr. James Evert Jones' Zoom Poetry event, "Spoken World Live," as a featured poet. I presented a reading of the Japanese-English tanka sequence consisting of five pieces of my tanka poems, which convey the thoughts of a poet who survived the Covid pandemic and is facing the war-torn era. I received more than 50 enthusiastic comments from different continents, and I cannot find any other word to express my gratitude. I have delivered my reading via Zoom nearly 100 times in the past two years under the Covid pandemic. And in this "Spoken World Live" Zoom event, the organizer told me that "the Japanese performance touched my heart deeply, even though I could only understand the English part." "To become a medium to transcend language" is my philosophy, and I always kept it in mind when I performed my readings during the face-to-face presentation. I received many wonderful comments from the audience, and I felt that my endeavor resulted in fruitful results. I am very honored that I was able to deliver the emotion directly from soul to soul in the "Spoken World Live" event, too. Thank you very much to Mr. James Evert Jones and all the participants. I am sorry that I cannot introduce all participants in the picture. There were so many! |
Let me introduce some of the comments made while my reading performance.
| 15:17:48 | Kathabela Wilson | Yay Mariko.... traveling the world to us! |
| 15:18:18 | maxianne berger | always love to see and hear you☺️ |
| 15:20:20 | maxianne berger | oh .. not a gourd .. |
| 15:21:41 | Phynne~Belle | Oh my goodness, I could imagine Mariko and Edith Blackbird performing together…⭐ |
| 15:22:57 | Akiko Yoshimura | Beautiful Mriko’ｓ world、clear sound and |
| 15:23:29 | Phynne~Belle | The sensory experience here… |
| 15:23:47 | Kathabela Wilson | borders are invisible to the universe.... |
| 15:24:01 | Lynda V. E. Crawford | ^^^ |
| 15:24:02 | Kathabela Wilson | deep and powerful.... angeltalk |
| 15:25:24 | Phynne~Belle | …let me stay with you a little bit more… |
| 15:26:40 | Phynne~Belle | “…silhouette of death…” |
| 15:27:22 | Kathabela Wilson | powerful writing and feelings... |
| 15:27:37 | johnmacdonald | This is so inspiring and moving |
| 15:27:47 | Kathabela Wilson | love the couple of wings |
| 15:29:06 | Phynne~Belle | …loving the waiting time... |
| 15:29:56 | Phynne~Belle | …under the sky…like after my death |
| 15:30:12 | Kathabela Wilson | under the sky like our memorie…. |
| 15:30:25 | Carmen Durrani | From Carmen Durrani |
| 15:30:38 | Carmen Durrani | Very profund feelings expressed. ThaNKS |
| 15:31:36 | maxianne berger | love hearing the small songs in Japanese .. and the emotion in the voice |
| 15:31:54 | Phynne~Belle | …the night I escaped/from suicide… |
| 15:33:12 | Jeanne Nakano - El Camino College | thank you everyone for you wonderful comments. |
| 15:33:49 | Kat703679habela Wilson | love cherry blossoms... color me too..... and so powerfully placed in the sequence |
| 15:34:23 | Kris Kondo | touched so deeply thank you Mariko |
| 15:34:56 | Lynne Bronstein | This is a classic |
| 15:35:11 | Kathabela Wilson | I am lifted into the spring sky! |
| 15:35:43 | Kathabela Wilson | in the sky forever.... yes ,,,, your love for this is so clear... to be in flight |
| 15:35:55 | iPad carolyn fitz | Such a visual story…from your expressive poetry ❣️ thanks for your invite today… |
| 15:36:48 | Phynne~Belle | …where is God watching from… |
| 15:37:18 | David Lanoue | 凄い! amazing! ありがとうございました！ |
| 15:37:26 | Roxanne de Freitas | I feel completely transported. Deep gratitude, Mariko. |
| 15:37:30 | maxianne berger | tahnk you, Mariko [applause] |
| 15:37:45 | Lawrence Berger | Amazing M ariko! |
| 15:37:47 | Phynne~Belle | What an amazing experience, Mariko!!!♥️♥️♥️ |
| 15:38:03 | Kathabela Wilson | yes, thank you for adding the tect! |
| 15:38:05 | Rose Hamilton | Thank you for that prayer. So beautiful and important in these days |
| 15:38:15 | Mary Belknap | I loved ‘you will and I will miss you” |
| 15:38:36 | Kathabela Wilson | Mariko you speaking did carry themselves.... very clearly and strongly |
| 15:39:14 | Rose Hamilton | Got a sense for the emotions and senses from the Japanese |
| 15:39:16 | Roxanne de Freitas | completely transcendental |
| 15:39:16 | Lynda V. E. Crawford | Mary, yes, that line “you will and I will miss you” is so compelling! |
| 15:39:29 | Marianne Szlyk | Again, so much in so few words. |
| 15:39:31 | Kathabela Wilson | wonderful James-- that you felt that-- the Japanese and the expressive poetry |
| 15:39:32 | Roxanne de Freitas | definitely felt that soul to soul |
| 15:39:42 | Roxanne de Freitas | Arigato Mariko |
| 15:39:55 | Kathabela Wilson | wonderful Mariko |
| 15:40:08 | jbewilk1@mac.com | beautiful reading, Mariko! |
| 15:40:56 | Lynda V. E. Crawford | Mariko, you transported us to a world somewhere out in the universe. So soothing and poignant ♥️ |
| 15:43:35 | Robin Wind-Faillace | Very enjoyable readings! Thank you everyone! |
| 15:45:25 | Phynne~Belle | True, true, and true. |
After the live streaming, I made a video to show you my reading of five original English tanka which I presented at Spoken World Live.
Click here to watch the video.
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
I will participate in Mr. James Evert Jones' online reading event "Spoken World Live" at 2 p.m. on March 12, Sat, PST (7 a.m. on March 13, Sun, JST).
Friday, March 11, 2022
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