Contemprary Tanka Poet Mariko Kitakubo.
お知らせ
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June 15, 7:30 p.m. PDT (June 16, 11:30 a.m. JST), I participated in Cobalt Poets Reading Event presided at by Mr. Rick Lupert, and performed reading of the latest sequence of English Haiku and Tanka, which Ms. Deborah P Kolodji and I created together. This event featured Ms. Kathabela Wilson, who is my very best friend. I enjoyed her reading presentation of her poems themed on travel together with the old flute performance by Mr. Rick Wilson, who is Ms. Kathabela Wilson's husband. |
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Thank you very much for such a wonderful and enriching time. |
Wednesday, June 16, 2021
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June 11, 4:00 p.m. PDT (June 12, 8:00 a.m. JST), I participated in Friday Poetry Zoom Meeting presided at by Ms. Kathabela Wilson. The meeting was held in memory of our good friend, Mr. Robert Stewart, an excellent photographer, painter, and poet, who passed away suddenly. |
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It was a time of remembrance. Each one of us shared our memories of him, his achievements, and his warm and sincere personality. I shared a photo of my hands playing percussion that he had taken in 2012. I performed improvised reading of tanka inspired by the photo imagery presented by one of the participants. May his soul be filled with peace. |
Saturday, June 12, 2021
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May 28, 4:00 p.m. PDT (May 29, 8:00 a.m. JST), I participated in Friday Poetry Meeting presided at by Ms. Kathabela Wilson, and performed reading of my new Tanka sequence both in Japanese and in English. |
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I was fortunate to be able to interact with poets from English-speaking countries after a long time and to receive fresh inspiration. Thank you very much to the organizer and all participants. |
Saturday, May 29, 2021
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May 7, 4:00 p.m. PDT (May 8, 8:00 a.m. JST), I participated in Friday Poetry Meeting presided at by Ms. Kathabela Wilson, and performed reading of my new Tanka sequence both in Japanese and in English. |
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Although I am in the middle of composing new Tanka for a Japanese publisher on a commission basis, I was very happy to have an opportunity to get inspired from another angle by English-speaking creators. It's been a while since I attended the meeting last time, but it was a fruitful time for me. Dear Kathabela, and everyone in the meeting, thank you very much. |
Saturday, May 8, 2021
TSA Ribbons Winter 2021 printed my new works, a sequence entitled "A Bird's-Eye View", and a piece each in its selected Tanka and Tanka Cafe.
Given that the TSA has a large membership, it is generally not so easy to be chosen one, even if I submit several.
Honestly, I was very surprised that Ms. Christine L. Villa, the editor, was kind enough to select the full sequence of mine and another piece for Selected Tanka. I am so grateful for it.
I also want to express my heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Michael Mclintoc, editor-in-chief of Tanka Cafe.
Tanka Cafe: Theme Escape
dropping
from the pocket
of God
where can I go ...
hopeless ark
Selected Tanka
before
my birth
after my death
I will be there
banyan shade
Sequence
A Bird's-Eye View
Mt. Hakuba
it needs
no name . . .
density of sunlight
snowy folds
paragliding
a bird's-eye view
relaxing in the blue
I'm also
a tiny fluff
this moment
glows
and disappears
snowflakes have
their own endings
Hakuba village,
I will return again —
homemade
rose potato butter
and skies without clouds
Move to "Tanka Society of America"
Friday, April 23, 2021
"A Cappella" which is a sequence of English Haiku and English Tanka that Ms. Deborah P. Kolodji and I composed together was posted in a New Zealand poetry magazine, "Kokako" in its volume 34.
The cover of Kokako issue 34 is an image created by Mr. Ron Moss, who is an artist and English Haiku poet.
A Cappella
mallards
can you see
sunshine?
longing . . .
under the thick clouds (M)
my dreams fly
a mountain pokes through
the mist (D)
seeing me
in your world
please
find yourself
in matching sunglasses (M)
backyard pond
I hear your words
in the mirror(D)
finding
one wing of
a pair. . .
we each sing
a different verse (M)
a cappella
at midnight
moonglow (D)
Deborah P Kolodji & Mariko Kitakubo
Monday, April 19, 2021
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April 16, 4:00 p.m. PDT (Apr. 17, 8:00 a.m. JST), I participated in Friday Poetry Meeting presided at by Ms. Kathabela Wilson. Ms. Deborah P Kolodji and I performed reading together our latest English Haiku and Tanka sequence. |
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With the PowerPoint presentation provided by Ms. Debora, all participants enjoyed our presentation. I'm really happy about this. |
Monday, April 19, 2021
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April 7, 4:00 p.m. PDT (Apr. 8, 8:00 a.m. JST), I participated in Wednesday Poetry Meeting presided at by Ms. Kathabela Wilson. |
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The meeting featured Deborah P Kolodji's visit to Japan in 2019, and we presented a joint reading performance of our triptych, "MEIJI-Jinguu", "ASAKUSA", "INOKASHIRA-PARK". It is a great honor for me to support her presentation. Ms. Kathabela and Ms. Deborah, thank you very much for those unforgettable and happy moments.。 |
Thursday, April 8, 2021
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April 6, 7:30 p.m. PDT (April 7, 11:30 a.m. JST), I participated in Cobalt Poets Poetry Reading event presided at by Mr. Rick Lupert, and performed English-Japanese bilingual Tanka reading. It is a great honor to be invited to the event as a featured reader. |
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Mr. Rick Lupert, thank you so much for the great opportunity. |
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Click below to watch the event video.
My reading performance, including Mr. Lupert's introduction about me, starts at about 33:20 and runs through to 55 minutes.
Cobalt Poets presents Mariko Kitakubo + Open reading
Cobalt Poets Website posted a beautiful broadside for my performance.
(Click the image below to view in large size and/or download it.)
Let me introduce some of the comments made while my reading performance.
| 20:10:20 | Lisbeth Coiman | I am tripping over this. |
| 20:11:45 | Nathaniel Horowitz | nice |
| 20:12:13 | Nathaniel Horowitz | riverside strong wind that night I escaped from suicide |
| 20:21:29 | Seretta Martin | everywhere is autumn color me too please |
| 20:23:14 | Cynthia Anderson | "by the misty pond a glimmer of hope" |
| 20:25:01 | Nathaniel Horowitz | density of sunlight |
| 20:27:36 | Cynthia Anderson | "snowflakes have their own endings" |
| 20:28:46 | Tara A. Elliott | Wonderful! |
| 20:29:06 | Tara A. Elliott | Stunning. |
| 20:29:09 | Deborah P Kolodji | Beautiful, rich, wonderful reading! |
| 20:29:15 | Sigrid Saradunn | WoW ! |
| 20:29:23 | Sigrid Saradunn | Thank you so very much |
| 20:29:32 | Lob | wow.. so wonderful! thank you so much |
| 20:30:20 | KenScott | The entire work resonated with me. The mood was sublime. Thank you for this wonderful performance! |
| 20:30:23 | Rick Lupert | Download the broadside for Mariko’s poem here http://www.poetrysuperhighway.com/cobalt/broadsides.html Check out Mariko’s most recent book “Indigo” on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3rVIuy3 Visit Mariko on the web here: https://www.en.kitakubo.com |
| 20:30:48 | Lisbeth Coiman | That was so beautiful. The imagery of nature, the ritualistic aspect of the reading. I am so happy I came to see you, Mariko. Delightful |
| 20:31:06 | Dig Wayne | “…a dark hollow of me…” |
| 20:31:26 | Seretta Martin | Another stellar broadside. So perfect for her! |
| 20:31:28 | Lisbeth Coiman | Ahh. I receive your gift |
| 20:31:33 | Salvatore Roseo | stunning work |
| 20:31:42 | KenScott | Thank you, Mariko, for blessing us with your presence and spirit! |
| 20:32:44 | Karen Scott | Thank you, Mariko, for that lovely presentation! |
| 20:33:04 | Crystophver R | Monumental Mariko! |
Wednesday, April 7, 2021
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April 2, 4:00 p.m. PDT (Apr. 3 8:00 a.m. JST), I participated in Friday Poetry Meeting presided at by Ms. Kathabela Wilson, and performed improvised reading of tanka both in English and in Japanese. |
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The meeting featured a collaboration of English Haiku and photos taken by Ms. Deborah P Kolodji, my best friend, when she came to Japan in April 2019. It was a wonderful time for me to be able to relive the days when she stayed at my house. |
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Thank you very much, Deborah. I sincerely hope that the days will come back soon so that we can travel back and forth between our countries. |
Saturday, April 3, 2021
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