Contemprary Tanka Poet Mariko Kitakubo.
お知らせ
It is my great honor that "INDIGO", my anthology published by the U.S. Shabda Press in Spring, 2016, is recommended to and accepted by Hiiragiya English Library Salon. Hiiragiya is a long-established Japanese hotel in Kyoto with 202 years history.
I would like to thank Mr. Masashi Nakamura for paying attention to my anthologies as well as my activities.
The lady in the photo who holds "Lafcadio in Japan code", a book written by Mr. Masashi Nakamura is Ms. Akemi Nishimura, the proprietress of Hiiragiya. Mr. Nakamura is the planner of this project. (upper right in the picture)
I would like to express my sincere gratitude toward Hiiragiya Ryokan for sending me beautiful bookmarks as a token of appreciation for my complementary books.
The sent of the bookmarks remindes me of the eletance of Kyoto. I displayed them in my glass shelf so that I can see them anytime.
Tuesday, November 24, 2020
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November 20th, 4:00 p.m. PST (Nov. 21, 9:00 a.m. JST), I participated in Friday Poetry Zoom Meeting presided at by Ms. Kathabela Wilson. I presented bilingual Tanka reading from the still-holding-autumn-leaves cherry blossom trees avenue in Aoyama, Tokyo. |
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The main part of this meeting was a powerful reading by Mr. William Galasso from his latest collection "LEGACY", and I was deeply impressed by his presentation. |
Friday, November 20, 2020
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November 12th, 4:00 p.m. PST (Nov. 13, 9:00 a.m. JST), I participated in Thursday Poetry Zoom Meeting presided at by Ms. Kathabela Wilson from Hakuba Goryu area in Nagano Prefecture. I introduced beautiful scenery of mountains in late autumn, and performed reading of my new Tanka sequence. |
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I also shared my short sky-tour video on paraglider, which I experienced the day before for the first time in my life. |
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It was definitely a memorable meeting for me to get in touch with overseas fellow members' unique artistic expressions of pictures, images, poetry and flute play through the Internet, while I being surrounded by the Japanese mountains in autumn to winter season. |
Monday, November 16, 2020
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November 4th, 4:00 p.m. PST (Nov. 5, 9:00 a.m. JST), I participated in Wednesday Poetry Zoom Meeting from Inokashira Park which locates near my house, and performed reading of my Japanese & English Tanka and my new Tanka sequence. |
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Ms. Chrissi Villa, an Editor of Ribbons, a poetry journal of Tanka Society of America, participated in the meeting. Together with the other fellow members, we exchanged artistic expressions. It was a precious time for me. |
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I am glad that everyone enjoyed the tasteful autumn park where Mr. & Mrs. Wilson and Ms. Deborah P. Kolodji visited before. |
Wednesday, November 4, 2020
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October 28 4:00 p.m. PST (Oct. 29 8:00 a.m. Japan Time), I participated in Wednesday Poetry Zoom Meeting presided at by Ms. Kathabela Wilson. This time, I was in Kumobaike in Karuizawa, one of the famous resort in Japan, surrounded by autumn leaves and performed reading of new Tanka sequence. |
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Although it was my first trial to attend the meeting from the outside via a smart phone, it worked out better than I imagined. I was glad that all the fellow members appreciated my performance. |
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Thursday, October 29, 2020
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October 21 4:00 p.m. PST (Oct. 22 8:00 a.m. Japan Time), I participated in Wednesday Poetry Zoom Meeting presided at by Ms. Kathabela Wilson, and performed reading of new and short Tanka sequence. |
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As autumn is the best season for arts, each participants presented their unique and creative paintings, pictures, music and poems. The meeting of 2 hours and a half was very meaningful time for me. |
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I would like to thank for everyone. |
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This is the hanging scroll of calligraphy written by my late grandfather, Masashi Tanaka 88 years ago. It shows a part of "Hyoya-no-Uta" (or "Hisago-no-Uta") created by Touko Fujita. My grandfather was a scientist and calligraphy was his hobby. After he passed away, our relatives made it the scroll. The calligraphy was written when he temporarily left the company to his subordinate due to health problem. I heard that my grandfather was saying he could not write as good as he expected. I sincerely hope that he allows his granddaughter displays the scroll after all these years. |
Friday, October 23, 2020
September 30, 10:00 a.m., Japan Time (Sept. 29, 6:00 p.m., PST), I hosted the 15th Anniversary event on Zoom to celebrate my bilingual Tanka reading activity overseas to introduce Tanka to the world.
Although it was the prime time of Pacific Standard Time and the U.S. Presidential Debate was on air, I am very glad that many audience viewed my one-hour-and-half online event.
In the event, I presented ten sequences in total - four of which I created with Ms. Deborah P. Kolodji in 2020 during the time we suffer from corona virus pandemic, one with Ms. Kathabela Wilson, and five created by myself. I am greatly honored by audience's very favorable comments and reaction.
Please enjoy the video of my event on my website which contains already published pieces.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude toward Ms. Deborah P. Kolodji, who have made a great contribution to the planning and implementation of this event, and Mr. & Mrs. Wilson, who offered wonderful background music with Tambura, Shakuhachi, and Indian flute. I would also like to thank Ms. Yvette, Ms. Deborah's daughter, for sending information to the audience in advance.
I am planning to host the same event for the different time zone so that audience in India, Tanzania, England and other European regions can enjoy my performance.
I am sorry but no pictures are available for the people joined the event in the middle.
Tuesday, October 20, 2020
November 16 & 17, EST, I will participate in Bridgewater International Poetry Festival Fall 2020 Virtual Event. I will perform Tanka reading in 5-minute movie.
For the details of the event, please click the image below to refer to their Facebook Page.
Thursday, October 15, 2020
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October 14, 4:00 p.m. PST (Oct. 15, 8:00 p.m. Japan Time), I participated in Wednesday Poetry Zoom Meeting, and performed Japanese-English bilingual Tanka reading. |
Wednesday, October 14, 2020
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October 11 at 4:30 p.m., PST (Oct. 12 at 8:30 a.m., Japan Time), I participated in Zoom Reading Event presided at by Ms. Maja Trochimczyk and performed reading of my English Tanka sequence "Borderless Prayer," which was published in "WE ARE HERE: VILLAGE POETS ANTHOLOGY". |
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It was their 10th Anniversary of their virtual event, and I was very honored to be a part of the event together with the other poets whose poems were published in the same anthology. |
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Below is the quote from their website: FLINTRIDGE BOOKSTORE PRESENTS VIRTUAL CELEBRATION OF 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF VILLAGE POETS READINGS. WE ARE HERE: VILLAGE POETS ANTHOLOGY MAJA TROCHIMCZYK & MARLENE HITT, EDITORS |
Monday, October 12, 2020
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