Reading performance in Japan and overseas. Mariko Kitakubo

Mariko Kitakubo Profile

Mariko Kitakubo

Born in Tokyo.
Living in Mitaka-city, Tokyo
Membership
Japan Writers' Association,
Japan PEN Club,
Association of Contemporary Tanka Poets,
Japan Tanka Poets' Society,
Kokoro-No-Hana,
Tan-Ku Co-Founder,
Tanka Society of America.

In commemoration of
15 years of tanka reading
The Latest Tanka Sequence
Original Tanka presented at
Spoken World Live

Contemprary Tanka Poet Mariko Kitakubo. Reading Performance.

Tanka reading performance oveseas.

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I had an opportunity to give my bilingual tanka reading performance overseas for the first time since the fall of 2019.

Ms. Anna Maris, a Swedish poet I met at the British Haiku Society event in St. Albans, UK, three years ago, invited me to this creators' event in Tranas, Sweden.
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Starting at 17:45 p.m. on July 7 (local time), I presented a reading performance of my previously-created and newly-created Japanese and English tanka poems for 30 minutes.

The sensitive audience listened to my reading performance with tears in their eyes.

I was glad that everyone enjoyed my presentation. After my presentation, we had free-talk time with the audience. It was a heartwarming time, and I enjoyed communicating with them.
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After the event, I received a request to give another presentation to those who missed my performance. On July 8, I presented my reading performance again at a live music club after dinner. It was a grateful offer, and I did my best to give a Japanese-English tanka poem reading.
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I am very honored that more than 100 people came to the event.

  

  

Move to "Reading Performance"

Thursday, July 7, 2022

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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.

  

Move to "Reading Performance"

Thursday, May 19, 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.

  

Move to "Reading Performance"

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!

  

Move to "Reading Performance"

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.

  

Move to "Reading Performance"

Wednesday, April 20, 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."

  

Move to "Reading Performance"

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.

  

Move to "Reading Performance"

Thursday, March 31, 2022

At Spoken World Live, 2022.3.12 PST (2022.3.13 JST), I presented a reading of five English tanka sequences written by myself.

For almost all of the poems, I added a Japanese tanka based on the same theme as in the original English tanka and played some percussions while I performed reading.

This video was recorded after the live streaming of the Spoken World Live event.

Wednesday, March 23, 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.

 

Move to "Reading Performance"

Wednesday, March 16, 2022

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From 4:00 p.m. PST on Mar. 9 (9:00 a.m. JST on Mar. 10), I participated in the Wednesday Poetry Zoom Meeting presided at by Ms. Kathabela Wilson and presented a reading of the latest English haiku and tanka sequence that I wrote together with Ms. Deborah P. Kolodji.
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It was a great pleasure to spend a rich time with all the other talented members and their various creative expressions.

Thank you very much for all of you.

  

Move to "Reading Performance"

Thursday, March 10, 2022