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BOOK REVIEWS
by Dennis M. Holmes
Bending Reeds, Yuki Teikei Haiku Society Members’ Anthology 2012, Edited by Patricia J. Machmiller, produced by, Patsons Press, Sunnyvale, CA.
Link: www.youngleaves.org ISBN 978-0-9850972-1-9
The Yuki Teikei Haiku Society, has produced the anthology in a paperback format of 94 pages. The anthology is dedicated by the Society to Terou Yamagata, President, Yukuharu Haiku Society of Japan. Terou Yamagata is a longtime friend and mentor of the Yuki Teikei Haiku Society.
Complementing the haiku throughout the Anthology is the photography and haiga of Edward Grossmith.
The anthology contents consists of: an editor’s greeting; thoughts on haiga; a collection of members’ haiku (alphabetically by author name); the results of the 2011 Kiyoshi and Kiyoko Tokutomi Memorial Haiku contest; an introduction to Akito Arima’s and selections of his haiku from the years 1996 and 2009 in two sections, fuki (a word coined by Dr. Akito Arima to mean literally, “never rare”), and houyoku (another word coined by Dr. Akito Arima to mean, “wings of a mythical bird” -- reviewer’s note: my imiwa? apps on my iPhone dictionary found it to mean “phoenix wings”); an introduction to Kai Hasegawa and his haiku; and, an index of poets contributing to the Anthology.
My association with the Yuki Teikei Haiku Society is somewhat limited to the understanding that the 5-7-5 syllable count requirement in poetry that the Society considers haiku in English is tantamount to declaring the poem an English haiku. After reading this anthology containing the Society’s members’ haiku-like poems in English with various syllable configurations not limited to 5-7-5, I have broadened my view.
The aspect I most appreciated about the Anthology is the presentation of poetry by Akito Arima and by Kai Hasegawa, mainly, because I like the presentation of their works in the original Japanese as well as romaji and accompanying English translations (the translations were by Fay Aoyagi and Patricia J. Machmiller). It will take me some time to go through and try to absorb the nuances in the original Japanese. I welcome this opportunity that the Society afforded by presenting the poems in that format.
I would be remiss in not presenting some examples of poetry presented in the anthology as part of this review:
A poem in the first haiga by Edward Grossmith
dying breeze
on tranquil waters
its epitaph
(from the members section:)
cold rainy day—
the Lego man on a zip line
chair to chair
Linda Papanicolaou, California
teacher and students
exchange glances
spring thunder
(author: Teruo Yamagata, Tokyo, Japan)
You will have to read the Anthology to see the First Prize poem by Billie Dee of the 2011 Kiyoshi and Kiyoko Tokutomi Memorial Haiku Contest. Congrats to Billie Dee!
(since the original Japanese can not be represented in this review because of web browser constraints, I will only show the romaji and English of Akito Arima and Kai Hasegawa poems:
asahi sasu haha no tsurara ni ko no tsurara
morning sunshine
mother icicle
and baby icicle
(Arima)
kanakana ya hi no suji todoku kura no tana
kanakana cicadas –
a ray of sunlight
reaches the cellar shelf
(Hasegawa)
Hasegawa san’s poem is one of my favorite by circumstance in that when I visited Japan in 2004 with our youngest son, in order to help remember his name, “Connor”, one of the members of the writer’s group of which we were guests said, “oh your son’s name is like the cicada, kanakana, sound!”. Should I end this review with a pun… I kanakana get what that member meant!
Imprints of Dreams, Otisci snova by Damir Janjalija (aka Damir Damir), ©2012. Editor Ljiljana Ilic, English Translator, Sasa Vazic, Japanese Translator, Ikuryo Yoshimura. ISBN 978-86-87683-02-0. Contact www.trablmejker.com for purchase information.
Damir Damir lives and works mainly on merchant navy ships. He was born in Kotor, Montenegro in 1977. He professes a great love for haiku. He has crafted 24 poems in a paperback book of 60 pages. He uses a style based on traditional poems similar in structure to translations of Basho’s poetry. All 24 poems were originally written in his native language. I am not completely sure that the Japanese translations hold the 5-7-5 syllabic sound pattern, but, they seem so. The English translations are well done and hold elements of the traditional Japanese haiku/hokku style, (using kigo and kireji) equivalents in English, I feel. Each poem occupies the odd numbered pages with the Japanese one vertical line closest to the spine (so close to the spine I almost missed it) with the original top right in three horizontal lines and the English translation lower middle in three horizontal lines. I will give an example, but, due to formatting the Japanese will be one horizontal line in romaji I have translated:
Pejzaz utisnut
a belinu papira
Prvo svanuce
jun shiro no kami ni kizamishi hakohinode
a landscape imprinted
in the whiteness of paper
first sunrise
I feel Damir Damir’s poems do indeed profess his love for the genre.
Poems with narrow eyes by ion untaru. © 2012 Editura Amurg sentimental, Oficiui Postal 48 - Casuta 7, Bucuresti, sector 2, COD 021151, Amurg_Sentimental@yahoo.com, ISBN 978-973-678-529-0. Paperback, 100 pages.
Ion Untaru’s book of poems are mostly three line poems with some covering Christian themes and others focusing on the phases of life from birth to old age. Ion has shown this in the books contents of chapter named: Cross; Birth; Adolescence; Maturity; and Old Age. The poems are in four languages: Romanian; English; French; and Serbian. Although, I am guessing about the languages all except English as the author has not indicated which languages are represented other than indicating that the English translators were Sasa Vazic and Marian Taralunga; and, the Serbian translator was Sasa Vazic. I would have liked to have known which languages were represented and without the risk of guessing which were which. My language experience is limited to Japanese and English; although, I hope I recognized French.
A sample from the first section, Cross, which is written in the four languages (Crucca – Cross – Croix – Kpct) Note: my keyboard can not represent the Serbian if that is what it is so the sample will only be in the first three languages: Romanian, English, and French:
hanurile pline,
nicaieri un loc pentru
Iosif si Maria
crowded inns,
nowhere a place for
Joseph and Mary
auberges pleines,
nulle part lieu pour
Joseph et Marie
Another sample from last section, Old Age (Senectutea – Old Age – Vieillesse – Ctapoct)
primii fulgi;
batranul a castigat
un sejur la mare
first snowflakes;
the old man won
a stay at sea
premiers flocons;
le vieux a gagne
un sejour a la mer
If a collection of short poems in four languages with most having a Christian theme, but, others about the progression of life is something you might want to read, Ion Untaru’s book is a passionate example.
I want to encourage more books of poems in multiple languages, but, for us with limited language exposure it would be an appreciated courtesy to explicitly indicate which is which, thank you.
Bog Cotton haiku stories & haiku by Ken Jones. Uxbridge, UK: Alba Publishing, 2012. Paperback, 96 pp. ISBN: 978-0-9572592-2-5. To order: UK customers: £12.oo post free albapublishing.com. From Alba Publishing, PO Box 266, Uxbridge UB9 5NX (checks to “Alba Publishing”), or through the Welsh Books Council website gwales.com. Overseas customers: US$16/€15 via Paypal (info@albapublishing.com).
Ken Jones’ book is intriguing and engaging. He’s from Wales, after all. Perhaps it’s a personal bias, but, I’ve found writers from Wales have that knack, in general, and Ken seems to have it in spades. As the book’s subtitle, haiku stories and haiku, indicates a clear statement of the content of the book, the author refers to the “… prose pieces (“haibun”) … “, (the haiku stories), and, I quite agree. I found these along the lines that I would consider similar to the Japanese creator of haibun, Basho, in both mood and style. I am quite comfortable with Ken’s style in this; but, not so much for the haiku in the trailing section of the divisions of his contents. He has created a repeated pattern, a title, followed by prose pieces (“haibun”) and each section ending in a group of poems, Haiku, most of which lacked the traditional seasonal reference and cut. But, this is not to say they are not well crafted and clever short poems.
The title of each division hints at the divisions’ contents: Black Comedy, Out on the Hill, Sauntering, Love and Lust, Things Aren’t What They Seem, A Life, and, The Grave and Constant. I would say these represent an overall arc of a traveler both for his living experience and the sense of place. I would also say a further refinement, that Ken is a saunterer in the true style of Henry Thoreau. So, Ken Jones, in my estimation is the quantum entanglement of Basho and Thoreau! Read the book, perhaps, you’ll see what I mean.
Tao of Water, Haiku & Tanka, by Giselle Maya. Published by Koyama Press, Giselle Maya, 84750 Saint Martin de Castillon, France, 2012. Translation by Maritime France. Calligraphy by Yasuo Mizui. Photography by Amanda Spencer-Cooke. The book is Limited Edition, Copyright MMXII, Year of the Dragon
Order by writing to the above address or email: GISELLE.MAY@wanadoo.fr
The author, Giselle Maya is a poet and painter, living in Provence, France. She has studied literature and Japanese at Sophia University in Tokyo and Chado, Japan. She has also studied the tea ceremony in Kyoto. Currently she is writing, painting, and gardening at her home in Provence, France. She has published 18 books of poetry.
Unfortunately, I do not speak or read French which limits my receptiveness to French nuance in the poems and the songs (although the work has English translations). French, to my ear, always has a romantic/exotic/erotic "ness" (evoking similar reactions as Gomez Addams).
The Tao of Water is a fine hand crafted, yet simple book of a few pages, hand bound with twine and covered in dark blue handmade paper. The calligraphy by Yasuo Mizui is nicely done and gives a touch of sincerity and grace to the work, allowing the reader to feel that this is a personal gift to a friend. The poems are in a script-like elegant font.
Giselle’s poetry is as a cool drink. Her short poems sip-like:
spring river
tilting towards the sea –
the tao of water
rivi’ere de printemps
qui court vers la mer –
le tao de l’eau
Skywriting, Heavenly Dance, Haiku, by Giselle Maya. The only drawing, “Mediterranean Garden” is by AISHA. Photography by Michele Schaal.
Skywriting is also handmade (sandy white handmade paper cover) and similar in design and size as Tao of Water, but is in English only with a font that is also script like. The few photos included throughout the book are given a vivid color rendition making them appear super real. If Tao of Water is of water, then, SKYWRITING is of air, with poems about ethereal grace:
rising
out of cherry trees
spring moon
Magical Vessel, vaisseau mgique, Compact Disc, musical collaboration of Martine France (vocals and guitar) and Michel Rambaud (vocals), tanka of Giselle Maya.
Link: www.martinefrance.com
Magical Vessel is a collection of Giselle Maya’s poems each sung in English followed then in French by Michel Rambaud accompanied on acoustic guitar by Martine France, who also provided vocals. The CD contains two sections of song rendered poetry, Sacred Trees and the Tao of Water.
Sacred Trees brings poems, some light some dark about the relationship and perceptions we have with and of trees. Tao of Water contains poems from the book.
I found the songs reminiscent of poets’ accompaniments in a café or bar. They had, to me, a Beat-Folk mix. I do not feel qualified to give musical assessment of the performance, but, I applaud the effort to perform poetry as song. I feel I would have better enjoyed the spirit of the performance if my ear better attuned to the French accent.
AHA The Anthology, Collected Works of AHA Forum Members, Preface and cover art work by Jane Reichhold, Edited by Hannah Mahoney, produced by, AHA Books, P.O. Box 767, Gualala, California 95445.You can purchase copies at https://tsw.createspace.com/title/3974279 or Amazon.com. ISBN 9780944676912
The AHApoetry Group has produced their first anthology of selected works by members of the online AHA Poetry Forum accumulated from workshopping online. The anthology is in paperback, 5 X 9 inches, of 114 numbered pages.
I recommend reading the preface as it gives a valuable setting with explanations about the creation and history of the anthology. There are some key statements that hold as solid tenets for any workshop on poetry: “Poetry is a learned skill.”; “From the beginning, this has been a tight community.”; “Part of haiku study is the appreciation, and discussion, of the work of others.”; and, “With workshopping, the original work may end up looking very different in the end, …”
One of the insights I took from the introduction, which for the most part is an interview conducted with Jane Reichhold, AHA Forum founder, by Julie B Cain, Hannah Mahoney, and Scott Terrill is that as Jane replied in speaking of being on a free verse poetry forum, “I rapidly found out that the poets, and the leadership, on that forum knew very little about the Japanese genres and seemed stuck in the narrow view that a haiku is just a seventeen-syllable poem about nature.” This along with, as Jane puts it, “… how marvelous other people are and the realization that not everyone thinks as I do!”
Of the listing of the present moderators, I know many with only a few unfamiliar as yet to me. Of the list of 33 listed contributing poets, I know of 22. I have read their writings online, in books, in blogs, on Facebook, in tweets, met some personally, but, above all there is not a one that I have not learned something.
This anthology is analogous to a buffet of dishes. There are short poems, prose and poems, long poems, photos and poems, poems on photos, sketches and poems; and, I would venture to say something for any ones poetic palette.
There is one ghazal poem of couplets that caused a pause for a grin. Lorin Ford’s, “Conversations With Women,” who in the last couplet writes, “… fall for a poet or an obstetrician and you’ll be sorry. …”. Qualifying barely for the first and not even close for the second, I got a bit of a smile from my wife when I read it to her.
Need I say it? I fell for AHA The Anthology, but, I’m not sorry in the least!
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BOOK REVIEWS
by Dennis M. Holmes
Bending Reeds, Yuki Teikei Haiku Society Members’ Anthology 2012, Edited by Patricia J. Machmiller, produced by, Patsons Press, Sunnyvale, CA.
Link: www.youngleaves.org ISBN 978-0-9850972-1-9 Imprints of Dreams, Otisci snova by Damir Janjalija (aka Damir Damir), ©2012. Editor Ljiljana Ilic, English Translator, Sasa Vazic, Japanese Translator, Ikuryo Yoshimura. ISBN 978-86-87683-02-0. Contact www.trablmejker.com for purchase information.
Poems with narrow eyes by ion untaru. © 2012 Editura Amurg sentimental, Oficiui Postal 48 - Casuta 7, Bucuresti, sector 2, COD 021151, Amurg_Sentimental@yahoo.com, ISBN 978-973-678-529-0. Paperback, 100 pages.
Bog Cotton haiku stories & haiku by Ken Jones. Uxbridge, UK: Alba Publishing, 2012. Paperback, 96 pp. ISBN: 978-0-9572592-2-5. To order: UK customers: £12.oo post free albapublishing.com. From Alba Publishing, PO Box 266, Uxbridge UB9 5NX (checks to “Alba Publishing”), or through the Welsh Books Council website gwales.com. Overseas customers: US$16/€15 via Paypal (info@albapublishing.com).
Tao of Water, Haiku & Tanka, by Giselle Maya. Published by Koyama Press, Giselle Maya, 84750 Saint Martin de Castillon, France, 2012.
Skywriting, Heavenly Dance, Haiku, by Giselle Maya.Magical Vessel, vaisseau mgique, Compact Disc, musical collaboration of Martine France (vocals and guitar) and Michel Rambaud (vocals), tanka of Giselle Maya.
Link: www.martinefrance.com
AHA The Anthology, Collected Works of AHA Forum Members, Preface and cover art work by Jane Reichhold, Edited by Hannah Mahoney, produced by, AHA Books, P.O. Box 767, Gualala, California 95445.You can purchase copies at https://tsw.createspace.com/title/3974279 or Amazon.com. ISBN 9780944676912 |
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