Mariko Kitakubo Tanka Reading

front: Lindy Hill, Violet, Nardin Gottfried, Phyllis Collins, Mariko Kitakubo, Linda Galloway, Peggy Castro, Janis Lukstein
back: Debbie Kolodji, Ines Foley, Vic Gendrano

On Saturday, April 19, 2008, the Southern California Haiku Study Group co-sponsored a bilingual tanka reading by Mariko Kitakubo with the Pacific Asia Museum. The reading took place in the Japanese Gallery where the Rengetsu exhibit is on display through May 11th. Otagaki Rengetsu (1791-1875) was a Buddhist nun, a poet, a calligrapher, and ceramic artist. Listening to Kitakubo read tanka in Japanese surrounded by pottery and scrolls with Rengetsu poetry was a very special experience for all who attended.

Linda Galloway read the English translations of Kitakubo's work, translations by Amelia Fielden of Australia. The mood was set by music by Mei on shamisen, Rick Wilson on flute, and Kathy Wilson on percussion before and after the performance.

The reading was well attended, with approximately 40 people present. In addition to Mariko, Linda, Kathy, Rick, and Mei, attendees included Nardin Gottfried, Vic Gendrano, Peggy Hehman-Smith, Debbie Kolodji, D'Ellen Hutchins, Justin Kibbe, Jane Moore, Ericka Wilks, Violet, Ines Foley, Phyllis Collins, Elva, Nobuko Sugamoto, Peggy Castro, Lindy Hill, Maja Trochimczyk, Hisashi Matsue and members of a Japanese language tanka group in Los Angeles.

April 19th - Mariko Kitakubo

Mariko Kitakubo
tanka poet & performer
April 19, 2008 - 2 p.m.
Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena, CA

In a rare bilingual performance as part of the Authors on Asia program at the Pacific Asia Museum, Mariko Kitakubo, a leading Japanese poet and performance artist from Toyko, will present her tanka (Japan’s oldest and most popular poetry form) accompanied by Linda Galloway reading the English translation. The program is co-sponsored by the Southern California Haiku Study Group.

Kitakubo is a member of the Association of Contemporary Tanka Poets, Nihonkajin Club and the Sakujitsu Society. She has published three books in Japanese, I Want to Tell You in the Way of the Waves (1999), When the Music Stops (2002), and Will (2005) in addition to two collections of tanka in English, On this Same Star (2007) and Cicada Forest (2008).

Books will be available for purchase and signing. The program is free to museum members and Southern California Haiku Study Group members and free with museum general admission for non-members. $7 general, $5 students and seniors. There will be a reception afterwards in the museum courtyard. To help with planning for the event, please call 626-449-2742, ext 20 for reservations.

October 20, 2007 - Workshop and Kukai

October 20, 2007

Blue Room, Pacific Asia Museum

The October workshop was a joint meeting between the Southern California Haiku Study Group and the Urban Emerging Poets, which meets over eight consecutive Saturdays in the Fall and Spring at the back room of the Santa Catalina Branch of the Pasadena Library. Both groups start at 2:00 p.m.

Present were Peggy Castro, Sharon Hawley, Sandra Flick, Elva Lauter, Lynn, Lindy Hill, Debbie Kolodji, Pauli Dutton, Violet, Kath Wilson, Don Kingfisher Campbell, Wendy Wright, Tom Bilicke, Ines Foley, Theresa Antonia, and Mary Torregrossa.

For the haiku read-around, each visiting poet was loaned a book of classical Japanese haiku and given the choice of reading one of their own, or one from the book. A lively discussion followed when Lynn noticed that she had a different translation of the haiku Sharon read from Autumn Haiku, Selected Poems by Kobayashi Issa translated by Lewis Mackenzie:

And, when I die,
Be thou guardian of my tomb,
Grasshopper.

- Issa

Lynn was reading from classic Haiku, selected and translated by Yozuru Miura:

Oh, cricket!
Act as grave keeper
After I am gone.

- Issa

The group thought in the first translation the emphasis seemed to be on the tomb whereas the emphasis in the second translation was on the cricket.

The group then discussed kigo, looking at the season word handouts. We went around the table and had each person say the word that first popped into their head when thinking of October (without repeating someone else's word). Then, everyone was to write a haiku using their word for the kukai.

There were 54 haiku in the kukai, including:

full moon
in a tree of stars --
taste of golden apple

- Elva Lauper

cigarette --
alone in her garden,
the Blue Hour

- Tom Bilicke

temple dog's
silent bark
of 100 years

- Don Kingfisher Campbell

The next meeting of the Southern California Haiku Study Group will be on Saturday, November 17, 2007 at the Pacific Asia Museum at 2:00 p.m.

September 15, 2007 - Workshop and Kukai

Water Lilies, Pacific Asia Museum Courtyard

There was another wedding at the Pacific Asia Museum and members of the Southern California Haiku Study Group met in the Volunteer Room. Present were Peggy Hehman-Smith, Phyllis Collins, Lindy Hill, Pauli Dutton, Dick Dutton, Kathy Wilson, Debbie Kolodji, Violet, Wendy Wright, and Janis.

We discussed the season, lamenting summer's end with cooler nights, but enjoying blooming morning glory vines and the sound of crickets.

Some sample haiku from the kukai:

is it the same cricket
in the rafters tonight?
old friend

- Lindy Hill


dying morning glory vine
slowly releases
the garden gate

- Peggy Hehman-Smith


alone in the gallery
where we sang --
distant drums

- Kath Abela Wilson

August 18, 2007 - Workshop and Kukai

Photo courtesy of Debbie Kolodji

Eight haiku poets attended the August 18th Southern California Haiku Study Group workshop and kukai at the charming and inspiring Pacific Asia Museum: Phyllis Collins, Tom Conroy, Anne Jones, Debbie Kolodji, Elva Lauter, Janis Lukstein, Naia, and Wendy Wright.

After several rounds of sharing recent haiku written by attendees, we discussed using all the senses to perceive our surroundings. Members offered their insights and discussed writing good haiku, and draft haiku were workshopped. Janis shared some photos from a recent haiku excursion.

The group reviewed kigo words and phrases indicative of our region during this time of year. Two haiku that were highlighted during our meeting were:


morning fog
covers the garden...
then red hibiscus

-Elva Lauter


end of summer --
his old fisherman's cap
on a chair

-Wendy Wright

The next workshop and kukai will be on Saturday, October 20th from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Rattle of Bamboo our group anthology reading July 29, 2007

In the exquisite setting of the Japanese Gallery of our gracious host, the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena, we presented our 2006 anthology, Rattle of Bamboo. Poets published in the anthology who read were Tom Bilicke, Tom Conroy, D'Ellen, Linda Galloway, gK, Nardin Gottfried, Peggy Hehman-Smith, Gloria Jaguden, Anne Jones, Deborah P Kolodji, Janis Lukstein, Kath Wilson, and Wendy Wright. With gracious introductions by our moderator Deborah P Kolodji, acting editor Linda Galloway and a welcoming prelude by Tai-Ling Wong of the museum, the first reader Tom Billicke read his beautiful ephemeral haiku tribite to our past member and long-time friend, David Priebe (1937-2006) in whose memory he wrote:

cool hotel lobby
I watch traffic passing
and remember you

Punctuating the reading appropriate to our oriental roots and setting, were Japanese and Chinese flutes and percussion, so in tune with our lyrical verse and images. Rick Wilson played Japanese shinoboe as introduction, with Kath Wilson on Japanese drums. At mid-reading he played a Chinese dizi accompanied by small cymbals and the reading ended with the intensity of the Japanese ryuteki (dragon flute) and drums.

One of the most moving points of the reading was a series presented by our dedicated editor, Linda Galloway, of haiku inspired and dedicated to the passing of her beloved daughter a year ago. The deep sound of a Nepalese singing bowl added to the dramatic moment.

Debbie Kolodji's beautiful musical verse so appropriately reflects the mood of our presentation:

green storm
a gong echoes
as it stills

The spirit of lost friends, the reading community of strong and expressive poets, the founding by Jerry Ball, who set this group sail, the generosity of our host the Pacific Asia Museum, the beauty of the setting, the music like wind through bamboo, the work of our editor and moderator, all made this an unforgettably poetic experience for all involved. We look forward to next year's anthology and presentation!

July 21, 2007 - Workshop and Kukai

July 2007 Kukai
Blue Room, Pacific Asia Museum
(photo by Kath Wilson)

Twelve people attended the July 21st workshop and kukai at the Pacific Asia Museum: Peggy Castro, Peggy Hehman-Smith, Lindy Hill, Linda Galloway, Nardin Gottfried, Darrell Byrd, Phyllis Collins, Elva, Violet, Kath Wilson, Wendy Wright, and Debbie Kolodji.

Linda showed the group some bookmaking kits that she has been using to make her haiku diaries.

We had a group discussion about kigo, with some controversary as to whether or not "hermit crabs" were seasonal. We tentatively decided that it was a summer kigo. Some other kigo discussed included summer Shakespeare, outdoor concerts, summer herbs, and the milky way.

Two high scoring haiku in the kukai used the kigo "too hot to go out":

too hot to go out
the dogs take their
ninth nap of the day

- Margaret Hehman-Smith

too hot to go out
I lie back and watch
my toes curl

-Peggy Castro

Another high scoring haiku :

melon blossom
a yellow powdered bee
wipes its face

- Darrell Byrd

The next workshop and kukai will be on Saturday, August 18th from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.