A N N O U N C E M E N T S
12 December 2022
London is white this morning as I type these words. Some weather pundits tell us we may be in for a white christmas.
No one knows for sure but what I do know is that I would like to wish all our writers, poets and readers a very merry christmas, happy holidays and a safe and joyous end to 2022.
I’ve written six poems [one cherita, one gembun, one dua, one tanka and two haiku] below to celebrate this end of year season for re-charging all our energies for 2023.
Blessings to all of you,
ai li
*
cherita
driving home
for the holidays
familiar fairy lights
in the old neighbourhood
can i be
ten again please?
ai li
*
dua
christmas eve truce
mouse & i
ai li
*
tanka
the man roasting chestnuts
over forty years ago
on this street corner
his ghost waving to me
as snowflakes fall
ai li
*
haiku
my lips
poinsettia red
under the mistletoe
ai li
*
snowman his first white Christmas
ai li
*
gembun
one present short this year
no one dares whisper
your name
in the new dark
ai li
all poems above copyright ai li 2022
*
1 December 2022
2022 a Joint Silver Jubilee Celebration
Cherita 22 June 1997 – 22 June 2022
and
Gembun 12 June 1997 – 12 June 2022
Two storytelling short form genres created by ai li
*
a touch of crimson
edition #6:7 of the cherita
edited by ai li
and
nothingness
ai li’s twelfth book of cherita
These two new books above were launched in Singapore this month when I was visiting family and loved ones after the Covid lockdown. It has been three long years since I was last there, and it was such joy to be able to pay homage again to my family’s ancestral tablets which are permanently housed in an old monastery. A Buddhist vegan meal was prepared for me to say my prayers of thanks for their love and affection which helped anchor me down in my foundation years.
a touch of crimson, edition #6:7 of the cherita, rounds off this very special Silver Jubilee year. The closing of 2022 also spurred me on to write my twelfth Cherita book, which I have called nothingness.
My twelfth book of Cherita contains 90 virgin cherita which I hope will continue to illustrate the many different ways one can tell a story with this genre, which so many of you have deemed iconic.
I would like to thank all the writers, poets and readers who have greatly contributed to all the books that have appeared during 2022 via our 1-2-3 press and the empty press, and wish all of you a safe and peaceful end of the year.
Here is an update on the very first Dua Anthology :
It has been tough collating for the very first Dua anthology but I relished the challenge. You took to this new genre like a duck to water and started weaving inspiring 2 line stories.
I am hopeful that I should be able to get this special Anthology ready by early 2023.
I find the idea of publishing the very first anthology of dua poems enticing, and so, if you are game to try writing this new and unique storytelling form, please do so. You will find full info for this proposed new anthology and dua’s guidelines on www.thecherita.com/dua and on www.aili.co.uk/dua
*
This edition of a touch of crimson showcases 95 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, The Philippines, Romania, Japan, India, Canada, Australia, Trinidad, Germany and Spain.
a touch of crimson is our sixth and final book for our Silver Jubilee Year of 2022, of our sixth year of being. This is also our 69th edition in the cherita series of storytelling books.
*
nothingness, launched in conjunction with a touch of crimson, is my twelfth book of cherita published by the 1-2-3 press, of 90 virgin cherita.
www.thecherita.com/ailis-bookshop/
Here are three sample cherita from nothingness :
a graveyard
of
unfinished verse
wind will come
wind
will come
ai li
*
the hologram of you
will always be
in my consciousness
i still talk to you
about moonlight
and old dreams
ai li
*
honeysuckle cottage
i left you behind
30 years ago in my dreams
but on this cold night
you perfume
all my longings
ai li
*
Here is December’s update on the Gembun Anthologies 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 :
With a bit of luck, Anthologies 4 and 5 should be out in early 2023, followed soon after by Anthologies 6 and 7. This would of course depend very much on my workload.
Meanwhile, Anthologies 8, 9 and 10 are slowly but surely blossoming with strong gembun.
The Gembun Anthologies 1, 2 and 3 are now available on Amazon in paperback and kindle, thanks to all your amazing enthusiasm for this genre.
Careful collating and editing are crucial for each anthology, for it to be a timeless work of short stories in the gembun format.
Meanwhile, if you have written gembun that you consider to be special, please do not hesitate to send them in.
My wish, as I indicated last month, is for the Gembun Anthology to become a fluid and ongoing series for showcasing the best of the Gembun genre with the gifts from your writing. That has not changed.
Gembun and Cherita share the same year of birth and they will be celebrating storytelling with Life, Love, Loss and Renewal this jubilee year and hopefully beyond.
Full details on the link below if you have not, as yet, sent in your Gembun/Gembun Terbalik for consideration.
www.thecherita.com/gembun-anthos/
The Gembun [1-3 or 1-4] was created on 12 June 1997 and Cherita on 22 June 1997, and they will both celebrate their Silver Jubilee in June 2022. Gembun is also a minimal and unique linked form that consists of either a one-word or one sentence first link, followed by a haiku of up to 4 lines. Gembun has to include an element of suggestion in either the opening sentence/link, the haiku or in both.
Gembun Terbalik [3-1 or 4-1] now joins this minimal form and is an inverted Gembun. It is written with a haiku of 3 or 4 lines as its opening stanza and then capped by a one liner. Six new virgin examples of mine can be seen on www.thecherita.com/gembun-anthos/
The Gembun and Gembun Terbalik have to include an element of suggestion in either the opening sentence or haiku, the haiku or opening sentence or in both. Gembun was created by ai li on the 12 June 1997, inspired by Larry Kimmel’s TIBUN. www.aili.co.uk/gembun/
*
Fine examples by Larry Kimmel, Joanna Ashwell and myself can be found, along with Gembun’s original guidelines on my personal website www.aili.co.uk
*
a touch of crimson belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, currently 69th on the list, as do my personal ongoing writing in one breath series of virgin Cherita, Cherita and Tanka, Cherita and Haiku, and Cherita, Tanka and Haiku books, and lastly my poems for inner rooms series with its 18 Tanka and Haiku books. All these editions are available in paperback and kindle on Amazon.
Two of my own books of virgin Gembun, the weight of rain and blank screen, and now my two books of Dua, the journey east and dancing shoes have all been added to my writing in one breath series.
I have edited this edition as I have all the other editions of the cherita, to be experienced two ways. It can be read as one storybook but also as an anthology of individual poems. Two reading experiences within one book, filled with stories of Life, Love, Loss and Renewal.
cherita terbalik continues to capture the imagination of poets and there are again fine examples in this edition.
Featured Poets as they appear in this edition :-
ai li/ Jackie Chou/ Cynthia Anderson/ Connie Pittman-Ramsey/ Kath Abela Wilson/ D’ellen/ Taura Scott/ Diane Funston/ Larry Kimmel/ Joanna Ashwell/ Bryan Rickert/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ Alan Peat/ Réka Nyitrai/ Keith Evetts/ kris moon kondo/ James Haddad/ Peter Larsen/ Genie Nakano/ paula song sarmonpal/ Partha Sarkar/ Anne Scott/ Stella Damarjati/ Gillena Cox/ Mike Turner/ Jim Niffen/ Lorelyn De la Cruz Arevalo/ Pitt Büerken/ Sarah Davies/ Ram Chandran/ Arvinder Kaur/ Bonnie J Scherer/ Sharon Farrante/ Hazel Hall/ I.Hope/ Penny Lowery/ Ceri Marriott/ Eva Joan/ Dominic Willis/ Robert Horrobin/
A SAMPLE from this edition :-
call
of the wild
i’ve gone feral
with ink
and paper
from dead trees
ai li
The cherita lighthouse has been awarded to the following writers and poets in this edition for their timeless Cherita :
Kath Abela Wilson/ Jackie Chou/ D’ellen/ Taura Scott/ Diane Funston/ Larry Kimmel/ Joanna Ashwell/ Connie Pittman-Ramsey/ Alan Peat/ Réka Nyitrai/ Keith Evetts/ kris moon kondo/ Anne Scott/ Lorelyn De la Cruz Arevalo/ Arvinder Kaur/ Bonnie J Scherer/ Sarah Davies/ I.Hope/ Penny Lowery/ Eva Joan/ Hazel Hall/ Sharon Farrante/ Jim Niffen/ paula song sarmonpal/
a touch of crimson has been edited to be experienced two ways. It can be read as a storybook and as an anthology of individual poems.
*
I have enjoyed the challenge of selecting and collating for this edition of the cherita and hope that you will find the cherita within worthy of a campfire gathering and the sharing of meaningful stories.
If this new edition strikes a chord with you, please feel free to review, comment on Amazon or give feedback directly to me. Many thanks.
ai li
editor
www.thecherita.com
storyteller oasis
N.B.
Currently you receive ongoing news and updates from the 1-2-3 press [on and about the cherita and cherita]. If you feel that you no longer wish to receive these updates, please unsubscribe. Thank you.
*
1 November 2022
2022 a Joint Silver Jubilee Celebration
Cherita 22 June 1997 – 22 June 2022
and
Gembun 12 June 1997 – 12 June 2022
Two storytelling short form genres created by ai li
*
words in my dreams
edition #6:6 of the cherita
edited by ai li
and
dancing shoes
ai li’s second book of dua
*
I hope you’ll find this month’s offering of words in my dreams as thought provoking as the previous editions of the cherita. Launching with this edition is my second book of 90 virgin Dua, entitled dancing shoes, which I am hoping will inspire you to put pen to paper to write your short stories in its 1-1 format if you haven’t already, and to write some more if you have.
My invitation for you to submit Dua for the first anthology for Dua, has been most encouraging as you have immediately taken to this new form with your submitted efforts. I am eager to start selecting and collating for this new Anthology. My sincere wish is to have, for your reading and perhaps learning pleasure, very strong books/anthologies of Cherita, Gembun and now Dua available for not only a challenging and fruitful read but also for a foray into the ever potent storytelling dreamtime that can be found in our lives.
The huge interest generated by Gembun alerted me to the fact that poets and writers out there are looking for new challenges to broaden their short form skills and expertise. What better way than with dua [1-1], a new and unique minimal way of storytelling to give your grey cells a good work out?
I found the idea of publishing the very first anthology of dua poems enticing, and so, if you are game to try writing this new and unique storytelling form, please do so. You will find full info for this proposed new anthology and dua’s guidelines on www.thecherita.com/dua and on www.aili.co.uk/dua
If enough excellent dua are received by me, then the first Dua Anthology is definitely viable in the near future. Now that the nights are starting to lengthen, stoke up that campfire of dreams, and come storytell with cherita, gembun and dua. When you write them, readers and fellow dreamers will come.
*
This edition of words in my dreams showcases 95 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, The Philippines, New Zealand, Romania, Canada, India, Australia, Trinidad, Germany and Japan.
words in my dreams is our fifth book for our Silver Jubilee Year of 2022, of our sixth year of being. This is also our 68th edition in the cherita series of storytelling books.
*
dancing shoes, launched in conjunction with of all places, is my second book of dua poems, published by the 1-2-3 press, of 90 virgin dua.
Here are four examples of Dua [1-1] from dancing shoes :
i can hear the night
in a passing train
ai li
*
someone waving in blue
30 years ago
ai li
*
the rain
deep inside me
ai li
*
in your pocket
a scented phone number
ai li
*
Here is November’s update on the Gembun Anthologies 4, 5, 6 and 7 :
The Gembun Anthologies 1,2 and 3 are now available on Amazon in paperback and kindle thanks to all your amazing enthusiasm for this genre.
Anthologies 4 and 5 are both very nearly there, with Anthologies 6 and 7 beginning to fill up too. I will keep you informed as and when another anthology is ready for its launch.
Careful collating and editing are crucial for each anthology, for it to be a timeless work of short stories in the gembun format.
Meanwhile, if you have written gembun that you consider to be special, please do not hesitate to send them in.
My wish, as I indicated last month, is for the Gembun Anthology to become a fluid and ongoing series for showcasing the best of the Gembun genre with the gifts from your writing. That has not changed.
Gembun and Cherita share the same year of birth and they will be celebrating storytelling with Life, Love, Loss and Renewal this jubilee year and hopefully beyond.
Full details on the link below if you have not, as yet, sent in your Gembun/Gembun Terbalik for consideration.
www.thecherita.com/gembun-anthos/
The Gembun [1-3 or 1-4] was created on 12 June 1997 and Cherita on 22 June 1997, and they will both celebrate their Silver Jubilee in June 2022. Gembun is also a minimal and unique linked form that consists of either a one-word or one sentence first link, followed by a haiku of up to 4 lines. Gembun has to include an element of suggestion in either the opening sentence/link, the haiku or in both.
Gembun Terbalik [3-1 or 4-1] now joins this minimal form and is an inverted Gembun. It is written with a haiku of 3 or 4 lines as its opening stanza and then capped by a one liner. Six new virgin examples of mine can be seen on www.thecherita.com/gembun-anthos/
The Gembun and Gembun Terbalik have to include an element of suggestion in either the opening sentence or haiku, the haiku or opening sentence or in both. Gembun was created by ai li on the 12 June 1997, inspired by Larry Kimmel’s TIBUN. www.aili.co.uk/gembun/
*
Fine examples by Larry Kimmel, Joanna Ashwell and myself can be found, along with Gembun’s original guidelines on my personal website www.aili.co.uk
*
words in my dreams belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, currently 68th on the list, as do my personal ongoing writing in one breath series of virgin Cherita, Cherita and Tanka, Cherita and Haiku, and Cherita, Tanka and Haiku books, and lastly my poems for inner rooms series with its 18 Tanka and Haiku books. All these editions are available in paperback and kindle on Amazon.
Two of my own books of virgin Gembun, the weight of rain and blank screen, and now my two books of Dua, the journey east and dancing shoes have all been added to my writing in one breath series.
I have edited this edition as I have all the other editions of the cherita, to be experienced two ways. It can be read as one storybook but also as an anthology of individual poems. Two reading experiences within one book, filled with stories of Life, Love, Loss and Renewal.
cherita terbalik continues to capture the imagination of poets and there are again fine examples in this edition.
Featured Poets as they appear in this edition :-
Taura Scott/ ai li/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ Keith Evetts/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Jackie Chou/ Sherry Grant/ Larry Kimmel/ Alan Peat/ Réka Nyitrai/ Maxianne Berger/ Connie Pittman-Ramsey/ Caroline Skanne/ Patricia Prime/ R. Suresh Babu/ Robert Horrobin/ Michael Lee Johnson/ Sarah Davies/ Stella Damarjati/ Laughing Waters/ D’ellen/ paula song sarmonpal/ Anne Scott/ Genie Nakano/ Diane Funston/ Partha Sarkar/ Peter Larsen/ Dean Okamura/ Gillena Cox/ Mike Turner/ Jim Niffen/ Lorelyn De la Cruz Arevalo/ Eva Joan/ Pitt Büerken/ Bonnie J Scherer/ Ram Chandran/ David Cox/ Sigrid Saradunn/ kris moon kondo/ Merridy/ Barry George Fordham/ Barun Saha/
A SAMPLE from this edition :-
why are songs
like tattoos
because
they get
under
your skin and stay
Taura Scott
The cherita lighthouse has been awarded to the following writers and poets in this edition for their timeless Cherita :
Taura Scott/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ Keith Evetts/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Jackie Chou/ Alan Peat/ Réka Nyitrai/ Caroline Skanne/ Connie Pittman-Ramsey/ Robert Horrobin/ Michael Lee Johnson/ Larry Kimmel/ Sarah Davies/ Laughing Waters/ R. Suresh Babu/ Anne Scott/ Stella Damarjati/ Peter Larsen/ Mike Turner/ Jim Niffen/ Lorelyn De la Cruz Arevalo/ Eva Joan/ Partha Sarkar/ D’ellen/
words in my dreams has been edited to be experienced two ways. It can be read as a storybook and as an anthology of individual poems.
*
I have enjoyed the challenge of selecting and collating for this edition of the cherita and hope that you will find the cherita within worthy of a campfire gathering and the sharing of meaningful stories.
If this new edition strikes a chord with you, please feel free to review, comment on Amazon or give a feedback directly to me. Many thanks.
ai li
editor
www.thecherita.com
storyteller oasis
N.B.
Currently you receive ongoing news and updates from the 1-2-3 press [on and about the cherita and cherita]. If you feel that you no longer wish to receive these updates, please unsubscribe. Thank you.
*
1 October 2022
2022 a Joint Silver Jubilee Celebration
Cherita 22 June 1997 – 22 June 2022
and
Gembun 12 June 1997 – 12 June 2022
Two storytelling short form genres created by ai li
*
gone now
edition #6:5 of the cherita
edited by ai li
and
paper talisman
the third gembun anthology
edited by ai li
It’s now October and our nights are starting to draw in over here. I have two new books for your reading pleasure and for early autumn.
gone now, edition #6:5 of the cherita, and paper talisman, the eagerly anticipated third Gembun Anthology, are this October’s offerings for you.
The new interest for the Dua genre, which I created in the Spring of 2022, and the proposed first anthology is most encouraging, and that excites me with the possibility of an ongoing series, if sufficient good Dua come in. This new challenge should keep my mind alert.
However, do please be aware that Dua’s 2 lines with a pause in-between the lines may initially appear ‘easy’ to write, but the reality is, to give this minimal story its relevance, the beginning and the end sentence have to gel with the pause in the middle, like the sample below, to take it out of the ordinary :
we have vanished
our childhood home
ai li
from the journey east
You will find full info for the dua anthology and dua’s guidelines on www.thecherita.com/dua and on www.aili.co.uk/dua
With cherita, gembun, and now dua to give your storytelling prowess an autumnal boost, I am so looking forward to my inbox with the imminent arrivals of timeless cherita, gembun and dua splendour.
*
This edition gone now showcases 94 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, The Philippines, Canada, New Zealand, Romania, Germany, Australia, Japan and India.
gone now is our tenth book for our Silver Jubilee Year of 2022, on our sixth year of being. This is also our 67th edition in the cherita series of storytelling books.
paper talisman, launched in conjunction with gone now, is the third anthology of Gembun poems, published by the 1-2-3 press, of 92 virgin gembun, with Anthologies 4 and 5 soon on their way in the near future.
www.thecherita.com/gembun-bookshop/
Featured Poets as they appear in paper talisman :
Daniela Becher/ Keith Evetts/ ai li/ Joanna Ashwell/ Jackie Chou/ Taura Scott/ Laughing Waters/ Kala Ramesh/ Lakshmi Iyer/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Radhamani Sarma/ Partha Sarkar/ kris moon kondo/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ Diane Funston/ James Haddad/ Steve Brisendine/ R. Suresh Babu/ Vijay Prasad/ Neena Singh/ Sharon Hawley/ Paweł Markiewicz/ Lesley Anne Swanson/ Robert Horrobin/ Caroline Skanne/ D’ellen/ paula song sarmonpal/ Connie Pittman-Ramsey/ Michael Lee Johnson/ Keitha Keyes/ Sigrid Saradunn/ Ritchie Albert/ Tim Gardiner/ Lynne Jambor/
a gem award has been awarded to the following writers and poets in this gembun anthology for Gembun that shone :
Joanna Ashwell/ kris moon kondo/ Kath Abela Wilson/ James Haddad/ Sharon Hawley/ Paweł Markiewicz/ Lesley Anne Swanson/ Robert Horrobin/ Caroline Skanne/ Jackie Chou/ Keitha Keyes/ Partha Sarkar/ Neena Singh/ Tim Gardiner/ Lynne Jambor/
Here are three gembun from paper talisman :
the solace
of a memory
shaping the rain
into you
Joanna Ashwell
*
I am winging
homewards
enchanted by magic
the silence
Paweł Markiewicz
*
origami
folding
my soul
into a crane
ai li
*
Here is October’s update on the Gembun Anthologies 4, 5, 6 and 7:
Anthology 4 is very nearly there, with 5, 6 and 7 filling up as I write this paragraph. If you wish to see excellent gembun of yours, and of other poets in print, please do continue to send in your timeless gembun.
As I mentioned in September’s mailshot, my wish is for the Gembun Anthology to become a fluid and ongoing series for showcasing the best of the Gembun genre with the gifts from your writing. That has not changed.
Gembun and Cherita share the same year of birth and they will be celebrating storytelling with Life, Love, Loss and Renewal this jubilee year and hopefully beyond.
Full details on the link below if you have not, as yet, sent in your Gembun/Gembun Terbalik for consideration.
The Gembun [1-3 or 1-4] was created on 12 June 1997 and Cherita on 22 June 1997, and they will both celebrate their Silver Jubilee in June 2022. Gembun is also a minimal and unique linked form that consists of either a one-word or one sentence first link, followed by a haiku of up to 4 lines. Gembun has to include an element of suggestion in either the opening sentence/link, the haiku or in both.
Gembun Terbalik [3-1 or 4-1] now joins this minimal form and is an inverted Gembun. It is written with a haiku of 3 or 4 lines as its opening stanza and then capped by a one liner. Six new virgin examples of mine can be seen on www.thecherita.com/gembun/
The Gembun and Gembun Terbalik have to include an element of suggestion in either the opening sentence or haiku, the haiku or opening sentence or in both. Gembun was created by ai li on the 12 June 1997, inspired by Larry Kimmel’s TIBUN. www.aili.co.uk/gembun/
*
Fine examples by Larry Kimmel, Joanna Ashwell and myself can be found, along with Gembun’s original guidelines on my personal website www.aili.co.uk
*
gone now belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, currently 67th on the list, as do my personal ongoing writing in one breath series of 26 virgin Cherita, Cherita and Tanka, Cherita and Haiku, and Cherita, Tanka and Haiku books, and lastly my poems for inner rooms series with its 18 Tanka and Haiku books. All these editions are available in paperback and kindle on Amazon.
Two of my own books of virgin Gembun, the weight of rain and blank screen were added to my writing in one breath series, and my very first book on Dua, the journey east joins my writing in one breath series, and makes the total of books in that series now 29.
I have edited this edition as I have all the other editions of the cherita, to be experienced two ways. It can be read as one storybook but also as an anthology of individual poems. Two reading experiences within one book, filled with stories of Life, Love, Loss and Renewal.
cherita terbalik continues to capture the imagination of poets and there are again fine examples in this edition.
Featured Poets as they appear in this edition :-
ai li/ Robert Horrobin/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ George Swede/ Joanna Ashwell/ Jackie Chou/ Anne Scott/ Keith Evetts/ Connie Pittman Ramsey/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Taura Scott/ Sherry Grant/ James Haddad/ Diane Funston/ D’ellen/ Larry Kimmel/ Bryan Rickert/ Alan Peat/ Réka Nyitrai/ Isabella Kramer/ Stella Damarjati/ Jenni Douglas/ Barry George Fordham/ Sharon Hawley/ kris moon kondo/ Genie Nakano/ paula song sarmonpal/ Caroline Skanne/ Patricia Prime/ Lakshmi Iyer/ R. Suresh Babu/ Lesley Anne Swanson/ Ram Chandran/ Maxianne Berger/ Dean Okamura/ Erika Wilk/ David Cox/ Michael Lee Johnson/ Partha Sarkar/ M.J.Iuppa/ Ceri Marriott/ Orrin/ Ritchie Albert/ Lynn Fayne/ Clara Sohn Rehor/ Sigrid Saradunn/ Cynthia Anderson/
A Cherita from this edition :-
a bud vase
of violets
on the table
the coffee mug
you emptied
at noon
Larry Kimmel
The cherita lighthouse has been awarded to the following writers and poets in this edition for their timeless Cherita :
Jackie Chou/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Taura Scott/ Diane Funston/ D’ellen/ Alan Peat/ Réka Nyitrai/ Keith Evetts/ Connie Pittman Ramsey/ Robert Horrobin/ kris moon kondo/ Stella Damarjati/ Larry Kimmel/ Partha Sarkar/ paula song sarmonpal/ Anne Scott/ Orrin/ Sharon Hawley/ Caroline Skanne/ Bryan Rickert/
gone now has been edited to be experienced two ways. It can be read as a storybook and as an anthology of individual poems.
*
I have enjoyed the challenge of selecting and collating for this edition of the cherita and hope that you will find the cherita within worthy of a campfire gathering and the sharing of meaningful stories.
If this new edition strikes a chord with you, please feel free to review, comment on Amazon or give feedback directly to me. Many thanks.
ai li
editor
www.thecherita.com
storyteller oasis
N.B.
Currently you receive ongoing news and updates from the 1-2-3 press [on and about the cherita and cherita]. If you feel that you no longer wish to receive these updates, please unsubscribe. Thank you.
*
16 September 2022
One of our storytellers and contributors, Ceri Marriott, has very kindly sent in the cherita terbalik below, which she is happy for me to share with all of you. My grateful thanks to Ceri for her remembrance cherita for Queen Elizabeth II.
A changing of the guard
The nation mourns,
As a rainbow
Fills the sky
The Queen is dead
Long live The King
Ceri Marriott
*
8 September 2022
The United Kingdom has lost its mother ship today.
In loving memory of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022.
Long Live the King!
*
8 September 2022
My prayers are with our beloved Queen Elizabeth II today who is under medical supervision as her doctors are concerned for her health.
ai li
*
1 September 2022
2022 a Joint Silver Jubilee Celebration
Cherita 22 June 1997 – 22 June 2022
and
Gembun 12 June 1997 – 12 June 2022
Two storytelling short form genres created by ai li
*
of all places
edition #6:4 of the cherita
edited by ai li
and
the journey east
the very first book of dua
edited by ai li
*
I’ve been holding back this image
photograph copyright ai li FRPS 2022
wall art image copyright its unknown creator 2022
which I captured on a side street in my neck of the woods during the recent June Platinum Jubilee celebrations of our Queen Elizabeth II. I have no idea who the creator of this artistic piece is, and I hope that by me sharing this photograph with you [which I snapped in one breath] does not get me into any hot water. Copyright of the stencilled wall art belongs to the creator whoever they may be. This wall art was so joyous and fun that I wanted to look back onto what was, for me, not only a joint momentous Silver Jubilee for Cherita and Gembun, but a Platinum Jubilee for a much loved monarch of these Isles. Rock on, your majesty !
I passed this wall art again this morning and was relieved to see that it was still in place, and paused oh so briefly to take a selfie with it between the pavement traffic.
Apart from September’s Cherita offerings in of all places, edition #6:4, my me time last month had me writing and putting together a new book of dua poems, the journey east. Dua is one of several new short form storytelling genres which I created in the Spring of 2022.
With the huge interest generated by Gembun, this alerted me to the fact that poets and writers out there are looking for new challenges to broaden their short form skills and expertise. What better way than with dua [1-1], a unique minimal way of storytelling to give your grey cells a good work out?
I found the idea of publishing the very first anthology of dua poems enticing, and so, if you are game to try writing this new and unique storytelling form, please do so. You will find full info for this proposed new anthology and dua’s guidelines on www.thecherita.com/dua and on www.aili.co.uk/dua
If enough excellent dua are received by me, then the first Dua Anthology is definitely viable in the near future. Now that the nights are starting to lengthen, stoke up that campfire of dreams, and come storytell with cherita, gembun and dua. When you write them, readers and fellow dreamers will come.
*
This edition of of all places showcases 95 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, The Philippines, Canada, India, New Zealand, Romania, Germany, Japan, Pakistan and Africa.
of all places is our fourth book for our Silver Jubilee Year of 2022, on our sixth year of being. This is also our 66th edition in the cherita series of storytelling books.
*
the journey east, launched in conjunction with of all places, is the very first book of dua poems, published by the 1-2-3 press, of 90 virgin dua.
Here are four examples of Dua [1-1] from the journey east :
old lighthouse
it sleeps all day
ai li
*
the fallen plums
empty dusk
ai li
*
cold night
i light your fire
ai li
*
a car backfiring
hometown night
ai li
*
Here is September’s update on the Gembun Anthologies 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 :
Anthology 3, with a bit of luck, should be out within the next month or so. Anthology 4 is nearly there, with Anthology 5 also filling up fast. I have also started working on Anthologies 6 and 7, and so if you haven’t as yet submitted your Gembun, please don’t delay sending in your work.
Are Anthologies 8 and 9 possible? You tell me. Where there’s strong work waiting to be accepted and published, you can be sure my 1-2-3 press will definitely be at hand.
My wish, as I indicated last month, is for the Gembun Anthology to become a fluid and ongoing series for showcasing the best of the Gembun genre with the gifts from your writing. That has not changed.
Gembun and Cherita share the same year of birth and they will be celebrating storytelling with Life, Love, Loss and Renewal this jubilee year and hopefully beyond.
Full details on the link below if you have not, as yet, sent in your Gembun/Gembun Terbalik for consideration.
www.thecherita.com/gembun-anthos/
The Gembun [1-3 or 1-4] was created on 12 June 1997 and Cherita on 22 June 1997, and they will both celebrate their Silver Jubilee in June 2022. Gembun is also a minimal and unique linked form that consists of either a one-word or one sentence first link, followed by a haiku of up to 4 lines. Gembun has to include an element of suggestion in either the opening sentence/link, the haiku or in both.
Gembun Terbalik [3-1 or 4-1] now joins this minimal form and is an inverted Gembun. It is written with a haiku of 3 or 4 lines as its opening stanza and then capped by a one liner. Six new virgin examples of mine can be seen on www.thecherita.com/gembun-anthos/
The Gembun and Gembun Terbalik have to include an element of suggestion in either the opening sentence or haiku, the haiku or opening sentence or in both. Gembun was created by ai li on the 12 June 1997, inspired by Larry Kimmel’s TIBUN. www.aili.co.uk/gembun/
*
Fine examples by Larry Kimmel, Joanna Ashwell and myself can be found, along with Gembun’s original guidelines on my personal website www.aili.co.uk
*
of all places belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, currently 66th on the list, as do my personal ongoing writing in one breath series of 26 virgin Cherita, Cherita and Tanka, Cherita and Haiku, and Cherita, Tanka and Haiku books, and lastly my poems for inner rooms series with its 18 Tanka and Haiku books. All these editions are available in paperback and kindle on Amazon.
Two of my own books of virgin Gembun, the weight of rain and blank screen were added to my writing in one breath series, and my very first book on Dua, the journey east join my writing in one breath series, and make the total of books in that series now 27.
I have edited this edition as I have all the other editions of the cherita, to be experienced two ways. It can be read as one storybook but also as an anthology of individual poems. Two reading experiences within one book, filled with stories of Life, Love, Loss and Renewal.
cherita terbalik continues to capture the imagination of poets and there are again fine examples in this edition.
Featured Poets as they appear in this edition :-
Robert Horrobin/ Jackie Chou/ Kath Abela Willson/ Rick Wilson/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ Keith Evetts/ James Haddad/ Stella Damarjati/ Anne Scott/ Joanna Ashwell/ Richa Sharma/ Connie Pittman Ramsey/ Ruth Kay/ Larry Kimmel/ ai li/ Partha Sarkar/ Sherry Grant/ Cynthia Anderson/ Kelly Sauvage/ D’ellen/ Sigrid Saradunn/ Bryan Rickert/ Taura Scott/ Alan Peat/ Réka Nyitrai/ Isabella Kramer/ Kim McNealy Sosin/ kris moon kondo/ Ken Slaughter/ Maxianne Berger/ John Hawkhead/ Hifsa Ashraf/ Clara Sohn Rehor/ paula song sarmonpal/ David Cox/ Jim Niffen/ Patricia Prime/ Lakshmi Iyer/ Joanne Kennedy Frazer/ Erika Wilk/ Eva Joan/ R. Suresh Babu/ Rachel Chitofu/ Caroline Skanne/
A SAMPLE from this edition :-
if you see me
shush don’t tell
my secret
I’ll tuck it deep
inside the well
for tomorrow’s dream
Joanna Ashwell
The cherita lighthouse has been awarded to the following writers and poets in this edition for their timeless Cherita :
Keith Evetts/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Sherry Grant/ Bryan Rickert/ Alan Peat/ Réka Nyitrai/ Sigrid Saradunn/ Ken Slaughter/ Isabella Kramer/ Jim Niffen/ Robert Horrobin/ Eva Joan/ paula song sarmonpal/ Caroline Skanne/ Hifsa Ashraf/ John Hawkhead/
of all places has been edited to be experienced two ways. It can be read as a storybook and as an anthology of individual poems.
*
I have enjoyed the challenge of selecting and collating for this edition of the cherita and hope that you will find the cherita within worthy of a campfire gathering and the sharing of meaningful stories.
If this new edition strikes a chord with you, please feel free to review, comment on Amazon or give a feedback directly to me. Many thanks.
ai li
editor
www.thecherita.com
storyteller oasis
N.B.
Currently you receive ongoing news and updates from the 1-2-3 press [on and about the cherita and cherita]. If you feel that you no longer wish to receive these updates, please unsubscribe. Thank you.
*
17 August 2022
Here are two of my published cherita on a wet, wet day in old London town :
storm clouds
things we
shouldn’t
have said
now window steam
ai li
from the promise of rain
and
fragrance
at the end
the healing
magic
of
an empty room
ai li
from the promise of rain
cherita copyright ai li 2022
*
1 August 2022
2022 a Joint Silver Jubilee Celebration
Cherita 22 June 1997 – 22 June 2022
and
Gembun 12 June 1997 – 12 June 2022
Two storytelling short form genres created by ai li
*
i hear
edition #6:3 of the cherita
edited by ai li
*
August is always a quiet month in my neighbourhood when the schools close for the Summer. Yet I find it the perfect month to catch up on my reading whilst sitting in my yard surrounded by birdsong and my murmuring bamboo. For those of you who have decided to stay closer to home this year as I have, I hope you to will be able to find some me time.
I originally intended to launch the second gembun anthology in September but your infectious enthusiasm for gembun persuaded me that it wouldn’t be fair to have you wait any longer to see your gembun. So here it is – evening, gembun anthology 2.
Your support for gembun has been tremendous and I can’t thank you enough for all your storytelling efforts which have made it possible for me to offer several anthologies of gembun for anyone eager to tell a short story in a different way.
*
This edition of i hear showcases 95 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, Germany, The Philippines, Australia, India, Japan, New Zealand, Bulgaria, Romania and Pakistan.
i hear is our third book for our Silver Jubilee Year of 2022, on our sixth year of being. This is also our 65th edition in the cherita series of storytelling books.
evening, launched in conjunction with i hear, is the second Gembun Anthology, published by the 1-2-3 press, of 92 virgin gembun.
Featured Poets as they appear in evening from the USA, UK, Singapore, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Canada, The Philippines and Japan :
ai li/ Larry Kimmel/ Patricia Prime/ Richa Sharma/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Jackie Chou/ Taura Scott/ Keith Evetts/ Joanna Ashwell/ Orrin/ Laughing Waters/ Kala Ramesh/ Lakshmi Iyer/ Shloka Shankar/ Radhamani Sarma/ Subir Ningthouja/ Hifsa Ashraf/ Arvinder Kaur/ Vijay Prasad/ Sharon Hawley/ Genie Nakano/ Sigrid Saradunn/ James Haddad/ Timothy Dee/ Lynne Jambor/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ Steve Brisendine/ kris moon kondo/ R. Suresh Babu/ Neena Singh/ Partha Sarkar/ Lynne Fayne/ Tim Callahan/ Peter Larsen/ Ritchie Albert/ Sushama Kapur/
a gem award has been awarded to the following writers and poets in this edition for Gembun that shone :
Larry Kimmel/ Richa Sharma/ Taura Scott/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Laughing Waters/ Jackie Chou/ Radhamani Sarma/ Genie Nakano/ Sigrid Saradunn/ James Haddad/Timothy Dee/ Lynne Jambor/ kris moon kondo/ Neena Singh/ Partha Sarkar/ Vijay Prasad/ Peter Larsen/ Ritchie Albert/ Shloka Shankar/ Laughing Waters/ Orrin
Here is August’s update on the Gembun Anthologies 3, 4 and 5 :
Anthology 3 is almost there, followed on closely by 4. Anthology 5 is also filling up fast. If you haven’t as yet submitted your Gembun, please don’t delay sending in your work.
If excellent and irresistible Gembun continue to pour in, who am I to say that Anthologies 6 and beyond are not feasible? I’m leaving the window open for all possibilities. As long as good strong Gembun are being received by me, more Anthologies of Gembun will appear.
My wish, as I indicated last month, is for the Anthology to become a fluid and ongoing series for showcasing the best of the Gembun genre with the gifts from your writing. That has not changed.
www.thecherita.com/gembun-anthos/
The Gembun [1-3 or 1-4] was created on 12 June 1997 and Cherita on 22 June 1997, and they will both celebrate their Silver Jubilee in June 2022. Gembun is also a minimal and unique linked form that consists of either a one-word or one sentence first link, followed by a haiku of up to 4 lines. Gembun has to include an element of suggestion in either the opening sentence/link, the haiku or in both.
Gembun Terbalik [3-1 or 4-1] now joins this minimal form and is an inverted Gembun. It is written with a haiku of 3 or 4 lines as its opening stanza and then capped by a one liner. Six new virgin examples of mine can be seen on www.thecherita.com/gembun-anthos/
The Gembun and Gembun Terbalik have to include an element of suggestion in either the opening sentence or haiku, the haiku or opening sentence or in both. Gembun was created by ai li on the 12 June 1997, inspired by Larry Kimmel’s TIBUN. www.aili.co.uk/gembun/
*
Fine examples by Larry Kimmel, Joanna Ashwell and myself can be found, along with Gembun’s original guidelines on my personal website www.aili.co.uk
*
Here are three Gembun from evening :
wind chimes
a bamboo alley
sways in the breeze
my summer dress
Laughing Waters
*
children
once played
on this field
withered grass
Kala Ramesh
*
a little Chinese song
i know from his eyes
what it means
to him
Kath Abela Wilson
*
i hear belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, currently 65th on the list, as do my personal ongoing writing in one breath series of 26 virgin Cherita, Cherita and Tanka, Cherita and Haiku, and Cherita, Tanka and Haiku books, and lastly my poems for inner rooms series with its 18 Tanka and Haiku books. All these editions are available in paperback and kindle on Amazon.
Two of my own books of virgin Gembun have now been added to my writing in one breath series, swelling the numbers to 28.
I have edited this edition as I have all the other editions of the cherita, to be experienced two ways. It can be read as one storybook but also as an anthology of individual poems. Two reading experiences within one book, filled with stories of Life, Love, Loss and Renewal.
cherita terbalik continues to capture the imagination of poets and there are again fine examples in this edition.
Featured Poets as they appear in this edition :-
Larry Kimmel/ Sigrid Saradunn/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Taura Scott/ Connie Pittman-Ramsey/ Eva Joan/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ Jackie Chou/ Keith Evetts/ ai li/ Keitha Keyes/ Mona Bedi/ Joanna Ashwell/ James Haddad/ Richa Sharma/ Peter Jastermsky/ Diane Funston/ kris moon kondo/ Sherry Grant/ Tsanka Shishkova/ Ram Chandran/ Stella Damarjati/ Bryan Rickert/ Alan Peat/ Réka Nyitrai/ Partha Sarkar/ Jim Niffen/ Clara Sohn Rehor/ Ken Slaughter/ Sigrid Saradunn/ John Hawkhead/ Hifsa Ashraf/ Genie Nakano/ paula song sarmonpal/ David Cox/ Annie Wilson/ Caroline Skanne/ Kim McNealy Sosin/ Barry George Fordham/ Isabella Kramer/ Cynthia Anderson/
A SAMPLE from this edition :-
worst days come
when my thread can’t find
the eye of the needle
and instead goes
skinny dipping
into my coffee
Madeleine Basa Vinluan
The cherita lighthouse has been awarded to the following writers and poets in this edition for their timeless Cherita :
Eva Joan/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ Keith Evetts/ Connie Pittman-Ramsey/ Taura Scott/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Jackie Chou/ Larry Kimmel/ Bryan Rickert/ Alan Peat/ Réka Nyitrai/ kris moon kondo/ Jim Niffen/ Clara Sohn Rehor/ Sigrid Saradunn/ Genie Nakano/ paula song sarmonpal/ Annie Wilson/ Caroline Skanne/ Isabella Kramer/ Joanna Ashwell/
i hear has been edited to be experienced two ways. It can be read as a storybook and as an anthology of individual poems.
*
I have enjoyed the challenge of selecting and collating for this edition of the cherita and hope that you will find the cherita within worthy of a campfire gathering and the sharing of meaningful stories.
If this new edition strikes a chord with you, please feel free to review, comment on Amazon or give a feedback directly to me. Many thanks.
ai li
editor
N.B.
Currently you receive ongoing news and updates from the 1-2-3 press [on and about the cherita and cherita]. If you feel that you no longer wish to receive these updates, please unsubscribe. Thank you.
*
1 July 2022
Celebrating their Silver Jubilee
Cherita 22 June 1997 – 22 June 2022
Gembun 12 June 1997 – 12 June 2022
Two storytelling short form genres created by ai li
*
you ask me to dance
edition #6:2 of the cherita
edited by ai li
*
Two Treats
This month of July not only sees the launch of you ask me to dance, edition #6:2 of the cherita, our second book for our silver jubilee year, but also the eagerly awaited debut of snow clouds – the first Gembun Anthology.
I am so very humbled by all the support I received from my call for a Gembun Anthology. You have excelled yourselves, and the result is evident within the pages of this new book. I took my time selecting and collating to ensure that this anthology showcases not only the best of Gembun, but how and what you can write with Gembun. This Anthology can be used as a strong reference book for aspiring Gembun writers.
This edition of you ask me to dance showcases 95 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, The Philippines, New Zealand, India, Australia and Germany.
you ask me to dance is our second book for our Silver Jubilee Year of 2022, on our sixth year of being. This is also our 64th edition in the cherita series of storytelling books.
snow clouds, launched in conjunction with you ask me to dance – the first Gembun Anthology, published by the 1-2-3 press, of 92 virgin gembun.
Featured Poets as they appear in snow clouds from the USA, UK, Singapore, India, New Zealand, Japan, Germany and Australia :
ai li/ Richa Sharma/ Robert Horrobin/ Larry Kimmel/ Agnes Eva Savich/ Kelly Sauvage/ Patricia Prime/ Tim Gardiner/ Joanna Ashwell/ Keith Evetts/ Sherry Grant/ James Won/ Taura Scott/ kris moon kondo/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Neena Singh/ Radhamani Sarma/ Jackie Chou/ Eva Joan/ Kala Ramesh/ Subir Ningthouja/ Mona Bedi/ Vijay Prasad/ Genie Nakano/ Sushama Kapur/ paula song sarmonpal/ Lakshmi Iyer/ Shloka Shankar/ Caroline Skanne/ Laughing waters/ Samantha Sirimanne Hyde/ Sigrid Saradunn/ D’ellen/ Partha Sarkar/ Bryan Rickert/
a gem award has been awarded to the following writers and poets in this edition for Gembun that shone :
Richa Sharma/ Agnes Eva Savich/ Kelly Sauvage/ Patricia Prime/ Tim Gardiner/ Joanna Ashwell/ Keith Evetts/ James Won/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Neena Singh/ Jackie Chou/ Eva Joan/ Kala Ramesh/ Subir Ningthouja/ / Mona Bedi/ Vijay Prasad/ Genie Nakano/ paula song sarmonpal/ Shloka Shankar/ Caroline Skanne/ Laughing waters/ Radhamani Sarma/ Taura Scott/ kris moon kondo/ Sigrid Saradunn/ Samantha Sirimanne Hyde/ Larry Kimmel/ D’ellen/ Sherry Grant/ Partha Sarkar/
Here is July’s update on the Gembun Anthologies 2, 3, 4 and 5 :
Anthology 2 is almost there, followed on closely by 3. Anthologies 4 and 5 are also both filling up fast. If you haven’t as yet submitted your Gembun, please do not delay as send in your work pronto.
If excellent Gembun continue to pour in, who am I to say that Anthologies 6 and beyond are not feasible? I’m leaving the window open for all possibilities. As long as good strong Gembun are being received by me, more Anthologies of Gembun will be launched.
My wish, as I indicated last month, is for the Anthology to become a series for showcasing the best of the Gembun genre with the gifts from your writing. That has not changed.
Gembun and Cherita share the same year of birth and they will be celebrating storytelling with Life, Love, Loss and Renewal this jubilee year and hopefully beyond.
Full details on the link below if you have not, as yet, sent in your Gembun/Gembun Terbalik for consideration.
The Gembun [1-3 or 1-4] was created on 12 June 1997 and Cherita on 22 June 1997, and they will both celebrate their Silver Jubilee in June 2022. Gembun is also a minimal and unique linked form that consists of either a one-word or one sentence first link, followed by a haiku of up to 4 lines. Gembun has to include an element of suggestion in either the opening sentence/link, the haiku or in both.
Gembun Terbalik [3-1 or 4-1] now joins this minimal form and is an inverted Gembun. It is written with a haiku of 3 or 4 lines as its opening stanza and then capped by a one liner. Six new virgin examples of mine can be seen on www.thecherita.com/gembun/
The Gembun and Gembun Terbalik have to include an element of suggestion in either the opening sentence or haiku, the haiku or opening sentence or in both. Gembun was created by ai li on the 12 June 1997, inspired by Larry Kimmel’s TIBUN. www.aili.co.uk/gembun/
*
Fine examples by Larry Kimmel, Joanna Ashwell and myself can be found, along with Gembun’s original guidelines on my personal website www.aili.co.uk
*
Here are three Gembun from snow clouds :
Autumn tea
the things
we think we see
in leaves
Keith Evetts
*
poet’s house
somehow
the view makes more sense
alone
Tim Gardiner
*
after the rain
stepping on
the wet leaves
in my poems
Jackie Chou
*
you ask me to dance belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, currently 64th on the list, as do my personal ongoing writing in one breath series of 26 virgin Cherita, Cherita and Tanka, Cherita and Haiku, and Cherita, Tanka and Haiku books, and lastly my poems for inner rooms series with its 18 Tanka and Haiku books. All these editions are available in paperback and kindle on Amazon.
I have edited this edition as I have all the other editions of the cherita, to be experienced two ways. It can be read as one storybook but also as an anthology of individual poems. Two reading experiences within one book, filled with stories of Life, Love, Loss and Renewal.
cherita terbalik continues to capture the imagination of poets and there are again fine examples in this edition.
Featured Poets as they appear in this edition :-
Lesley Swanson/ Connie Pittman Ramsey/Keith Evetts/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ Jackie Chou/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Taura Scott/ James Haddad/ D’ellen/ Joanna Ashwell/ ai li/ Sherry Grant/ Richa Sharma/ Peter Jastermsky/ Partha Sarkar/ Dean Okamura/ Larry Kimmel/ Ruth Kay/ Madhuri Pillai/ Keitha Keyes/ Stella Damarjati/ Réka Nyitrai/ Alan Peat/ Stanley E Denny/ Cynthia Anderson/ Ram Chandran/ Kelly Sauvage/ Kathryn Sadakierski/ Diane Funston/ Maxianne Berger/ Barry George Fordham/ Bryan Rickert/ kris moon kondo/ Sigrid Saradunn/ Genie Nakano/ Jim Niffen/ Clara Sohn Rehor/ Ken Slaughter/ Isabella Kramer/ Dominic Willis/
A SAMPLE from this edition :-
stuck inside
still
i reminisce
your scent
on my
pillow
Sherry Grant
The cherita lighthouse has been awarded to the following writers and poets in this edition for their timeless Cherita :
Connie Pittman Ramsey/ Jackie Chou/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Joanna Ashwell/ Larry Kimmel/ Ruth Kay/ Sherry Grant/ Madhuri Pillai/ Taura Scott/ Réka Nyitrai/ Alan Peat/ Ram Chandran/ James Haddad/ Stella Damarjati/ Genie Nakano/ Ken Slaughter/ Barry George Fordham/ Isabella Kramer/
You ask me to dance has been edited to be experienced two ways. It can be read as a storybook and as an anthology of individual poems.
*
I have enjoyed the challenge of selecting and collating for this edition of the cherita and hope that you will find the cherita within worthy of a campfire gathering and the sharing of meaningful stories.
If this new edition strikes a chord with you, please feel free to review, comment on Amazon or give a feedback directly to me. Many thanks.
ai li
editor
N.B.
Currently you receive ongoing news and updates from the 1-2-3 press [on and about the cherita and cherita]. If you feel that you no longer wish to receive these updates, please unsubscribe. Thank you.
*
22 June 2022
Once upon a Cherita twenty five years ago . . .
22 June 1997 – 22 June 2022
Happy Happy Birthday
dear one
I am more than proud of you today . . .
C H E R I T A
Cherita’s 6-line format has touched and inspired writers and poets from all walks of life around the globe, and these names below are of some of the countries where the genre has helped keep the spirit of storytelling vibrant and alive.
Cherita with your stories about Life, Love, Loss and Renewal have been, and continue to be written, and shared in the UK, the US, Singapore, New Zealand, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, India, Japan, the Philippines, Israel, Kingdom of Bhutan, West Africa, Sri Lanka, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Ukraine, China, Indonesia, Trinidad and Tobago, Pakistan, Portugal, Sweden, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Croatia, South Korea, Ireland and El Salvador [not in alphabetical order].
Here is a small selection of ai li’s published Cherita :
lifting the veil
between heaven
and earth
i can see
that only
love remains
ai li
*
in a perfect world
you would be there
to meet me
at the station again
train smoke
a platform of ghosts
ai li
from the river dark
*
cave smoke
as night falls
the ancestors
are back
for one
last story
ai li
*
colour me purple
and mother
will come
and stroke
her
favourite colour
ai li
from say autumn
*
on
the road home
is a fork
dusk is falling
jasmine scents
me stray
ai li
*
yards
of red silk
my old cat
dreaming
of the new year
he will not see
ai li
from how soft the light
*
the devil
with his blue eyes
is sitting beside me
dressed in armani
the holy water
can wait
ai li
*
kimono clad
for a night
of camellias
and haiku
the air scented
with stars
ai li
from dream merchant
*
going quietly
into the night
with long
black hair
shoeless
in falling snow
ai li
*
in fog
i am
a shadow
of who
i want
to be
ai li
from december loneliness
*
a room
with
empty chairs
who got up first
to leave
the room ?
ai li
*
temple bell
through fog
dawn
is still
a
haunting away
ai li
from paper flowers
*
all cherita copyright ai li 2022
*
21 June 2022
the day
before your birthday
i’m remembering
when the stork arrived
with a storybook
in its beak
ai li
an unpublished cherita
written this morning for Cherita’s 25th birthday tomorrow
22 June 1997 – 22 June 2022
*
12 June 2022
happy birthday
dear dear gembun
you’re 25 today
12 june 1997 – 12 june 2022
birthday greetings
how does it
feel
to be 25 today ?
ai li
an unpublished gembun
*
from blank screen
birdhouse
now
silent
spring was last april
ai li
*
my dead sisters
heard
it too
nursery rhyme
ai li
*
autumn hedgerows
berries
berries
berries
ai li
*
from the weight of rain
dollhouse
who lives in here
without water
and electricity ?
ai li
*
dark night
let there
be lanterns
of fireflies
ai li
*
breath
on
a cold morning
it’s showtime
ai li
*
1st June 2022
Cherita’s Silver Jubilee [Gembun’s too]
22 June 1997 – 22 June 2022
*
i dream
edition #6:1 of the cherita
edited by ai li
*
Once upon a CHERITA . . . .
I brought into existence on Sunday 22 June 1997, a six line storytelling short form genre which I called Cherita. Stories and Storytelling were a large part of my young life in what was British Malaya. Being of Peranakan [Straits Chinese] origins from my mother’s side of the family, I grew up speaking several Chinese dialects, English and Malay [both National and local patois] at home, and in a household where Thai, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam and several other Chinese dialects like Hainanese, Teochew, Hakka and Seiyap [Yue Chinese] were also freely spoken. With languages and dialects as rich and diverse as these, the stories that were in my midst were varied, colourful, and which captured and gave fertility and flight to my young imagination. This remembered background of wonder prompted me to name my new form in Romanised Malay as I wanted the genre to have a unique name which reflected my Baba and Nyonya roots
It was also my way of giving heartfelt thanks to my maternal grandmother, Sim Hup Eng, in particular, who was a storyteller par excellence. She was a very spiritual individual who had the gift of language, and was the most consummate of storytellers.
Fast forward to 2022 and Cherita is on the cusp of celebrating its Silver Jubilee birthday on the 22nd June. Little did I know in 1997, that one day, twenty five years on, poets and writers from all over the world would be embracing Cherita’s storytelling guidelines to entrance poetry writers and readers with their very own tales of Life, Love, Loss and Renewal.
There are now 66 paperback and kindle books from the cherita, 22 paperback and kindle Cherita books of mine, along with another 22 paperback and kindle books of mine that include Cherita, all of which are available on Amazon, and can be used for reference for anyone who is inspired by storytelling in 6 lines. That’s a hefty total of 110 books [both paperback and kindle] in such a short space of time, and growing. The Gembun books join this list and I will be mentioning them in more detail in the next mailshot.
These books will take you on a journey of personal truths and of healing. I sincerely hope that in my small way, I have, with Cherita, kept alive the captivating age-old tradition of storytelling passed down from our ancestors.
Contributing poets and writers for the cherita came from far and wide, from the UK, the US, Singapore, New Zealand, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, India, Japan, the Philippines, Israel, Kingdom of Bhutan, West Africa, Sri Lanka, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Ukraine, China, Indonesia, Trinidad and Tobago, Pakistan, Portugal, Sweden, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Croatia, South Korea, Ireland and El Salvador [not in alphabetical order].
I would also like to give a huge hug and a low bow of gratitude to all our splendid contributors who have so generously shared their personal truths and stories with me over the years
There are also Cherita books out there by Larry Kimmel, Sheila Windsor, Arvinder Kaur, Celestine Nudanu, Maryalicia Post, Peter Jastermsky and several other authors such as Marcos Freitas [in Portuguese], Chris Cole, Alexis Rotella, Cynthia Anderson, and last but not least Erika Wilk, all of whom have included Cherita alongside other short forms. I apologise if I have omitted any names that should also have been represented here. I was only able to work with the names that I was currently aware of.
Can there be anyone out there who does not love a timeless short story?
In closing, I have posted here some fascinating snapshots of several vintage storybooks of old Malaya and Singapore. I hurriedly snapped them in their showcases before the commencement of my talk once upon a cherita . . . at the Peranakan Museum of Singapore in 2019, prior to its temporary renovations closure. The museum is planning to re-open in full splendour in early 2023.
snapshot copyright ai li FRPS 2022
These vintage storybooks chrita dulu kala [stories from long ago], which form a small portion of the Peranakan Museum’s vast collection of treasures, use an older Malay spelling for Cherita, i.e. chrita which intrigued me, and which prompted me to share a few of these images with you. Even back then, storytelling in Malaya and Singapore had its own allure and kept generations of folks spellbound with the myths and tales of their much missed old motherland. These photographs have been posted with the kind and gracious permission from Jackie Yoong, the curator of this unique museum dedicated to the Life and Arts of the Straits Chinese community of Southeast Asia.
snapshot copyright ai li FRPS 2022
snapshot copyright ai li FRPS 2022
snapshot copyright ai li FRPS 2022
We are still telling our short stories with Cherita in the 21st Century. Cue nodding and smiling ancestors. We are in a win-win situation. I would like to offer another deep bow of gratitude from me to all the Cherita poets and writers who have helped make this edition of i dream, a worthy reference book, hopefully for now, and for the next 25 years and beyond. Long Live Cherita.
snapshot copyright ai li FRPS 2022
*
For Cherita and Gembun’s 25th Silver Jubilee birthday, I am the launching i dream, the Silver Jubilee edition of the cherita, and the promise of rain, my eleventh book of 90 virgin cherita.
This special Silver Jubilee edition of i dream showcases 95 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, The Philippines, Germany, India, New Zealand, Australia, Romania and Bulgaria.
i dream is our sixth book for Cherita’s Silver Jubilee Year of 2022. This is also our 63rd edition in the cherita series of storytelling books.
www.thecherita.com/bookshop/
the promise of rain, launched in conjunction with i dream, is my 11th book of 90 virgin cherita, written and selected to celebrate Cherita’s Silver Jubilee and its 25th birthday.
www.thecherita.com/ailis-bookshop/
Here is June’s update on the proposed Gembun Anthology – I intended to launch the very first Gembun Anthology this month but felt it needed its own space to shine in, in what is its Jubilee year too. Does July sound good to you ?
Anthologies 2, 3, 4 and 5 are also filling up fast as poets and writers get familiar with using a different writing discipline when writing Gembun. Do keep sending in your Gembun. I never tire of reading good work and can’t wait to publish them.
As long as good and strong gembun are being sent in, I will continue publishing more of these anthologies.
My wish, as I indicated last month, is for the Anthology to become a series for showcasing the best of the Gembun genre with the gifts from your writing. That has not changed.
Gembun and Cherita share the same year of birth and they will be celebrating storytelling with Life, Love, Loss and Renewal this jubilee year and hopefully beyond.
Full details on the link below if you have not, as yet, sent in your Gembun/Gembun Terbalik for consideration.
The Gembun [1-3 or 1-4] was created on 12 June 1997 and Cherita on 22 June 1997, and they will both celebrate their Silver Jubilee in June 2022. Gembun is also a minimal and unique linked form that consists of either a one-word or one sentence first link, followed by a haiku of up to 4 lines. Gembun has to include an element of suggestion in either the opening sentence/link, the haiku or in both.
Gembun Terbalik [3-1 or 4-1] now joins this minimal form and is an inverted Gembun. It is written with a haiku of 3 or 4 lines as its opening stanza and then capped by a one liner. Six new virgin examples of mine can be seen on www.thecherita.com/gembun/
The Gembun and Gembun Terbalik have to include an element of suggestion in either the opening sentence or haiku, the haiku or opening sentence or in both. Gembun was created by ai li on the 12 June 1997, inspired by Larry Kimmel’s TIBUN. www.aili.co.uk/gembun/
Fine examples by Larry Kimmel, Joanna Ashwell and myself can be found, along with Gembun’s original guidelines on my personal website www.aili.co.uk
Here are three Cherita from my 90 poem the promise of rain :
the illusionist
telling me
it’s all smoke
and mirrors
my shadow nods
in the empty room
ai li
*
the orient
is always
in my sleep
mourning silk
hidden deep
within brushwork
ai li
*
the call
from someone
who died young
to come out
and play
a ghost moon
ai li
*
i dream belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, currently 63rd on the list, as do my personal ongoing writing in one breath series of 26 virgin Cherita, Cherita and Tanka, Cherita and Haiku, and Cherita, Tanka and Haiku books, and lastly my poems for inner rooms series with its 18 Tanka and Haiku books. All these editions are available in paperback and kindle on Amazon.
I have edited this edition as I have all the other editions of the cherita, to be experienced two ways. It can be read as one storybook but also as an anthology of individual poems. Two reading experiences within one book, filled with stories of Life, Love, Loss and Renewal.
cherita terbalik continues to capture the imagination of poets and there are again fine examples in this edition.
Featured Poets as they appear in this edition :-
Genie Nakano/ ai li/ Connie Pittman-Ramsey/ Larry Kimmel/ Keith Evetts/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Taura Scott/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ Jackie Chou/ Isabella Kramer/ Partha Sarkar/ Ruth Kay/ James Haddad/ Geoffrey Winch/ D’ellen Hutchins/ S. Radhamani/ Patricia Prime/ Richa Sharma/ Peter Jastermsky/ Ram Chandran/ Steve Brisendine/ Stella Damarjati/ Alan Peat/ M.J.Iuppa/ Madhuri Pillai/ Robert Horrobin/ steve dent/ David Cox/ Keitha Keyes/ Cynthia Anderson/ Tim Callahan/ Réka Nyitrai/ Stanley E Denny/ Kelly Sauvage/ Diane Funston/ Kathryn Sadakierski/ Bryan Rickert / Tsanka Shishkova/ Barry George Fordham/ Kim McNealy Sosin/ Caroline Skanne/ Eva Joan/ Dominic Willis/ Stanley E Denny/ David Cox/ paula song sarmonpal/ Sherry Grant/ Joanna Ashwell/ Mona Bedi/
A SAMPLE from this edition :-
she left
with one thing on her mind
to let her hair down
freedom
she was told
is where the wind blows
Connie Pittman Ramsey
The cherita lighthouse has been awarded to the following writers and poets in this edition for their timeless Cherita :
Genie Nakano/ Connie Pittman-Ramsey/ Keith Evetts/ Kath Abela Wilson/Taura Scott/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ Jackie Chou/ Isabella Kramer/ Partha Sarkar/ Ruth Kay/ James Haddad/ Geoffrey Winch/ Peter Jastermsky/ Ram Chandran/ M.J.Iuppa/ Madhuri Pillai/ Robert Horrobin/ steve dent/ Tim Callahan/ Réka Nyitrai/ Alan Peat/ Kelly Sauvage/ Diane Funston/ Kathryn Sadakierski/ Larry Kimmel/ Brian Rickert/ Kim McNealy Sosin/ Caroline Skanne/ Eva Joan/ D’ellen/ Stanley E. Denny/ paula song sarmonpal/ / Richa Sharma/ Sherry Grant/ Joanna Ashwell/ Mona Bedi/ S. Radhamani/
i dream has been edited to be experienced two ways. It can be read as a storybook and as an anthology of individual poems
*
I have enjoyed the challenge of selecting and collating for this edition of the cherita and hope that you will find the cherita within worthy of a campfire gathering and the sharing of meaningful stories.
If this new edition strikes a chord with you, please feel free to review, comment on Amazon or give a feedback directly to me. Many thanks.
ai li
editor
*
14 May 2022
Come Gembun
The first and second Gembun Anthologies are nearly there, and I have started on Anthologies 3, 4 and 5.
If you have never written Gembun, do have a go but I have to warn you that it can prove addictive. For more info on the genre, and how to submit, please visit our Gembun page on this website. I look forward to reading your stories.
Meanwhile, here are a few more Gembun from my second book of Gembun blank screen to hopefully inspire you to write some gems for submitting.
From blank screen :
a late cup of tea
cake
has come
and gone
ai li
*
small town
loneliness
one sleepwalker
one streetwalker
ai li
*
a half eaten moon
someone
in the sky
was hungry
ai li
gembun copyright ai li 2022
*
1 May 2022
2022 – Cherita and Gembun’s Silver Jubilee year
22 June 1997 – 22 June 2022
*
no footsteps
edition #5:12 of the cherita
edited by ai li
After taking time off to re-energise after two years of non-existent travel, I soon found myself communing with spirit of place at Lake Windermere in the Lake District. Here are two photographs below, one taken from my room where my days were spent writing near water, and the other of my nights warmed by a large blazing outdoor open fire pit whilst gazing at the Plough and other stars of the firmament. The urbanite in me was mesmerised by the absence of light pollution [when I switched off the boathouse lights] and the nearby cry of a lone owl, having momentarily forgotten how wondrous and majestic nature is.
*
6 am
my heart
already
sun-kissed
at
Lake Windermere
ai li
cherita copyright ai li 2022
Lake Windermere from my window copyright ai li FRPS 2022
*
a night
of stars
a lone owl
this must be heaven
ai li
gembun terbalik copyright ai li 2022
my boathouse firepit copyright ai li FRPS 2022
*
May takes us even closer to Cherita and Gembun’s 25th Silver Jubilee birthday and sees the launch of the latest edition of the cherita and my second book of virgin gembun.
This edition of no footsteps showcases 92 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, India, New Zealand, The Philippines, Germany, Australia, Bulgaria, Romania and Canada.
no footsteps is our fifth book for Cherita’s Silver Jubilee Year of 2022. This is also our 62nd edition in the cherita series of storytelling books.
blank screen, launched in conjunction with no footsteps is my second book of 90 virgin gembun, written to hopefully inspire you further with the myriad of writing possibilities with this genre.
Here is May’s update on the proposed Gembun Anthology – The anthology is shaping up splendidly, and with a bit of luck, early Autumn may see the launch of your accepted Gembun for this special storytelling book. I have been doubly excited and hugely impressed by the quality of work submitted for consideration and would like to thank you all for your fantastic efforts with this genre.
Meanwhile, Anthologies 2, 3 and 4 are also coming along really well too with strong submitted work so please keep sending in your gembun. My wish is to keep these special anthologies of gembun top notch so that they will stand the test of time.
As long as good and strong gembun are being submitted, I will continue with the publishing of these anthologies.
My wish is for the Anthology to become a series for showcasing the best of the Gembun genre with the gifts from your writing.
Gembun and Cherita share the same year of birth and they will be celebrating storytelling with Life, Love, Loss and Renewal this jubilee year and hopefully beyond.
Full details on the link below if you have not, as yet, sent in your Gembun/Gembun Terbalik for consideration.
The Gembun [1-3 or 1-4] was created on 12 June 1997 and Cherita on 22 June 1997, and they will both celebrate their Silver Jubilee in June 2022. Gembun is also a minimal and unique linked form that consists of either a one-word or one sentence first link, followed by a haiku of up to 4 lines. Gembun has to include an element of suggestion in either the opening sentence/link, the haiku or in both.
Gembun Terbalik [3-1 or 4-1] now joins this minimal form and is an inverted Gembun. It is written with a haiku of 3 or 4 lines as its opening stanza and then capped by a one liner. Six new virgin examples of mine can be seen on www.thecherita.com/gembun/
The Gembun and Gembun Terbalik have to include an element of suggestion in either the opening sentence or haiku, the haiku or opening sentence or in both. Gembun was created by ai li on the 12 June 1997, inspired by Larry Kimmel’s TIBUN. www.aili.co.uk/gembun/
Fine examples by Larry Kimmel, Joanna Ashwell and myself can be found, along with Gembun’s original guidelines on my personal website www.aili.co.uk
Here are three Gembun from my 90 poem blank screen :
here
for only
a day
use me
*
embroidered kimono
a blossom unravels
pink thread
breaking up with silk
*
eating
for one
winter night
chopsticks are never lonely
ai li
*
no footsteps belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, currently 62nd on the list, as do my personal ongoing writing in one breath series of 25 virgin Cherita, Cherita and Tanka, Cherita and Haiku, and Cherita, Tanka and Haiku books, and lastly my poems for inner rooms series with its 18 Tanka and Haiku books. All these editions are available in paperback and kindle on Amazon.
I have edited this edition as I have all the other editions of the cherita, to be experienced two ways. It can be read as one storybook but also as an anthology of individual poems. Two reading experiences within one book, filled with stories of Life, Love, Loss and Renewal.
cherita terbalik continues to capture the imagination of poets and there are again fine examples in this edition.
Featured Poets as they appear in this edition :-
Jackie Chou/ S. Radhamani/ Alan Peat/ Cynthia Anderson/ Kath Abela Wilson/ ai li/ Larry Kimmel/ Patricia Prime/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ Barun Saha/ Keith Evetts/ Sherry Grant/ Daniela Becher/ Connie Pittman Ramsey/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Isabella Kramer/ James Haddad/ Geoffrey Winch/ Taura Scott/ Mona Bedi/ Joanna Ashwell/ Partha Sarkar/ Peter Jastermsky/ Lorraine A Padden/ Richa Sharma/ Ruth Kay/ Steve Brisendine/ steve dent/ Keitha Keyes/ Tsanka Shishkova/ Stanley E Denny/ Ram Chandran/ M.J. Iuppa/ Kelly Sauvage/ Réka Nyitrai/ Jason Heroux/ David Cox/
A SAMPLE from this edition :-
resting
outside the clutter
of doing
I watch
my breath
deepen
Cynthia Anderson
The cherita lighthouse has been awarded to the following writers and poets in this edition for their timeless Cherita :
Cynthia Anderson/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Jackie Chou/ Larry Kimmel/ Keith Evetts/ Sherry Grant/ Connie Pittman Ramsey/ Stella Damarjati/ S. Radhamani/ steve dent/
no footsteps has been edited to be experienced two ways. It can be read as a storybook and as an anthology of individual poems.
*
I have enjoyed the challenge of selecting and collating for this edition of the cherita and hope that you will find the cherita within worthy of a campfire gathering and the sharing of meaningful stories.
If this new edition strikes a chord with you, please feel free to review, comment on Amazon or give a feedback directly to me. Many thanks.
ai li
editor
www.thecherita.com
storyteller oasis
N.B.
Currently you receive ongoing news and updates from the 1-2-3 press [on and about the cherita and cherita]. If you feel that you no longer wish to receive these updates, please unsubscribe. Thank you.
16 April 2022
Submissions for the cherita
I am reading submissions for the next few editions of the cherita.
If you have just written or have at hand some timeless cherita, do please send them in for my consideration. New storytellers are always welcome and encouraged.
Please double click [do not not copy and paste] on aili@thecherita.com
to send your cherita in for consideration. I look forward to hearing and reading your stories.
*
Gembun Submissions for the Gembun Anthologies
I am also reading submissions for the forthcoming Gembun Anthologies 1, 2, 3 and 4.
To send your gems in for consideration, please double click on [do not not copy and paste] aili@thecherita.com/gembun
Everyone is welcome.
ai li
editor
*
1 April 2022
2022 – Cherita and Gembun’s Silver Jubilee year
22 June 1997 – 22 June 2022
*
a flower whispers
edition #5:11 of the cherita
edited by ai li
Spring is usually the time of year when I start dreaming of being with genius loci in the Lake District. For those of us fortunate enough to have peace in our midst, our thoughts must surely be with those ravaged by wars and pestilence. My wish for the white doves of peace has now become fervent prayer.
I believe it was Hemingway who expressed that there was nothing to writing, and that to write, we have to bleed. For me, the ‘bleeding’ is a healing process, a purge of thoughts and memories best shared rather than kept hidden in the dark of psyche.
This month sees the launch of the new edition of the cherita and my tenth book of cherita.
This edition of a flower whispers showcases 92 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, The Philippines, India, Trinidad, New Zealand, Canada and Australia.
a flower whispers is our fourth book for Cherita’s Silver Jubilee Year of 2022. This is also our 61st edition in the cherita series of storytelling books.
the river dark, on the other hand is my tenth book of 90 virgin cherita, written to keep the blues away.
www.thecherita.com/ailis-bookshop/
Here’s another update on the proposed Gembun Anthology – You’ve been more than enthusiastic with your gembun and gembun terbalik efforts. I am so glad that I kept things flexible which has enabled me to accept more of your tremendous submissions now that Anthology 2, 3 and possibly 4 are viable possibilities.
If you write and send in more excellent gembun, than who knows, perhaps Anthologies 5, 6 or more could be realities. The sky is the limit.
My wish is for the Anthology to become a rolling and flexible series for showcasing the best of the Gembun genre with the collected gifts from your writing.
Gembun and Cherita share the same year of birth and they will be celebrating storytelling with Life, Love, Loss and Renewal this jubilee year and hopefully beyond.
Full details on the link below if you have not, as yet, sent in your Gembun/Gembun Terbalik for consideration :
*
rain
on
my umbrella
the sound
ai li
*
a gembun from the weight of rain
and
a gembun terbalik :
in
the graveyard
talking to
my self
ai li
The Gembun [1-3 or 1-4]
was created on 12 June 1997 and Cherita on 22 June 1997, and they will both celebrate their silver jubilee in June 2022. Gembun is also a minimal and unique linked form that consists of either a one-word or one sentence first link, followed by a haiku of up to 4 lines. Gembun has to include an element of suggestion in either the opening sentence/link, the haiku or in both.
Gembun Terbalik [3-1 or 4-1]
now joins this minimal form and is an inverted Gembun. It is written with a haiku of 1 – 3 or 4 lines as its opening stanza and then capped by a one liner. Six new virgin examples of mine can be seen on www.thecherita.com/gembun/
The Gembun and Gembun Terbalik have to include an element of suggestion in either the opening sentence or haiku, the haiku or opening sentence or in both. Gembun was created by ai li on the 12 June 1997, inspired by Larry Kimmel’s TIBUN. www.aili.co.uk/gembun/
Fine examples by Larry Kimmel, Joanna Ashwell and myself can be found, along with Gembun’s original guidelines on my personal website www.aili.co.uk
*
Here are two Cherita from the 90 poem the river dark :
drip
by drip
you feed
your third eye
with
manuka honey
*
i pack a small mirror
in my valise
to see how old
i will be
when
i get there
ai li
*
a flower whispers belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, currently 61st on the list, as do my personal ongoing writing in one breath series of 24 virgin Cherita, Cherita and Tanka, Cherita and Haiku, and Cherita, Tanka and Haiku books, and lastly my poems for inner rooms series with its 18 Tanka and Haiku books. All these editions are available in paperback and kindle on Amazon.
I have edited this edition as I have all the other editions of the cherita, to be experienced two ways. It can be read as one storybook but also as an anthology of individual poems. Two reading experiences within one book, filled with stories of Life, Love, Loss and Renewal.
cherita terbalik continues to capture the imagination of poets and there are again fine examples in this edition.
Featured Poets as they appear in this edition :-
ai li/ Jackie Chou/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ Cynthia Anderson/ Partha Sarkar/ S. Radhamani/ Joanne Kennedy Frazer/ Larry Kimmel/ Taura Scott/ Barun Saha/ Gillena Cox/ Keith Evetts/ Connie Pittman Ramsey/ James Haddad/ Sherry Grant/ Tim Gardiner/ Maxianne Berger/ Susan Burch/ Keitha Keyes/ Stella Damarjati/ Grace Galton/ Geoffrey Winch/ George Swede/ Mona Bedi/ Patricia Prime/ Joanna Ashwell/ Alan Peat/ Peter Jastermsky/ Lorraine A Padden/ Richa Sharma/ Ruth Kay/ Madhuri Pillai/ David Cox/ Ann Smith/ steve dent/ Steve Brisendine/ Ram Chandran/ paula song sarmonpal/ George Schaefer/
A SAMPLE from this edition :-
a girl with big dreams
only a phantom
memory
now it’s just me
a puzzle piece of the sea
in my hand
Jackie Chou
The cherita lighthouse has been awarded to the following writers and poets in this edition for their timeless Cherita :
Kath Abela Wilson/ Taura Scott/ Connie Pittman Ramsey/ Patricia Prime/ Alan Peat/ Peter Jastermsky/ Ruth Kay/ David Cox/ Richa Sharma/ S. Radhamani/ Joanna Ashwell/ James Haddad/ Stella Damarjati/ Keith Evetts/
a flower whispers has been edited to be experienced two ways. It can be read as a storybook and as an anthology of individual poems.
*
I have enjoyed the challenge of selecting and collating for this edition of the cherita and hope that you will find the cherita within worthy of a campfire gathering and the sharing of meaningful stories.
If this new edition strikes a chord with you, please feel free to review, comment on Amazon or give a feedback directly to me. Many thanks.
*
23 March 2022
The Latest Offering from Larry Kimmel
the horizon waits by Larry Kimmel will be available from 1 April 2022 on amazon.com
This 73 page book has 67 poems [predominantly cherita with some tanka, haiku and free from short verse].
Larry has very kindly sent me the foreword of this book which you can read below.
ai li
editor
to write
as if
you could reach
into a chest
and squeeze
a heart
Throughout [the horizon waits], readers will find the deeply thoughtful reflections of a poet who has spent a lifetime attempting to write in just such a way. Whether making the morning coffee, feeding a feral cat or imagining himself the boy “inside the willowware,” he uncovers the significance in the … dailiness of life—and in so doing readies both himself and the reader to “step into the midnight forest”:
the night is for the young
and for the solitaires
and I have been both –
soon, I will step into
the midnight forest,
become owl
~ from the Foreword by, Jenny Ward Angyal
*
19 March 2022
James Haddad is 95 years old today
To Jim, who is not only an inspiring poet and contributor from our caravanserai of cherita storytellers, but a dear dear man, I would like to wish him a happy and memorable birthday today from me and from everyone who has read and enjoyed his personal and heartwarming stories in the cherita.
James is an awesome 95 years old. He is still writing his stories to entrance and most definitely to inspire us all with his truths.
Who knows, some of his strengths may rub off on us as we celebrate this joyous day with him wherever we may be.
Here’s a small selection of his published work below from the cherita to give you an amuse-bouche of his unique way of remembering, and of sharing his stories.
Happy Birthday Jim and a deep bow from me,
ai li
editor
*
I have more to say
but not
in one breath
but
over time
it will come
from the sweetness #5:3
*
a flashlight in the dark
moving through the trees
looking for what’s lost
it could be anywhere
just a little thing I’ve lost
my childhood
from the dark to light #5:6
a cherita lighthouse
*
it came back for me
it didn’t want to be alone
the wave rolled over me
on the way to shore
but then it came back to me
it didn’t want me to be alone
from wanderer #5:2
a cherita lighthouse
*
she looked at me
with curiosity
she smiled and
sat next to me
69 years
i wash dishes for her
from the sweetness #5:3
a cherita lighthouse
*
i have heard
the mermaids
singing
in
the quiet waters
the fish entranced
from the sweetness #5:3
a cherita lighthouse
*
the book was read
placed on the table
the bed was firm
warm and comfortable
the eyes closing
on another chapter
from wanderer #5:2
*
the mountain was red
then darkened
lasting for
only a few minutes
like a child
going to sleep
from dream book #5:5
a cherita lighthouse
*
1 March 2022
2022 – Cherita and Gembun’s Silver Jubilee year
22 June 1997 – 22 June 2022
*
stranded
edition #5:10 of the cherita
edited by ai li
*
March is here and soon the daffodils will yellow my urban walks with their confident stance.
My dream for this moment in time is for the appearance of the white doves of peace.
This edition of stranded showcases 92 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, New Zealand, Philippines, India, Trinidad, Australia and Germany.
stranded is our third book for Cherita’s Silver Jubilee Year of 2022. This is also our 60h edition in the cherita series of storytelling books.
paper flowers, on the other hand is my fourth book of 90 virgin cherita and tanka, launched to celebrate the coming of spring.
www.thecherita.com/ailis-bookshop/
Here’s a further update on the proposed Gembun Anthology – I’ve added Gembun Terbalik to the submissions’ guidelines for the Gembun Anthology. I have been experimenting with writing in 3-1 for gembun terbalik, found it addictive, and have therefore decided to add this to the official Gembun guidelines. Submissions for the Anthology continue to come in and the quality of work leaves me with an unenviable and difficult task of the final selection of Gembun for the Anthology.
Do keep sending in more of your timeless Gembun as I have started to select and collate for Anthology 2 as well as for Anthology 1.
If you continue to submit and send in excellent Gembun, the Anthology could well be on its way to becoming a series for showcasing the best of the Gembun genre.
Gembun and Cherita share the same year of birth and they will be celebrating storytelling with Life, Love, Loss and Renewal this jubilee year and hopefully beyond.
Full details on the link below if you have not, as yet, sent in your Gembun for consideration.
*
wishbone
there’s only
ever
one winner
ai li
a gembun from the weight of rain
and
a gembun terbalik :
the
love letter
never sent
chanel no. 5
ai li
The Gembun was created on 12 June 1997 and Cherita on 22 June 1997, and they will both celebrate their silver jubilee in June 2022. Gembun is also a minimal and unique linked form that consists of either a one-word or one sentence first link, followed by a haiku of up to 4 lines. Gembun has to include an element of suggestion in either the opening sentence/link, the haiku or in both.
Gembun Terbalik now joins this minimal form and is an inverted Gembun. It is written with a haiku of 1 – 3 lines as its opening stanza and then capped by a one liner. Six new virgin examples of mine can be seen on www.thecherita.com/gembun/
The Gembun and Gembun Terbalik have to include an element of suggestion in either the opening sentence or haiku, the haiku or opening sentence or in both. Gembun was created by ai li on the 12 June 1997, inspired by Larry Kimmel’s TIBUN. www.aili.co.uk/gembun/
Fine examples by Larry Kimmel, Joanna Ashwell and myself can be found, along with Gembun’s original guidelines on my personal website www.aili.co.uk
*
Here is one Cherita and one Tanka from the 90 poem paper flowers :
another lump
of sugar
in her tea
mother’s faraway friend
her lipstick now
in this poem
*
late
oh so
late
at night
poetry endures
ai li
*
stranded belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, currently 60th on the list, as do my personal ongoing writing in one breath series of 23 virgin Cherita, Cherita and Tanka, Cherita and Haiku, and Cherita, Tanka and Haiku books, and lastly my poems for inner rooms series with its 18 Tanka and Haiku books. All these editions are available in paperback and kindle on Amazon.
I have edited this edition as I have all the other editions of the cherita, to be experienced two ways. It can be read as one storybook but also as an anthology of individual poems. Two reading experiences within one book, filled with stories of Life, Love, Loss and Renewal.
cherita terbalik continues to capture the imagination of poets and there are again fine examples in this edition.
Featured Poets as they appear in this edition :-
Cynthia Anderson/ Patricia Prime/ Jackie Chou/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Bryan Rickert/ Robert Horrobin/ ai li/ Taura Scott/ steve black/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ Larry Kimmel/ S. Radhamani/ James Haddad/ Barun Saha/ Gillena Cox/ Ram Chandran/ Keith Evetts/ Madhuri Pillai/ Stella Damarjati/ Connie Pittman Ramsey/ Sherry Grant/ eva joan/ Tim Gardiner/ M.J.Iuppa/ Sarah Davies/ Grace Galton/ Susan Burch/ Keitha Keyes/ Neena Singh/ Ruth Kay/ Joanne Ashwell/ Alan Peat/ Peter Jastermsky/ Lorraine A Padden/ Richa Sharma/ Partha Sarkar/ Afta Gley/ paula song sarmonpal/ Mona Bedi/ George Schaefer/ Laughing waters/
A SAMPLE from this edition :-
daybreak
rising
before me
I walk out
into a sky
of birds
Cynthia Anderson
The cherita lighthouse has been awarded to the following writers and poets in this edition for their timeless Cherita :
Jackie Chou/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Robert Horrobin/ steve black/ Larry Kimmel/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ Barun Saha/ Patricia Prime/ Gillena Cox/ Ram Chandran/ Connie Pittman Ramsey/ Keith Evetts/ Sarah Davies/ Ruth Kay/ Joanna Ashwell/ Peter Jastermsky/ Partha Sarkar/ Taura Scott/ Cynthia Anderson/
stranded has been edited to be experienced two ways. It can be read as a storybook and as an anthology of individual poems.
*
I have enjoyed the challenge of selecting and collating for this edition of the cherita and hope that you will find the cherita within worthy of a campfire gathering and the sharing of meaningful stories.
If this new edition strikes a chord with you, please feel free to review, comment on Amazon or give a feedback directly to me. Many thanks.
ai li
editor
www.thecherita.com
storyteller oasis
1 February 2022
2022 – Cherita and Gembun’s Silver Jubilee year
22 June 1997 – 22 June 2022
*
leaving you a note
edition #5:9 of the cherita
edited by ai li
*
February 1st will bring in the fabulous Chinese Year of the Tiger with a roar and I would like to wish all our storytellers and readers worldwide a joyous, safe and healthy new year.
This edition of leaving you a note showcases 92 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, Pakistan, India, Romania, the Philippines, Trinidad, Bulgaria and Germany.
leaving you a note is our second book for Cherita’s Silver Jubilee Year of 2022. This is also our 59th edition in the cherita series of storytelling books.
February sees me launching another new book, night poetry, which is my fourth Cherita and Haiku book which has 90 virgin cherita, to celebrate my Lunar New Year. I have been unable to visit my spiritual home in the Orient for almost two years of Covid and armchair travelling with words seems a safer alternative for the time being.
www.thecherita.com/ailis-bookshop/
Here’s another short update on the proposed Gembun Anthology – Your grasp of Gembun is inspiring and what I am being sent spurs me on to ensure that this forthcoming Anthology will live up its own unique style of storytelling in 4-5 lines. After all, Gembun and Cherita share the same year of birth and it is only natural that they should each celebrate storytelling with Life, Love, Loss and Renewal as their foundation themes.
Full details on the link below if you have not, as yet, sent in your Gembun for consideration.
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morning rain
the sound
in
an empty room
ai li
a gembun from the weight of rain
The Gembun was created on 12 June 1997 and Cherita on 22 June 1997, and they will both celebrate their silver jubilee in June 2022. Gembun is also a minimal and unique linked form that consists of either a one-word or one sentence first link, followed by a haiku of up to 4 lines. Gembun has to include an element of suggestion in either the opening sentence/link, the haiku or in both.
Fine examples by Larry Kimmel, Joanna Ashwell and myself can be found, along with Gembun’s original guidelines on my personal website www.aili.co.uk
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Here is one Cherita and one Haiku from the 90 poem night poetry :
streetlight
tonight you are
the beacon
outside my window
reminding me
not to stray
your hand
in the mirror
stroking another
ai li
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leaving you a note belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, currently 59th on the list, as do my personal ongoing writing in one breath series of 22 virgin Cherita, Cherita and Tanka, Cherita and Haiku, and Cherita, Tanka and Haiku books, and lastly my poems for inner rooms series with its 18 Tanka and Haiku books. All these editions are available in paperback and kindle on Amazon.
I have edited this edition as I have all the other editions of the cherita, to be experienced two ways. It can be read as one storybook but also as an anthology of individual poems. Two reading experiences within one book, filled with stories of Life, Love, Loss and Renewal.
cherita terbalik continues to capture the imagination of poets and there are again fine examples in this edition.
Featured Poets as they appear in this edition :-
Jackie Chou/ Peter Jastermsky/ Bryan Rickert/ ai li/ Patricia Prime/ Sharon Hawley/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Taura Scott/ Joanna Ashwell/ Madhuri Pillai/ Larry Kimmel/ Cynthia Anderson/ Tia Haynes/ John Hawkhead/ Hifsa Ashraf/ Orrin/ Ram Chandran/ Réka Nyitrai/ Alan Peat/ steve black/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ Joanne Kennedy Frazer/ Connor Orrico/ Peter Larsen/ James Haddad/ Barun Saha/ Gillena Cox/ Stella Damarjati/ Tsanka Shishkova/ Keith Evetts/ Jim Niffen/ Connie Pittman Ramsey/ Don Baird/ Daniela Becher/ S. Radhamani/ Sherry Grant/ eva joan/ Tim Gardiner/ M.J.Iuppa/ Sarah Davies/ Susan Burch/ Keitha Keyes/ Isabella Kramer/ Neena Singh/ Laughing Waters/ Grace Galton/ Penny Lowery/ Partha Sarkar/
A SAMPLE from this edition :-
when it ends
you won’t be there
with
the moon
of love
beginning
ai li
The cherita lighthouse has been awarded to the following writers and poets in this edition for their timeless Cherita :
Jackie Chou/ Sharon Hawley/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Taura Scott/ Joanna Ashwell/ Madhuri Pillai/ Larry Kimmel/ Bryan Rickert/ Tia Haynes/ Peter Jastermsky/ Réka Nyitrai/ Alan Peat/ Joanne Kennedy Frazer/ Connor Orrico/ Ram Chandran/ Gillena Cox/ Stella Damarjati/ Tsanka Shishkova/ Jim Niffen/ Connie Pittman Ramsey/ Don Baird/ eva joan/ M.J.Iuppa/ Sarah Davies/ Isabella Kramer/ Keith Evetts/
leaving you a note has been edited to be experienced two ways. It can be read as a storybook and as an anthology of individual poems.
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I have enjoyed the challenge of selecting and collating for this edition of the cherita and hope that you will find the cherita within worthy of a campfire gathering and the sharing of meaningful stories.
If this new edition strikes a chord with you, please feel free to review, comment on Amazon or give a feedback directly to me. Many thanks.
ai li
editor
www.thecherita.com
storyteller oasis
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24 January 2022
Here’s a cherita from my book say autumn for Monday :
a little
night music
opening
my window
a little wider
for stardust
ai li
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1 January 2022
This is Cherita’s Silver Jubilee Year
22 June 1997 – 22 June 2022
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i suddenly remember
edition #5:8 of the cherita
edited by ai li
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Happy New Year to all our storytellers and readers out there.
This edition of i suddenly remember showcases 92 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, Romania, the Philippines, India, Japan, Trinidad, and Germany.
i suddenly remember is our first book for 2022, the year of Cherita’s silver jubilee. This is also our 58th edition in the cherita series of storytelling books. I can’t tell you how exciting it is for me, to be able to be in the midst of Cherita’s 25th year of being, its quarter of a century of being relevant. June 22nd for me, can’t arrive fast enough to mark Cherita’s birthday.
I have also launched a new book, shadow play, which is my ninth Cherita book which has 90 virgin cherita, to celebrate this very special year. It is my way of saying a big thank you to my storytelling offspring that was brave enough to spread its wings and fly even while I was away for eleven years after I stopped editing and publishing still.
Here’s a short update on the proposed Gembun Anthology – your interest in Cherita’s sibling was warm and enthusiastic. I am more than delighted with the Gembun that has been newly written and submitted for the Anthology. If this momentum keeps up, I may have to publish more than one anthology because it would be a terrible shame to see all that good work go to waste. Full details on the link below if you have not, as yet, sent in your Gembun for consideration.
The Gembun was created on 12 June 1997 and Cherita on 22 June 1997, and they will both celebrate their silver jubilee in June 2022. Gembun is also a minimal and unique linked form that consists of either a one-word or one sentence first link, followed by a haiku of up to 4 lines. Gembun has to include an element of suggestion in either the opening sentence/link, the haiku or in both.
Fine examples by Larry Kimmel, Joanna Ashwell and myself can be found, along with Gembun’s original guidelines on my personal website www.aili.co.uk
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Here is one of my 90 Cherita from shadow play :
a sweet
sweet song
at dusk
the bones
of who we were
deep purple
ai li
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i suddenly remember belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, currently 58th on the list, as do my personal ongoing writing in one breath series of 21 virgin Cherita, Cherita and Tanka, Cherita and Haiku, and Cherita, Tanka and Haiku books, and lastly my poems for inner rooms series with its 18 Tanka and Haiku books. All these editions are available in paperback and kindle on Amazon.
I have edited this edition as I have all the other editions of the cherita, to be experienced two ways. It can be read as one storybook but also as an anthology of individual poems. Two reading experiences within one book, filled with stories of Life, Love, Loss and Renewal.
cherita terbalik continues to capture the imagination of poets and there are again fine examples in this edition.
Featured Poets as they appear in this edition :-
Kath Abela Wilson/ Jackie Chou/ Connie Pittman-Ramsey/ Larry Kimmel/ Peter Roberts/ Patricia Prime/ Stella Damarjati/ Taura Scott/ Sharon Hawley/ Cynthia Anderson/ ai li/ Joanna Ashwell/ James Haddad/ Alan Peat/ Bryan Rickert/ Peter Jastermsky/ Tia Haynes/ Réka Nyitrai/ Orrin/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ S. Radhamani/ Charles Harmon/ steve black/ / kris moon kondo/ Sigrid Saradunn/ Afta Gley/ Ram Chandran/ Connor Orrico/ / Barun Saha/ Gillena Cox/ Don Baird/ Jim Niffen/ Lorraine A Padden/ eva joan/ Partha Sarkar/
A SAMPLE from this edition :-
in that old
and slow
world of
my youth
the lost beauty
that will come later
ai li
The cherita lighthouse has been awarded to the following writers and poets in this edition for their timeless Cherita :
Connie Pittman-Ramsey/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Jackie Chou/ Peter Roberts/ Joanna Ashwell/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ Alan Peat/ Réka Nyitrai/ / Afta Gley/ Ram Chandran/ Barun Saha/
i suddenly remember has been edited to be experienced two ways. It can be read as a storybook and as an anthology of individual poems.
*
I have enjoyed the challenge of selecting and collating for this edition of the cherita and hope that you will find the cherita within worthy of a campfire gathering and the sharing of meaningful stories.
If this new edition strikes a chord with you, please feel free to review, comment on Amazon or give a feedback directly to me. Many thanks.
ai li
editor
www.thecherita.com
storyteller oasis