ANNOUNCEMENTS - the cherita

A N N O U N C E M E N T

19 September 2023

My essay i, Storyteller, with a selection of timeless examples of Cherita, Gembun and Dua by various poets from selected editions of Cherita, Gembun and Dua, is now live on the Rhyvers website in Column #22.

My essay is now also on our Lectures * Essays * Interviews page on our website, under the Let’s Cherita heading www.thecherita.com/lectures

My grateful thanks to Neena Singh and to all the poets whose Cherita graced my essay for Rhyvers.

Here’s the Rhyvers link rhyvers.com/hk22/

ai li

1 September 2023

Cherita [22 June 1997] and Gembun [12 June 1997]
have meandered into their 27th Year from June 2023
with an energetic Dua sprinting after them

winter lands
#7:4 of the cherita
edited by ai li

*
coming home
gembun anthology 8
edited by ai li

with

updates on the other forthcoming dua and gembun anthologies
and our very own the cherita award

Before I announce our two new books below for September 2023, I would like to draw your attention, if I may, to my discovery of several poems currently published on several issues of one particular e-zine masquerading as Gembun.

One poem appears as 16 words on the first line followed by one line, and the others as 1 line capped with 5 line, with Gembun misappropriated for their own poems’ titles.

Monsters from Dr.Frankenstein’s lab??? Yes for sure, and most definitely not Gembun.

I don’t recall ever giving permission or carte blanche to either the editor of this e-zine or the poets involved, to purloin and misuse the Gembun name in the ways they have done so to date.

If their wish is to create a new form of their own, they are at liberty to do so, but they need to come up with an original name of their own for it, and not steal the Gembun name which does not belong to them, from me. I not only created the genre Gembun but its very unique name. What they have done is blatant plagiarism.

Gembun was created by me on 12 June 1997 and it is written as 1 line capped with either 3 or 4 lines [1-3] or [1-4], whilst the Gembun Terbalik [3-1] or [4-1] [inverted gembun] is written as 3 or 4 lines capped with one line.

The original guidelines for Gembun and Gembun Terbalik are on our website www.thecherita.com and are the only official valid guidelines for the Gembun genre. There can be no variations to these guidelines without the permission, consent and approval of ai li, the creator of the genre. All rogue attempts to vary these guidelines remain rogue attempts and should be ignored when you write Gembun.

Here are what Gembun, one of which is the Gembun Terbalik, should look and read like :

my dead sisters

heard
it too
nursery rhyme

ai li
from blank screen by ai li

and
a gembun terbalik

birdhouse
now
silent

spring was last april

ai li
from blank screen by ai li

My advice, as the creator of Gembun to new poets who wish to write Gembun is – if you wish to write genuine Gembun, do visit our website for the guidelines as it is the Home of Gembun, Cherita and Dua www.thecherita.com/gembun/ my three unique storytelling short form genres.

Why settle for faux and get your poems tainted by larceny when you can write bona fide Gembun and be published by the creator of Gembun?

In closing, I would like to express how deeply grateful I am to all the poets and writers, who have to date, taken the trouble to submit timeless and fine gembun which have then been published by me in our 8 timeless Gembun Anthologies. There are 5 more Gembun anthologies in the pipeline to come, totalling 13 gembun anthologies in all. I can’t wait to launch them.

And now for some great news for September :

Haiku Blossoms, a column by Neena Singh for the appreciation of Japanese short forms of poetry, on the Rhyvers website will be featuring “i, Storyteller” my essay on my three unique storytelling short form genres Cherita, Gembun & Dua. Neena is no stranger to the cherita having had her Cherita and Dua grace our pages, with Dua to come, and she has informed me that the essay will be in Column #22, in September 2023. I have included in my essay timeless examples by various poets from selected editions of Cherita, Gembun and Dua.

winter lands is our fourth edition of the cherita in our 27th year of being, with 95 virgin cherita of more timeless stories to hopefully inspire our readers and poets to join our caravanserai of storytellers.

coming home, our gembun anthology 8 has also launched alongside winter lands to welcome in the new month of September.

This edition of winter lands showcases 95 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, India, and Bulgaria.

winter lands is also our ninth book for 2023 and our 78th edition in the cherita series of storytelling books.

www.thecherita.com/bookshop/

winter lands, currently 78th on the list, belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, 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 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/ Joanna Ashwell/ Jan Stretch/ Caroline Skanne/ Larry Kimmel/ Sherry Grant/ Keitha Keyes/ Pitt Büerken/ Robert Frede Kenter/ Paulette Calasibetta/ Jackie Chou/ Pete Taylor/ Kathabela Wilson/ Stella Damarjati/ Eva Joan/ Partha Sarkar/ Diane Funston/ Tohm Bakelas/ Tsanka Shishkova/ Barry J. Vitcov/ Jimmy Pappas/ Connie Pittman-Ramsey/

Three sample Cherita from winter lands:-

i was going

to kiss you
before
you got old

before the clock
stopped at black

ai li

War –
a few hours away –

by airplane;
Berlin, no,
Kyiv, yes,

it started as you were dying

Robert Frede Kenter

unspoken words
exhaled
into cold winter air

they disappear
without any echo

weightless like fog

Eva Joan

the cherita lighthouse has been awarded to the following writers and poets in this edition for their timeless Cherita :

Joanna Ashwell/ Robert Frede Kenter/ Sherry Grant/ Larry Kimmel/ Eva Joan/ Tohm Bakelas/

winter lands has been edited to be experienced two ways. It can be read as a storybook and as an anthology of individual poems.

coming home, which appears alongside winter lands, is our 8th Gembun Anthology published by the 1-2-3 press, of 92 virgin gembun.

coming home, Gembun Anthology 8, has attracted writers and poets from UK, USA, Singapore, Germany, Japan, India, Australia, The Philippines and Italy.

Featured Poets as they appear in coming home:-

ai li/ Kathabela Wilson/ Pitt Büerken/ Sigrid Saradunn/ Jackie Chou/ kris moon kondo/ Joanna Ashwell/ Diane Funston/ Pat Geyer/ Rose/ Stella Damarjati/ Partha Sarkar/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ Liz Goetz/ Taura Scott/ Radhamani Sarma/ Vidhi Ashar/ Shloka Shankar/ Connie Pittman Ramsey/ Barbara Anna Gaiardoni/ Joellyn Murphy/ James Haddad/ Patricia Smith/ Sharon Hawley/ Laszlo Slomovits/ Michele Root Bernstein/ Maricris Cabrera/ Lew Watts/ Jennifer Burd/ Margo Smith/ Christine Stern/ Tim Callahan/ Ceri Marriott/ Keith Evetts/ Dhaatri Vengunad Menon/

a gem award has been awarded to the following writers and poets in coming home for their Gembun that shine :

Joanna Ashwell/ kris moon kondo. Diane Funston/ Jackie Chou/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ Kathabela Wilson/ Liz Goetz/ Pitt Büerken/ Joellyn Murphy/ Partha Sarkar/ Maricris Cabrera/ Margo Smith/ Christine Stern/ Patricia Smith/ Barbara Anna Gaiardoni/

Here are three sample gembun from coming home :-

returning birds
to nests
in the evening

i begin to dream

Partha Sarkar

a vase
filled with
starlight

and water

Joanna Ashwell

the old hippie
has a flower
tattoo

Californian dreaming

Pitt Büerken

*

This is September’s update on the cherita award :

I can’t tell you how thrilled I was to receive two presentational portfolios with two very different voices to start the cherita award ball rolling. I have read them with care and these two poets are going on to the next stage of the cherita award. I wish them both the best of luck.

For all new entrants, please be aware that fewer words in your cherita are always more, and to not repeat a subject matter often, unless of course you are able to come to it from a very different angle or perspective, rendering it anew. You want your portfolio to be one of timelessness and wonder, and to avoid a sameyness of subject matter which would inevitably make your portfolio bland and yawn inducing.

Here is September’s update on the forthcoming Gembun Anthologies 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13:

Anthology 9 will hopefully follow on after Dua Anthology 4.

Anthology 10 just needs finalising before it is ready for its launch.

Anthology 11 is very nearly there with Anthology 12 weaving along with its unfinished journey.

Now Anthology 13 has joined the growing Gembun storybooks.

In the next few months or so, I will endeavour to launch the finished anthologies which I hope to launch alternating with the dua anthologies, as you have all been saints with your inspirational patience.

I would like to profusely thank all the poets whose gembun have been selected for the forthcoming anthologies for being so patient.

Meanwhile, do please keep sending in your wonderful gembun stories but be aware that I do not read simultaneous submissions. Please do not send in work you have submitted elsewhere.

The Gembun Anthologies 1 – 8 [snow clouds, evening, paper talisman, windswept rain, deepening night, the old, white flowers and coming home] are now available on Amazon in paperback and kindle, thanks to all your amazing enthusiasm and strong faith for and in 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 have indicated before, is for the Gembun Anthology to become a fluid and ongoing series for showcasing the best of the Gembun genre with the gems from your writing. That has not changed.

Gembun and Cherita share the same year of birth and hopefully they will continue to celebrate storytelling with Life, Love, Loss and Renewal into and beyond their third decade.

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/

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/gembun/

Here too, is September’s update on the other forthcoming Dua Anthologies 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. 9 and now 10 :

Anthos 3 will hopefully be next now that Gembun Anthology 8 has launched.

Anthos 1 and 2 [remembering and I know the way] as you know are now available on Amazon in paperback and kindle.

Anthologies 4, 5 and 6 are now complete and it is up to me now to finalise their proofreading etc. to get them ready for publication.

Anthologies 7, 8, 9 and 10 are flowing sinuously along with their minimal stories, so do please keep writing and sending in your dua stories.

Currently, 8 anthologies of Dua are in the pipeline and it is up to the poets and writers if they wish for these anthologies to grow to the size of the Gembun Anthologies. Writing good Dua requires a different mental discipline to Gembun and Cherita but it can be a great workout for our brain cells. Your storytelling skills are kept honed when you write all these three unique short form poetry genres. Seriously though, can we resist a challenge to tell our stories in a timeless fashion? I know I can’t. All these three genres challenge me to become a better storyteller in 6, 4 and 2 lines.

Remembering and I know the way, our first two Dua Anthologies are now available on Amazon in paperback and kindle, thanks to all your faith in Dua and your creative flair for telling stories even more minimally than Cherita and Gembun.

Tough editing is essential for each anthology, for it to be a strong and timeless book of minimal stories in the dua format.

You will find full info for this dua and its guidelines on www.thecherita.com/dua
and on www.aili.co.uk/dua

If you have written dua that you consider to be special, please do not hesitate to send them in stories but be aware that I do not read simultaneous submissions. Please do not send in work you have submitted elsewhere.

My wish, as is for the Gembun, is for the Dua Anthology to also become a fluid and ongoing series for showcasing the best of the Dua genre with your dua moonbeams. That will not change for now.

Dua may not have been around as long as Gembun and Cherita [which share the same year of birth], but it is part and parcel of a storytelling trio which perpetuates the stories of Life, Love, Loss and Renewal.

Full details on the link below if you have not, as yet, sent in your Dua for consideration.

www.thecherita.com/dua

Fine examples by ai li can be found, along with Dua’s original guidelines on my personal website www.aili.co.uk

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

creator of cherita, gembun, dua
and of 19 other unique and original linked forms
www.thecherita.com
storyteller oasis

31 August 2023

What a gembun terbalik is :

I could see it plain as yesterday
and looked up at the wall
where it hasn’t hung for years

home

Larry Kimmel
from the old
Gembun Anthology 6 edited by ai li
copyright Larry Kimmel 2023

Gembun was created by me on 12 June 1997 and it is written as 1 line capped with either 3 or 4 lines [1-3] or [1-4], whilst the Gembun Terbalik [3-1] or [4-1] [inverted gembun] is written as 3 or 4 lines capped with one line.

The original guidelines for Gembun and Gembun Terbalik are on our website www.thecherita.com and are the only official valid guidelines for the Gembun genre. There can be no variations to these guidelines without the permission, consent and approval of ai li, the creator of the genre. All rogue attempts to vary these guidelines remain rogue attempts and should be ignored when you write Gembun.

30 August 2023

What a gembun is :

in the gazebo

bee
my
mantra

Larry Kimmel
from the old
Gembun Anthology 6 edited by ai li
copyright Larry Kimmel 2023

29 August 2023

What a gembun is :

at the far edge

of the orchard
eating
sun-warmed plums

Larry Kimmel
from snow clouds
Gembun Anthology 1 edited by ai li
copyright Larry Kimmel 2023

28 August 2023

What a gembun is :

a gembun terbalik

birdhouse
now
silent

spring was last april

ai li
from blank screen by ai li
copyright ai li 2023

27 August 2023

What a gembun is :

night gardenia

in
my hair
its perfume

ai li
from the weight of rain by ai li
copyright ai li 2023

26 August 2023

What a gembun is :

my dead sisters

heard
it too
nursery rhyme

ai li
from blank screen by ai li
copyright ai li 2023

1 August 2023

Cherita [22 June 1997] and Gembun [12 June 1997]
have meandered into their 27th Year from June 2023
with a young Dua sprinting after them

the weight of dialogue
#7:3 of the cherita
edited by ai li

*

river lanterns
Joanna Ashwell’s
cherita book debut
edited by ai li

and

the cherita award
a new challenge for all cherita storytellers

the weight of dialogue is our third edition of the cherita in our 27th year of being, with 95 virgin cherita of more timeless stories to hopefully inspire our readers and poets to join our caravanserai of storytellers.

I have launched this edition in tandem with our very first publication from our 1-2-3 press of a solo poet whose work is no stranger to readers of the cherita. She is Joanna Ashwell and her first cherita book of 90 virgin cherita, river lanterns, has been selected, collated, edited and published by me.

This edition of the weight of dialogue showcases 95 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, Bulgaria and Germany.

the weight of dialogue is also our eighth book for 2023 and our 77th edition in the cherita series of storytelling books.

www.thecherita.com/bookshop/

the weight of dialogue, currently 77th on the list, belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, 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 :-

Joanna Ashwell/ ai li/ Kathabela Wilson/ Diane Funston/ Jan Stretch/ Larry Kimmel/ Caroline Skanne/ Stella Damarjati/ Sherry Grant/ Keitha Keyes/ Jackie Chou/ Pitt Büerken/ Robert Frede Kenter/ Taura Scott/ Sharon Hawley/ Partha Sarkar/ Tsanka Shishkova/ Paulette Calasibetta/ Pete Taylor/ Isabella Kramer/ Nicholas Gentile/ Ceri Marriott/ Sharon Ferrante/ Sigrid Saradunn/

Three sample Cherita from the weight of dialogue :-

in a hollow tree

an owl
sleeps

silent
as
falling snow

Larry Kimmel

writing

a
window
open

to
birdsong

Caroline Skanne

your old love

waiting
under a rain tree

only
the drizzle
arrives

ai li

the cherita lighthouse has been awarded to the following writers and poets in this edition for their timeless Cherita :

Larry Kimmel/ Caroline Skanne/ Sherry Grant/ Pitt Büerken/ Isabella Kramer/ Kathabela Wilson/

the weight of dialogue has been edited to be experienced two ways. It can be read as a storybook and as an anthology of individual poems.

river lanterns by Joanna Ashwell, which accompanies the weight of dialogue, celebrates Cherita as a unique form of storytelling. It is a genre that embraces anyone would likes to share and tell their story in 6 lines.

river lanterns is Joanna’s first Cherita book of 90 virgin Cherita and I’m sure you’ll agree with me that the book is a fine debut for her. I’ve written a Foreword in her book which I won’t reproduce here because I would like the moment to be special for Joanna when she sees and reads it for the first time in the book.

river lanterns was selected, collated, edited and publishing by me, and I loved every minute of the challenge. The experience has seriously persuaded me to publish more books in this solo vein. It has also prompted me to award Joanna as an honorary recipient of the cherita award.

If you are enthused and excited by the idea of solo writers of Cherita books from the 1-2-3 press, and would like to see your first or very own book of Cherita published in the same format as the cherita books [one poem to a page and comprising 90 poems in total], then please start gathering together 30 previously unpublished cherita in readiness for your presentational portfolio for ai li to read and then decide if this body of work represents who you are as a cherita poet, before you go on to the next stage. All are most welcome.

Full information is available here : www.thecherita.com/thecheritaaward/

Who knows what else September can bring apart from a first peep of an early autumn ?

The sky is the limit when Cherita and two other unique short form genres are involved and you have one very impassioned creator of Cherita, and of Gembun, Dua and 19 other unique genres eager to accept another new challenge.

Who’s to say I won’t also venture into publishing Tanka and Haiku books ? After all, I started my own short form writing journey almost 30 years ago by writing these two genres, and have also published my own books in these two forms.

To whet your appetite, here are 3 sample cherita from river lanterns by Joanna Ashwell :

already

I am wishing
for summer to end

the crackle of leaves
burning
a painter’s sky

have you
found it yet

the fun arcade

where wishes
are the alchemy
of breath

camping

beneath the stars
a glowing fire

with only
a blanket of desire
for company

Here is August’s update on the forthcoming Gembun Anthologies 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 :

I am hoping to launch Anthology 8 next month which has been unfortunately delayed a month. Believe me, I have been as impatient as the contributors of this anthology and can’t wait to see it launch.

Anthologies 9 and 10 are nearing completion and Anthologies 11 and 12 are steadily progressing with their very own Gembun tales.

I would like to profusely thank all the poets whose gembun have been selected for the forthcoming anthologies for being so patient.
Meanwhile, do please keep sending in your wonderful gembun stories but be aware that I do not read simultaneous submissions. Please do not send in work you have submitted elsewhere.

The Gembun Anthologies 1 – 7 [snow clouds, evening, paper talisman, windswept rain, deepening night, the old and white flowers] are now available on Amazon in paperback and kindle, thanks to all your amazing enthusiasm and strong faith for and in 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.

Gembun and Cherita share the same year of birth and hopefully they will continue to celebrate storytelling with Life, Love, Loss and Renewal into and beyond their third decade.

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/

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/gembun/

Here too, is August’s update on the other forthcoming Dua Anthologies 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and now 8 :

Anthos 3 should be appearing after Gembun Anthology 8 appears, if all goes well.

Anthos 1 and 2 [remembering and I know the way] as you know are now available on Amazon in paperback and kindle.

Anthologies 4 and 5 are nearing completion and Anthologies 6, 7 and 8 are flowing sinuously along with their minimal stories. so do please keep writing and sending in your dua stories.

Tough editing is essential for each anthology, for it to be a strong and timeless book of minimal stories in the dua format.

You will find full info for this dua and its guidelines on www.thecherita.com/dua
and on www.aili.co.uk/dua

My wish, as is for the Gembun, is for the Dua Anthology to also become a fluid and ongoing series for showcasing the best of the Dua genre with your dua moonbeams. That will not change for now

Full details on the link below if you have not, as yet, sent in your Dua for consideration.

www.thecherita.com/dua

Fine examples by ai li can be found, along with Dua’s original guidelines on my personal website www.aili.co.uk

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

creator of cherita, gembun, dua
and of 19 other unique and original linked forms
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, cherita, gembun and dua]. If you feel that you no longer wish to receive these updates, please unsubscribe. Thank you

1 July 2023

Cherita [22 June 1997] and Gembun [12 June 1997]
have meandered into their 27th Year from June 2023
with a young Dua sprinting after them

downpour
#7:2 of the cherita
edited by ai li

and

I know the way
dua anthology 2
edited by ai li

downpour is our second edition of the cherita in our 27th year of being, with 95 virgin cherita of more timeless stories to hopefully inspire our readers and poets. This edition has launched in tandem with the eagerly anticipated I know the way, our second Dua Anthology of 92 moonbeams.

This edition of downpour showcases 95 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, India, Australia, Malaysia, Bulgaria, Japan, Canada, Germany and New Zealand.

downpour is also our seventh book for 2023 and our 76th edition in the cherita series of storytelling books.

www.thecherita.com/bookshop/

downpour belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, currently 76th 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.

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/ Bryan Rickert/ Partha Sarkar/ Jackie Chou/ Larry Kimmel/ Joanna Ashwell/ Stella Damarjati/ M.R. Mandell/ Jerome Berglund/ Farahani Ibrahim/ Tim Callahan/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Tsanka Shishkova/ kris moon kondo/ Connie Pittman-Ramsey/ Jan Stretch/ Ceri Marriott/ Orrin/ Sharon Ferrante/ Pitt Büerken/ Caroline Skanne/ Sigrid Saradunn/ Keitha Keyes/ Sherry Grant/ Robert Frede Kenter/

Three sample Cherita from this edition :-

leaving
on a romantic
holiday

I think of
them together

and cry

Bryan Rickert

we fall apart

like unstrung
pearls

the jazz
of the street
saxophonist

Jackie Chou

his voice
has been gone
thirty years now

but his letters
are still

an audio book

ai li

the cherita lighthouse has been awarded to the following writers and poets in this edition for their timeless Cherita :

Partha Sarkar/ Joanna Ashwell/ Tim Callahan/ Larry Kimmel/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Jan Stretch/ Sigrid Saradunn/ kris moon kondo/ Tsanka Shishkova/

downpour has been edited to be experienced two ways. It can be read as a storybook and as an anthology of individual poems.

I know the way, which appears alongside downpour, is our second Anthology of Dua, and which showcases 92 dua moonbeams.

I know the way, our second Dua Anthology with 92 virgin Dua poems, has attracted writers and poets from UK, USA, Singapore, Japan, The Philippines, Italy, India, Germany and Canada.

Featured Poets as they appear in I know the way :-

Sigrid Saradunn/ Sharon Hawley/ ai li/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Diane Funston/ Taura Scott/ kris kondo moon/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ Jackie Chou/ Angela Giordano/ Ram Chandran/ Pitt Büerken/ Larry Kimmel/ Maxianne Berger/ Liz Goetz/ James Haddad/ Lynne Jambor/ Radhamani Sarma/ Patricia Smith/ Richa Sharma/ paula song sarmonpal/ Joanna Ashwell/ Joellyn Murphy/ Partha Sarkar/ Tim Callahan/ R. Suresh Babu/

Here are 3 sample dua from I know the way :

the last poem

I give you a rest now

Pitt Büerken

her finger draws

something on my back

Larry Kimmel

can you fall in love

with a sequoia ?

Madeleine Basa Vinluan

a dua bella award has been awarded to the following writers and poets in this edition for their dua moonbeams :

Sigrid Saradunn/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Patricia Smith/ paula song sarmonpal/ Richa Sharma/ Joanna Ashwell/ James Haddad/ Pitt Büerken/ kris kondo moon/ Maxianne Berger/

Here is July’s update on the forthcoming Gembun Anthologies 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12:

Anthologies 8 is complete but as I have an exciting surprise lined up for August, I’ve had to regrettably delay its launch, which I hope the contributors will forgive me for, until September 2023.

Anthologies 9, 10, 11 and 12 are progressing well so please keep writing and sending in your Gembun stories.
I would like to thank all the poets whose gembun have been selected for the forthcoming anthologies for being so patient.

Meanwhile, do please keep sending in your wonderful gembun stories but be aware that I do not read simultaneous submissions. Please do not send in work you have submitted elsewhere.

The Gembun Anthologies 1 – 7 [snow clouds, evening, paper talisman, windswept rain, deepening night, the old and white flowers] are now available on Amazon in paperback and kindle, thanks to all your amazing enthusiasm and strong faith for and in 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 continue to celebrate storytelling with Life, Love, Loss and Renewal hopefully beyond their forthcoming 27th year of being.

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/

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/gembun/

Here too, is July’s update on the other forthcoming Dua Anthologies 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and now 8:

Anthos 1 and 2 [remembering and I know the way] are now available on Amazon in paperback and kindle.

Anthos 3 is complete and all it needs is for me to finalise a few fine details before it can be launched.

Anthologies 4, 5, 6 and 7 are coming together splendidly, so do please keep writing your dua stories.

Anthology 8 now joins the collection.

Tough editing is essential for each anthology, for it to be a strong and timeless book of minimal stories in the dua format.

You will find full info for this dua and its guidelines on www.thecherita.com/dua
and on www.aili.co.uk/dua

My wish, as is for the Gembun, is for the Dua Anthology to also become a fluid and ongoing series for showcasing the best of the Dua genre with your dua moonbeams. That will not change for now.

Full details on the link below if you have not, as yet, sent in your Dua for consideration.

www.thecherita.com/dua

Fine examples by ai li can be found, along with Dua’s original guidelines on my personal website www.aili.co.uk

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 is the editor and publisher of the cherita. She is an internationally published Haiku, Tanka, Cherita, Gembun and Dua poet and the founding editor and publisher of still, moving into breath and dew-on-line.

N.B. Please be aware that all Kindle versions now match the paperback versions and do not contain any colour images.

ai li
editor
www.thecherita.com
storyteller oasis

23 June 2023

Here’s a cherita for Summer :

of hair

turning
white

the colour black
has left home
with Kerouac

ai li
from dream merchant by ai li

1 June 2023

From June 2023
Cherita [22 June 1997] and Gembun [12 June 1997]
celebrate their 27th Year
with a young Dua fast on their heels

night thoughts
anniversary edition
#7:1 of the cherita
edited by ai li

and

dream sequence
by ai li
her 13th book of virgin cherita

night thoughts is our anniversary edition for June 2023 of the cherita with 95 virgin cherita of more timeless stories to hopefully inspire our readers and poets. This edition has launched in tandem with dream sequence, my 13th book of 90 exclusively cherita which celebrates the cherita anniversary.

This edition of night thoughts showcases 95 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, India, Japan, Germany, Canada, Australia, Bulgaria, Italy, Malaysia, New Zealand and China.

I am also doubly excited to welcome, in this anniversary edition, our very first cherita poet from Malaysia.

night thoughts is our sixth book for 2023, which begins our seventh year of being from June. This is also our 75th edition in the cherita series of storytelling books

www.thecherita.com/bookshop/

night thoughts belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, currently 75th 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.

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/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Taura Scott/ Jackie Chou/ Steve Black/ Joanna Ashwell/ Keith Evetts/ Sigrid Saradunn/ Partha Sarkar/ Sharon Hawley/ James Haddad/ kris moon kondo/ Pitt Büerken/ Bryan Rickert/ Sharon Ferrante/ Connie Pittman-Ramsey/ Jan Stretch/ Larry Kimmel/ Stella Damarjati/ Tsanka Shishkova/ Greg Asa/ Ceri Marriott/ Jerome Berglund/ Robert Horrobin/ Angela Giordano/ M.R. Mandell/ Farahani Ibrahim/ Diane Funston/ Caroline Skanne/ Eva Joan/ Sherry Grant/ David Cox/

Three sample Cherita from this anniversary edition :-

what if

there is no light
there is no chorus

there are no angels
the pearly gates are locked
it’s just dirt.

M.R. Mandell

an empty bottle

I leave
at her door

tomorrow
it will glisten
with the others

Jackie Chou

just knowing you’re here

another heart
beating
in the next room

it’s enough
it’s enough

Connie Pittman-Ramsey

the cherita lighthouse has been awarded to the following writers and poets in this edition for their timeless Cherita :

Steve Black/ Joanna Ashwell/ Bryan Rickert/ Connie Pittman-Ramsey/ Larry Kimmel/ Tsanka Shishkova/ Jackie Chou/ Angela Giordano/ M.R. Mandell/ Diane Funston/ Sharon Ferrante/ David Cox/

night thoughts has been edited to be experienced two ways. It can be read as a storybook and as an anthology of individual poems.

dream sequence, which appears alongside night thoughts, is my 13th book of exclusively cherita, and which showcases 90 virgin cherita.

As with all thirteen of my exclusively cherita books [i left long ago, stolen nights, we cannot go back, finding the magic, the morning songs, dream merchant, how soft the light, their wind songs, shadow play, the river dark, the promise of rain, nothingness and dream sequence], as well as my 11 shared books of Cherita, Tanka, and Haiku [december loneliness, night rain, i remember a night, keepsake, i’m going home, sandalwood dreaming, a dark sea, say autumn, i hear the night, night poetry and paper flowers], I have continued to show the numerous and different ways one can tell a story with this most flexible storytelling genre. It is vital, in my opinion, not to go down the route of the poem conveyor belt, where, if one Is not careful, one can end up writing quite banal journal entries masquerading as Cherita. This will ultimately stultify one’s creative writing. I am often reminded of a photographer friend who was very talented, and who once produced thought provoking photographs. Unfortunately, he had to accept wedding and bar mitzvah assignments to supplement his living but soon realised, and acknowledged, that his once special gift had deserted him after using his lens continuously for what he called ‘run-of-the-mill’ scenarios. There was no going back for him which was tragic to say the least.

Pushing the boundaries for writing Cherita can be ultimately rewarding as this writing skill will spill over into Gembun as well as Dua. Your Cherita will sing and that you can safely be assured of.

www.thecherita.com/bookshop/

dream sequence, launched in conjunction with night thoughts, is my thirteenth book of cherita published by the 1-2-3 press, of 90 virgin cherita.

www.thecherita.com/ailis-bookshop/

Here are 3 sample cherita from dream sequence by ai li :

saturday night

my shadow
is
at the movies

entering
the casbah

ai li

an old name
in Chinese
for fireworks

smoke flowers

a banquet of echoes
for the night sky

ai li

finishing what you were

placed here
to do

you walk
into the mountains
to become sunrise

ai li

Here is June’s update on the forthcoming Gembun Anthologies 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12:

Anthologies 8 is close to its finishing line with 9 and 10 filling up beautifully.
Anthology 11 is also evolving at a good and steady pace, and we now have Anthology 12 joining the list.

I would like to thank all the poets whose gembun have been selected for the forthcoming anthologies for being so patient.

Meanwhile, do please keep sending in your wonderful gembun stories but be aware that I do not read simultaneous submissions. Please do not send in work you have submitted elsewhere.

The Gembun Anthologies 1 – 7 [snow clouds, evening, paper talisman, windswept rain, deepening night, the old and white flowers] are now available on Amazon in paperback and kindle, thanks to all your amazing enthusiasm and strong faith for and in 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.

Gembun and Cherita share the same year of birth and they will continue to celebrate storytelling with Life, Love, Loss and Renewal hopefully beyond their forthcoming 27th year of being.

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/gembun/

Here too, is June’s update on the other forthcoming Dua Anthologies 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7:

Anthos 2 is almost complete with Anthos 3 moving towards its completion too.
Anthologies 4, 5 and 6 are progressing well with Anthos 7 now joining their ranks, so do please keep sending in your dua stories.

Currently, 7 anthologies of Dua are in the pipeline and it is up to the poets and writers if they wish for these anthologies to grow to the size of the Gembun Anthologies. Writing good Dua requires a different mental discipline to Gembun and Cherita but it can be a great workout for our brain cells. Your storytelling skills are kept honed when you write all these three unique short form poetry genres. Seriously though, can we resist a challenge to tell our stories in a timeless fashion? I know I can’t. All these three genres challenge me to become a better storyteller in 6, 4 and 2 lines.

remembering, the very First Dua Anthology is now available on Amazon in paperback and kindle, thanks to all your faith in Dua and your creative flair for telling stories even more minimally than Cherita and Gembun.

Tough editing is essential for each anthology, for it to be a strong and timeless book of minimal stories in the dua format.
You will find full info for this dua and its guidelines on www.thecherita.com/dua
and on www.aili.co.uk/dua

My wish, as is for the Gembun, is for the Dua Anthology to also become a fluid and ongoing series for showcasing the best of the Dua genre with your dua moonbeams. That will not change for now.

Full details on the link below if you have not, as yet, sent in your Dua for consideration.

www.thecherita.com/dua

Dua [1-1] was created by ai li on Friday 4 March 2022 to accompany Cherita and Gembun on their storytelling journey. These are two other genres by ai li which poets and writers have now deemed iconic, and which are both instantly recognisable by their unique and distinctive formats.

Dua now joins them with its very own unique 2-line storytelling format.
Cherita, Gembun, Dua and fifteen other linked forms [including Dua] were created by ai li.
This new genre invites you to distil and share the very essence of a short story. Your words should be brief, meaningful, and hold captive your reader.

Cherita, Gembun and Dua are now a trinity of short form storytelling genres by ai li, along with fifteen other linked forms which were all created by ai li.

The plural for Dua is Dua.

Duaiga [do-er-eager] is for Dua with Art, and Duabun [do-er-boon] is for Dua with Prose.
Fine examples by ai li can be found, along with Dua’s original guidelines on my personal website www.aili.co.uk

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

Today on Saturday 6 the May 2023 is Coronation Day in the United Kingdom.

Long Live their Majesties.

1 May 2023

2023
Cherita [22 June 1997] and Gembun’s [12 June 1997]
26th year of being
along with our rising young contender Dua

wear and tear
edition #6:12 of the cherita
edited by ai li

and

white flowers
Gembun Anthology 7
edited by ai li

wear and tear is our May edition of the cherita with 95 virgin cherita of more timeless stories to hopefully inspire our readers and poets. This edition has launched in tandem with white flowers, our 7th Gembun Anthology which has 92 virgin gembun.

This edition of wear and tear showcases 95 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, India, Australia, China, Japan, Germany, Bulgaria, New Zealand and Canada.

wear and tear is our fifth book for 2023, in our sixth year of being. This is also our 74th edition in the cherita series of storytelling books
www.thecherita.com/bookshop/

wear and tear belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, currently 74th 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.

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/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Jackie Chou/ Taura Scott/ Diane Funston/ Steve Black/ Barun Saha/ Sigrid Saradunn/ Joanna Ashwell/ Keith Evetts/ Partha Sarkar/ Vidya Premkumar/ Stella Damarjati/ Connie Pittman-Ramsey/ David Cox/ Jerome Berglund/ kris moon kondo/ Pitt Büerken/ Sherry Grant/ Bryan Rickert/ Allyson Chen/ Jan Stretch/ Larry Kimmel/ Elizabeth Moura/ Orrin/ Bonnie J Scherer/ Eva Joan/ Tsanka Shishkova/ M.J.Iuppa/ Eva Damarjati/ Dominic Willis/ Peter Jastermsky/ Reid Hepworth/ Sharon Ferrante/ Ann Smith/

A Cherita from this edition :-

handing over

my number
on paper

I see you
fold my world
within your palm

Joanna Ashwell

the cherita lighthouse has been awarded to the following writers and poets in this edition for their timeless Cherita :

Diane Funston/ Joanna Ashwell/ Connie Pittman-Ramsey/ Bryan Rickert/ Jan Stretch/ Larry Kimmel/ Tsanka Shishkova/ Eva Joan/ M.J.Iuppa/ Sharon Ferrante/ Jackie Chou/

wear and tear has been edited to be experienced two ways. It can be read as a storybook and as an anthology of individual poems.

white flowers, which appears alongside wear and tear, is our 7th Gembun Anthology published by the 1-2-3 press, of 92 virgin gembun.

white flowers, Gembun Anthology 7, has attracted writers and poets from UK, USA, Singapore, India, Germany, Japan and Australia.

Featured Poets as they appear in white flowers:-

Richa Sharma/ Radhamani Sarma/ Bonnie J. Scherer/ Sigrid Saradunn/ Jackie Chou/ Aishwarya Vedula/ Chidambar Navalgund/ Neena Singh/ Dhaatri Vengunad Menon/ Diane Funston/ Kath Abela Wilson/ ai li/ Geethanjali Rajan/ Taura Scott/ James Haddad/ Larry Kimmel/ Penny Lowery/ Shrestha Khan/ Pitt Büerken/ Partha Sarkar/ Tim Dee/ Sharon Hawley/ kris moon kondo/ Joanna Ashwell/ Pat Geyer/ Annie Wilson/ Connie Pittman-Ramsey/ Rose/ Keitha Keyes/ Tazeen Fatma/ Akhila Mohan CG/

a gem award has been awarded to the following writers and poets in white flowers for their Gembun that shine :

Richa Sharma/ Diane Funston/ Sigrid Saradunn/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Jackie Chou/ Geethanjali Rajan/ Joanna Ashwell/ Rose/ Taura Scott/ Neena Singh/ Aishwarya Vedula/

Here are three sample gembun from white flowers :

he came
he saw
he was

tempted

ai li

night-train journey

from here
to everywhere
river of heaven

Geethanjali Rajan

dreams disperse

at the sea
autumn winds
blowing

Pitt Büerken

Here is May’s update on the forthcoming Gembun Anthologies 8, 9, 10 and 11 :

Anthos 8 is almost there so it won’t be too long before it appears.

Anthologies 9 and 10 are also evolving at a steady and good pace.
We now have Anthologies 11 and 12 starting to take shape too.

I would like to thank all the poets whose gembun have been selected for the forthcoming anthologies for being so patient.

Meanwhile, do please keep sending in your wonderful gembun stories but be aware that I do not read simultaneous submissions. Please do not send in work you have submitted elsewhere.

The Gembun Anthologies 1 – 7 are now available on Amazon in paperback and kindle, thanks to all your amazing enthusiasm and strong faith for and in 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.

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/

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 too, is May’s update on the other forthcoming Dua Anthologies 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 :

Anthos 2 and 3 are very nearly there so please bear with me on these two books.

Anthology 6 now joins Anthologies 4 and 5, so do please keep sending in your dua stories.

Currently, six anthologies of Dua are in the pipeline and it is up to the poets and writers if they wish for these anthologies to grow to the size of the Gembun Anthologies. Writing good Dua requires a different mental discipline to Gembun and Cherita but it can be a great workout for our brain cells. Your storytelling skills are kept honed when you write all these three unique short form poetry genres. Seriously though, can we resist a challenge to tell our stories in a timeless fashion? I know I can’t. All these three genres challenge me to become a better storyteller in 6, 4 and 2 lines.

remembering, the very First Dua Anthology is now available on Amazon in paperback and kindle, thanks to all your faith in Dua and your creative flair for telling stories even more minimally than Cherita and Gembun.

Tough editing is essential for each anthology, for it to be a strong and timeless book of minimal stories in the dua format.

You will find full info for this dua and its guidelines on www.thecherita.com/dua
and on www.aili.co.uk/dua

My wish, as is for the Gembun, is for the Dua Anthology to also become a fluid and ongoing series for showcasing the best of the Dua genre with your dua moonbeams. That will not change for now.

Full details on the link below if you have not, as yet, sent in your Dua for consideration.

www.thecherita.com/dua/

Dua [1-1] was created by ai li on Friday 4 March 2022 to accompany Cherita and Gembun on their storytelling journey. These are two other genres by ai li which poets and writers have now deemed iconic, and which are both instantly recognisable by their unique and distinctive formats.

Dua now joins them with its very own unique 2-line storytelling format.

Cherita, Gembun, Dua and fifteen other linked forms [including Dua] were created by ai li.

This new genre invites you to distil and share the very essence of a short story. Your words should be brief, meaningful, and hold captive your reader.

Cherita, Gembun and Dua are now a trinity of short form storytelling genres by ai li, along with fifteen other linked forms which were all created by ai li.

The plural for Dua is Dua.

Duaiga [do-er-eager] is for Dua with Art, and Duabun [do-er-boon] is for Dua with Prose.
Fine examples by ai li can be found, along with Dua’s original guidelines on my personal website www.aili.co.uk

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

22 April 2023

a cherita for earth day
saturday 22 april 2023

drought

a
plastic
bucket

collecting rain
on wasteland

ai li
written early this morning whilst still in bed

18 April 2023

Let’s Cherita
and here’s how to . . .

It’s springtime in London
and I’m celebrating the longer days
with words that have become cherita

i love

the breath
of flowers

when they open
when their world
is new

ai li
from keepsake

a tap on the window

disturbing my reverie
i was nine again

my aura
being kissed
by butterflies

ai li
from i’m going home

fairy ring

i wait
until dusk

to become
a child
again

ai li
from nothingness

Make ink dance

the butterfly
on my windowsill

that did not go home

wind comes
and takes
its spirit home

ai li
from a dark sea

in a room

rented
without language

skintalk
then the moon
came

ai li
from nothingness

my inner scars

let
there be
dragons

to burn
them off

ai li
from nothingness

Find the magic in your Everyday

a little

night music
opening

my window
a little wider
for stardust

ai li
from say autumn

black hair

finding
its way

into
my poems
chinese byroads

ai li
from the promise of rain

in the backwoods

i sleep nude
and the owl

telling anyone
who can
hear him

ai li
from i remember a night

Remember the wonderment when you were a child
your first firefly
and shooting star . . .

apres dusk

after food
is consumed

my garden bench
giving me
venus

ai li
from stolen nights

burning eucalyptus

for the scent
and

the sound
of oil leaving
the leaves

ai li
from i hear the night

not a sound

on
my rooftop

a snowflake
landing
on my tongue

ai li
from how soft the light

Tell your stories of Life . . .

the gift of song

evening rooftop
dino’s that’s amore

for two pigeons
rubbing feathers
to stay warm

ai li
from finding the magic

when i hear

the accordion
i see my mother

leaning
on the back door
of her dreams

ai li
from night rain

laying chopsticks

out
for the dead

no one
should be hungry
in our family

ai li
from paper flowers

. . . and those of Love

the night

getting
into bed

with me
it must be
lonely too

ai li
from we cannot go back

scented envelope

to open or
not to open

a garden remembered
the summerhouse
a butterfly strayed into

ai li
from keepsake

ghost confetti

i’m sweeping
them up

before i wake
my yellowing
wedding dress

ai li
from dream merchant

. . . and also those of Loss

hanging

the last lantern
on a low branch

it’s late summer
and i won’t be here
next year

ai li
from night rain

in the hand coloured
wedding photograph

mother’s
bridal bouquet
is

the third ghost

ai li
from finding the magic

this country lane

with the evening smoke
of homes

i pause and remember
a garden gate
you closed

ai li
from keepsake

. . . and how can we leave out Renewal

air vent

i hear
the man

in the room
next door
being male

ai li
from i remember a night

fragrance
at the end

the healing
magic
of

an empty room

ai li
from the promise of rain

waking up in the far east

where i was born
the light of generations

before me
coming down
like prayer

ai li
from night rain

. . . and last but not least, be the best storyteller you can be with cherita :

the candle

blown out
before bedtime

i take smoke
up
to bed

ai li
from the morning songs

in the deep forest

of childhood
a witch’s brew

that cured all ills
i’m looking for her
in old age

ai li
from nothingness

time for

the storyteller
to leave

the tea drunk
the room
now scented

ai li
from finding the magic

1 April 2023

2023
Cherita [22 June 1997] and Gembun’s [12 June 1997]
26th year of being
along with our rising young contender Dua

ink stain
edition #6:11 of the cherita
edited by ai li

and

remembering
the first Dua Anthology
edited by ai li

ink stain is our April edition of the cherita with 95 virgin cherita of more timeless stories to hopefully inspire our readers and poets. This edition has launched in tandem with remembering, our very first Dua Anthology which has 92 virgin dua.

For all the poets and writers who came forth with their dua poems for remembering, our first dua anthology, I would like to give my thanks for their faith in this new genre, and for their patience.

This edition of ink stain showcases 95 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, India, New Zealand, Japan, Australia, Germany, Bulgaria, China, The Philippines, Canada and Spain.

ink stain is our fourth book for 2023, in our sixth year of being. This is also our 73rd edition in the cherita series of storytelling books

ink stain belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, currently 73rd 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/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Taura Scott/ Tim Dee/ Rick Wilson/ Jackie Chou/ Sigrid Saradunn/ Diane Funston/ Bonnie J Scherer/ James Haddad/ Ceri Marriott/ Steve Black/ Larry Kimmel/ Barun Saha/ Patricia Prime/ Connie Pittman Ramsey/ kris moon kondo/ Diane Funston/ Gayle Sweeper/ Keitha Keyes/ Isabella Kramer/ Stella Damarjati/ Joanna Ashwell/ Pitt Büerken/ Tsanka Shishkova/ Keith Evetts/ Dominic Willis/ Vidya Premkumar/ Partha Sarkar/ David Cox/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ Jennifer Burd/ Erika Wilk/ Peter Jastermsky/ Reid Hepworth/ Ron Scully/ Sherry Grant/ I. Hope/ Eva Joan/ Marilyn Ashbaugh/ Michele Root-Bernstein/

A SAMPLE from this edition :-

ink stain
bloodstain

suffer little writer

the night
is
still young

ai li

the cherita lighthouse has been awarded to the following writers and poets in this edition for their timeless Cherita :

Barun Saha/ kris moon kondo/ Diane Funston/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Sigrid Saradunn/ Joanna Ashwell/ Ceri Marriott/ James Haddad/ Jackie Chou/ Partha Sarkar/ David Cox/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ Ron Scully/ Peter Jastermsky/ Reid Hepworth/ Vidya Premkumar/ Tsanka Shishkova/

ink stain has been edited to be experienced two ways. It can be read as a storybook and as an anthology of individual poems.

remembering, which appears alongside ink stain, is our very first Dua Anthology published by the 1-2-3 press, of 92 virgin dua.

remembering, the first Dua Anthology, has attracted writers and poets from UK, USA, Singapore, Japan, India, Italy, The Philippines, Canada, Germany and China.

Dua Anthology Musings :

Currently, five anthologies of Dua are in the pipeline and it is up to the poets and writers if they wish for these anthologies to grow to the size of the Gembun Anthologies. Writing good Dua requires a different mental discipline to Gembun and Cherita but it can be a great workout for our brain cells. Your storytelling skills are kept honed when you write all these three unique short form poetry genres. Seriously though, can we resist a challenge to tell our stories in a timeless fashion? I know I can’t. All these three genres challenge me to become a better storyteller in 6, 4 and 2 lines.

You will find full info for this dua and its guidelines on www.thecherita.com/dua and on www.aili.co.uk/dua

Featured Poets as they appear in remembering :-

ai li/ Diane Funston/ Kath Abela Wilson/ kris moon kondo/ Sharon Hawley/ Sigrid Saradunn/ Partha Sarkar/ Jackie Chou/ Radhamani Sarma/ Angela Giordano/ Nitu Yumnam/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ paula song sarmonpal/ Lynne Jambor/ Tim Callahan/ Ram Chandran/ R. Suresh Babu/ James Haddad/ Larry Kimmel/ Patricia Smith/ Pitt Büerken/ Taura Scott/ David Cox/ Connie Pittman Ramsey/ Richa Sharma/

a dua bella award has been awarded to the following writers and poets in remembering for their Dua moonbeams :

Kath Abela Wilson/ kris moon kondo/ Sharon Hawley/ Sigrid Saradunn/ Diane Funston/ paula song sarmonpal/ Larry Kimmel/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ Partha Sarkar/ James Haddad/ Jackie Chou/ David Cox/ Connie Pittman Ramsey/ Richa Sharma/

Here are four sample dua from remembering :

near the moon gate
falling leaves

David Cox

threadbare blanket
the holes in the night

Jackie Chou

this afternoon… at the turn of the
river mother waits for me with fairy tales

Partha Sarkar

memory leaves
like real people

Madeleine Basa Vinluan

Here is April’s update on the other forthcoming Dua Anthologies 2, 3, 4 and 5 :

Anthos 2 and 3 should be coming together within the next few months.

Anthologies 4 and 5 are filling up beautifully, so do please keep sending in your dua stories.

remembering, the First Dua Anthology is now available on Amazon in paperback and kindle, thanks to all your faith in Dua and your creative flair for telling stories even more minimally than Cherita and Gembun.

Tough editing is essential for each anthology, for it to be a strong and timeless book of minimal stories in the dua format.

If you have written dua that you consider to be special, please do not hesitate to send them in.

My wish, as is for the Gembun, is for the Dua Anthology to also become a fluid and ongoing series for showcasing the best of the Dua genre with your dua moonbeams. That will not change for now.

Full details on the link below if you have not, as yet, sent in your Dua for consideration.

https://www.thecherita.com/dua/

Dua now joins them with its very own unique 2-line storytelling format.

Cherita, Gembun, Dua and fifteen other linked forms [including Dua] were created by ai li.

This new genre invites you to distil and share the very essence of a short story. Your words should be brief, meaningful, and hold captive your reader.

Cherita, Gembun and Dua are now a trinity of short form storytelling genres by ai li, along with fifteen other linked forms which were all created by ai li.

The plural for Dua is Dua.

Duaiga [do-er-eager] is for Dua with Art, and Duabun [do-er-boon] is for Dua with Prose.

Fine examples by ai li can be found, along with Dua’s original guidelines on my personal website www.aili.co.uk

Here is April’s update on the forthcoming Gembun Anthologies 7, 8, 9 and 10 :

Anthos 7 should be ready for launching within a few weeks or so with Anthos 8 very nearly there.

Anthologies 9 and 10 are also nearing completion, so do please keep sending in your wonderful gembun stories.

The Gembun Anthologies 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are now available on Amazon in paperback and kindle, thanks to all your amazing enthusiasm and strong faith for and in 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.

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/

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

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

25 March 2023

My Home by Stella Damarjati

Readers and contributors of the cherita will be familiar with the cherita poems of Stella Damarjati.
Stella has just informed me that her first book My Home will be available from Wednesday 29 March 2023 from Amazon, Ginninderra Press and other online bookstores.

I am so thrilled for Stella and wish her every success with the sales of her new book.

Here’s a Cherita from My Home :

childhood memory

a late-night show
watching shadow
puppets dance

and falling asleep
in your arms

Can any of us really go home to what is now memory?

My Home is a book about gratitude, and which allows us a glimpse into what could be a gentler and kinder world for us to live in.

You will find yourself returning to it time and again.

ai li
creator of cherita
editor and publisher of the cherita

18 March 203

Remembering my mother with cherita, tanka and haiku
on Mothering Sunday

a faraway train

i heard it in my youth
let me hear it again

with mother’s voice
asking me
to put out the light

ai li
from sandalwood dreaming by ai li

wearing
mother’s ring
in the old country
i’m home again
with her

ai li
from paper flowers by ai li

searching

for the old gods
in mother’s house

i am the wanderer
come home
with farewells

ai li
from sandalwood dreaming by ai li

shorter days i mend mother’s old shawl

ai li
from sandalwood dreaming by ai li

1 March 2023

2023
Cherita [22 June 1997] and Gembun’s [12 June 1997]
26th year of being
along with our rising young contender Dua

night market
edition #6:10 of the cherita
edited by ai li
and
the old
Gembun Anthology 6
edited by ai li

night market is our March edition of the cherita with 95 virgin cherita of more timeless stories to hopefully inspire our readers and poets. This edition launches with the old, another eagerly awaited Gembun Anthology with this being No. 6 and its own 92 virgin gembun.

All the contributors for the old have been more than patient and I cannot thank them enough for their faith in me and the ongoing gembun anthology itself.

Here is another update on the very first Dua Anthology :

I have just finished selecting and collating for the very first Dua Anthology, and what an exciting challenge that was.

I loosely ‘promised’ this book for Spring of this year and it looks like I may be able to fulfil this promise after all, fingers crossed.

Let’s see what another month can do with regard to my work schedule.

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 night market showcases 95 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, India, The Philippines, New Zealand, Canada, Australia, Germany, Bulgaria, China and Japan.

night market is our third book for 2023, in our sixth year of being. This is also our 72nd edition in the cherita series of storytelling books.

night market belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, currently 72nd 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.

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 :-

Sigrid Saradunn/ Jackie Chou/ Kath Abela Wilson/ ai li/ Lynne Fayne/ Taura Scott/ Diane Funston/ Bonnie J Scherer/ James Haddad/ Partha Sarkar/ Larry Kimmel/ Barun Saha/ Steve Black/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ Patricia Prime/ Maxianne Berger/ Tim Callahan/ Lynne Jambor/ Stella Damarjati/ Connie Pittman Ramsey/ Gayle Sweeper/ Keitha Keyes/ Isabella Kramer/ Joanna Ashwell/ Pitt Büerken/ Tsanka Shishkova/ Jim Niffen/ Sayantan Sarkar/ Eva Joan/ David Cox/ kris moon kondo/

A SAMPLE from this edition :-

the sharp fresh taste
of a washed green apple

chopped into quarters

sprinkled with sugar
the taste sweeter
than expected

Patricia Prime

the cherita lighthouse has been awarded to the following writers and poets in this edition for their timeless Cherita :

Sigrid Saradunn/ Jackie Chou/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Bonnie J Scherer/ Steve Black/ Barun Saha/ Connie Pittman Ramsey/ Diane Funston/ Partha Sarkar/ Isabella Kramer/ Joanna Ashwell/ Tsanka Shishkova/ Stella Damarjati/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/

night market has been edited to be experienced two ways. It can be read as a storybook and as an anthology of individual poems.

the old, launched in tandem with night market, is our sixth Gembun Anthology published by the 1-2-3 press, of 92 virgin gembun.

the old, Gembun Anthology 6, has attracted writers and poets from UK, USA, Singapore, Germany, India, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

Featured Poets as they appear in the old :-

Orrin/ Ann Smith/ Pitt Büerken/ ai li/ Radhamani Sarma/ Richa Sharma/ Sigrid Saradunn/ Jackie Chou/ Zee Zahava/ Stella Damarjati/ Sherry Grant/ Diane Funston/ Taura Scott/ Bonnie J. Scherer/ James Haddad/ Neena Singh/ Laughing Waters/ Chidambar Navalgund/ Aishwarya Vedula/ Shloka Shankar/ Akhila Mohan CG/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Taura Scott/ Tazeen Fatma/ Geethanjali Rajan/ kris moon kondo/ Annie Wilson/ Larry Kimmel/ Nitu Yumnam/ Connie Pittman-Ramsey/ Dhaatri Vengunad/ Carolyn Crossley/ Laughing Waters/

a gem award has been awarded to the following writers and poets in the old for Gembun that shone :

Orrin/ Radhamani Sarma/ Diane Funston/ Taura Scott/ Sigrid Saradunn/ Jackie Chou/ James Haddad/ Richa Sharma/ Neena Singh/ Bonnie J. Scherer/ Laughing Waters/ Aishwarya Vedula/ Chidambar Navalgund/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Annie Wilson/ Larry Kimmel/

Here are three sample gembun terbalik from the old :

wedding gift
a silk sari
now sad

a memory with holes

Radhamani Sarma

wandering here
there everywhere
everything in its place

except me

James Haddad

silent
the chatter
within

listen

Neena Singh

Here is March’s update on the forthcoming Gembun Anthologies 7, 8, 9 and 10 :

Anthos 6 has now launched with Anthos 7 and 8 scheduled for later in the year if all goes well.

Anthologies 9 and 10 are also coming together with aplomb, so do please keep sending in your wonderful gembun stories.

The Gembun Anthologies 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are now available on Amazon in paperback and kindle, thanks to all your amazing enthusiasm and strong faith for and in 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.

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.

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

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

14 February 2023

St Valentine’s Day

Here’s a cherita, gembun, dua, tanka and haiku of mine for the day :

on your doorstep

a large box
of chocolates

the card
saying
eat me

ai li

from stolen nights by ai li

question

is love
paramount ?
a blue moon

ai li

from blank screen by ai li

Love me tender

Elvis croons again

ai li

from the journey east by ai li

everyone has left
but we
are still dancing
tinsel
on the dance floor

ai li

from sandalwood dreaming by ai li

winter moon
in bed alone
with another fairytale

ai li

from the magic of snow by ai li

13 February 2023

Kathabela Wilson has just let me know that William Hart has passed into spirit.
I first got to know Bill in the 1990s when I was editing and publishing still.
He always came across to me as a gentle and courteous soul.

Today I would like to remember him and to commemorate his life with a very special haiku of his which I published in still 2 three in 1999.

sunset
lovers on the seawall
in the rain

William Hart
1945 – 2023
in memoriam

Thank you Bill for your timeless haiku and God speed.

ai li

1 February 2023

2023

Cherita [22 June 1997] and Gembun’s [12 June 1997]
26th year of being
along with our rising young contender Dua

ghost writer
edition #6:9 of the cherita
edited by ai li
and
deepening night
Gembun Anthology 5

ghost writer is our February edition of the cherita with 95 virgin cherita of more timeless stories to hopefully inspire our readers and poets. This edition launches with deepening night, our eagerly awaited Gembun Anthology 5 with its own 92 virgin gembun.

Here is an update on the very first Dua Anthology :

We’re almost there with the first Dua Anthology, so please bear with me with regard to its launch which I am still hoping for this Spring.

This edition of ghost writer showcases 95 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, Canada, The Philippines, Japan, India, New Zealand, Bulgaria, Australia, Germany and China.

ghost writer is our second book for 2023, in our sixth year of being. This is also our 71st edition in the cherita series of storytelling books.

www.thecherita.com/bookshop/

ghost writer belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, currently 71st 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.

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 :-

Keith Evetts/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Maxianne Berger/ Sigrid Saradunn/ Taura Scott/ Jackie Chou/ Connie Pittman-Ramsey/ Anne Scott/ Diane Funston/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ ai li/ kris moon kondo/ Peter Larsen/ Partha Sarkar/ Arvinder Kaur/ Sarah Davies/ Bonnie J Scherer/ Sherry Grant/ Ceri Marriott/ Mona Bedi/ Tsanka Shishkova/ Stella Damarjati/ Larry Kimmel/ Steve Black/ Barun Saha/ Pitt Büerken/ Lynne Jambor/ Patricia Prime/ Ann Smith/ Sharon Hawley/ Robert Horrobin/ James Haddad/ kris moon kondo/ Gayle Sweeper/ David Cox/ Eva Joan/ Keitha Keyes/ Amoolya Kamalnath/ Barun Saha/ Larry Kimmel/ Ceri Marriott/

A SAMPLE from this edition :-

slow decline

one table lamp
in
an upstairs window

the shadowland
of nights

ai li

the cherita lighthouse has been awarded to the following writers and poets in this edition for their timeless Cherita :

Kath Abela Wilson/ Connie Pittman-Ramsey/ Partha Sarkar/ Arvinder Kaur/ Sarah Davies/ Bonnie J Scherer/ Sherry Grant/ Mona Bedi/ Tsanka Shishkova/ James Haddad/ kris moon kondo/ Sharon Hawley/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ Diane Funston/ Robert Horrobin/ Jackie Chou/ Larry Kimmel/ Ceri Marriott/

ghost writer has been edited to be experienced two ways. It can be read as a storybook and as an anthology of individual poems.

deepening night, launched in tandem with ghost writer, is our fifth Gembun Anthology published by the 1-2-3 press, of 92 virgin gembun.

deepening night , Gembun Anthology 5, has attracted writers and poets from UK, USA, Singapore, India, Africa, Canada, Pakistan, Australia, Germany, Japan and The Philippines.

www.thecherita.com/gembun-bookshop/

Featured Poets as they appear in deepening night:-

Kath Abela Wilson/ James Haddad/ ai li/ Jackie Chou/ Radhamani Sarma/ Sharon Hawley/ Uchechukwu Onyedikam/ Ron Scully/ Maxianne Berger/ Diane Funston/ Genie Nakano/ Taura Scott/ Hifsa Ashraf/ John Hawkhead/ Jayashree Maniyil/ Arvinder Kaur/ Orrin/ Tim Gardiner/ Ann Smith/ Sigrid Saradunn/ Bonnie J. Scherer/ zee zahava/ Sandra Regan/ Pitt Büerken/ Shloka Shankar/ Chidambar Navalgund/ Richa Sharma/ Laughing Waters/ Aishwarya Vedula/ Rick Wilson/ Neena Singh/ kris moon kondo/ Lorelyn De la Cruz Arevalo/

a gem award has been awarded to the following writers and poets in deepening night for Gembun that shone :

Jackie Chou/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Uchechukwu Onyedikam/ Hifsa Ashraf/ Arvinder Kaur/ Tim Gardiner/ Orrin/ Richa Sharma/ Diane Funston/ Aishwarya Vedula/ Chidambar Navalgund/ Neena Singh/ Taura Scott/ Lorelyn De la Cruz Arevalo/ James Haddad/

Here are three sample gembun from deepening night :

temple bells
sound
in the garden

a praying mantis

Neena Singh

she saw
me sitting
nothing doing

i was watching her

James Haddad

with closed eyes

i become
a sculpture
of rain

Richa Sharma

Here is February’s update on the Gembun Anthologies 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 :

Anthos 5 has now launched with Anthos 6 and 7 scheduled for later in the year if all goes well.
Anthologies 8, 9 and 10, are also filling up beautifully so do please keep sending in your wonderful gembun stories.

The Gembun Anthologies 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 are now available on Amazon in paperback and kindle, thanks to all your amazing enthusiasm for this 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/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/

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

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

22 January 2023

The Year of the Rabbit

It’s the Chinese New Year today and I would like to share with all our contributors and readers one Cherita, one Gembun and one Dua which I just wrote to bring in the new year.

2023

the year
of the rabbit

will grass
be greener
on the other side ?

ai li

a rabbit
reading me
my horoscope

chinese hew year

ai li

rarebit

sorry, wrong year

ai li

1 January 2023

2023

A new year for Cherita [22 June 1997] and Gembun [12 June 1997]
their 26th year of being, and for our rising young contender Dua

Of new beginnings in an uncertain year
but Poetry endures
and it can keep our inner world
safe, calm and warm

cloud shadows
edition #6:8 of the cherita
edited by ai li
and
windswept rain
Gembun Anthology 4

2023 has arrived with cloud shadows, the first edition of the cherita for this new year.
cloud shadows, edition #6:8 of the cherita, graces January with 95 virgin cherita to stave off the cold, damp and wet of all our internal winters.

The eagerly anticipated Gembun Anthology 4 has also borne fruit with its 92 virgin gembun in windswept rain.

Here is an update on the very first Dua Anthology :

The first Dua Anthology is coming together splendidly and I am still hopeful for its launch by Spring.

This edition of cloud shadows showcases 95 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, The Philippines, Canada, Japan, India, Germany, Australia, New Zealand and Bulgaria.

cloud shadows is our first book for 2023, in our sixth year of being. This is also our 70th edition in the cherita series of storytelling books.

www.thecherita.com/bookshop/

windswept rain, launched in tandem with cloud shadows, is our fourth Gembun Anthology published by the 1-2-3 press, of 92 virgin gembun.

windswept rain , Gembun Anthology 4, has attracted writers and poets from UK, USA, Singapore, Japan, India, The Philippines, Africa, Pakistan, Australia and Germany.

www.thecherita.com/gembun-bookshop/

Featured Poets as they appear in windswept rain:-

ai li/ Kath Abela Wilson/ kris moon kondo/ Taura Scott/ James Haddad/ R. Suresh Babu/ Keith Evetts/ Vijay Prasad/ Radhamani Sarma/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ Neena Singh/ Partha Sarkar/ Jackie Chou/ Tim Callahan/ Genie Nakano/ Lesley Anne Swanson/ Caroline Skanne/ paula song sarmonpal/ Diane Funston/ Ron Scully/ Uchechukwu Onyedikam/ Mike Turner/ James Won/ I. Hope/ Hifsa Ashraf/ John Hawkhead/ Peter Larsen/ Sigrid Saradunn/ Lorelyn De la Cruz Arevalo/ Jayashree Maniyil/ Patricia Wakimoto/ Orrin/ Arvinder Kaur/ Pitt Büerken/ Sharon Hawley/ Keitha Keyes/

a gem has been awarded to the following writers and poets in windswept rain for Gembun that shone :

James Haddad/ Vijay Prasad/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ Genie Nakano/ Caroline Skanne/ paula song sarmonpal/ R. Suresh Babu/ Ron Scully/ Uchechukwu Onyedikam/ Kath Abela Wilson/ James Won/ Peter Larsen/ Jayashree Maniyil/ Diane Funston/ Orrin/ Arvinder Kaur/ Hifsa Ashraf/ Lorelyn De la Cruz Arevalo/ Sigrid Saradunn/ kris moon kondo/ Sharon Hawley/ Genie Nakano/

Here are three sample gembun from windswept rain :

cat
came back
to see

if we were ok

James Haddad

after evening

after
the
colours

Vijay Prasad

darkness falls

moonlight
on
water

paula song sarmonpal

Here is January’s update on the Gembun Anthologies 5, 6, 7, 8. 9 and 10 :

Anthos 4 is now a reality and Anthos 5 should follow suit shortly, fingers crossed.

Anthos 6 and 7 are also coming along steadily with strong work, and I hope to complete them before too long.
As for Anthologies 8, 9 and 10, fine Gembun are still coming in and all they need is for me to select and collate them into strong stories.

The Gembun Anthologies 1, 2, 3 and 4 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.

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/

*
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

cloud shadows belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, currently 70th 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.

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/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Maxianne Berger/ Taura Scott/ Jackie Chou/ Keith Evetts/ Sigrid Saradunn/ paula song sarmonpal/ Genie Nakano/ Sharon Hawley/ Connie Pittman-Ramsey/ Anne Scott/ Mariko Kitakubo/ kris moon kondo/ Stella Damarjati/ Partha Sarkar/ Lorelyn De la Cruz Arevalo/ Pitt Büerken/ Bonnie J Scherer/ Arvinder Kaur/ Hazel Hall/ Sarah Davies/ Penny Lowery/ Eva Joan/ Sherry Grant/ Ceri Marriott/ Annie Wilson/ Tsanka Shishkova/ Mona Bedi/ Larry Kimmel/ Sayantan Sarkar/ Alexis Rotella/ Steve Black/ Barun Saha/ Vidya Premkumar/ Ram Chandran/

A SAMPLE from this edition :-

final
boarding call

a hug
a kiss
‘stay safe’

‘I love you’

Stella Damarjati

the cherita lighthouse has been awarded to the following writers and poets in this edition for their timeless Cherita :

Kath Abela Wilson/ Maxianne Berger/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ Taura Scott/ Keith Evetts/ Sigrid Saradunn/ Jackie Chou/ Genie Nakano/ Connie Pittman-Ramsey/ paula song sarmonpal/ Mariko Kitakubo/ Partha Sarkar/ Arvinder Kaur/ Bonnie J Scherer/ Eva Joan/ Sherry Grant/ Ceri Marriott/ Annie Wilson/ Steve Black/ Larry Kimmel/ Pitt Büerken/

cloud shadows has been edited to be experienced two ways. It can be read as a storybook and as an anthology of individual poems.

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

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