A N N O U N C E M E N T S
1 January 2025
Three unique short form genres created by ai li
that honour storytelling and keep its breath alive
Cherita [b. 22 June 1997]
Gembun [b. 12 June 1997]
Dua [b. 4 March 2022]
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when it rains
cherita 94
edited by ai li
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hammock afternoon
dua anthology 12
edited by ai li
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updates on all forthcoming dua and gembun anthologies
and our exciting the cherita award
For those of you who missed reading ai li’s essay i, storyteller on Cherita, Gembun and Dua on Rhyvers and viewing her You Tube Cherita video interview for The Wise Owl by Neena Singh, for their special issue on Cherita, here are both links again below.
Here are ai li’s You Tube interview link : www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnGmkKKQvqo
and the link for her essay i, storyteller on Cherita, Gembun and Dua
rhyvers.com/hk22/
The full transcripts for both can be found on www.thecherita.com/lectures/ as well on the Rhyvers and The Wise Owl’s websites.
There are now over 3900 views for my Rhyvers essay on Cherita, Gembun and Dua, which appeared on 16 September 2023, with 2200 views the last time I looked, for my You Tube video Cherita interview, which appeared on 30 September 2023, and which The Wise Owl’s Editor Rachna Singh called ‘insightful’.
Before I can say once upon a time, 2025 will have arrived. Back on terra firma after my long break, I’ve been looking back at all the images I captured whilst away and have decided to share with you two other amazing experiences. When our international flights were cancelled by British Airways without much notice or explanation, I had to frantically scramble to find alternative flights to take us to our proposed destination and back without forfeiting or cancelling all our other connecting flights.
Malaysia Airlines, who happened to have available seats, came to our rescue for the dates I needed.
When I boarded my 14 hour direct flight for Kuala Lumpur, I was met with the crew dressed in a bewitching collection of ‘Heritage in the Skies’ Malaysia Airlines colourful uniforms from their past. This hommage was only for a few weeks and I was fortunate enough to have experienced it. I was suddenly nostalgic, recalling that my parents and other loved ones who are no longer with us must have seen the original sarong kebayas gracing the service in the air all those decades ago. I felt them close, thousands of feet in the night air, and that was a comforting feeling.
There was more to come. On our return journey, I was personally welcomed by the tall inflight supervisor in her red sarong kebaya. When I looked up at her, my eyes somehow went to her name tag, and to my great surprise, discovered that her name was Ai Li. She confessed that she and her crew were startled when they saw my name on the passenger list, and it was a first for her, meeting someone with the same name. And it was for me too. We both did manage to have a long chat [it was a 14 hour direct flight] when she wasn’t busy, and further discovered that our families were originally from the Fujian province in China with Hokkien being our main dialect.
Wow, I now know why our BA flight was cancelled. I’ve never believed in coincidences but that’s another story.
Here are two links which elaborate on the Malaysia Airlines ‘Heritage in the Skies’ hommage:
https://www.tiktok.com/@bibiaziahzaini/video/7433021570236353810
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January 2025 sees the launch of when it rains, cherita 94 and hammock afternoon, Dua Anthology 12 to welcome in the new year.
when it rains is our 12th book for 2024 of our eighth year. 94 anthologies of the cherita are now in existence and are available on Amazon in paperback and kindle, along with 16 Gembun Anthologies, and 12 Dua Anthologies, with more soon on their way.
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when it rains is our 94th book in the cherita series of storytelling books, with 90 virgin cherita of more timeless stories to hopefully inspire our readers and poets to join our caravanserai of storytellers.
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when it rains showcases 90 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, New Zealand, Germany, Canada, India and Italy.
when it rains, currently 94th 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 books 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, and now arriving nowhere, my first cherita, gembun and dua book, have all been added to my writing in one breath series.
I have edited this book as I have all the other anthologies 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 anthology :-
ai li/ Peter Jastermsky/ Michelle Farrell/ Jennifer Rood/ Pitt Büerken/ Barry J. Vitcov/ Sharon Hawley/ Tim Callahan/ James Haddad/ Jan Stretch/ Kathabela Wilson/ Jackie Chou/ Lee Hudspeth/ Karina Klesko/ Partha Sarkar/ Sigrid Saradunn/ Roy Kindelberger/ Bill Waters/ Debbie Strange/ Teri Messmer/ Thomas DeFreitas/ Paulette Calasibetta/ Nicholas Gentile/ Barbara Anna Gaiardoni/ Barun Saha/ Joanna Ashwell/ Diane Funston/
Six sample virgin Cherita from this anthology :-
far down the street
he saw them step
behind
an ancient maple
and he knew they
kissed
Larry Kimmel
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speaking
for myself
the part
that forgives
me
not
Peter Jastermsky
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sorting through
the paint tubes
on my desk
I wonder
what colours my pain
will be today
Debbie Strange
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seven cups
since the morning
the coffee maker
in the pantry
pouring
your perfume
Barun Saha
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laying on a bed
of pine needles
soft and cool
listening
to your piano
take me home
Teri Messmer
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in
the forest
life
still finds
a way
to bloom
Diane Funston
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the cherita lighthouse has been awarded to the following writers and poets in this anthology for their timeless Cherita :
Sharon Hawley/ Tim Callahan/ James Haddad/ Barry J. Vitcov/ Kathabela Wilson/ Jackie Chou/ Larry Kimmel/ Bill Waters/ Teri Messmer/ Debbie Strange/ Joanna Ashwell/
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hammock afternoon is our dua anthology 12, and it appears alongside when it rains this month.
hammock afternoon, our 12th Dua Anthology with 90 virgin Dua poems, has attracted writers and poets from UK, USA, Singapore, Germany, India and Canada.
Featured Poets as they appear in this edition:
Pitt Büerken/ ai li/ Richa Sharma/ Bryan Rickert/ Vidya Premkumar/ Jan Stretch/ Allison Douglas-Tourner/ nisa/ Norma Bradley/ Shrehya Taneja/ Dr. Vikas Sehra/ Partha Sarkar/ Prashanth V/
a dua bella has been awarded to the following writers and poets in this edition for their dua moonbeams :
Pitt Büerken/ Jan Stretch/ Bryan Rickert/ Norma Bradley/ Shrehya Taneja/
Six sample virgin dua from this anthology :-
end of summer
browning leaves at my feet
Norma Bradley
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nostalgia tomorrow
born today
Jan Stretch
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at the end of the wooden pier
whereto?
Pitt Büerken
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out of each page
a butterfly
Richa Sharma
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the wind telling a story
about its power
ai li
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in the broken mirror
my true self
Bryan Rickert
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This is January’s update on the cherita award :
I have selected for you another six virgin cherita from my cherita books the river dark, nothingness and the morning songs to hopefully inspire you and guide you to wider avenues of possibilities with the genre.
If anyone is seriously considering to write Cherita well, my advice is for you to get hold of a copy of either one or both of our Cherita Award books or any of my own books which will help as reference guides for widening the storytelling scope for creating timeless Cherita.
I hope these cherita will further inspire you, should you decide to submit your virgin cherita for the cherita award. We now have Joanna Ashwell and Ceri Marriott, our first two Cherita Award recipients with river lanterns and soirée, their respective books. Who will be our next Cherita Award poet?
sleep
it will come
when the piano player downstairs
gets nat king cole
to walk his baby
back home
ai li
from the river dark
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a found catapult
in
childhood’s drawer
the tree
and child
long gone
ai li
from the river dark
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the colour
vermilion
i can be
oriental tonight
on the terrace
of paper lanterns
ai li
from nothingness
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fairy ring
i wait
until dusk
to become
a child
again
ai li
from nothingness
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i listen
to a song
in
the mountains
about
collecting firewood
ai li
from the morning songs
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there will be
snow tonight
your face
will be
at
the window
ai li
from the morning songs
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.
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Here’s January 2025’s update on the forthcoming Gembun Anthologies 17-19 :
Anthology 17 has had its final proof reading by me. I just need to find the right slot for it.
Anthology 18 has just been completed and will also require a final proof reading.
Anthology 19 is coming along beautifully.
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 – 16 [snow clouds, evening, paper talisman, windswept rain, deepening night, the old, white flowers, coming home, bedtime story, rain song, ice storm, belonging, the water, dancing silhouette, empty bottles and i remember] 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.
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/
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Here too, is January 2025’s update on the other forthcoming Dua Anthologies 13-16 :
Anthologies 13 and 14 are complete and awaiting final proof readings by me.
Anthology 15 and 16 meanwhile, have been growing with your timeless dua.
Writing good Dua requires a different mental discipline to Gembun and Cherita but it can be just as good a 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.
All Dua Anthologies 1 – 12 [remembering, I know the way, the light dying, the rain, something rare, all is dark, listening to the ocean, no longer sky, home in rain wildflowers were here, in the room and hammock afternoon] 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.
Full details on the link below if you have not, as yet, sent in your Dua for consideration.
Fine examples by ai li can be found, along with Dua’s original guidelines on my personal website www.aili.co.uk
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NEW SUBMISSION GUIDELINES JANUARY 2025
Please can you now submit all of your submissions in Arial 11 font size, left justified with no italics, and also use our standard submission email for all our genres. This will be in effect as of now.
You will still be required to fill in your hometown/city and country with all submissions [this info is for our files] but only your country will be published in our books from this edition onwards. This will help speed up my proof reading.
There are also no longer any deadlines for submissions which are now on an ongoing basis.
Edition # 8.7 will be the last book numbered this way. From January 2025, all our books will be simply numbered, starting with Cherita 94, Cherita 95, Cherita 96 and so forth. This new numbering style will be incorporated in all the acceptance letters.
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General Information on the Gembun and Dua Anthologies
All our anthologies have 90 poems within.
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, where possible, as you have all been saints with your inspirational patience.
I would also like to profusely thank all the poets whose gembun and dua have been selected for the forthcoming anthologies for being so patient.
My wish, as I have indicated before, is for the both Anthologies to become a fluid and ongoing series for showcasing the best of the Gembun and Dua genres 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.
Dua may not have been around as long as Gembun and Cherita, but it is part and parcel of a storytelling trio which perpetuates the stories of Life, Love, Loss and Renewal.
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I have enjoyed the challenge of selecting and collating for this edition of the cherita and of any other new books from either our 1-2-3 press or our the empty press, and hope that you will find the poems within worthy of a campfire gathering and the sharing of meaningful stories.
If this new book or books strikes or strike a chord with you, please feel free to review, comment on Amazon or give feedback directly to me. It would be much appreciated. Many thanks.
ai li
editor
creator of cherita, gembun, dua
and of 19 other unique and original linked forms
www.thecherita.com
storyteller oasis
copyright © ai li 2025