ANNOUNCEMENTS – the cherita

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

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.

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 :-

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.

My wish, as I indicated last month, is for the Gembun Anthology to become a fluid and ongoing series for showcasing the best of the Gembun genre with the gifts from your writing. That has not changed.

Gembun and Cherita share the same year of birth and they will be celebrating storytelling with Life, Love, Loss and Renewal this jubilee year and hopefully beyond.

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

www.thecherita.com/gembun-anthos/

The Gembun [1-3 or 1-4] was created on 12 June 1997 and Cherita on 22 June 1997, and they will both celebrate their Silver Jubilee in June 2022. Gembun is also a minimal and unique linked form that consists of either a one-word or one sentence first link, followed by a haiku of up to 4 lines. Gembun has to include an element of suggestion in either the opening sentence/link, the haiku or in both.

Gembun Terbalik [3-1 or 4-1] now joins this minimal form and is an inverted Gembun. It is written with a haiku of 3 or 4 lines as its opening stanza and then capped by a one liner. Six new virgin examples of mine can be seen on www.thecherita.com/gembun-anthos/

The Gembun and Gembun Terbalik have to include an element of suggestion in either the opening sentence or haiku, the haiku or opening sentence or in both. Gembun was created by ai li on the 12 June 1997, inspired by Larry Kimmel’s TIBUN. www.aili.co.uk/gembun/

Fine examples by Larry Kimmel, Joanna Ashwell and myself can be found, along with Gembun’s original guidelines on my personal website www.aili.co.uk

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

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/

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

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.

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/ 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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