ANNOUNCEMENTS – the cherita

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

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.

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/ 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 very 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.

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

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

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/

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

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/

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

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.

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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