1 June 2026
4 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]
Ta Da [b. 15 May 2022]
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s t a t u e s
cherita 111
edited by ai li
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i am no one
another one breath cherita book
by ai li
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the room we shared
another one breath haiku book
by ai li
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of beginnings
another one breath tanka book
by ai li
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updates on all forthcoming dua, gembun and ta da 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 6700 views for my Rhyvers essay on Cherita, Gembun and Dua, which appeared on 16 September 2023, with 4400 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’.
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Book 111 of the cherita – s t a t u e s is for your June 2026 reading, along with i am no one – my seventeenth book of virgin cherita, the room we shared, my second book of exclusively virgin haiku and finally of beginnings, my second book of exclusively virgin tanka, this month.
There are now 111 anthologies of the cherita, along with 22 Gembun Anthologies,18 Dua Anthologies, and our first Ta Da anthology, with more coming your way including the forthcoming ta da anthologies. All these anthologies are available in paperback and kindle on Amazon.
s t a t u e s is our Book 111 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.
s t a t u e s showcases 90 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, Germany, Iran, India and Japan.
s t a t u e s, Book 111, belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, as do ai li’s personal ongoing writing in one breath series of 36 virgin Cherita, Gembun, Dua, Ta Da, Cherita and Tanka, Cherita and Haiku, and Cherita, Tanka and Haiku books, and lastly ai li’s 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, my two books of Dua, the journey east and dancing shoes, and arriving nowhere, my first cherita, gembun and dua book, along with another night and leaving, my two ta da anthologies now join my writing in one breath series.t
I have edited s t a t u e s 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 :-
Isabella Kramer/ Jackie Chou/ Lakshman Bulusu/ Ceri Marriott/ ai li/ Kathabela Wilson/ James Haddad/ Sharon Hawley/ Bryan Rickert/ Gene Schultz/Taura Scott/ Patricia Allen Smith/ Larry Kimmel/ Joanna Ashwell/ Robert Horrobin/ Pegah Rahmati Nezhad/ Roy Kindleberger/ Partha Sarkar/ Barry J. Vitcov/ Kazuaki Wakui/ Peter Jastermsky/ Nicholas Gentile/ Penny Lowery/ Rachel Thorp/
Six sample virgin Cherita from this anthology :-
this day
of passing clouds
I stop
and consider
my inability
to change
Bryan Rickert
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i sketch myself
a self-portrait
held up to a mirror
a butterfly
takes
flight
Taura Scott
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an ageless
painting
comes to life
aged rock
in shades
of green and grey
Lakshman Bulusu
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i saw her walk
towards
my loved ones
then
the evening star
became showtime
ai li
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time has
been
repairing
the road
since
dawn
Partha Sarkar
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overnight
rain
mornings
cool
mist
fog
Barry J. Vitcov
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the cherita lighthouse has been awarded to the following writers and poets in this anthology for their timeless Cherita :
Lakshman Bulusu/ Kathabela Wilson/ Kazuaki Wakui/ Nicholas Gentile/ Larry Kimmel/ Penny Lowery/ Peter Jastermsky/ Ceri Marriott/
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i am no one is my seventeenth book of virgin cherita which appears alongside s t a t u e s , Book 111 of the cherita, the room we shared, my second book of virgin haiku and finally of beginnings, my second book of virgin tanka, this month.
Six sample virgin cherita from i am no one, my seventeenth book of virgin cherita :-
the never finished bridge
long ago
it too
had dreams
to reach
the other side
ai li
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a stranger napping
i like his strong face
then one eye opens
and i lose
my way
in his sky
ai li
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i arrange flowers
like mother
used to
being adrift
in the scent
of a lonely night
ai li
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two teabowls
with steam
slipping away
autumn
is not a time
to leave
ai li
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the black hair
on my pillow
is
no longer Chinese
it left home
fifty years ago
ai li
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slowing my breath right down
to find me
in an inner temple
of pine woods
prayers of silence
in every raindrop
ai li
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the room we shared is my second book of exclusively virgin haiku which appears alongside s t a t u e s, Book 111 of the cherita, i am no one, my seventeenth book of exclusively virgin cherita, the room we shared, my second book of virgin haiku and finally of beginnings, my second book of virgin tanka, this month.
Six sample haiku from the room we shared, my second book of virgin haiku :-
i grow quiet as i become a shadow
ai li
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fireside stories
two
empty chairs
ai li
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a childhood jar
of fireflies
my first crime
ai li
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picking the last plums
i can see
my breath
ai li
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woodpile
waiting
for fall
ai li
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with moonlight
entering
the empty house
ai li
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of beginnings is my second book of exclusively virgin tanka which appears alongside s t a t u e s, Book 111 of the cherita, i am no one, my seventeenth book of exclusively virgin cherita, and finally the room we shared, my second book of virgin haiku, this month.
Six sample tanka from of beginnings, my second book of virgin tanka :-
late fall
the colours
from
the dead man’s
window
ai li
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the sound
of a lone hinge
on the garden gate
i am wondering
who is lonelier
ai li
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a snowflake can’t help
being ethereal
my skin
paper thin
tonight
ai li
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into violet
into velvet
my fingers
discovering
a softer world
ai li
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wind is blowing
fall is early
with its scent
of
no return
ai li
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stars
i wonder
who is kissing
the memory
of me tonight ?
ai li
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Please use our standard submission emails for all 4 of our genres as I consider them separately. Failure to do so can cause a delay in replying to your submissions.
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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 our 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 ta da
and of 18 other unique and original linked forms
www.thecherita.com
storyteller oasis
copyright © ai li 2026