the stillness - the cherita

1 April 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]

the stillness
cherita 109
edited by ai li

*

time is dancing
the very first ta da anthology one
edited by ai li

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 6300 views for my Rhyvers essay on Cherita, Gembun and Dua, which appeared on 16 September 2023, with 4200 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’.

Book 109 of the cherita – the stillness is for your April 2026 reading and time is dancing is our very first ta da anthology one, both of which are imbued with 90 virgin poems.

There are now 109 anthologies of the cherita, and they are all available on Amazon in paperback and kindle, along with 21 Gembun Anthologies,18 Dua Anthologies and our first Ta Da anthology, with more coming your way including the forthcoming ta da anthologies.

the stillness is our Book 109 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.

the stillness showcases 90 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, India, Canada, Iran, Lithuania and Australia.

the stillness, Book 109, 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 the stillness 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/ Jackie Chou/ Kathabela Wilson/ Taura Scott/ Sharon Hawley/ Patricia Allen Smith/ Partha Sarkar/ Larry Kimmel/ Teri Messmer/ Sigrid Saradunn/ Dan Schwerin/ Lakshman Bulusu/ D’ellen/ Nicholas Gentile/ Roy Kindelberger/ Jan Stretch/ Joanna Ashwell/ James Haddad/ Robert Horrobin/ Lee Hudspeth/ Pegah Rahmati Nezhad/ Jim Niffen/ Richard Marriott/ Gabriel Bates/ Arturas Silanskas/ Keitha Keyes/

Six sample virgin Cherita from this anthology :-

the wet
of leaves
after rain

a day
to write

myself home

ai li

the bells
of St. Bridget’s

a mere

suggestion
of
the hour

Larry Kimmel

old
rotary phone
on a maple tree

we call the fairies

to come
out and play

Teri Messmer

life is

too
short

to
be
alive

Partha Sarkar

a silent hoot
out your hospice window

that night

you left
on the wings
of an owl

Jan Stretch

does it really matter

if i wear
lipstick

in this
lead laden
air?

Pegah Rahmati Nezhad

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

Taura Scott/ Patricia Allen Smith/ Teri Messmer/ Jan Stretch/ Gabriel Bates/

time is dancing is our very first ta da anthology and it appears alongside the stillness, Book 109 of the cherita, this month.

time is dancing showcases 90 virgin ta da from UK, USA, Singapore, Canada, Germany and India.

Featured Poets as they appear in this anthology :-

ai li/ Larry Kimmel/ Barbara Anna Gaiardoni/ Dan Schwerin/ Kathabela Wilson/ Sharon Hawley/ Sigrid Saradunn/ James Haddad/ Keitha Keyes/ Taura Scott/ Gene Schultz/ Lakshman Bulusu/ Jackie Chou/ Pitt Büerken/ Kazuaki Wakui/ Jan Stretch/ Roy Kindelburger/ Radhamani Sarma/ Lee Hudspeth/ Joanna Ashwell/ Paulette Calasibetta/ Orrin Préjean/

Six sample virgin ta da from time is dancing, our very first ta da anthology:-

time is dancing
again

in
an empty house

ai li

trees reaching to heaven
do angels see

from above
these time travellers

Sigrid Saradunn

i tread the trails
of a national park

the silence
stirs my memories

Lakshman Bulusu

after fishing
I free the worms

our soft home
of peace

Dan Schwerin

released at last
her eyes full of bloom

freedom
found its way

James Haddad

a small black book
left at the bus stop

i wipe off
my fingerprints

Larry Kimmel

a fan fare has been awarded to the following writers and poets in this anthology for timeless ta da :

Larry Kimmel/ Jackie Chou/ Kathabela Wilson/ Sharon Hawley/ Joanna Ashwell/ Dan Schwerin/

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.

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