A N N O U N C E M E N T S
1 February 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]
*
snowfall
cherita 95
edited by ai li
*
just before dark
gembun anthology 17
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 4100 views for my Rhyvers essay on Cherita, Gembun and Dua, which appeared on 16 September 2023, with 2400 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’.
The wildfires of late in California have been fearsome and relentless. I’m sure our poets who live/lived in the vicinity or in the path of these seemingly unstoppable flames must have not only felt fear, powerlessness, but have been badly affected by the merciless onslaught and devastation of lives, homes, sentimental and personal possessions and businesses. I send our Californian poets and all other affected individuals and wildlife my healing prayers and thoughts and wish them all safe outcomes.
29th January has brought in the Year of the Snake for Chinese New Year 2025. This time of year is a time for reflection for me. There was always excitement at having new clothes for the auspicious day itself and red was the favoured colour. My maternal grandparents who were the raconteurs extraordinaire who inspired me to be a storyteller and wordsmith, would be all dressed up waiting for the family to arrive to offer them red date, sugared winter melon and rock sugar tea, for a year of good health and prosperity. We would all kneel in front of my grandparents in our new year finery, in rotation, starting from the oldest to the youngest, to perform this ancient rite. In return for our piety and obeisance, my grandmother would leave on the tea tray an angpow [red paper packet of money] for each of us to spirit away in glee. Mine was always substantial as I was my grandmother’s pearl. Then the banquet cum feast begins. Halcyon days that live on in memory. Impossible to replicate with the main cast of loved ones now in spirit.
Here are three images from my one of my various trips deep into China to re-trace my ancestral roots :
The magnificent and enormous stone carvings of a recumbent buddha, and of various other deities were captured on film by me when I visited Dazu, the Unesco World Heritage Site with rock carvings dating from the 7th Century AD depicting Buddhist, Confucian and Taoist beliefs near Chongqing.
There are over 50,000 statues with 100,000 Chinese inscriptions and epigraphs over 75 protected sites which miraculously escaped the Cultural Revolution.
Dazu was off limits to all visitors for many years and it was only in 1981 when foreign visitors were allowed in. Until then, there was only a muddy path in to the stone carvings. Truly one of the most awe-inspiring sights which I consider to be truly an ancient wonder.
Meanwhile, back in Old Blighty, London has had light snowfall but the cold was intense for a while. This allowed me time to do some reading of my own. Some truancy from editing and collating was the order of the day. The inclement weather gave me a chance to re-read some of the numerous books I’ve published, and to re-kindle that AHA moment of a first read of all those wonderful and timeless poems that have graced the pages.
I also found myself captivated again by Penélope O´Meara’s eloquent essay specially written for the cherita, and about cherita, which she entitled The Cherita and the Golden Spiral. She believed that Cherita embraced the Fibonacci sequence. Penny was kind enough to give me permission to reproduce it on our website. For those of you who are unfamiliar with her writing, or who have not read this special piece, do visit this link www.thecherita.com/articles/ from our website. Her essay is the second one down.
Her vision of, and for cherita, was spot on and the genre continues to spread its wings into areas and places I could not have dreamt possible, and has, it appears, also beguiled poets and writers into opening up all their senses and consciousness in the most natural of ways to tell and share their timeless stories.
My gratitude to Penny is boundless.
*
February 2025 sees the launch of snowfall, cherita 95 and just before dark, gembun Anthology 17.
There are now 95 anthologies of the cherita, and are available on Amazon in paperback and kindle, along with 17 Gembun Anthologies, and 12 Dua Anthologies, with more soon on their way.
*
snowfall is our 95th 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.
*
snowfall showcases 90 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, India, Germany, New Zealand, Canada and Italy.
snowfall, currently 95th 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/ Roy Kindelberger/ Bill Waters/ Larry Kimmel/ Diane Funston/ Kathabela Wilson/ Sigrid Saradunn/ Partha Sarkar/ Pitt Büerken/ Teri Messmer/ Paulette Calasibetta/ Jackie Chou/ Karina Klesko/ Nicholas Gentile/ Barry J. Vitcov/ Joanna Ashwell/ Michelle Farrell/ Dan Schwerin/ Barun Saha/ C.X. Turner/ Jan Stretch/ Neena Singh/ Biswajit Mishra/ Daniel W. Brown/ Ceri Marriott/ Barbara Anna Gaiardoni/ Debbie Strange/
Six sample virgin Cherita from this anthology :-
all in black
the people
in
this room
you would have
hated the colour
ai li
*
pocket jungle
how deep
is the darkness
of a root
freshly woven
around my fingers
Joanna Ashwell
*
I read
between the lines
it’s the moment
I learn
fear
her suicide note
Jan Stretch
*
lost
from his heart
I sleep in sorrow
an
oyster’s
pearl
Karina Klesko
*
you speak to me
when I’m light years
away
searching
the Milky Way
for stardom
Jackie Chou
*
your touch
over
morning coffee
lingers
throughout
the day
Barry J. Vitcov
*
the cherita lighthouse has been awarded to the following writers and poets in this anthology for their timeless Cherita :
Karina Klesko/ Partha Sarkar/ Dan Schwerin/ Neena Singh/ Daniel W. Brown/ Barun Saha/ Joanna Ashwell/ Kathabela Wilson/ Jackie Chou/ Barry J. Vitcov/ Nicholas Gentile/ Roy Kindelberger/
*
just before dark is our gembun anthology 17, and it appears alongside snowfall this month.
just before dark, our 17th Gembun Anthology with 90 virgin Dua poems, has attracted writers and poets from UK, USA, Singapore, Germany, Canada, Italy, Japan, Pakistan and China.
I would like to thank all the contributing poets and writers for their patience and hope they will find just before dark a worthy read.
Featured Poets as they appear in this edition:
ai li/ James Haddad/ Nicholas Gentile/ Pitt Büerken/ Joanna Ashwell/ Jan Stretch/ Kathabela Wilson/ Maria Tosti / kris moon kondo/ Hifsa Ashraf/ Jackie Chou/ Tracy Davidson/
a gem has been awarded to the following writers and poets in this edition :
James Haddad/ Nicholas Gentile/ Pitt Büerken/ Joanna Ashwell/ Jan Stretch/ Hifsa Ashraf/ Kathabela Wilson/
Six sample virgin gembun from this anthology :-
a red
bougainvillea petal
dancing in the air
as if at a ball
James Haddad
*
when life
becomes a duet
with myself
smiles in the mirror
kris moon kondo
*
waiting
I imagine
you are part
of the storm
Pitt Büerken
*
another year
his being
like
autumn leaves
Nicholas Gentile
*
precious
those days
of love
lost
Jan Stretch
*
reed basket
holding
the tide
water lilies
Joanna Ashwell
*
This is February’s update on the cherita award :
Here six virgin cherita from sandalwood dreaming, one of my cherita books, to hopefully inspire and guide you to the many possibilities possible with my storytelling genre in 6 lines.
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?
losing sight
of
who i was
when rain
arrives
with the sky
ai li
from sandalwood dreaming
*
dusk
a widow
by
the old river
now you see her
now you . . .
ai li
from sandalwood dreaming
*
at the old crossroads
i say a prayer
for the unmarked graves
a light kiss
on my forehead
from the breeze
ai li
from sandalwood dreaming
*
the men
who used
to visit
are long gone
quiet
is her winter
ai li
from sandalwood dreaming
*
late into december
i spy mistletoe
my lips
again brushed
by the absent years
of yours
ai li
from sandalwood dreaming
*
you broke my wings
a long time ago
but i kept all the feathers
and released
them back
to the sky
ai li
from sandalwood dreaming
*
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.
*
Here’s February 2025’s update on the forthcoming Gembun Anthologies 18-20 :
Anthology 18 has just been completed and will now require a final proof reading.
Anthology 19 is coming along beautifully and Anthology 20 has just joined the stable.
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 – 17 [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, i remember and just before dark] 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/
*
Here too, is February 2025’s update on the other forthcoming Dua Anthologies 13-16 :
Anthologies 13 and 14 are now awaiting final proof readings.
Anthology 15 and 16 are coming along beautifully 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
*
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.
*
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.
*
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
*
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]
*
when it rains
cherita 94
edited by ai li
*
hammock afternoon
dua anthology 12
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 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
*
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.
*
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.
*
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
*
speaking
for myself
the part
that forgives
me
not
Peter Jastermsky
*
sorting through
the paint tubes
on my desk
I wonder
what colours my pain
will be today
Debbie Strange
*
seven cups
since the morning
the coffee maker
in the pantry
pouring
your perfume
Barun Saha
*
laying on a bed
of pine needles
soft and cool
listening
to your piano
take me home
Teri Messmer
*
in
the forest
life
still finds
a way
to bloom
Diane Funston
*
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/
*
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
*
nostalgia tomorrow
born today
Jan Stretch
*
at the end of the wooden pier
whereto?
Pitt Büerken
*
out of each page
a butterfly
Richa Sharma
*
the wind telling a story
about its power
ai li
*
in the broken mirror
my true self
Bryan Rickert
*
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
*
a found catapult
in
childhood’s drawer
the tree
and child
long gone
ai li
from the river dark
*
the colour
vermilion
i can be
oriental tonight
on the terrace
of paper lanterns
ai li
from nothingness
*
fairy ring
i wait
until dusk
to become
a child
again
ai li
from nothingness
*
i listen
to a song
in
the mountains
about
collecting firewood
ai li
from the morning songs
*
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.
*
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/
*
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
*
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.
*
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