ARCHIVE 2021 - the cherita

A N N O U N C E M E N T S A R C H I V E

21 December 2021

Dear Ai Li,

May this season be full of light, good health, and laughter for you and your family.

Best regards,

Tsanka Shishkova

Dear Aili,

wishing you a very happy and prosperous NEW YEAR WITH ALL HIS BLESSINGS.

With regards

Radhamani sarma

15 December 2021

Gembun Anthology Update

Submissions of Gembun for the new proposed anthology have started to come in and I am greatly encouraged by the standard of work being sent in. There are no deadlines. Submissions will remain ongoing for the moment. If the quality of Gembun continue to be high, then further anthologies cannot be ruled out. I am going to go with the flow.

You will find 90 examples of Gembun in my first book of Gembun the weight of rain which will give you an idea of how flexible the genre is.

breath

on
a cold morning
it’s showtime

ai li

Full details for a forthcoming Anthology of exclusively Gembun, to be selected, collated. edited and published by its creator ai li can be found on :

www.thecherita.com/gembun

This proposed anthology will be produced in the same literary and professional format as the cherita, with one poem to a page. I look forward to reading your gem or gems.

Come Gembun !

The Gembun 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. The 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 also be found, along with Gembun’s original guidelines on my personal website www.aili.co.uk

GEMBUN

A Gembun is made up of either a one-word first link or anything up to one sentence, to be capped by a haiku of up to four lines.

The Gembun has to include an element of suggestion in either the opening sentence, the haiku or in both. It was created by ai li on the 12 June 1997, inspired by Larry Kimmel’s TIBUN.

Footnote Update September 2021:

Like most linked forms, Gembun can be written and used in a sequence if preferred but it remains at its most powerful as it was created – as 2 minimal stanzas that need no other distractions. After all, it is the older sibling of Cherita [only 10 days apart at birth] and they both share the same strong spirit of storytelling.

The Gembun and Cherita, in my opinion, embody the true essence of short form poetry which is saying more with fewer words.

ai li
creator of Gembun and Cherita
editor and publisher of the cherita

1 December 2021

Cherita is now 24 years old
22 June 1997 – 22 June 2021

the aroma
edition #5:7 of the cherita
edited by ai li

This edition of the aroma showcases 92 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, New Zealand, India, Romania, the Philippines, Canada, Japan and Australia.

the aroma is our twelfth book for 2021. This is also our 57th edition in the cherita series of storytelling books and our last edition for 2021. I would like to wish all our loyal and dedicated Cherita contributors and readers a very Merry Christmas, the best of the season, calm and safe holidays, and good health for 2022 and beyond.

breath

on
a cold morning
it’s showtime

www.thecherita.com/bookshop/

There was a personal silver lining for me during our lockdown in 2020 and part of 2021. I lingered through recently found old photographs, re-read fading handwritten letters, and re-discovered vintage colour slides, all of which brought back a rush of so many stories and memories thought lost. My new book of Cherita, Tanka and Haiku i hear the night, and my very first book on Gembun the weight of rain are the positive results from that lockdown induced inner journey.

Full details for a forthcoming Anthology of exclusively Gembun, to be selected, collated. edited and published by its creator ai li can be found on :

www.thecherita.com/gembun

This proposed anthology will be produced in the same literary and professional format as the cherita, with one poem to a page. I look forward to reading your gem or gems.

Come Gembun !

Here are samples of the 3 genres from i hear the night :-

nest
no one
home

love songs . . .

at my age
hearing them

as i close
my window
to dream

the wind
blowing east now
i should
follow
it home

ai li

and here are two Gembun from the weight of rain :

looks like rain

bringing in
laundry
and dreams

dark night

let there
be lanterns
of fireflies

ai li

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

the aroma belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, currently 57th on the list, as do my personal ongoing writing in one breath series of 19 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.

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/ Patricia Prime/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Jackie Chou/ Partha Sarkar/ Joanna Ashwell/ Peter Jastermsky/ Joan Stern/ Taura Scott/ ai li/ S.Radhamani/ Sherry Grant/ Sharon Hawley/ James Haddad/ Larry Kimmel/ Cynthia Anderson/ Lakshmi Iyer/ Bryan Rickert/ Orrin/ Ron Scully/ Alan Peat/ Neena Singh/ Ram Chandran/ Réka Nyitrai/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ Charles Harmon/ steve black/ Diane Funston/ Maxianne Berger/ kris kondo/ Stella Damarjati/ Connor Orrico/ Joanne Kennedy Frazer/ Barun Saha/ Afta Gley/ Partha Sarkar/ Peter Larsen/

A SAMPLE from this edition :-

in that old

and slow
world of
my youth

the lost beauty
that will come later

ai li

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

Joanna Ashwell/ Cynthia Anderson/ Lakshmi Iyer/ Larry Kimmel/ Alan Peat/ Ram Chandran/ Réka Nyitrai/ / Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ Jackie Chou/ Orrin/ Connor Orrico/ Joanne Kennedy Frazer/ James Haddad/ Diane Funston/

the aroma has been edited to be experienced two ways. It can be read as a storybook and as an anthology of individual poems.

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 a feedback directly to me. Many thanks.

ai li
editor
www.thecherita.com
storyteller oasis

1 November 2021

Cherita is now 24 years old
22 June 1997 – 22 June 2021

dark to light
edition #5:6 of the cherita
edited by ai li

This edition of dark to light showcases 91 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, India, Poland, Pakistan, Canada, the Philippines and Romania.

dark to light is our eleventh book for 2021. This is also our 56th edition in the cherita series of storytelling books.

I have also been gradually migrating all the unique linked forms from still’s original website to my own website as and when I can find some spare time to do so. This month, I was able to migrate one of Alexis K Rotella’s 21 new linked forms. During those heady days and electrifying nights, so many of these linked forms were created alongside Cherita and Gembun which have, as you know, gone on to spread their poetic wings.

My hope is to migrate the remaining 20 linked forms by Alexis which will then complete my task.

Alphenga is Alexis K Rotella’s 26 verse linked form with 3 solo examples by Alexis, ai li and Gerald England. Find Alphenga at www.aili.co.uk/alphenga/

www.thecherita.com/announcements/

www.thecherita.com/bookshop/

I couldn’t resist sharing another virgin Gembun I wrote for this mailshot:

swaying lanterns

those shanghai nights
when red was the colour
of a mouth

ai li

The Gembun 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. The 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

dark to light belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, currently 56th on the list, as do my personal ongoing writing in one breath series of 18 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 :-

ai li/ Jackie Chou/ Patricia Prime/ Stella Damarjati/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Taura Scott/ George Swede/ Sherry Grant/ Peter Jastermsky/ Larry Kimmel/ S.Radhamani/ Paweł Markiewic/ Keitha Keyes/ Sharon Hawley/ Alan Peat/ Cynthia Anderson/ Partha Sarkar/ Joanna Ashwell/ James Haddad/ Keith Evetts/ Sigrid Saradunn/ Bryan Rickert/ Lakshmi Iyer/ Orrin/ Simon Williams/ Hifsa Ashraf/ John Hawkhead/ Rie Sheridan Rose/ Neena Singh/ Ram Chandran/ Debbie Strange/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ Réka Nyitrai/ Charles Harmon/ steve black/ Lynne Jambor/ Diane Funston/ Maxianne Berger/ Ron Scully/ Mona Bedi/

A SAMPLE from this edition :-

wind

last night you lingered
and spoke to me

in broken chinese
we are both
far from home

ai li

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

Patricia Prime/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Jackie Chou/ Peter Jastermsky/ Larry Kimmel/ / Cynthia Anderson/ Joanna Ashwell/ James Haddad/ Alan Peat/ Rie Sheridan Rose/ Debbie Strange/ Sherry Grant/ Réka Nyitrai/ Charles Harmon/ Bryan Rickert/ Keith Evetts/ Mona Bedi/

dark to light has been edited to be experienced two ways. It can be read as a storybook and as an anthology of individual poems.

ai li
editor
www.thecherita.com
storyteller oasis

1 October 2021

Cherita is now 24 years old
22 June 1997 – 22 June 2021

dream book
edition #5:5 of the cherita
edited by ai li

This edition of dream book showcases 91 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, New Zealand, Romania, India, Germany, Australia, Japan, Canada, Spain, Philippines, France and Poland.

dream book is our tenth book for 2021. This is also our 55th edition in the cherita series of storytelling books.

There’s also cause for a personal celebration this month as I have managed to find time to migrate house of breath [sub-title memento mori], my last kindle book to paperback. This completes my 18 poems for inner rooms books on Tanka and Haiku. It has been a labour of love. Time now for me to get on with the new books to come. I can hear the ancestors clapping.

The realisation that my Cherita genre will be 25 years old in June 2022 had me looking through all the 18 original linked forms again that I had created [now housed on my personal website] when I came across another of my favourites – Gembun.

The Gembun was created exactly 10 days earlier than Cherita [on 12 June 1997] and they will both now celebrate their silver jubilee in June of next year. It 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. The 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

I couldn’t resist sharing a Gembun I wrote today for this mailshot:

penny lane

will it ever
grow old
in song ?

ai li

www.thecherita.com/bookshop/

dream book belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, currently 55th on the list, as do my personal ongoing writing in one breath series of 18 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 :-

Larry Kimmel/ Jackie Chou/ James Haddad/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Patricia Prime/ ai li/ Taura Scott/ Mirela Brăilean/ Neena Singh/ Peter Jastermsky/ Isabella Kramer/ Keitha Keyes/ Sherry Grant/ Alan Peat/ S. Radhamani/ Cynthia Anderson/ Erika Wilk/ Joanna Ashwell/ kris moon/ Lynne Jambor/ Maxianne Berger/ Keith Evetts/ Lakshmi Iyer/ Ron Scully/ Ram Chandran/ Hifsa Ashraf/ John Hawkhead/ Orrin/ I.Hope/ Madeleine Basa Vinluan/ Bryan Rickert/ Sigrid Saradunn/ Giselle Maya/ Carol Jones/ Partha Sarkar/ Daniel Becher/ Richa Sharma/ Stella Damarjati/ Paweł Markiewicz/ Caroline Skanne/

A SAMPLE from this edition :-

the mountain was red

then darkened
lasting for
only a few minutes

like a child
going to sleep

James Haddad

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

James Haddad/ Jackie Chou/ Patricia Prime/ Peter Jastermsky/ Larry Kimmel/ Alan Peat/ Erika Wilk/ Keith Evetts/ Ron Scully/ Ram Chandran/ Hifsa Ashraf/ John Hawkhead/ Sigrid Saradunn/ Giselle Maya/ Sherry Grant/ Caroline Skanne/

dream book has been edited to be experienced two ways. It can be read as a storybook and as an anthology of individual poems.

house of breath
ai li’s eighteenth Tanka and Haiku book
from her poems for inner rooms series of 18 Tanka and Haiku books,
now joining the other 17 books in paperback and kindle

www.thecherita.com/ailis-bookshop/

Here is a Tanka and Haiku from house of breath:-

a white butterfly
in my garden
many years ago
memory
giving it flowers

wind tonight
i write
about silence

ai li

ai li
editor
www.thecherita.com
storyteller oasis

18 September 2021

To all short poetry lovers,

With the Silver Jubilee of Cherita in June 2022 ever present in my mind. I decided to re-revisit all the 18 original and unique linked forms on my personal website www.aili.co.uk that I had created way back in the 90s to remember what fun it had been to bring forth such exciting new genres in such a small space in time.

The Gembun, created by me on 12 June 1997, ten days before Cherita appeared, popped up on my screen to say hello. I had temporarily forgotten how lovely and minimal this genre is and here are two examples each from Larry Kimmel, Joanna Ashwell, our regular contributors to the cherita, and me, all written many moons ago. These pages were migrated from the original still website, and which are now housed on my personal website on the Gembun book page, alongside my other 17 original linked forms et al, to whet your appetite for this genre www.aili.co.uk/gembun/

Gembun Examples :

Ghosts

or a lonely bird call
as we listen for voices
leading us back to the path

Mosaics

the rain continues
throwing patterns on the wall
of an empty street

Joanna Ashwell
Copyright Joanna Ashwell 1999

once upon a time . . .

a Sears catalog
and a medical dictionary
my only porn

dusky arbor

working together –
so close
I can feel her warmth

Larry Kimmel
Copyright Larry Kimmel 1998

the skipping rope in a cul-de-sac.

a child
who looks like me
becoming dusk

Midnight…

the ouija board
spelling out
shadow

ai li
Copyright ai li 1997

GEMBUN

A Gembun is made up of either a one-word first link or anything up to one sentence, to be capped by a haiku of up to four lines.

The Gembun has to include an element of suggestion in either the opening sentence, the haiku or in both. It was created by ai li on the 12 June 1997, inspired by Larry Kimmel’s TIBUN.

Footnote Update September 2021:

The Gembun and Cherita, in my opinion, embody the true essence of short form poetry which is saying more with fewer words.

ai li
creator of Gembun and Cherita
editor and publisher of the cherita

8 September 2021

One of our regular contributors of the cherita, Sherry Grant from New Zealand, kindly asked to reproduce in chalk, on her pavement, one of my favourite haiku for her Chalk on the Walk global haiku sharing initiative. She chose my haiku

water trough
a horse
drinking sky

ai li

and here’s the finished chalk image below accompanied by Sherry Grant’s own words.

Today’s haiku [3rd September 2021] is by the inventor of the cherita, ai li, whose haiku are usually so succinct yet deep and emotional. Shared with her permission.

water trough
a horse
drinking sky
— ai li (UK)

I would also like to invite poets to write in the cherita form. It’s all about storytelling and a lot of fun! I have been published a lot as a cherita poet myself…

Look — I have brown chalk for the water trough! Isn’t it great? I need to be careful not too use the precious coloured chalk up too quickly though… perhaps I should get a sponsor haha!

My grateful thanks to Sherry for chalking in this haiku of mine, and for her generous words about the Cherita genre.

1 September 2021

raindrops
edition #5:4 of the cherita
edited by ai li

Cherita is now 24 years old
22 June 1997 – 22 June 2021

This edition of raindrops showcases 91 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, India, New Zealand, Australia, Romania, Germany, Poland, and Pakistan.

raindrops is our ninth edition for 2021. This is also our 54th edition in the cherita series of storytelling books.

With Autumn on our doorstep, I was inspired to launch a new cherita and haiku book of mine say autumn in tandem with raindrops. This is my third cherita and haiku book in the ongoing writing in one breath series.

I also have the very optimistic news of my Cherita writing class resuming in late September after a very long period of me being a Covid hermit. This news is, of course, subject to no big spikes with any variants appearing on the cards.

https://www.thecherita.com/bookshop/

raindrops belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, currently 54th on the list, as do my personal ongoing writing in one breath series of 18 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.

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/ Joanna Ashwell/ Neena Singh/ John J. Han/ Larry Kimmel/ Barun Saha/ Patricia Prime/ Stella Damarjati/ Mirela Brăilean/ James Haddad/ S. Radhamani/ Taura Scott/ Peter Jastermsky/ Isabella Kramer/ Caroline Skanne/ Keitha Keyes/ Ruth Kay/ Paweł Markiewicz/ Alan Peat/ Sherry Grant/ Richa Sharma/ Sharon Hawley/ Cynthia Anderson/ Partha Sarkar/ Mira Mataric/ Maxianne Berger/ Lynne Jambor/ Kris Moon/ Keith Evetts/ Carol Jones/ Hifsa Ashraf/ John Hawkhead/ Daniela Becher/ Erika Wilk/ Bryan Rickert/ Lakshmi Iyer/ Robert Horrobin/

A SAMPLE from this edition :-

it nags, but

damn it, all I want
is to stand on the porch

and watch
the red leaves
fall

Larry Kimmel

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

Joanna Ashwell/ Neena Singh/ Larry Kimmel/ Jackie Chou/ Stella Damarjati/ Peter Jastermsky/ S.Radhamani/ Isabella Kramer/ Caroline Skanne/ Ruth Kay/ Alan Peat/ Richa Sharma/ Carol Jones/ Keith Evetts/ kris moon/ Maxianne Berger/ Lynne Jambor/ Bryan Rickert/ Cynthia Anderson/ Robert Horrobin/ Sherry Grant/ Paweł Markiewicz/ Mirela Brăilean/ Taura Scott/ Kath Abela Wilson/

raindrops has been edited to be experienced two ways. It can be read as a storybook and as an anthology of individual poems.

say autumn
ai li’s third and new Cherita and Haiku book
from her writing in one breath series of 18 virgin Cherita, Cherita and Tanka, Cherita and Haiku, and Cherita, Tanka and Haiku books

https://www.thecherita.com/ailis-bookshop/

Here is a Cherita and Haiku from say autumn:-

tonight

i wanted
to write

but the words
came out
as origami

a lone bird
in the wilderness
my cry

ai li

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 a feedback directly to me. Many thanks.

ai li
editor
www.thecherita.com
storyteller oasis

8 August 2021

Cynthia Anderson, who is one of our regular contributors and storyteller has a new book of Cherita, Tanka and Haiku available for all writers and readers of these three short form genres. Please read on for more information of The Missing Peace.

ai li

A new release from Velvet Dusk Publishing:
The Missing Peace by Cynthia Anderson

When we lose our mothers, we often mourn two losses: the relationship we had and the one we didn’t. Cynthia Anderson attempts to reconcile these losses in The Missing Peace. Weaving a narrative of masterful short-form vignettes—cherita, tanka, and haiku—she shares a poignant journey.
—Peter Jastermsky, Author of Steel Cut Moon and The Silence They Came For

What is missing from memory has always been the flesh and bones of what could have been. There is never any peace in the void of loss. Cynthia Anderson braves the elements of regret by presenting us with a book about how to be brave and truthful in the face of loss.
—ai li, Creator of Cherita, Editor and Publisher of the cherita

I can relate to this honest, raw, and daring poetry book. The Missing Peace can heal and transform all who read it and bring to light that not everybody had an unconditionally loving mother, like we want to believe. Read it and become enlightened.
—Pamela A. Babusci, Editor of moonbathing: a journal of women’s tanka

Paperback available from Amazon

Digital Flipbook available from Velvet Dusk Publishing

https://www.velvetduskpublishing.com

1 August 2021

the sweetness
edition 5:3 of the cherita
edited by ai li

Cherita is now 24 years old
22 June 1997 – 22 June 2021

This edition of the sweetness showcases 91 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, India, New Zealand, Australia, Romania, Germany, Poland, Philippines.

the sweetness is our eighth edition for 2021. This is also our 53rd edition in the cherita series of storytelling books, and growing fast.

London is now out of lockdown but Coronavirus is definitely here to stay.

becoming evening [sub-title listening to breath] is my latest kindle to paperback migration from my last two remaining kindle books. This refreshed Tanka and Haiku book has been given a new front and back cover design and joins my poems for inner rooms series of 18 Tanka and Haiku books. I am more than relieved that there will only be one final kindle book left to migrate to paperback.

https://www.thecherita.com/bookshop/

the sweetness belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, currently 53rd on the list, as do my personal ongoing writing in one breath series of 17 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 :-

ai li/ Jackie Chou/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Bryan Rickert/ Larry Kimmel/ Taura Scott/ John J. Han/ S. Radhamani/ Joanna Ashwell/ Caitlin M.S. Buxbaum/ Neena Singh/ Barun Saha/ James Haddad/ Lakshmi Iyer/ Patricia Prime/ Royal Rhodes/ Stella Damarjati/ Gayle Sweeper/ Mirela Brăilean/ Gauri Dixit/ S. Radhamani/ Peter Jastermsky/ eva joan/ Joan Stern/ Allyson Chen/ Isabella Kramer/ Keitha Keyes/ Caroline Skanne/ Paweł Markiewicz/ Ruth Kay/ Abundio Noel M. Libot/ Richa Sharma/ Alan Peat/ Robert Horrobin/ Cynthia Anderson/ Dottie Piet/ Sherry Grant/ Tim Callahan/

A SAMPLE from this edition :-

my dog and I sit
on the porch

take in the evening’s calm

enjoy the scent
of
fresh mown hay

Larry Kimmel

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

Jackie Chou/ Larry Kimmel/ Gauri Dixit/ Neena Singh/ James Haddad/ Taura Scott/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Patricia Prime/ Peter Jastermsky/ Caroline Skanne/ Paweł Markiewicz/ Richa Sharma/

the sweetness has been edited to be experienced two ways. It can be read as a storybook and as an anthology of individual poems.

becoming evening
[sub-title listening to breath]
ai li’s newly migrated and refreshed paperback book from kindle
from her poems for inner rooms series of Tanka and Haiku

https://www.thecherita.com/ailis-bookshop/

Here is a Tanka and Haiku from becoming evening [sub-title listening to breath] :-

change
in my world
two white teacups
the crack in mine
darkening

you move me living here

ai li

If this new edition strikes a chord with you, please feel free to review, comment on Amazon or give a feedback directly to me. Many thanks.

ai li
editor
www.thecherita.com
storyteller oasis

1 July 2021

wanderer
edition 5:2 of the cherita
edited by ai li

Cherita is now 24 years old
22 June 1997 – 22 June 2021

This edition of wanderer showcases 90 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, India, Romania, Germany and Canada.

wanderer is our seventh edition for 2021. This is also our 52nd edition in the cherita series of storytelling books, and growing fast.

I somehow managed to find time to migrate one of my own remaining 3 kindle books into paperback on Amazon. This new paperback dreaming of assam has been given a new front and back cover design and joins my poems for inner rooms series of 18 Tanka and Haiku books. I am relieved that there will only be two more kindle books left to migrate to paperback.

https://www.thecherita.com/bookshop/

cherita terbalik continues to capture the imagination of poets and there are again fine examples in this edition.

wanderer belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, as do my personal ongoing writing in one breath series of 17 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.

Featured Poets as they appear in this edition :-

Patricia Prime/ Jackie Chou/ Kath Abela Wilson/ ai li/ Sherry Grant/ Taura Scott/ Larry Kimmel/ D’ellen/ Peter Jastermsky/ Stella Damarjati/ Bryan Rickert/ John J. Han/ Lakshmi Iyer/ Joanna Ashwell/ Neena Singh/ Barun Saha/ Partha Sarkar/ Royal Rhodes/ Gauri Dixit/ Mirela Brăilean / S.Radhamani/ James Haddad/ Tim Callahan/ Joan Stern/ Allyson Chen/ eva joan/ Isabella Kramer/ Dotti Piet/ Gayle Sweeper/ Maxianne Berger/

EXAMPLE OF WORK from this edition :-

cavalcade
of dreams

imagine
everything
I’ve forgotten

coming to life

Kath Abela Wilson

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

Patricia Prime/ Taura Scott/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Lakshmi Iyer/ Mirela Brăilean/ James Haddad/ Isabella Kramer/ Tim Callahan/ Gauri Dixit/ Bryan Rickert/ Jackie Chou/

dreaming of assam
ai li’s newly migrated and made over paperback book from kindle
from her poems for inner rooms series of Tanka and Haiku

https://www.thecherita.com/ailis-bookshop/

Here is a Tanka and Haiku from dreaming of assam :-

listening to
the teacups
being
cleared away
twenty years ago

the sleep of long afternoons
dragonfly
brushing dream

ai li

If this new edition strikes a chord with you, please feel free to review, comment on Amazon or give a feedback directly to me. Many thanks.

ai li
editor
www.thecherita.com
storyteller oasis

22 June 2021

Happy 24th Birthday to Cherita today.

22 June 1997 – 22 June 2021

You have come a long way, keeping alive the age-old tradition of storytelling and encouraging a new caravanserai of storytellers.

Let us continue to make eternal – storytelling around the campfire.

A deep and low bow,

ai li
creator of cherita

21 June 2021

Cherita is 24 years old tomorrow.

22 June 1997 – 22 June 2021

1 June 2021

silence
edition 5:1 of the cherita
anniversary edition
edited by ai li

celebrating 24 years of Cherita
22 June 1997 – 22 June 2021

cherita

is
the breath

of
a story
made concrete

ai li
copyright © ai li 2021

This edition of silence showcases 90 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, India, Romania and Canada.

As this is the 24th birthday of the Cherita genre, I have decided to also release the word healers, an Anthology of selected timeless Cherita from several earlier editions of the cherita, accompanied by a new Cherita book of mine – their wind songs, to celebrate this joyous occasion.

the word healers is a special edition and I have lovingly dedicated this book to all storytellers, and especially to the poets who have contributed so magnificently to the cherita over the years.

I have selected and collated Cherita from various earlier editions of the cherita to create a new story to cover the timeless themes of Life, Love, Loss and Renewal. Eighty seven poets from UK, USA, Singapore, Lithuania, Poland, Trinidad, India, Australia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Ukraine, Romania, Kingdom of Bhutan, New Zealand and Portugal share with us again their 91 heartfelt stories.

With Cherita, we are never far from the proverbial campfire of storytelling which resides in our psyche. With its six lines, memories can be made almost tangible again. We are, after all, word healers and we use words to heal our injured world. This edition is 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 the word healers :-

Rajani Radhakrishnan/ Tiffany Shaw-Diaz/ Arturas Silanskas/ ai li/ Paweł Markiewicz/ Carol Raisfeld/ Christine L. Villa/ Larry Kimmel/ Caroline Skanne/ Gillena Cox/ Robin White/ Ruth Kay/ Stevie Strang/ Andrew Riutta/ Terri L French/ Marilyn Humbert/ Myrto E. Angeloglou/ Michael H. Brownstein/ Erika Wilk/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Michael McClintock/ John Tehan/ Paul Bryce/ Gavin Austin/ Ernesto P. Santiago/ Richard St. Clair/ Lesley Anne Swanson/ Carmela Centro/ Elizabeth Moura/ Johnny Baranski/ Malintha Perera/ Samar Ghose/ Constance Griesmer/ Oz Hardwick/ steve travis/ Anjela Villarreal Ratliff/ Alegria Imperial/ Alexis Rotella/ Ruth Ingram/ Isabella Kramer/ Christina Sng/ Angela Giordano/ Peter Jastermsky/ Maryalicia Post/ Margaret Dornaus/ Madhuri Pillai/ Mekhled Alzaza/ aimeé loreé/ Jessica Malone Latham/ Geoffrey Winch/ Nicholas Klacsanzky/ Goda V. Bendoraitiene/ Akane/ Peter Larsen/ Réka Nyitrai/ Debbie Strange/ Ben Taylor/ Sonam Chhoki/ Julie Warther/ Tamara K. Walker/ pamela a. babusci/ Pat Geyer/ Michael Lee Johnson/ Patricia Prime/ Robert Horrobin/ Keitha Keyes/ Ron Scully/ paula song sarmonpal/ Rachel M. McKee/ arvinder kaur/ Carol Purington/ jan oskar Hansen/ Michael H Lester/ Autumn Noelle Hall/ Richard Milton Grahn/ Tia Haynes/ Jack Priestnall/ George Tardios/ Brendan Slater/ Dave Read/ Martina Robles Gallegos / Alan Summers/ Aparna Pathak/ Kala Ramesh/ Sheila Windsor/ Joanna Ashwell/ Neha Talreja/

Two Cherita from the word healers :-

Exiled

now 10 years
here I turn
rain into thunder,

days
into loneliness

Michael Lee Johnson

don’t love me

the music
plays on

we
will dance
tomorrow

Carmela Centro

their wind songs is my eighth Cherita book, written to celebrate Cherita’s 24th Birthday. It has within 90 virgin Cherita.

The UK is gradually coming out of lockdown but I am still inclined to hang on to the relative safety of my face mask and will continue to practice safe distancing. I can’t afford to come down with a brutal variant of Covid because that would mean I would not be able to ‘finish’ writing down all my stories. That will render them homeless and that just won’t do.

I managed to muster up enough discipline after my second and final jab of the Pfizer vaccine [which gave me the shiver and flu symptoms for two days, and a rigid and very sore upper arm] to put together another book to celebrate Cherita’s almost-quarter-of-a-century birthday book – it’s 24th birthday.

I’ve called my new book their wind songs.

Here is a Cherita from their wind songs :–

night

no longer
comes to my hair

but snow
so quietly
dyeing

ai li

silence is our sixth edition for 2021 and the anniversary edition to start off our fifth year of being. This is also our 51st edition in the cherita series of storytelling books, and growing fast.

Cherita will be 24 years old on 22 June 2021

https://www.thecherita.com/bookshop/

silence belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, as do my personal ongoing writing in one breath series of 17 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.

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 and Loss.

cherita terbalik continues to capture the imagination of poets and there are again fine examples in this edition.

Featured Poets as they appear in silence :-

Patricia Prime/ Kath Abela Wilson/ ai li/ Larry Kimmel/ Sherry Grant/ Jackie Chou/ Stella Damarjati/ Keitha Keyes/ Peter Jastermsky/ James Haddad/ Cynthia Anderson/ D’ellen/ Partha Sarkar/ Caroline Skanne/ Rie Sheridan Rose / Ruth Kay/ Réka Nyitrai / Bryan Rickert/ Orrin/ John J. Han/ Lakshmi Iyer/ Joanna Ashwell/ Neena Singh/ Barun Saha/ Maxianne Berger/ Royal Rhodes/ Caitlin M.S. Buxbaum/ S.Radhamani/ Pat Geyer/

EXAMPLE OF WORK from silence :-

reading a poem
about cicadas

I realize

there are none
left to sing in this
cool autumn air

Bryan Rickert

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

Jackie Chou/ Larry Kimmel/ Bryan Rickert/ Orrin/ Kath Abela Wilson

silence has been edited to be experienced two ways. It can be read as a storybook and as an anthology of individual poems.

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 a feedback directly to me. Many thanks.

ai li
editor
www.thecherita.com
storyteller oasis

15 May 2021

Just last month alone, we have had umpteen visitors from various towns and cities of the following countries through our website [see the list below]:

Japan/ Lithuania/ Pakistan/ Romania/ Sweden/ Slovenia/ Taiwan/ United Arab Emirates/ Germany/ Singapore/ Barbados/ Bangladesh/ Brazil/ Ethiopia/ Greece/ Indonesia/ Ireland/ United States/ India/ United Kingdom/ China/ Malaysia/ Australia/ New Zealand/ Philippines/ Canada/ Poland/

It appears that storytelling with Cherita is very much alive and kicking.
Long Live Cherita and Long Live Storytelling.

1 May 2021

washed by sunset
edition 4:12 of the cherita
edited by ai li

This edition of washed by sunset showcases 90 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, Germany, New Zealand, Canada, Australia and India.

Thank you for all your love and healing thoughts which undoubtedly helped me recover in no time at all [even through a mini relapse] and without which I would not have had the mojo to persevere. This recovery period helped me migrate another 3 of my remaining 6 kindle books to paperback which now leaves me only 3 left to do. Hallelujah! These three newly migrated paperbacks were given front and back cover makeovers and now join the other 15 paperback and kindle books of my 18 edition poems for inner rooms series.

Find the 3 refreshed hearing me [the dark after dark], bones of kites [temps perdu] and the first time [journal intime] in :

https://www.thecherita.com/ailis-bookshop/

ONE TANKA AND ONE HAIKU from hearing me [the dark after dark]:

dentures
for the dead man
for paradise

half the night
holds my
silent scream
the other half
starlight

ai li

ONE HAIKU AND ONE TANKA from bones of kites [temps perdu]:

cottage jigsaw . . .
losing the front door
at dusk

the old war
you sift through
his things
before nightfall
looking for his smile

ai li

ONE TANKA AND ONE HAIKU from the first time [journal intime]:

a dress worn once in tall grass

i am alone
at dusk
you make risotto
perfume
another life

ai li

washed by sunset is our fifth edition for 2021 and the twelfth edition of our fourth year of being. This edition numbers 50 in the cherita series of storytelling books, and growing fast.

washed by sunset belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, currently numbering 49 on the list, as do my personal ongoing writing in one breath series of 16 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 on kindle on Amazon.

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.

cherita terbalik continues to capture the imagination of poets and there are again fine examples in this edition.

Featured Poets as they appear in washed by sunset :-

Kath Abela Wilson/ ai li/ Jackie Chou/ Larry Kimmel/ Isabella Kramer/ Daniela Becher/ Taura Scott/ Sherry Grant/ Debbie Strange/ Stella Damarjati / James Haddad/ Keitha Keyes/ Tim Gardiner/ Pat Geyer/ Lakshmi Iyer/ Ruth Kay/ Rita Malhotra/ Peter Jastermsky/ Cynthia Anderson/ Orrin/ Bryan Rickert/ John J. Han/ Caitlin M.S. Buxbaum/ Joanna Ashwell/ Neena Singh/ Barun Saha/ Robert Horrobin/ B.A. France/

EXAMPLE OF WORK from washed by sunset :-

the canoe glides on

deep in
the backcountry

gentle splash
of the paddles
speaks for both of us

B.A. France

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

Stella Damarjati/ Ruth Kay/ Peter Jastermsky/ Cynthia Anderson/ S.Radhamani/ Barun Saha/ Orrin/ Bryan Rickert/ Rita Malhotra/ Larry Kimmel/ Jackie Chou/

washed by sunset has been edited to be experienced two ways. It can be read as a storybook and as an anthology of individual poems.

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 a feedback directly to me. Many thanks.

ai li
editor
www.thecherita.com
storyteller oasis

28 April 2021

My heart goes out to all the people of India who are currently suffering from the devastating and brutal onslaught of the Coronavirus pandemic, and to each and every one of our Indian poets, writers and readers of the cherita, who live or have family in the sub-continent.

by
the light
of day

the same sky

only
emptier

ai li

copyright © ai li 2021

9 April 2021

a light has been turned off in the united kingdom

ai li

In Memoriam
HRH Prince Philip
Duke of Edinburgh
1921 – 2021

1 April 2021

a shadow of myself
edition 4:11 of the cherita
edited by ai li

This edition of a shadow of myself showcases 90 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, Australia, Germany, New Zealand, Ireland, Canada, India and Indonesia.

a shadow of myself is our fourth edition for 2021 and the eleventh edition of our fourth year of being. This edition numbers 49 in the cherita series of storytelling books, and growing fast.

In my rush to get my groceries into my back hallway during a recent deluge, I tripped and went flying, fortunately into a pile of empty cardboard boxes [awaiting recycling] and miraculously landing onto a 30 year old thick rush mat below, which broke a major part of my fall. During this period of much pain and sleepless nights [just couldn’t get comfortable], I decided to work on the refreshing and migrating of the next three of my remaining 9 personal kindle books. They now join my 9 migrated kindle books [totalling 12 paperbacks] which now leaves me only 6 left to migrate. The process is time consuming but I have to discipline myself to do it. I’ve set myself a target to finish the last 6 kindle books by the end of 2021, come what may.

These three newly migrated paperbacks were given front and back cover makeovers.

Find the 3 refreshed eyes at the zoo [freefalling into pysche], so much sky [brushed by zen] and old light [memento mori] in :

https://www.thecherita.com/ailis-bookshop/

ONE TANKA AND ONE HAIKU from eyes at the zoo [freefalling into pysche]:

find me
in another place
look under
every stepping stone
to nowhere

a dream so old
the kimonos
all faded

ai li

ONE HAIKU AND ONE TANKA from so much sky [brushed by zen]:

october wood just for me red sonata

and i remember
frost
on the nursery window
rhyme
out of nowhere

ai li

ONE TANKA AND ONE HAIKU from old light [memento mori]:

back from the hospital
and in the shower
washing away
the first layer
of dying

small town
dusk
in a dogbark

ai li

a shadow of myself belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, currently numbering 49 on the list, as do my personal ongoing writing in one breath series of 16 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 on kindle on Amazon.

I have edited a shadow of myself 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 and Loss.

cherita terbalik continues to capture the imagination of poets and there are again fine examples in this edition.

Featured Poets as they appear in a shadow of myself :-

Joanna Ashwell/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Jackie Chou/ ai li/ Stella Damarjati/ Isabella Kramer/ Ruth Kay/ Sherry Grant/ Patricia Prime/ B. A. France/ Mary Gunn/ Debbie Strange/ Partha Sarkar/ Taura Scott/ S.Radhamani/ James Haddad/ Tim Gardiner/ Keitha Keyes/ Rita Malhotra/ Lakshmi Iyer/ Peter Jastermsky/ Cynthia Anderson/ zee zahava/ Pat Davis/ Orrin/ Pat Geyer/ Emalisa Rose/ Elisa Theriana/ Caroline Skanne/

EXAMPLE OF WORK from a shadow of myself:-

the duplicity
of mirrors

50 years on

you are still
the fairest
in the land

ai li

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

Kath Abela Wilson/ Ruth Kay/ S.Radhamani/ Cynthia Anderson/ Pat Geyer/ Caroline Skanne/

a shadow of myself has been edited to be experienced two ways very much. 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 a feedback directly to me. Many thanks.

ai li
editor
www.thecherita.com
storyteller oasis

N.B.

Currently you receive ongoing news and updates from the 1-2-3 press [on and about the cherita and cherita]. If you feel that you no longer wish to receive these updates, please unsubscribe. Thank you.

29 March 2021

Storytelling is oxygen for the soul

I’m now reading submissions for #4:12 and #5:1 – the May and June editions of the cherita [deadlines of 30 April and 31 May 2021]

So come Cherita . . .

Here’s one of mine from coming home late, edition #3:3 of the cherita :-

finding

a piece
of driftwood

for
the empty spaces
of empty places

ai li

1 March 2021

a time of wonder
edition 4:10 of the cherita
edited by ai li

This edition of a time of wonder showcases 90 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, UK, USA, New Zealand, Australia, India, Canada, Ireland, Indonesia, El Salvador and Germany.

a time of wonder is our third edition for 2021 and the tenth edition of our fourth year of being. This edition numbers 48 in the cherita series of storytelling books, and growing fast.

On what was another groundhog day of lockdown, I came across my original copy of the inaugural 1997 edition of still. The book was in excellent nick and it brought back many good and fond memories of the journal of short verse I edited and published in the 90s. I was reminded of what the late James Kirkup wrote after he received his copy of the very first still:

‘As soon as I opened the packet I knew it was you – the unmistakable photographer.

The cover of “Still” looks like a Henry Moore (Ugh!) by Bacon (Wow!)…

Very well done…The title is evocative, reminds me of a collection by some

American beat poet (who?)…”A Journal of Short Verse” – but some are not short

enough. Crisper, please. I’ve always wanted a magazine that would print one

one-line poem a page.’ James Kirkup 1997

These are the names from the index of the short form poets who contributed to the first edition of still – John Barlow/ Helen Buckingham/ Adele David/ Patricia V. Dawson/ Alan Dent/ jean dubois/ Gerald England/ Michael Facherty/ Janice Fixter/ Humberto Gatica/ John Hudak/ Jim Kacian/ Richard Leigh/ Chiyoko Mukai/ Chris Mulhern/ Zane Parks/ Dick Petit/ Jane Reichhold/ Alexis K. Rotella/ John Sheirer/ Eric D. Speight/ Takenoko/ Brian Tasker/ Rudolf Thiem/ Barbara Louis Ungar/ Kenneth Verity/ David C. Ward/ Bill Wyatt/ to name but a few of the published poets. The other contributors were mainstream poets and first timers to short form.

It all seems like a lifetime ago. Some of the names above are no longer with us but their poems live on. Here is one of my Haiku from the inaugural edition :-

in christmas snow

the only footprints

mine

ai li

All editions of still were originally available for sale in Blackwell’s, Book Etc, Waterstones, Karnac Books, Neal Street Bookshop in London, and I was sole distributor of the books. Re-discovering these vintage editions has spurred me on to consider offering some of them for sale again to a new readership. Please watch this space.

I continue to infuse my lockdown time with more writing. Muse has been omnipresent and more than generous with its offerings of Cherita, Tanka and Haiku. This gift from the gods has resulted in a new book [my third] of one breath virgin cherita and tanka, and which I have decided to name a dark sea.

Here is a Cherita and a Tanka from a dark sea :-

the rowboat

tied up

for the night

no one hears

the tide come in

but the moon

sorcery

at dawn

my feet

vanishing dew

ai li

a time of wonder belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, currently numbering 48 on the list, as do my personal ongoing writing in one breath series of 15 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 on kindle on Amazon.

I have edited a time of wonder 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 and Loss.

cherita terbalik continues to capture the imagination of poets and there are again fine examples in this edition.

Featured Poets as they appear in a time of wonder :-

Kath Abela Wilson/ Jackie Chou/ Larry Kimmel/ ai li/ Cynthia Anderson/ Taura Scott/ Bryan Rickert/ Joanna Ashwell/ James Haddad/ Patricia Prime/ Peter Jastermsky/ Stella Damarjati/ Caroline Skanne/ Shloka Shankar/ Ruth Kay/ Kath Abela/ Sherry Grant/ Debbie Strange/ B.A. France/ Mary Gunn/ Emalisa Rose/ Elisa Theriana/ Pat Geyer/ S.Radhamani/ Tim Gardiner/ Keith Keyes/ John J. Han/ Steve Lang/ Isabella Kramer/ Christine L. Villa/

EXAMPLE OF WORK from a time of wonder :-

at dusk

wild strawberry blossoms
thick
as a starry sky

can you blame
me

Larry Kimmel

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

Kath Abela Wilson/ Jackie Chou/ Larry Kimmel/ Joanna Ashwell/ Peter Jastermsky/ Caroline Skanne/ Emalisa Rose/ Patricia Prime/ Christine L. Villa/ Cynthia Anderson/

a time of wonder has been edited to be experienced two ways very much. It can be read as a storybook and as an anthology of individual poems.

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 a feedback directly to me. Many thanks.

ai li
editor
www.thecherita.com
storyteller oasis

N.B.

25 February 2021

Storytelling is oxygen for the soul

I’m now reading submissions for #4:11 and #4:12 – the April and May editions of the cherita [deadlines of 31 March and 30 April 2021]

So come Cherita . . .

Here’s one of mine from a sense of place, edition #4:1 of the cherita :-

lockdown

write yourself into
a healing oasis
with medjool dates

under a night
of falling stars

ai li

1 February 2021

some kind of magic
edition 4:9 of the cherita
edited by ai li

This edition of some kind of magic showcases 90 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, New Zealand, India, Germany, Indonesia, Romania and Canada.

We’ll be moving from the Year of the Rat to the Year of the Ox after Chinese New Year, which falls on 12 February.

I remember my late maternal Straits Chinese grandmother telling us to watch out for a Rat year as things could get tough. How right she was! The Year of the Ox, she would say, was a year of plod, a more calming year for most, albeit with still some obstacles to be encountered. I see that as positive progress, a sliver of light shining into a new year after what has been a very difficult 2020 for the world.

I would like to pause here before I go on because I would like to remember our two wonderful storytellers – Carol Purington and Joan E. Stern, who we recently and very sadly lost. Our regular readers will recall the timeless Cherita these two poets have generously shared with us over the years. They have helped to ensure that the essence of storytelling is kept alive and well within Cherita’s 6 lines. They may both be gone but their stories remain as testament to their innate skill for bringing to life again moments in time thought forever lost.

some kind of magic is our second edition for 2021 and the ninth edition of our fourth year of being. This edition numbers 47 in the cherita series of storytelling books, and growing fast.

During the quiet break over the holidays, I managed to migrate another 3 of my own 12 remaining kindle Haiku and Tanka books to paperback. They now join the first migrated 6 books. This now leaves me the remaining 9 kindle books to migrate to paperback which I hope to gradually complete in 2021.

All three books were given front and back cover makeovers, with one given a fresh new title [dead skin is now white paper] and back road now having 9 cherita within which I re-configured from tanka, and one haiku [for an element of surprise]. Find the 3 refreshed white paper [on the edge of silence . . .], back road [temps perdu] and black lace [journal intime] in :

https://www.thecherita.com/ailis-bookshop/

ONE HAIKU AND ONE TANKA from white paper [on the edge of silence . . .] :

the dark after home movies

the woman
in
a wedding dress
asleep
on the sea bed

ai li

ONE HAIKU AND ONE TANKA from back road [temps perdu] :

the electric sign
of a heart
on the edge
of a new town
nothing lonelier

another time
another place
comes fall

ai li

ONE HAIKU AND ONE TANKA from black lace [journal intime] :

left on my own
i glue
fragments
the broken bowl
in you & me

the hands in the dark not yours

ai li

some kind of magic belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, currently numbering 47 on the list, as do my personal ongoing writing in one breath series of 15 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 on kindle on Amazon.

I have edited some kind of magic 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 and Loss.

cherita terbalik continues to capture the imagination of poets and there are again fine examples in this edition.

Featured Poets as they appear in some kind of magic :-

Kath Abela Wilson/ Jackie Chou/ Larry Kimmel/ ai li/ Cynthia Anderson/ Patricia Prime/ Bryan Rickert/ Orrin/ James Haddad/ Joanna Ashwell/ Sherry Grant/ Peter Jastermsky/ Robert Horrobin/ Pat Geyer/ rachel mckee/ Stella Damarjati/ Taura Scott/ Ruth Kay/ Daniela Becher/ Shloka Shankar/ Caroline Skanne/ Isabella Kramer/ Elisa Theriana/ S.Radhamani/ B.A.France/ Emalisa Rose/ Réka Nyitrai/ Debbie Strange/ Christine L. Villa/

EXAMPLE OF WORK from some kind of magic :-

my life
an incomplete mosaic

I find
the missing pieces
in a drawer

full of throwaway poems

Jackie Chou

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

Jackie Chou/ Patricia Prime/ James Haddad/ Isabella Kramer/ B.A. France/ Emalisa Rose/ Réka Nyitrai/ Sherry Grant/ Debbie Strange/ Caroline Skanne/ Cynthia Anderson/ Joanna Ashwell/ Larry Kimmel/ Kath Abela Wilson/

some kind of magic 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 a feedback directly to me. Many thanks.

ai li
editor
www.thecherita.com
storyteller oasis

N.B.
Currently you receive ongoing news and updates from the 1-2-3 press [on and about the cherita and cherita]. If you feel that you no longer wish to receive these updates, please unsubscribe. Thank you.

25 January 2021

Joan E. Stern

We have lost another warm and wonderful storyteller today.
Joan began storytelling with the cherita since our early days in 2017. She was always thoughtful and kind. I will miss her.

Here is a hint of the person she was :

‘Many thanks for your kind thoughts. Actually, the lockdown has made it easier for me to maintain a less demanding schedule and capture as much “blue light” as possible. Be well- Joan/’

September 2020

and two cherita by Joan for us to remember her by :

we unite

soar into
forever

past skies
of
shooting stars

Joan Stern
from let it rain [the cherita] 2017

the wounded moth

a swarm
of
hungry ants

the endless
circle of life

Joan Stern
from a warm night [the cherita] 2019

1 January 2021

nights
edition 4:8 of the cherita
edited by ai li

This edition of nights showcases 90 fine cherita and cherita terbalik from writers and poets who hail from UK, USA, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Germany, India and Romania.

Happy New Year to all our cherita friends and aficionados out there.

nights is our first edition for 2021 and the eighth edition of our fourth year of being.
It numbers 46 in the cherita series of storytelling books.

2021 – a new year with two good success rate Covid vaccines to look forward to. At last, there appears to be some positive news for us Brits, to hopefully be able to reclaim some kind of normality in all our lives. My fervent prayer is for everyone around the world to soon be able to have these vaccines to enable them to hopefully stay healthy throughout the new year, and be able to get out of their lockdowns.

In the midst of collating #4:8 over the quiet festive period, I decided to put together another new one breath cherita book of mine how soft the light. More details of my book follow on below.

Writing Cherita was again a healing process for me during our interminable lockdown. My stories help make my world whole again, almost tangible, even out of dreamtime. Words, like old dialects, softening my writing nights into a magical oasis of remembrance.

how soft the light
ai li’s seventh book of virgin one breath cherita

This is my thirty third second book and my seventh book of virgin one breath cherita. It belongs to my writing in one breath series which are all available in paperback and on kindle on Amazon.

Here is a cherita from how soft the light :

not a sound

on
my rooftop

a snowflake
landing
on my tongue

ai li

how soft the light belongs to the ongoing writing in one breath series of 15 virgin Cherita, Cherita and Tanka, Cherita and Haiku, and Cherita, Tanka and Haiku books. All these editions are available in paperback and on kindle on Amazon.

nights belongs to the ongoing the cherita series, currently numbering 46 on the list, as do my personal ongoing writing in one breath series of 14 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 on kindle on Amazon.

I have edited nights 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 and Loss.

cherita terbalik continues to capture the imagination of poets and there are again fine examples in this edition.

Featured Poets as they appear in nights:-

Larry Kimmel/ Joanna Ashwell/ ai li/ Orrin/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Jackie Chou/ Patricia Prime/ Taura Scott/ Stella Damarjati/ Bryan Rickert/ Carol Purington/ Sherry Grant/ James Haddad/ Peter Jastermsky/ S.Radhamani/ Christine L. Villa/ Réka Nyitrai/ Pat Geyer/ rachel mckee/ Daniela Becher/ Cynthia Anderson/ Caroline Skanne/ Shloka Shankar/ Elva Lauter/ Robert Horrobin/ Geoffrey Winch/ Keitha Keyes/

EXAMPLE OF WORK from nights:

so
the moon and stars
aren’t shining

but
that’s no reason

why we shouldn’t

Geoffrey Winch

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

Joanna Ashwell/ Kath Abela Wilson/ Jackie Chou/ Taura Scott/ Réka Nyitrai/ Elva Lauter/ Peter Jastermsky/ Patricia Prime/

nights has been edited to be experienced two ways very much like the cherita. It can be read as a storybook and as an anthology of individual poems

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 a feedback directly to me. Many thanks.

ai li
editor
www.thecherita.com
storyteller oasis

GENTLE REMINDER

Once we notify you that we have accepted your poems for publication, either in the online journal or print journal, please do not share or submit your work elsewhere until we have published your work, or the editor will withdraw your work from publication. We also ask that you refrain from republishing your work in any medium for 90 days from publication in the cherita: your storybook journal.Thanks.