Today we finished our third kasen renku, A Skein of Old Yarn, at the Huber Inn, celebrating with cups of sake and tea. Always a great pleasure to get together at your home, Leticia. Thank you! Tenzing, we missed you! So sorry you weren’t feeling well.
I’ll paste the finished version below, and attach its templates. (Hope you can open them!) And if you see any things to polish up, lemme know.
We also got started on a new kasen renku, spring this time. Four verses on paper at this point. I’ll include those below as well, along with a suggested revision and guidelines for the fifth stanza. We should decide upon a place to meet next time and a date. I think Thursday the 20th would be a good bet. And if no one else can host, you are always welcome here at our home.
The Renku Poetry Party, gathered at Huber's INN to close a cycle (and start a new one!; )
Okay, so here is the just-finished renku:
.
A SKEIN OF OLD YARN
.
(an autumn kasen renku)
.
begun August 20, 2009 and finished April 22, 2010 at the Huber Inn
.
Sabaki: Christopher Herold
.
Jay Haskins, Leticia Huber, Karma Tenzing Wangchuk, Carmi Soifer, Bethel, Jackie Barr, Alison Hedlund, Carol O’Dell, Doris Thurston, Tanya McDonald, Judi Komishane, Margaret McGee
And here are the first four verses in our new, spring renku. Present at this first party were Leticia Huber, Carmi Soifer, Doris Thurston, Jackie Barr, Jay Haskins, Carol O’Dell, and Christopher Herold.
PS I just noticed an awful lot of first person here. Too much. And so I wonder if you might consider changing “us” in Carmi’s stanza to “them.” ? ? ? a nearby tugboat / passes them on the river
We might also consider dropping “our” from Jackie’s stanza. Y’think? Let me know your thoughts on t his.
Christopher
* * * * *
A Butterfly Lands(working title)
(a spring kasen renku)
begun on April 22 at the Huber Inn
Sabaki: . . . . .
.
Jay Haskins, Leticia Huber, Carmi Soifer, Jackie Barr, Carol O’Dell, Doris Thurston, Christopher Herold
.
1 spring (Jay)
.
a butterfly
lands on my hand
.
2 spring (Leticia)
.
tulips greet us
with open petals
.
3 n/s (Jackie)
.
entering town
the first thing seen
is the old stone castle
.
4 n/s (Carmi)
.
a nearby tugboat
passes on the river
.
5 autumn moon
.
Three-line stanza. We should try to come inside for this one even though, yes, its easier to write moon poems that take place outside. Also, lets try to write a scene unpopulated by people.
.
Christopher has just received a note with a stanza...Will it make it into the poem...?
In absence of it’s usual terrific host, Bill Mawhinney , splendid and versatile writer, professor, and business man Carl Youngman welcomed us all, to this special reading…
And I deem it particularly special, because tonight, in Port Townsend, two friends from early youth, continued adding rich memories to their friendship by sharing their poem-collections with us, at NorthWind Art Center.
Peter Quinn was to start the reading…
Refreshing, interesting, and touching poetry from Peter…
Peter Quinn is a poet and business person. Businessman poets are rare, but it works for him. A graduate from Lewis and Clark College, he spent four years studying with Vern Rutsala, Tony Ostroff and William Stafford. He has published in Mississippi Mud, Foxfire, the Portland Oregonian and Northwest Magazine. Peter is also the Development Director for the Northwest Maritime Center. He continues to write poetry and lead workshops to feed his poetry passion. Peter is currently working on a book, “The Poet Creeps Out.”
Then came his friend from younger years, John Willson, to read his own collection of poems…
John Willson and Peter Quinn were classmates at Lewis and Clark College, and co-winners of the Academy of American Poets Award in 1976. John is also a recipient of the Pushcart Prize and awards from the Pacific Northwest Writers Conference, the Artist Trust of Washington, and the King County Arts Commission. Blue Begonia Press published a collection of his poems, The Son We Had. His poems have appeared in many journals including Cold Mountain Review, Crab Orchard Review, Kyoto Journal, and Northwest Review; and in such anthologies as Spreading the Word: Editors on Poetry and Under Our Skin: Literature of Breast Cancer. A two-time finalist in the National Poetry Series, he lives on Bainbridge Island, where he works as poetry workshop instructor for the Bainbridge Island Park District and as a bookseller at Eagle Harbor Book Company. John is a collector of aloha shirts and rubber stamps.
Always fun and interesting these Port Townsend evenings…
Blog post proudly presented by Huber’s INN Port Townsend… www.StayInHubersINN.com
…Your “Green” Bed and Breakfast in Port Townsend, Washington. We love serving all people, coming to the scenic Opympic Peninsula. Tourists, neighbors, visitors, or Winter Olympiads enthusiasts… Centrum patrons,, Ft. Worden friends, gourmets “foodies”, vegetarians, vegan eaters, hikers,sailors,divers, canoers,fisher people, When it comes to fun , vacations and festivals, we are Port Townsend is The Leader… come and EnjoyPT!
Port Townsend October Moon ............................by Leticia Huber
It’s never too late…In case you want to join the Renku poem, let us up-date you! : )
Please share Christopher Herold’s Renku e-mail for this month:
Dear Poet Friends,
We had a wonderful renku session on Thursday at Doris’s house. The discussions about candidate stanzas was outstanding. I feel that our understanding has increased dramatically of late. We’ve come a long way since the early days of our meetings, just over a year and a half ago. A big thank you to you, Doris, for being our hostess yet again. You’re so good at it!
I’d like to suggest that we meet again on Thursday, March 25. I’m not sure where yet, although here at my house is always an option. If any of you would like to host, please let me know. It’s nice to pass around the pleasure. We may even finish our renku at the next meeting. Exciting!
And now, here is the newly updated work. As always, I’ll paste a word copy here with some guidelines for the next stanza (#32). After that, I’ll attach the three template files (master, mandalic universe, and links). Remember, you can compose one or two candidates for #32 and bring them with you to the March party.
Enjoy!
Christopher
* * * * *
.
.
A SKEIN OF OLD YARN
.
(an autumn kasen renku)
begun on August 20 at the Huber Inn
Sabaki: Christopher Herold
Jay Haskins, Leticia Huber, Karma Tenzing Wangchuk, Carmi Soifer, Bethel, Jackie Barr, Alison Hedlund, Carol O’Dell, Doris Thurston, Tanya McDonald
.
1 autumn (Jay)
.
morning light
dragonflies barely ripple
the lagoon
.
2 autumn moon (Leticia)
.
does this warmth
come from you, O moon?
.
3 autumn (Tenzing)
.
the scarecrow’s
lost a button or two
off his coat
.
4 No Season (Carmi)
.
my neighbor weaves
a skein of old yarn
.
5 winter (Bethel)
.
in his cold hut
the hermit prepares
rosehip tea (Bethel)
.
6 winter (Jackie)
.
a rare visitor leaves
footprints in the snow
.
7 No Season (Alison)
.
just inside the door
lies an envelope
with a foreign stamp
.
8 No Season (Jay)
.
bits of paper protrude
from the eagle’s nest
.
9 Love (Jackie)
.
her new bikini
causes his eyes to bug out
and his heart to flutter
.
10 love (Jackie)
.
the scent of perfume
wafts from the dryer
.
11 love (Carol)
.
as I read my book
I hear her sing a lullaby
to our daughter
.
12 No Season (Jay)
.
if clouds could speak
these would whisper
.
13 summer moon (Doris)
.
summer moon
swallowed
by the mountain
.
14 summer (Tanya)
.
bats begin to swoop
all around the camp
.
15 No Season (Carol)
.
three girls
race for the white horse
on the carousel
.
16 No Season (Tenzing)
.
somebody’s gone and left
the damn milk out to spoil
.
17 Spring Blossom (Doris)
.
cherry blossoms
tease my hand
into the branches
.
18 spring (Jay)
.
the monthly poker game
still active during lent
.
19 spring (Carmi)
.
thistledown
has settled to the bottom
of the beer mug
.
20 No Season (Christopher)
.
powerful gusts of wind
from the Columbia Gorge
.
21 love (Tenzing)
.
a paper airplane
with a love note on it
hits the teacher
.
22 love (Carol)
.
traveling to the reunion
he hopes to see her
.
23 love (Jay)
.
after fifty years
she still tries to change
his posture
.
24 winter (Jackie)
.
a snowman tilts
under the pale sun
.
25 winter (Doris)
.
there’s a blue bottle
inside my medicine cabinet
labeled “Winter Dreams”
.
26 No Season (Jay)
.
the new kid is Aladdin
in the school play
.
27 No Season (Christopher)
.
suicide bomber
apprehended just in time
at the ticket booth
.
28 No Season (Doris)
.
from beyond the garden wall
a raven calls out it’s warning
.
29 autumn moon (Carmi)
.
steam from our cider
blurs the gibbous moon
in the window
.
30 autumn (Tenzing)
.
she comes out of the fog
with a train of seaweed
.
31 autumn (Jackie)
.
dried fish
paid for with Chinese coins
found on the beach
32 No Season
.
This stanza is to be a two-liner with no reference to a season. It must not contain any negative or charged subject matter (sickness, death, money, politics, religious motifs, danger, depression . . .). Also, remember that no subject matter in the hokku can be present in any other verse.
So, the first things to do are to check the mandalic universe for topics we haven’t used as yet and could work into the tapestry in an upbeat way. Then decide upon the way you’d like to link to stanza #31. Plenty of possibilities for linking there. #32 could take place either inside or outside. This verse could be peopled if you wish. The linking can be rather close as compared to the middle of the renku where shifting is emphasized and the linkage is more tenuous. From this point on we want readers to have little difficulty recognizing the connections between stanzas.
.
.
Blog post proudly presented by Huber’s INN Port Townsend… www.StayInHubersINN.com
…Your “Green” Bed and Breakfast in Port Townsend, Washington. We love serving all people, coming to the scenic Opympic Peninsula. Tourists, neighbors, visitors, or Winter Olympiads enthusiasts… Centrum patrons,, Ft. Worden friends, gourmets “foodies”, vegetarians, vegan eaters, hikers,sailors,divers, canoers,fisher people, When it comes to fun , vacations and festivals, we are Port Townsend is The Leader… come and EnjoyPT!
Here, Poetess Marjory reads her ALWAYS fascinating poetry:
Poetess Marjory reading her poetry at "Lehani's Cafe", in Port Townsend...
At the same reading, Poetess Leticia ( “I”…ha-ha-ha! ) explores “new” forms in her poetry -for sheer “kicks” -and deep enjoyment!- C if it pleases Ü 2!…: )
Port Townsend opened its warm literary arms wide, to embrace the art -and the person- of David Huerta. One of Mexico’s best poets presently.
The lovely Wheeler Theater, in the Fort Worden park, was full and radiant with incomparable local poetical talents -particularly thrilled knowing that Huerta’s laureated Poetry would be (excellently) translated into English by Mark Schafer.
Here we see them both: Poet and Translator after the celebrated event…
Mexican Poet David Huerta & Mark Schafer, Poetry Translator.
Mexican Poet David Huerta & Mark Schafer, Poetry Translator.
When David with a joyful open heart was signing his name for many a Port Townsend youth on his “Before Saying Any of the Great Words” ISBN-978-1-55659-287-4 book -published by the renowned Port Townsend’s Copper Canyon Press -presenter of the very special event…
And to up-date you, this is the latest I’ve received from Renku Sabaki: Christopher Herold today…Enjoy!…and remember you are always invited to participate in the fun!
Just e-mail leticiainpt@gmail.com…Will gladly get you in contact with Christopher…; )
Dear Poets,
Yesterday we had a delightful renku party and managed to pen four new stanzas.
Doris has volunteered her home as the site of our next party. I’ve spoken with her and the date that works for the two of us, at least, is THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18 and the time will be as it was this time, from 1:00 to 4:30.
And now, here is our updated renku, A Skein of Old Yarn. I’ve given some guidelines at the bottom for the upcoming stanza (#28). And, as usual, I’ve attached the three templates below as well. Enjoy!
And please let me know in advance if you’ll be able to party with us on the 18th of February.
In the spirit of communal creativity,
Christopher
* * * * *
A SKEIN OF OLD YARN
(an autumn kasen renku begun on August 20 at the Huber Inn)
Sabaki: Christopher Herold
.
Poets so far: Jay Haskins, Leticia Huber, Karma Tenzing Wangchuk, Carmi Soifer, Bethel, Jackie Barr, Alison Hedlund, Carol O’Dell, Doris Thurston, Tanya McDonald
.
1 autumn (Jay)
.
morning light
dragonflies barely ripple
the lagoon
.
2 autumn moon (Leticia)
.
does this warmth
come from you, O moon?
.
3 autumn (Tenzing)
.
the scarecrow’s
lost a button or two
off his coat
.
4 No Season (Carmi)
.
my neighbor weaves
a skein of old yarn
.
5 winter (Bethel)
.
in his cold hut
the hermit prepares
rosehips for tea (Bethel)
.
6 winter (Jackie)
.
a rare visitor leaves
footprints in the snow
.
7 No Season (Alison)
.
just inside the door
lies an envelope
with a foreign stamp
.
8 No Season (Jay)
.
bits of paper protrude
from the eagle’s nest
.
9 Love (Jackie)
.
her new bikini
causes his eyes to bug out
and his heart to flutter
.
10 love (Jackie)
.
the scent of perfume
wafts from the drye
.
11 love (Carol)
.
as I read my book
I hear her sing a lullaby
to our daughter
.
12 No Season (Jay)
.
if clouds could speak
these would whisper
.
13 summer moon (Doris)
.
summer moon
swallowed
by the mountain
.
14 summer (Tanya)
.
bats begin to swoop
all around the camp
.
15 No Season (Carol)
.
three girls
race for the white horse
on the carousel
.
16 No Season (Ten
zing)
.
somebody’s gone and left
the damn milk out to spoil
.
17 Spring Blossom (Doris)
.
Cherry blossoms
tease my hand
into the branches
.
18 spring (Jay)
.
the monthly poker game
still active during lent
.
19 spring (Carmi)
.
thistledown
has settled to the bottom
of the beer mug
.
20 No Season (Christopher)
.
powerful gusts of wind
from the Columbia Gorge
.
21 love (Tenzing)
.
a paper airplane
with a love note on it
hits the teacher
.
22 love (Carol)
.
traveling to the reunion
the hopes to see her
.
23 love (Jay)
.
after fifty years
she still tries to change
his posture
.
24 winter (Jackie)
.
a snowman tilts
under the pale sun
.
25 winter (Doris)
.
there’s a blue bottle
inside my medicine cabinet
labeled “Winter Dreams”
.
26 No Season (Jay)
.
the new kid is Aladdin
in the school play
.
27 No Season (Christopher)
.
a suicide bomber
apprehended just in time
at the ticket booth
.
28 No Season
.
This is to be a two-liner without a seasonal reference. It be seen to be inside, outside, or possible in both places. We haven’t had an olfactory or gustatory stanza in a while so it might be nice to try to go there. Also, I think this verse and the one that follows it ought to exclude humanity or at least put it way into the background. A present particple verb or gerund is okay again since the last one came in #22. Check your mandalic universe for unused topics. REMEMBER TO LINK TO #27 BUT NOT TO #26 OR THE HOKKU. When you come to the next meeting, bring one or two candidates if you like, or not–up to you.
.
Blog post proudly presented by Huber’s INN Port Townsend… www.StayInHubersINN.com
…Your “Green” Bed and Breakfast in Port Townsend, Washington. We love serving all people, coming to the scenic Opympic Peninsula. Tourists, neighbors, visitors, or Winter Olympiads enthusiasts… Centrum patrons,, Ft. Worden friends, gourmets “foodies”, vegetarians, vegan eaters, hikers,sailors,divers, canoers,fisher people, When it comes to fun , vacations and festivals, we are Port Townsend is The Leader… come and EnjoyPT!
Refreshing, interesting, and touching poetry from Peter…
) explores “new” forms in her poetry -for sheer “kicks” -and deep enjoyment!- C if it pleases Ü 2!…: )
