It started with a couple of workshops on haiku with Alexandra Corrin-Tachibana and The Writing Well, then I was hooked.I saw Alexandra Corbin-Tachibana’s six week course Things Japanese a six week poetry course. (Wednesday 8 May - 12 June, 7.00pm - 9.00pm) and booked straight on.
So I am taking this opportunity of giving it an unashamed plug because it starts next week!
Things Japanese is 6-week evening course with Alexandra Corrin-Tachibana, providing a deep dive into Japanese culture and poetical forms. The course will introduce Japanese poetic forms, such as the haibun, tanka, zuihitsu and senryu, and seek to demonstrate what kind of pieces of writing these might be a good fit for. The course will reference American gurus of Japanese form, such as Kimiko Hahn and Eugenia Leigh, and will use sample poems from Japan, America and Britain, where writers have exploited these forms. We will also consider Japanese cultural concepts such as wa, (和) (harmony) and wabi sabi (侘寂), loosely translated as 'the beauty of imperfection'.
The course will explore how, as poets, we might draw on these ideas to inform our writing practice. Another session will look at the idea of writing from a gaijin, or outsider perspective, and how we might write between cultures.
Alex's Masters in Japanese, 10-year sojourn in Japan, experience of Japanese family life, and research into Japanese culture and poetic forms, means that she is ideally placed to throw light on Japanese sensibilities and less familiar poetic forms. Expect stimulating sessions to fire up your writing, with close readings, lively discussions and plenty of generative prompts.
If you can’t make this course I highly recommend her book of poetry Sing me down form the dark. It is a collection of poetry exploring her time in Japan, her marriage and her experience of being an outsider. It’s raw, full of unexpected and resonant moments.
You can find our more about her work here
About this newsletter: Wabi Sabi Life is a Buddhist exploration of the imperfectly beautiful and unconventional. To access more in-depth content, audio meditations and creative offerings, please consider supporting me by becoming a paid subscriber for only £1.00 a week.
About me: I am a western Buddhist and have been practising for nearly 40 years. I have a love and admiration for the simplicity and beauty of Japanese culture and aesthetics which appeals to my zen minded being.