POETRY WRITING WORKSHOP
22 AUGUST 9:00-12:00PM
Being attentive to the present moment, to the natural world and to our own nature, is essential for good poetic writing. In this workshop we will explore haiku and tanka, forms of Japanese poetry now widely practised in the West. Writing haiku gives us a way of responding to what is happening around us, while tanka adds a personal, imaginative dimension. As part of the workshop we will also look at key aspects of Japanese poetry such as yūgen (mystery and depth), sabi-wabi (the transient and the imperfect) and mono no aware (a deep feeling for the things of this world).
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The workshop costs $25 and morning tea will be served. Registration required.
RICHARD VON STURMER
Poet
Richard Von Sturmer is a long time Zen practitioner and an acclaimed New Zealand writer, poet, lyricist and performer. He is well known for having written the lyrics to Blam Blam Blam’s There is No Depression in New Zealand, which has become the country’s alternate national anthem. His poetry has been included in An Anthology of New Zealand Poetry (Oxford University Press, 1997) and Best New Zealand Poems 2003, 2006 and 2008. Seven collections of his writing have been published and he is currently the University of Waikato’s Writer In Residence for 2020.