Trilogy of Japanese Short Form Poetry Now Available for the Human Soul

From Naomi Wakan:

I’m delighted to let you know that my trilogy of books on Japanese short-form poetry is now completed. The Way of Haiku, The Way of Tanka, and Poetry that Heals, are all now available in Canada from Gloria at Page’s Resort bookstore, mail@pagesresort.com (250-247-8931) . The individual books are Cdn $20 each and the complete trilogy is Cdn $50. e-book editions of these title are available from Google Play, Amazon Kindle, and iBooks.

Of the trilogy Professor Sonja Arntzen wrote:

Anyone with the slightest curiosity about Japanese forms of poetry in English could not find a better place to start than this trilogy, which leads the reader through haiku, tanka, haiga, haibun, and forms of renku (linked verse) by a series of playful, incisive, enlightening essays that make learning a delight. The works also contain mini-anthologies of poetry by some of the best writers of the Japanese forms today.  It is not only the newcomer who will find these books a treasure; Wakan’s never failing access to “the beginner’s mind” opens it also for writers who are experienced with the forms. No one will read this trilogy without being inspired to write for the first time or to write more."
— Sonja Arntzen, Professor Emerita, University of Toronto

Details of each book:

The Way of Haiku is a guide for learning to write the most popular form of Japanese poetry: haiku. But true to the inviting and personal style of its author, Naomi Beth Wakan, it is also a comprehensive examination of the form and an eye-opening view into the way that reading and writing haiku can change the way one looks at life. “Writing haiku helps you appreciate the wonder of ordinary things and ordinary days.” Wakan discusses the history of haiku’s development, its important literary elements, and the differences between haiku written in Japanese and those written in English. Numerous examples of haiku are provided, some written by Japanese haijin (haiku writers) and presented in translation, and some written by English-speaking writers. The rich explanation of the experience of writing haiku and the encouraging words of the author inspire readers to write their own haiku while remaining open to the possibilities it provides for personal growth.

The Way of Tanka is an approachable yet comprehensive examination of the Japanese form of poetry known as tanka. The author, Naomi Beth Wakan, discusses its roots in early Japanese courts where it was considered the poetry of lovers, as well as its adaptation to western culture and the characteristics that separate it from the more popular form of Japanese poetry: haiku. Throughout, Wakan weaves her story of personal self-transformation as she moved from the more disciplined writing of haiku to the more metaphorical and philosophical writing of tanka.

In this inspiring memoir, Poetry That Heals, Naomi Beth Wakan takes the reader on a journey through her lifelong experiences writing various forms of Japanese poetry, especially haiku and its related genres. She explains the rules and structure that distinguish the various forms, providing many examples of her own work as well as poems from well-known historical and contemporary poets. Very importantly, however, Wakan shows by example that the "rules" are not to be taken as impediments, but rather as guideposts on the journey to discover and explore oneself. Looking back, Wakan realizes that her practice of poetry writing has enabled her to develop awareness, dispassionate interest, personal healing, and compassion. In her own words: "I have come to see that in creating poetry, I am creating myself."

26 Billionaires and 3.8 Billion Poor

A report (by Alexandra Jacobo) from Oxfam says inequality is not inevitable - it is a political choice. 26 billionaires own as much as the world’s 3.8 billion poorest people. "While the world’s richest people saw their fortunes swell by over $900 billion last year, or $2.5 billion a day, the world’s poorest actually lost wealth..."

While most of the world struggled to recover since the financial crisis in 2008, the number of billionaires has doubled. Public services have been cut while women are expected to fill the gaps with unpaid care. Men hold 50 percent more of the world's worth than women.

The global elite and large corporations fight against plans for progressive policies while their fortunes are increased with tax cuts. Health care, education and public services that attempt to reduce the gap between haves and have-nots are being dried up, shut down.

A Liberal Decalogue from Bertrand Russell

Brainpickings.org reprinted, a decalogue by Bertrand Russell. It originally appeared in the

December 16, 1951 issue of The New York Times Magazine. Here it is as I found it in Brainpickings, tipped off by an article in Episyllogism. I was tempted to make this more modern by removing the old didactic style, but thought it better to use the voice it was written in.

1. Do not feel absolutely certain of anything.
2. Do not think it worth while to proceed by concealing evidence, for the evidence is sure to come to light.
3. Never try to discourage thinking for you are sure to succeed.
4. When you meet with opposition, even if it should be from your husband or your children, endeavor to overcome it by argument and not by authority, for a victory dependent upon authority is unreal and illusory.
5. Have no respect for the authority of others, for there are always contrary authorities to be found.
6. Do not use power to suppress opinions you think pernicious, for if you do the opinions will suppress you.
7. Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.
8. Find more pleasure in intelligent dissent than in passive agreement, for, if you value intelligence as you should, the former implies a deeper agreement than the latter.
9. Be scrupulously truthful, even if the truth is inconvenient, for it is more inconvenient when you try to conceal it.
10. Do not feel envious of the happiness of those who live in a fool’s paradise, for only a fool will think that it is happiness.

Economics Is Not A Fact About The World by Fred Guerin

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"Economics is not a fact about the world. It represents a system of values. Ergo, economics is not now and never has been a ‘science’. It is a social and political choice. This does not mean that certain statistical models and predictive systems cannot be generated from within any given economic system once its premises have been assumed. But there is nothing about economic theory itself that flows logically or inevitably from some set of facts about the world--whether these be facts about nature, the human condition or global society.

That is why the entire edifice of necessity upon which modern capitalism is built, is an utter sham. That is why the idea of ‘homo economicus’—the human being as inherently a rationally calculating, self-interested consumer is a complete fabrication, which just happens to perfectly serve the interests of a wealthy elite. There is nothing mathematically or even rationally 'necessary' about capitalist economics; there are no empirical grounds that provide any reasoned justification for current economic theory or anything like ‘homo economicus’

This means that from the get-go the system of economics we have now can be otherwise than it is. We could just as easily choose to create an economics based on the common good, and the future health and wellness of the environment that sustains life. We do not have to acquiesce to a system of economics adopted by a particular group of privileged men who believed ownership was the basis upon which to build modern society--ownership of land, both what is above and below the earth; ownership of forests and water, ownership of animals; ownership of human beings.

The capitalism we have inherited in its modern neoliberal guise is not an economics chosen for us as the ‘best’ system among worse alternatives, as some modern apologists have argued. It is, however, the single most efficient means to legitimate the practice of slavery and subjugation of the natural world on a global scale through an economics of ownership. 

It could be otherwise."

posted with permission from the author, Fred Guerin.

Beauty is not always pretty

There are two dominating narratives that want to explain the development of human history.

One is the narrative of empires, how they have conquered, maintained their control, and how the masses benefitted or suffered from their rule, and how their power came to an end.


The other is the history by literature, science, art and freedom of expression -  which amount to the quality of life as it is lived by the common people.

This second narrative reveals that whenever the rule is centralized and the conversation is about making a society "great again", the quality of life for most of the people goes down. The ruling party uses violence, cruelty and fear to dominate the masses while claiming this is what the masses want. However the voice of the commoner has been taken away and replaced with an ideology that demands obedience, and the "greatness" is a  rehearsed display of power over the masses - like marching armies, missiles displayed on wheels, displacement of aboriginal peoples, refugees, concentration camps and wars.

"Greatness" demands sacrifice and the health and happiness of people is seen as unaffordable. Bit by bit, day by day, the masses lose their freedom to a cause, and the chaos of democracy is sacked for the sake of fascism. Life is a resource to be used not celebrated, not lived for pleasure. Resources are taken from the masses and warehoused in the castle of the ruler.

Any political policy can be identified as moving towards centralized power by taking power away from people, or governing from the roots up, moving towards shared power and responsibility.

The less engaged the masses are the easier it is to lie about where the power is coming from.  When people vote for authoritarian rule we need to look more closely at why or how oppression can be internalized as self-interest.

When people get involved in democracy by engaging with the problems and organizing change, it's not as easy to misinform the public. For example when people say they are against social services such as birth control, sex education, health plans, libraries, anti-poverty, affordable housing and community development - you will find massively funded campaigns from a ruling elite.

No matter how well meaning we are as members of a diverse society we are addicted to the promise of solutions, that mostly involve a power-over initiative taking power away from the people and giving it to an "authority".  In that way we lose some of our agency, our compassion and the hope for progress.

Beauty is that unwelcome moment when I realize that I was wrong,  the truth is available if I look for it, and my friends don't abandon me.  It's okay to have opinions as long as I am not more attached to them than the truth. Beauty shines through those moments when I see that none are right all the time and it's more than okay.