“Shoes”, my haibun on the refugee tragedy unfolding before our eyes, has found its way to Whirlwind Magazine, the Fall 2015 issue.
Read it here, p. 4
Category Archives: Publications
56. Münchner Bücherschau
From the Münchner Bücherschau: the German edition of Feeding the Doves, Taubenfuettern, on display, taking its place among my earlier Fruit Dove Press titles.
Afterlife
Do you sometimes wonder what happens after the gravediggers return to their workstations and the grieving relatives go home? 
What is it of the self or soul that’s left inside the box or urn, or floating in the air? Do you think there may be life after death, a life after this life, an afterlife? Do you fret over reincarnation, heaven, or hell? Poets do.
resting in peace
her mobile phone
keeps ringing
Robert Epstein, a licensed psychologist, and haiku poet, has just edited Beyond The Grave: Contemporary Afterlife Haiku (Middle Island Press, 2015), an anthology of poets’ haiku on the life beyond. Thoughtful, sensitive, measured and moving, as well as studded with moments of humour, and brilliance, the anthology proves an invaluable companion for thinking about the limits (and beyond) of existence.
lilies the meaning of life after death
Leafing through poems on life after death, I let myself be led along lines of uncertainty, of hope, as well as humour, of the ineffable, of mysteries, without the certainties that dispose of thought.
afterlife
that turn of phrase
in her haiku
.
(Poems included in the anthology)
“Time” receives Hon. Mention in the “Best of Haibun and Tanka Forms” 2015, for the KF Anthology
I must be on a roll! Delighted to learn that my haibun “Time” received third honourable mention in the “Best of Haibun and Tanka Forms” 2015, for the KYSO Flash Anthology due out in December 2015.
Roberta Beary, award-winning poet and haibun editor of Modern Haiku, the judge of this contest, wrote:
Stella Pierides’ haibun shows how time, which is also the title, turned the narrator’s expectations of her life’s autumn upside-down. The haiku at the haibun’s end effectively juxtaposes the images and original word choice in lines 1 and 2, lulling the reader along until the surprise of line 3. At first glance the haiku does not seem relevant to the prose. A deeper reading shows that the haiku echoes and expands the feelings of surprise and mortality elicited by the prose, which is exactly what is supposed to happen in haibun.
You can find “Time” here
Light on a dark poem
Thrilled to have had a poem of mine discussed at re: Virals, The Haiku Foundation’s poem commentary feature. The poem is from my book In the Garden of Absence (Fruit Dove Press, 2012):
granny’s cushion
pulling the darkness out
pin by pin
It was chosen by Irish poet Marion Clarke, the previous week’s commentary winner. And right on Halloween, All Saints Day… which added extra layers of depth to my haiku. Thank you, Marion! And thank you too, to Garry Eaton and Beth McFarland for their insightful comments.
I love the re:Virals series, and look forward to reading the poems chosen and the commentaries written on them.
Would you like to take part? Anyone can participate. There is a new poem each Friday on the site (chosen by the previous week’s winning commentator) for you to comment on. Simply put your take in the Contact box by the following Tuesday midnight. . .and there you have it, good luck! The best commentary will be reproduced in its entirety on the site and kept permanently in the THF Archives.
‘mala fide’
mala fide—
taking another look
at the moon
Frogpond, 38:3 2015
Taubenfüttern at the 56. Münchner Bücherschau (19. November – 6. Dezember 2015)
Good news! The German edition of Feeding the Doves, 31 Short Stories and Haibun, Taubenfüttern, is ready for the 56th Munich Book Show 2015. I have already delivered copies of my books to the organisers of the event, which will be taking place at the Gasteig, Munich, from the 19th of November to the 6th of December 2015. Drop by if you get the chance.
Pünktlich zur 56. Münchner Bücherschau (19. November – 6. Dezember 2015) erscheint die Kurzgeschichtensammlung „Taubenfüttern“ der in Athen geborenen und heute in Neusäß und in London lebenden Schriftstellerin und Dichterin Stella Pierides. Taubenfüttern ist die Übersetzung des englischen Originaltitels „Feeding the Doves“ (Fruit Dove Press, 2013), der international bestens rezensiert wurde.
Aus dem Vorwort: Die Kurzgeschichten in Taubenfüttern „erkunden wiederkehrende Motive der griechischen Psyche und verfolgen diese zurück auf die besondere Geschichte und Position des Landes. Die Witwe, der alte Einzelgänger, der Immigrant, der Schriftsteller, der Grieche in der Diaspora: Sie alle erzählen uns ihre Geschichte. Die Geschichte des Griechischseins, des Menschseins. Sie sprechen von Liebe und Verlust, Krieg und Bürgerkrieg, Immigration und Diaspora, Emigration, Armut, Religion und Geschichte und vor allem vom Willen zum Überleben. Eins ist ihnen dabei allen gemeinsam: Sie suchen einen Weg aus der Ausweglosigkeit, aus dem Konflikt eines Volkes an der außergewöhnlichen Wegkreuzung dreier Kontinente und verschiedenster Kulturen, aus einer Vergangenheit, die ihren Schultern eine gewaltige Last aufbürdet.“
Neben Taubenfüttern und Feeding the Doves wird der Neusässer Verlag Fruit Dove Press wird mit folgenden weiteren Titeln von Stella Pierides auf der 56. Münchner Bücherschau vertreten sein: In the Garden of Absence (Mikropoesie und Haiku, 2012; ausgezeichnet mit dem Mildred Kanterman Memorial Award 2013, 3. Preis, der Haiku Society of America für 2012 erschienene Bücher) und The Heart and Its Reasons (Kurzgeschichten, 2014).
‘thin clothes’ and ‘nine circles of hell’
thin clothes
an imperceptible smile
forming
.
nine circles of hell
positioning
my wickedness
Chrysanthemum 2015, Nr. 18. p. 34
‘Dear Yannnis’
Delighted that my epistolary poem ‘Dear Yannis’ (Ritsos) is given another airing on RE / VERSE, the online journal.
‘Little Eagle Press presents poems previously published. Well worth another look, we think,’ they say. Thank you to Ralph Murre for giving my poem a second chance, and for the photo art image he created that accompanies the poem. Take a look by clicking here
‘Nothing’ haibun at the ‘other bunny’
Nothing
Please don’t read beyond the title. This is not a poem, nor is it a haibun, short story, or flash.
It has no beginning, middle or end. No development of any sort. It is here as a no thing, and by reading it you gain nothing. Unless you make it into something.
petals or thorns
a scratch on the surface
of infinity
Published at ‘the other bunny‘ August 3, 2015
‘cherry blossom’ and ‘question time’ in Sonic Boom
cherry blossom
a bar regular vents
his spleen
.
p 24
*
question time
the where, when, and how
of peonies
.
p 25
*
in Sonic Boom
‘numerically speaking’ and ‘blending spring’
Delighted to have two of my one-line haiku published:
*
numerically speaking the soul sucks
*
blending spring with daisies you get a billboard
+
Bones – journal for contemporary haiku (in PDF)
no. 7, july 15, 2015
‘mother’s day’
mother’s day
pushing all the wrong
buttons
.
Frogpond 2015, 38:2, p.11
‘ash wednesday’
ash wednesday
my thin layer
of platitudes
Frogpond 2015, 38 : 2, p.11
‘Wave after Wave’
. . . endolymph. . . endo . . . interior . . . dreams . . . inner voice . . . nymph . . . Rilke’s “a girl . . . made herself a bed inside my ear” . . . my ear . . . labyrinth . . . cochlea . . . conch . . . shell . . . sea . . . Aegean . . . crashing waves . . . stop! . . . waves lapping the shore . . . sails . . . seagulls . . . shrieks . . . my tinnitus . . . rushing water . . . endolymph . . .
wherever you go
the ship follows you . . .
siren song
.
In The other bunny
‘Dear Yannis’ in poetsonline.org
Dear Yannis
In our hands, you said, we hold
the shadow of our hands. I know
the cold absence of the marbles,
olives sprouting from the cracks.
The coffee grinder turns
slowly, gently. The moon
still kind, bathes our wrinkled
hearts in light. In silver. In sorrow.
Old souls sitting by the river
listening to the boat engine
starting, coughing, spitting,
dying. Starting again.
(to Yiannis Ritsos, in response to his poem “Absence”)
.
Poem written to the poetsonline prompt: Dear Poet: Epistles to the Poets. For the other poems on the poetsonline.org blog, please see Archive, ‘Dear Poet’ on their site.
Please note English spelling of the original Greek name varies (Yiannis [e.g. Wikipedia], Yannis [e.g. Poetry Foundation]). Wikipedia lists a number of variants: ‘Yannis or Yiannis or Giannis (Γιάννης) is a common Greek name, a variant of John (Hebrew) meaning “God is generous.” Variants include Ioannis (Ιωάννης), Yanni, Iannis, Yannakis; and the rare “Yannos”, usually found in the Peloponnese and Cyprus.’
‘Time’ in KYSO Flash
Whenever I thought of the ravages time would inflict on me, I thought of wrinkles. I imagined myself slightly plump, with a few strategically placed wrinkles and a very respectable grey sheen in my hair. I also considered liver spots, imagining myself smiling benevolently behind a seemingly sun-blessed veil of freckles. Now that I’ve reached a point when time weighs on me… let’s say, there have been surprises, indiscretions, indignities. Take the slight pearl that sometimes appears and glistens on the side of my mouth.
honeydew
a blush spreads over the edge
of the precipice
.
In KYSO Flash, May 2015
‘cup-shaped blooms’ in Blithe Spirit
cup-shaped blooms
the outpouring of
emotion
.
In Blithe Spirit (Journal of the British Haiku Society) 25:2, 2015
‘Loving’ in KYSO Flash
In her long life she owned six cats, each living at least ten years. As a child, she was afraid of her first cat, a street-wise tabby. Then she loved chasing her around the house, transferring her fear to the cat. As a teen, she helped a boyfriend taunt the poor thing. She ignored, tripped over, kicked, or spoiled subsequent cats, depending on her phase of life and her mood. Now resting in her recliner, she caresses and speaks to her latest, and only, companion, an ageing, placid ginger, with a gentleness she hasn’t known before.
pear blossom
the lifelong practice of
learning to love
.
KYSO Flash 3, May 2015
‘counting petals’ in Blithe Spirit
counting petals
the dull ache of
insincerity
In Blithe Spirit (Journal of the British Haiku Society) 25.2, 2015.
‘glowing embers’ in Tinywords
‘Seferis’ Houses’
My longer poem Seferis’ Houses, republished in Little Eagle’s RE / VERSE, April 9, 2015. To read the poem, please click here
Artwork by Ralph Murre, after a photo by (or of?) Giorgos Seferis
Little Eagle Press presents poems previously published. Well worth another look, we think
Paying homage to Seferis, the poem directly refers to Seferis’ ‘Thrush’, a poem he wrote in 1946. You can read the poem on the Poetry Foundation site.
For information about Giorgos Seferis, see the Wikipedia entry.
You may also want to take a look at this longer, Princeton Uni. entry with photos, or at Edmund Keeley’s interview with Seferis in the Paris Review.
‘skull MRI’
skull MRI
butterfly eggs readying
to hatch
.
Prompt: a Rorschach test image (Gabi Greve)
World Kigo Database, Haiku topics, Theory and Keywords: Rorschach
See more poems here
‘re: falling leaves’
re: falling leaves
he says he still
loves her
.
In Frogpond, 2015, Vol. 38:1, p. 10
‘walking on ice’
walking on ice …
my full attention
to the moment
.
A Hundred Gourds 4:2 March 2015, p. 15
‘you and I’
.
you and I this winter ellipsis
.
Modern Haiku vol. 46.1 winter-Spring 2015
‘pinpricks’
pinpricks of icy rain…
how damp wood spits
.
In Blithe Spirit, 25:1, p. 4.
Blithe Spirit is the Journal of the British Haiku Society
‘alien earth’
‘winter sun’
winter sun
piling kindling
for the fire
.
in hedgerow: journal of small poems #12
It’s over! The Muenchner Buecherschau 2014 is now closed.
Well, the Munich Buecherschau 2014 is now closed. I am very happy I took part and would like to thank the readers who visited, wrote, commented on the books, and wished me well. Not forgetting those who bought my books! A big thank you!
Did you miss this year’s Buecherschau? Don’t worry. It is on again next year. Same time, same place; same procedure!
Several people have commented on the lovely painting on the cover of my new book of short stories, The Heart and Its Reasons. It is from a painting by Maria Pierides: “Port Isaac: Golden Light.” Maria is a great artist. I am really greatful to her for allowing me to use this painting for my cover. You can make out the heart arteries in the image, as well as the blues of the Aegean sea.
For more details about The Heart and Its Reasons, where to get a copy, and for reviews and articles, please see here
If you like the book please consider leaving a review on Goodreads, or Amazon. Or even if you don’t like it, say so. Please say so on Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk, or Amazon.de. It will be very much appreciated.
Thank you for your interest in my work.
