Wise Voices from the East: From Han-shan to Basho and Beyond
Wednesdays, 6-8 p.m.
Wilkinson Pubic Library Telluride Room
Telluride, Colorado
February 15-March 14
Free
“No direction is better or worse, east is just as good as west. Those who know the meaning of this are free to go where they want.” These words, written by Han Shan in the seventh century, were part of the Chinese literary tradition that informed the work of the Japanese tanka and later haiku. For five weeks, we’ll study Eastern poets, including Han-shan, Kukai, Shikibu Izumi, Dogen Kigen, Basho, Ryokan, Issa, Chiyo-ni, and more, as they explore themes of humility, grateful acceptance, non-duality, contradictoriness, love, freedom, courage and death.
Guiding you through the centuries is San Miguel County’s first poet laureate Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer. Her work includes a poem a day practice and her most recent poetry collection, The Miracle Already Happening: Everyday Life with Rumi.