Sunday, December 12, 2004
I have received a surprising e-mail, which tells me that some of my poems at this site were referred to in a study of Japanese anti-war poems. It also tells me that the study was presented at a conference held in Canberra, Australia, and that the people there were moved by the poems.
Dr. Maria Flutsch is the sender of the e-mail. As soon as I started publishing this site November, 2003, she emailed me and asked if she could cite my poems in her study. I felt so honored and, at the same time, so amazed at the potential of the Internet, as I had expected this site would not be read by so many so seriously. And of course I sent an e-mail saying "OK."
Almost one year has passed since our first email exchange, and here it is! Let me show you the last sentence of conclusion of her study:
the internet protest poetry provides a detailed, informative insight into the minds of those who engage in the debate about terrorism around the world.
All of her paper presented at the conference is now at the site of the Asian Studies Association of Australia, and at my another site, "Flowers and Bombs."
I have been away from this tanka-poems-against-the-war site for about 8 months, while being busy advertising and selling copies of my book, "Flowers and Bombs." Thanks to many supporters, the proceeds of the book reached almost US$2,000 by the 25th of September this year and were donated to 6 NGOs making great contribution in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Almost of my energy has been spent toward Japanese readers, but this English site has brought me a wonderful English-speaking reader and tremendous opportunity. I'm going to update this site on occasion, hoping my words for hope will spread in the world.
Dr. Maria Flutsch is the sender of the e-mail. As soon as I started publishing this site November, 2003, she emailed me and asked if she could cite my poems in her study. I felt so honored and, at the same time, so amazed at the potential of the Internet, as I had expected this site would not be read by so many so seriously. And of course I sent an e-mail saying "OK."
Almost one year has passed since our first email exchange, and here it is! Let me show you the last sentence of conclusion of her study:
the internet protest poetry provides a detailed, informative insight into the minds of those who engage in the debate about terrorism around the world.
All of her paper presented at the conference is now at the site of the Asian Studies Association of Australia, and at my another site, "Flowers and Bombs."
I have been away from this tanka-poems-against-the-war site for about 8 months, while being busy advertising and selling copies of my book, "Flowers and Bombs." Thanks to many supporters, the proceeds of the book reached almost US$2,000 by the 25th of September this year and were donated to 6 NGOs making great contribution in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Almost of my energy has been spent toward Japanese readers, but this English site has brought me a wonderful English-speaking reader and tremendous opportunity. I'm going to update this site on occasion, hoping my words for hope will spread in the world.
