vita / Poetry An Xiao grounds her photography in the poetry of the everyday, particularly via short Japanese verse forms such as haiku and tanka. A skillful poet in her own right, she writes just like she photographs, capturing quiet moments in the city, both from her own voice and the voice of others. Her work has appeared in a number of publications and anthologies, and she has featured at numerous venues in New York City.
i don’t suppose
it matters that she litters
on the ground –
tarnished cement would
still be tarnished cement
…
he digs through
garbage like i dig through
clothing racks –
waiting for the bus,
i count my change
…
bundling up with
my old black coat –
was it really
only a year ago tonight
kisses beneath the pines?
Publications
- Selected tanka. Ash Moon Anthology: Poems on Aging in Modern English Tanka. Alexis Rotella and Denis M. Garrison, editors. Forthcoming.
- Selected tanka. Streetlights: Poetry of Urban Life in Modern English Tanka. Michael McClintock, editor. Forthcoming.
- Selected tanka. Simply Haiku. Robert Wilson, editor. Winter 2007.
- “Octopus Sushi.” Chroma Literary Journal. Shaun Levin, editor. May 2007.
- Selected tanka. Fire Pearls: Short Masterpieces of the Human Heart. M. Kei, editor. 2007.
- Selected tanka. Simply Haiku. Robert Wilson, editor. Spring 2006.
REVIEWS
- Berger, Maxianne. Review of Fire Pearls. Gusts: Contemporary Tanka. Autumn/Winter 2007.
- Prime, Patricia. Review of Fire Pearls. Stylus Poetry Journal. 2007.
- Borne, Miriam. Review of Tanka and Photography discussion. HSA Regional Announcements and News. 2007.
Venues
- Bluestockings Bookstore, New York.
- Bowery Poetry Club, New York.
- The Brecht Forum, New York.
- Girlsalon, Brooklyn.
- Haiku Society of America, New York.
Affiliations
- Haiku Society of America.
- Tanka Fields.