Japan Trip 2015: Haiku Writing Workshop

Candy May Schijf and I composed a haiku during the workshop.

I like haiku. You can say so much, and more, in three lines and in very few words. Back in 2009, I wrote twelve haiku, one for each month to capture a moment. In my poetry workshop for kids, I always put in a unit on haiku writing. Imagine my delight to learn about a Haiku Writing Workshop in the IAFOR LibrAsia 2015!

It was the last session of the conference for Day 1. I was on cloud nine to have had my photo taken with haiku master, Emiko Yamashita. In our brief conversation before the start of her workshop, she told me that she is a poet, and that poets are bubbles. She smiled and excused herself as she had to prepare for her workshop. Just like that, she disappeared from my sight like a bubble. Upon entering the workshop venue, we discovered stuff on top of each chair. At close inspection, it was a crocheted bookmark and a one page handout for the writing workshop. The crocheted bookmarks were done by Ms. Yamashita's mother who is over 90 years old.

With haiku master, Emiko Yamashita. Bubble personified.

During the workshop, Ms. Yamashita and her co-facilitator, gave inputs on the basics of writing a haiku, a brief origin story about it and the form of a traditional Japanese haiku in 5-7-5 syllables. They showed samples of haiku by Issa, Basho as well as western ones. What followed next was an on-the-spot haiku writing workshop where feedback was given immediately to the brave souls who stood up and delivered. At the end of the workshop, I was lucky to get a book on a collection of haiku written by children from all over the world.

As in all art forms, writing must be practiced. It is something done everyday to sharpen one's skill, perceptions and feelings. So, I committed to writing 100 haiku. What I do is to select photos I have taken from my travels or from simple things I see around me. Like what Ms. Yamashita said in the workshop, a haiku is about moments. It is not about the passing of time. I started last April 6, 2015. I am on day eleven now. I post my haiku on Instagram. Check these hastags: #haiku / #humahaiku / #The100DayProject #iaforLibrAsia2015results.

Japan Trip 2015: Comparative Librarianship

The OICC - Osaka Internattional Convention Center

One of the new things I learned from the 5th LibrAsia Conference was about comparative librarianship. I have read and participated in international librarianship, but it was my first time to encounter the term, comparative librarianship. Turns out, it has been around since the 70s and that, my engagement with IASL since 2005 is part and parcel of ICL, International and Comparative Librarianship.

Here are links to ICL websites:

ICL Definitions
IFLA - Interest Group: ICL
Peter Johan Lor on ICL

Thinking through this experience, I realized that my current involvement in the International Librarians Network's peer mentoring and partnership program is an ICL activity. I have been exchanging emails and blog entries with my Polish friend, Wanda Sliwowska, a school librarian in Poland, for over a month now. You can read the ILN introduction I wrote in this link. Wanda has made a blog since our "convo" and email exchanges. I also learned from her that they have a school librarian association in Poland. Our last topic of discussion in the ILN program was about games in the school library. While Wanda has started organizing a game board collection, I still have to study and explore this possibility in our school library.

Receiving my certificate from Dr. Patrick Lo

In my introduction, this is what I said on my purpose for joining ILN: I joined ILN because I know little of the world. I wish to expand my worldview in the context of my work as a school librarian. I am excited to know more about my peer mentor hoping that I can also contribute or give back a little of what I know. It has been an enjoyable and enriching experience. There are times when I do feel alone in the work place. No offense meant to my learning community. But being with one's kin or kind inspires and uplifts me to do more; to push myself; and to look at my small self in a bigger world. Such experiences affirm that the little things I do matter.  To quote June Carter, "I just want to matter."

Going back to the 5th LibrAsia Conference where comparative librarianship was a topic of presentation, Dr. Patrick Lo shared his research on librarians in Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan. It covered librarians working in schools, academia and universities. In a nutshell, there is work to be done in school librarianship across Asia. 

We can start rolling our sleeves and go to work by answering this survey:

 https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/philippinesschoollib - Where we can mull over on our roles and feel good afterwards.

https://surveymonkey.com/r/hkcomics - Where we can think about comics and how it can change our services to readers.

These are all for now on the IAFOR / 5th LibrAsia Conference.

Japan Trip 2015: IAFOR ACAH & LibrAsia 2015

Crossing the river towards the OICC

Let me first spell out these acronyms: IAFOR stands for International Academic Forum. ACAH means Annual Conference on the Arts and Humanities. LibrAsia is a coined word for Librarians in Asia or Libraries in Asia. Put together, these are the three reasons why I was in Japan in the first week of April this year.

I attended the IAFOR ACAH LibrAsia Conference (April 3-5, 2015), presented a paper, learned loads and had a good time. This last bit is the icing on the cake. A lot of work went into research and writing the paper. Now here's what happened in the conference.

The plenary sessions began in day 1 where academics from the arts and humanities presented their research papers. I came late on the first day so I only had the chance to listen to Mr. Jared Baxter talk about Van Gogh's Starry Night and the influences it has on different disciplines as well as its impact in the political, cultural and historical milieu of the artist, past and present. This was already in mid-morning. A session before the morning break. I met Filipino academics and presenters too. There was a good number of Filipino participants and paper presenters from Luzon and the Visayas. Somehow, the atmosphere did not feel so foreign at all.

The Pinoy Continget at the IAFOR 2015

Before lunch break, we were all treated to songs and dances of the Taiko Drum Perfomers. I was impressed by their youthful exuberance performing their traditional songs and dances that I wrote a haiku.
   
"Thunder in the flesh
Proud, powerful and unafraid
Taiko drum performers"

Candy receiving her certificate from Dr. Lo

Breakout session began at 1.30PM. I presented my paper on school librarians and leadership in the library session with Candy May Schijf and Mr. Wilson Chu of the Hong Kong Design Institute presenting too. Candy's paper was about Information Literacy and assessment while Mr. Chu's paper was on attitudes and perceptions of students on the library and how this can help librarians create the space, services and programs of the library. The session was chaired by Dr. Patrick Lo of Tsukuba University.

Discussion during our session thrived. The audience were interested to know about the government's guidelines on school libraries in the Philippines. Dr. Lo was particularly eager to know the school library landscape in the country. This led to an exchange of calling cards, more conversations and sharing of future research projects after our presentation. Right after, Candy and I rushed to Willian San Andres Frias' presentation. We didn't see her present her paper on collection development and research data, but a physicist and librarian from Vienna was giving her accolades for her paper, even encouraging her to have it published in an academic, refereed journal.

What were Cristina, Grace and Darrel doing all the time?

A haiku is about a moment.

Cristina chaired a session and presented her paper too. Grace and Darrel sat in sessions in the literature strand. During the afternoon break, I met Dr. Grace V.S. Chin from the Univeristi of Brunei Darusalam. She wrote a paper on Jose "Butch" Dalisay's novel, Soledad and Her Sisters, and the OFW experience seen through the lens of the matriarchal archetype. I was introduced to her by Grace Bansig (ye, another Grace), since she listened to her present her paper.

The last session we all attended was the Haiku Writing Workshop by haiku master, Emiko Yamashita. I will devout one post for that workshop since it is one of the more memorable sessions in IAFOR LibrAsia 2015. Well, at least, for me.

This is Day 2 of my Japan Trip of 2015. My post on Day 3 is next. 

Highlights of the IAFOR 5th LibrAsia Conference 2015

Click the highlighted words for more information on the IAFOR annual conferences.