ETERNAL

Deborah P Kolodji was the Moderator of the Southern California Haiku Study Group, the California Regional Coordinator for the Haiku Society of America, and a member of the board of directors for Haiku North America. Deborah was the honorary president of the Tan-Ku Association (which she co-founded). With over 1000 published haiku to her name, her first full-length book of haiku and senryu, highway of sleeping towns, from Shabda Press, was awarded a Touchstone Distinguished Book Award from The Haiku Foundation. In 2023 she published the first Tan-Ku collection with Mariko Kitakubo, titled DISTANCE from Shabda Press. Her newest book, Vital Signs, featuring haiku glimpses of moments in her cancer journey, was published in 2024 by Cuttlefish Books. In Vital Signs, Deborah saw the condor come back from extinction as a metaphor for the cancer patient fighting for one's own survival.Deborah P Kolodji passed away peacefully in her sleep on July 21, 2024 after a long struggle with cancer. Mariko Kitakubo was born in Tokyo, and she lives in Mitaka-city, Tokyo. Mariko is the president of the Tan-Ku Association (which she co-founded). She is a member of the Japan Writers' Association, Japan PEN Club, Association of Contemporary Tanka Poets, Japan Tanka Poets' Society, Kokoro-No-Hana, and the Tanka Society of America. Mariko has published six books of tanka including three bilingual ones, On This Same Star, Cicada Forest and INDIGO. In 2023 she published the first Tan-Ku collection with Deborah P Kolodji, titled DISTANCE. Mariko is an experienced performer who has presented her poetry on at least 260 occasions, 203 of which occurred during overseas and international events (July 2024).