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ZenPenYen
In ZenPenYen Dorian Haarhoff roams the countryside on the back of an ever-young ageing mare called Story. Dorian (1944-) a South African-Namibian poet, facilitates creative writing, storytelling retreats and wordshops, and acts as a one-on-one writing mentor. A past life Professor English Literature (Namibia), rich in grand children to the power of eleven, he lives and breathes in Pringle Bay.
This is Dorian's 8th poetry collection.
Subtly crafted, intelligent, relevant. This is a book of mirrors, and poetry of mystical mischief. In the mythological tradition tricksters are not there to entertain or deceive, but to challenge - and so do these poems: They play "but, what if ..." The trickster in ZenPenYen jousts with dogma, dances with deities.~ Mari Pete.
This is Dorian's 8th poetry collection.
Subtly crafted, intelligent, relevant. This is a book of mirrors, and poetry of mystical mischief. In the mythological tradition tricksters are not there to entertain or deceive, but to challenge - and so do these poems: They play "but, what if ..." The trickster in ZenPenYen jousts with dogma, dances with deities.~ Mari Pete.
119 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2022
About the author
Dorian Haarhoff
24 books3 followersHe is a former teacher trainer and Professor of English at the University of Namibia, and has also taught in a Canadian Creative Writing Faculty and in the Film Studies unit at the University of Colorado in Boulder. He has also served as an external examiner at UCT for the MA programme in Creative Writing.
Since 1998 he has run his own business, Creative Workshops. Dorian Haarhoff has on several occasions been invited as poet and as a guest story-teller to Mauritius and to the Conference of Word Affairs in Boulder, Colorado. He has participated in Poetry Africa and an International Poetry Festival in Colombia South America.
His talks/workshops are meant for individuals, organizations and corporations who wish to explore their creativity, improve their skills and understand their relationships. He uses story-telling, writing, images and symbolic work as a means of discovering hidden potential and assessing new ways of being and seeing. He believes in the ability of people to revitalise their workplace, build their communities, participate in their healing and find their joy.
His approach is based on his book, The Writer's Voice: A Workbook for Writers in Africa (Zebra-Struik, 1998). His work is strongly influenced by mythology, whole brain theory, Jungian and Eco psychology, creation spirituality, the new physics and narrative therapy.
You can do one of his courses via the Internet. Go to http://skillstoshare.com/product/the-...
Since 1998 he has run his own business, Creative Workshops. Dorian Haarhoff has on several occasions been invited as poet and as a guest story-teller to Mauritius and to the Conference of Word Affairs in Boulder, Colorado. He has participated in Poetry Africa and an International Poetry Festival in Colombia South America.
His talks/workshops are meant for individuals, organizations and corporations who wish to explore their creativity, improve their skills and understand their relationships. He uses story-telling, writing, images and symbolic work as a means of discovering hidden potential and assessing new ways of being and seeing. He believes in the ability of people to revitalise their workplace, build their communities, participate in their healing and find their joy.
His approach is based on his book, The Writer's Voice: A Workbook for Writers in Africa (Zebra-Struik, 1998). His work is strongly influenced by mythology, whole brain theory, Jungian and Eco psychology, creation spirituality, the new physics and narrative therapy.
You can do one of his courses via the Internet. Go to http://skillstoshare.com/product/the-...
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 29, 2023
Depending on how many wordshops (sic) you've been to with Dorian, you will recognize some of the background to several poems that appear in this collection. Boy Buddha on a Swing is an example here. It's based on a ceramic Buddha statuette Dorian's daughter has in her garden down south. Dorian's poems are like his stories, an intricate web of fiction and autobiography, you just need to read between the well-edited lines to recognize it. My favourite in this collection is Tree Wrap – Emoyeni (page 17)
here, at this retreat,
a tree rises and rests
between talk studio and
thatched meditation hut,
the beams draped in quietude.
it shades the green leaf wall
as we move through an archway
between two modes of being.
the trunk ascends to split
in two, branching into bough
then twig. bronchi and alveoli
breath in-out the sky.
leaves swish above,
windbrush and whisper,
while roots funnel
under rocks and earth.
so above, so below,
the tree's reach wraps
speech and silcence
in its curved limbs.
here, at this retreat,
a tree rises and rests
between talk studio and
thatched meditation hut,
the beams draped in quietude.
it shades the green leaf wall
as we move through an archway
between two modes of being.
the trunk ascends to split
in two, branching into bough
then twig. bronchi and alveoli
breath in-out the sky.
leaves swish above,
windbrush and whisper,
while roots funnel
under rocks and earth.
so above, so below,
the tree's reach wraps
speech and silcence
in its curved limbs.
Displaying 1 of 1 review