Talks & Presentations

Readings, Productions, Performances

THE KURAL at InkAloud

December 19, 2021

On December 11, 2021, THE KURAL was featured in the Bushwick Bookclub Seattle‘s inaugural InkAloud event at Town Hall Seattle. Three marvelous musical groups created original compositions inspired by the translation.

Here is a direct link to my introduction to this portion of the evening:

The first group was Latha Sambamurti and students from The Temple of Music, performing original compositions by Lalitha Mohan & Violin Maestro Ganesh Rajagopalan. You can watch their delightful and inspiring performances here:

The second musician was Eric Lane Barnes, who composed three interlocking songs based on three verses from THE KURAL.

Here he teaches them to the live audience:

The third group was Nottingham/Wicks, a jazz duo who shared their own beautiful take on the spirit of THE KURAL:

My deep gratitude and appreciation to everyone involved!

What is Cascadian Zen? A Talk at Seattle University

January 24, 2021

Talk delivered on February 15, 2020. Organized loosely around exploring the relationship between the Cascadian bioregion as it intersects with Zen ideas, practices, and aesthetics, Seattle University hosted a diverse group of writers interested in exploring the question of “What is Cascadian Zen?” through their poetic and/or philosophical writing.

Lyric World: Shin Yu Pai with Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma and Melanie Noel

January 30, 2020

How can poetry expand our understanding of civic life? Poet and former Town Hall Artist-In-Residence Shin Yu Pai invites us to the first of her Lyric World discussions, exploring the role of poetry as it stokes our curiosity and gives voice and attention to the human experience.

Joining in conversation with Seattle-based poet Melanie Noel, Pruiksma illuminates the ways that different languages alternately obscure or reveal truth. Together they ask us to suspend our judgement and embrace the not-knowing that defines these art forms.

Before their discussion, experience a performance by kora player and griot-trained jeli Ibrahim Arsalan. In West African society, the jeli preserved ancient stories and traditions through song, throughout the generations. They are believed to have deep connections to spiritual, social, and political powers.

Lyric World: Conversations with Contemporary Poets

November 30, 2019

I’m deeply honored to help inaugurate Lyric World: Conversations with Contemporary Poets, a new event series sponsored by Town Hall and curated by Shin Yu Pai.

On January 30, 2020, I’ll be reading and speaking about poetry and wonder. Jali Ibrahim Arsalan will also perform West African kora music and the poet Melanie Noel will facilitate an on-stage conversation.

Learn More and Buy Tickets

Kai Curry of the Northwest Asian Weekly recently featured the series in an article:

“Town Hall Seattle and KUOW series highlights AAPI poets”

The Seattle Review of Books also featured the event on their website:

Literary Event of the Week: Lyric World at Town Hall Seattle

And Paul Nelson of Seattle Poetics LAB recently interviewed me and curator Shin Yu Pai. You can read the interview in the South Seattle Emerald:

Shin Yu Pai’s Poetry Series Gets a Dose of Magic With Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma

You can watch a video of the interview here:

Fly Like the Wind (Reprise) & Finale

January 13, 2019

The finale from A Thousand Thanks: The Gift of Sadako and Her Cranes.