author, poet, teacher, and performer
Readings, Productions, Performances
I’m deeply honored to be participating in the 11th World Tamil Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on July 21-23, 2023, in which I’ll be speaking about my English translation of the Kural: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural.
Watch on YouTube and turn on the captions for an English translation of this greeting in Tamil.
I invite you to learn more about my translation of the Kural as well as my translation of Avvaiyar, issued in a second edition in 2022 by Red Hen Press.
I was delighted to speak about the beauty in and of the Kural for the first anniversary of the National Library Board’s Tamil Cholai in Singapore.
Here are a few pictures! Click on the images to see them at full size.
I was delighted to get to visit the Umar Pulavar Tamil Language Centre and speak with students about the Kural during my recent stay in Singapore for the 2023 Tamil Language Festival.
Here are a few pictures! Click on the images to see them at full size.
For people who know Tamil, here’s a 2-minute glimpse into my recent appearance in Singapore for the 2023 Tamil Language Festival.
Click on the image below or visit: https://seithi.mediacorp.sg/singapore/japanese-american-speaks-tamil-660941
I’m very excited to announce my upcoming online course on the Kural, Taller Than A Mountain.
It starts May 18, with a bonus class on May 4 for people who register early.
Among my guest teachers I’m honored to include Andrew Harvey, Bob Thurman, and Perumal Murugan.
The course is being offered at a price that you set yourself as a way to practice one of the Kural’s key teachings: honoring what fits each person, place, and situation.
Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll answer this question from a few different angles.
One of the groups it’s most definitely for are people who want to enjoy and learn from the poetry of a great teacher such as Tiruvalluvar but who sometimes find poetry intimidating, complicated, or just plain confusing.
For instance, I was having coffee the other day with a friend, and he said to me:
“I’ve been reading the Kural, and enjoying it, too. But while there are some verses that make so much sense to me immediately, there are others that I’m not sure what to make of. I never felt comfortable with poetry in school, but I know it’s something that people sometimes find deeply meaningful. I’d love to be able to see that for myself.”
As I said to my friend, not only is the course for people who are uncertain about poetry, I myself was like that for a very long time.
That’s why I’m all the more excited to share some of things that have helped me personally to experience poetry with greater ease, understanding, and delight.
If this sounds at all intriguing, please do take a peek!
