THREE SIMPLES LINES
Natalie Goldberg will read from her latest book Three Simple Lines: A Writer’s Pilgrimage into the Heart and Homeland of Haiku in a virtual event on Tuesday, February 2, 2021. The reading will be hosted by Sarah Cyr and Dudley’s Bookshop Cafe.
“This is a book about haiku as a practice, as a Way in the world,” Goldberg writes, “encouraging waking up to the most ordinary moments of human life — an insect on your chair, the hands of a clock, the splash of a frog. Haiku is the poetry of poetry, before you form ideas and hopes and dreams.”
In repeated trips to Japan from her home in the American Southwest, Goldberg takes us to the beginnings of this great endeavor — highlighting the history of the form that dates back to the seventeenth century. She shows why masters such as Basho and Issa are so revered, discovers Chiyo-ni (an important woman haiku master), provides insight into writing and reading haiku, and beautifully describes her travels to the homes of the haiku masters.
Haiku is a secret love of many. Three Simple Lines is a soothing balm and a surprise for people you’d never think had the inclination. Reading and writing haiku in this hard time is both a solace and redemption from our pain and suffering.
Natalie Goldberg is the author of fifteen books, including classic bestseller Writing Down the Bones, which has changed the way writing is taught in the United States. She has also written the beloved memoir Long Quiet Highway; the novel Banana Rose; Living Color, about her painting; and her legacy book, The True Secret of Writing. She has taught writing as a practice for the past forty-five years nationally and internationally. She lives in northern New Mexico.
TO REGISTER FOR THE READING
The virtual reading is free and will take place at 6 PM PST on Tuesday, February 2, 2021. Goldberg will read passages from Three Simple Lines and answer questions from the audience.
RSVP below and receive the Zoom link for the event.