pi & anne

I have stumbled across Richard on social media (website with links), and I’m not even sure when and how, but when someone catches me enough to follow and continue to follow them, it means they share great stuff I enjoy and admire. Richard does so, and even more. His posts often show humour and dedication to the arts, may it be music, illustration, poetry.

I was even happier to find out he would publish a collection of haiku, and create the cover and inner illustrations himself! I attended his online book launch and reading, thoroughly impressed of his dedicated planning and presentation. Bravo! You can watch him reading some of his haiku here.

Richard’s Faunistics is a substantial, richly flavoured and layered trip via Haiku Express across all the continents of the world. I found myself loving it for all the reasons that might put you off at first glance, such as having to go very slowly and be inspired to look up the geography, flora and especially fauna of each place, but hear me out: with each continent you get animal companions on your journey, and these will not only stand by you, but offer you more: insight, emotional deepening, compassion and even joyful and quiet delight.

CHINA
same rock
different river
silver carp wake

NEW ZEALAND
new firefly wings…
the cosmos
beyond a glow worm

This book may be the usual size and thickness of a paperback, but you will possess a depth that you cannot comprehend from the outside. Illustrations done by the author himself invite you to sit with your animal companions even longer. A true 80-day tour around the world that I will gladly come back to and reread!