Lillianhowan - Lillian Howan

In Manoa Valley

Starfruit

Carambola

Teahupo’o, Tahiti

photo: Yune Leou-on

Three Dogs, atoll of Puka-Puka

photo: Francoise Holozet-Howan

many thanks to Algy and his assistant Jenny for their support!

When the Scotch mist came down during the winter months, the bare trees looked more beautiful than ever. Algy loved to sit and gaze at the wonderful maze of twisty branches silhouetted against the pale, hazy background, and study the rich pattern of lichens which would be hidden when the leaves returned. As he perched on a rock beneath the wet branches, he felt a constant soft drip, drip, dripping on his head, and remembered a haiku by Matsuo Bashō. Soon it would indeed be spring:

          Spring rain           conveyed under the trees           in drops.

This post is dedicated to Algy’s friend lillianhowan, who is currently setting up a new online literary magazine nimbuscat on Tumblr. The first issue, to be published this spring, will be devoted to writing on the subject of wood :)

[ Algy is quoting a haiku by the 17th century Japanese master Matsuo Bashō. ]

POLYNESIA: PARADISE LOST?

In this two-part feature, Lillian Howan, author of a powerful novel set in Tahiti, offers a revealing interview and a lyrical essay describing her cultural heritage, her creativity and her experie…

Thank you author & literary shaman Leslie Stuart Tate for interviewing me on my childhood in Tahiti and my novel The Charm Buyers, as well as chronic illness, and lupus. Thankful to Francoise Holozet-Howan for the spectacular photos - this interview begins with a translation of her message re why she shares these photos: to bring more awareness to the environmental vulnerability of these islands, on the frontlines of climate change.