419F Fall 2026 How a Trip to Japan Inspired the Poet in Me

Traveling to a new place can change your perspective and your life. Such was the case when the instructor, a music teacher, took her first trip to Japan and became completely fascinated with the novel sights, the unique culture, and the charm of the people. Inspired to begin an intense study of Japanese classical literature after returning home, she immersed herself in the works of the most famous Japanese poets, especially Matsuo Basho. This led her to her own poetic experiments and ultimately a book of haiku, illustrated by Berkeley, California artist, Janine Johnson (101 Haiku: A Journey Through the Seasons). This class will follow the author's journey: her experiences in Japan, and how the study of its arts, culture, aesthetics, literature, and religion became a springboard into a new appreciation of poetry, as well as a new way of experiencing life.

Dr. Vera Kochanowsky is an early music specialist, harpsichordist, teacher, and author residing in Falls Church, Virginia. She has performed in OLLI's Meet the Artist series and offered OLLI lectures about her two previous books, Lenin, Hitler, and Me and Anna and Boris: The Love Letters (1944-1946). 101 Haiku is her first book of poetry.