Words I Couldn't Stop

The collection "Words I Couldn't Stop" is the first of two collections of Joyce Shintani's poetry. It contains her early and middle poems: lyrical, pastoral, sensorial; reflections on otherness, religion, love and nature. Partly autobiographical, the poems are characterized by delicacy and vulnerability but can also deliver a punch. Formally, they range from short haiku-like verses to longer poems; rhythms vary from strict meter to free verse. The poems hold a tense balance between structural lightness and tough messages.

Joyce Shintani, born in 1953 in California, is the author of two poetry collections, short stories, as well as musicological texts. "Papyri and Tatami" won first prize in the Swabian Literature contest; "The Philosopher and the Kimono" won second prize from Autorenhaus in Berlin (both in German).

She is currently finishing the novel Paris Choice about the adventures of a fictional protagonist, Juni Shimata. The novel is based on her own experiences as conductor of contemporary music in Vienna, New York, Los Angeles, Paris, at the Stuttgart Opera, and elsewhere. She ended her music career as docent at the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design. www.junishimata.com