Purple Phoenix

A grotto of purple and snowy white petals
An ancient theatre of angelic dancers
held together in prayer
A phoenix rising

PhotoPoem by Akiba & Maryam Mermey Copyright © 2020

Maryam Mermey
The Transformative Arts
PhD, REAT, Founding Executive Director
Maine, USA

Dr. Maryam Mermey is a trauma-informed, Registered Expressive Arts Therapist and the Founding Executive Director of The Transformative Arts. The Transformative Arts is presently focused on offering international trainings on the healing benefits of the integration of dance, haiku poetry, nature photography and music for counselors/therapists, educators, health care professionals and medical professionals. As an expressive arts artist, Maryam publishes haiku with the “Blithe Spirit” "Presence” and “The Bamboo Hut” Journals and received a commendation in the 2022 Martin Lucas Award Contest.

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The Spring 2025 Edition of the Wales Haiku Journal is live! We are ever so grateful for the Issaesque presentation of the haiku worlds offered within The Wales Haiku Journal Spring Edition!! The editors, Joe Woodhouse & C.X. Turner keep out doing themselves 🤩 Akiba & I greatly appreciate the generosity of the editors' hearts & spirits in artistically bringing together a growing number of haiku moments from across the globe!! We appreciate the Spring 2025 Edition of the Wales Haiku Journal for holding this concentration & gracing us with sharing a haiga on p.100.

As part of the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association, 16th International Conference: Passport to Transformation: The Expressive Arts as Doorways to Healing, The Theatre of Haiku presentation workshop opens doorways into the poetry within us wherein lies healing, wholeness, joy & self~love. Participants are introduced to the nature of haiku & compose individual and group haiku called linked verse, which are acted out and recited/sung with the help of colored, silk scarves. Embodying haiku through theatre is a passport to the transformation of the ordinary into the extraordinary. ‘A haiku is a moment in eternity… It is momentous, momentary, a butterfly that vanishes into summer breeze on wings of reality.’ AA Marcoff, “Time Haiku 60” August 2024 A choice of instrumental music is also offered to stir the colors of the soul.

The Theatre of Haiku concludes with a discussion of applications with individual clients and therapy groups.

Date & Time: Saturday, June 21st from 1:30pm ~ 2:50pm
Place: Endicott College, Beverly, MA ~ VPAC Gallery