In challenging times like these, renshi is an ideal medium for collecting individual expressions of our shared experiences. And so, with our fearless coach Jean Toyama at the helm to inspire us, we began a new renshi project based on daily life in Hawai‘i during COVID-19. Instead of a collection of linear linked poetry, the “linking” for this project is more organic, branching out or branching in as people are inspired by the closing words and phrases of each other’s poems.

We’ve never used the Padlet platform before so it’s a bit of an experiment but the results so far have been entertaining, thought provoking, and heartening. You can visit our Pandemic Renshi page on the Padlet website here, or scroll through the poems in the interactive box below. Feel free to add a poem as well (you’ll need a Padlet account). Be sure to follow us on social media for announcements and updates about future renshi projects on this site.

Made with Padlet