A Long Girl Ago

Overview

The experience of leaving one’s regular life behind to explore a new culture is the focus of these profound poems. Drawing from three years spent living in a remote fishing village in Hokkaido, Japan, the poet recounts her experience teaching English in Japanese schools and partaking in such new hobbies as karaoke and snowboarding. Not simply about her experiences with foreign culture, some poems deal with the writer’s life before traveling as a contrast to the fresh new perspectives she acquires throughout her adventure.

Author Biography

Johanna Aitchison is a primary-school teacher and poet. Her poems have appeared in a variety of journals and literary magazines, including JAAM, Landfall, Poetry New Zealand, Polestar, Sport, and Turbine.