Becomings

The collection "Becomings" is the second of two collections of Joyce Shintani's poetry. Written between 1983-2021, Shintani's central concerns are on full display: questions concerning identity, spirituality, creativity, and art. The collection reflects a lifetime of self-examination and experimentation. In these poems and fragments, Shintani explores how the self (and our multiple 'selves') creates and shapes itself through art, while also being shaped and created by the world. This is a collection as much about self-exploration and self-expression as it is about the material conditions of Los Angeles, Stuttgart, and Paris, the locations where these poems were written and that influenced Shintani as writer.

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 and has devoted herself since to writing. www.junishimata.com Website: www.junishimata.com