Leaves of language

I am a born-and-bred South African writer, journalist and editor living and working in Cape Town. I’ve worked and work in advertising, on newspapers and their websites, and in television. My editorial work includes academic writing, books, and sustainability reporting for Incite Sustainability, where I am an associate. As a journalist, I have a special interest in social justice, HIV and environmental issues.

You will have noted that this is not a conventional, frequently updated blog. That can be found here.

The name of this blog is taken from an article written by Daisaku Ikeda in the Japan Times (‘Restoring our connections with the world’, Oct 12, 2006): ‘Our planet is scarred and damaged, its life-systems threatened with collapse. We must shade and protect Earth with “leaves of language” arising from the depths of life. Modern civilization will be healthy only when the poetic spirit regains its rightful place.’

Ikeda’s article begins with a discussion of the Manyoshu (‘A Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves’), the oldest (1300 years) surviving collection of Japanese poems.

– David Le Page