About Clear and Bright
April 6 - 21
First Pentad, April 6 - 10
Second Pentad, April 11 - 15
Third Pentad, April 16 - 25
In April, we begin to feel the triumph of spring. The full, glorious sunshine of the season falls upon us, and though we may still get some of the classic “April showers,” they are often followed by rainbows. This aptly-named season is a time of clarity and brightness: not just good weather, but the sight of flowers “springing” forth, brightens our freshly awakened landscapes. There are now no more lingering thoughts of winter, as we are surrounded by birdsong, blossoms, and life flourishing all around us. We feel the potential of the year growing before us. It’s a good time for new beginnings: the first episode of the Season by Season podcast ever aired covered the season of “Clear & Bright.”
Clear and Bright
Podcast Episode
In this episode, Alexis and Kit celebrate the season known as "Clear and Bright," discuss seasonal keywords known as kigo, and share the joys of the beginning of spring around the world.
Click here for poems & songs featured in this episode.
Words of the Season
In the Sky
Storms
Haze
Sunlight
Larks
Cherry Blossoms
Robins
In the Ground
Daffodils
Peas
Violets
Pink Phlox
Frogs
In Our Lives
Easter
Qingming
Recommended
Reading
Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa reminds us of the sweetness of a life lived by listening and looking closely.
An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro. Although not set in this season, this book feels decidedly like a hazy spring day spent looking back at the past with an eye towards the horizon and the dawn of a new day.