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…I have been posting short essays about syllabics in English. One thing I've been pulling together is the observation of the position women have had in opening up English poetry to a syllabic, as opposed to an accentual, approach. So far this has just been a series of observations: Adelaide Crapsey was the first, as far as I can tell, to make the explicit connection between the large proportion of single syllable words in English and the possibility of adopting a syllabic approach to poetry. As far as I know her Cinquain is the first syllabic form offered. I think of her as the Grandmother of English Syllabic Verse. Elizabeth Daryush was the first to write sonnets syllabically, deliberately ignoring accentual structures such as feet and iambics. She was influenced by her father in this regard, but she greatly simplified his approach and Elizabeth's approach was more centered on how a poem sounds; her father had a very eccentric view which could count consonant clusters as "syllables". Elizabeth relied on her ear. I also think she was the first to point out that certain English syllables could be either one or two syllables depending on context; words like "fire" or "steel" and other diphthongs. Etheree Armstrong, aka Etheree Armstrong Taylor, developed a syllabic form, called the Etheree, which is simplicity itself. A ten line form that simply follows the numerical sequence; that is to say 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10. There's something kind of charming about that.
In contrast, men who have developed syllabic forms tend to evolve more complex structures (I include myself here). The Tetractys, a five line form offered by British poet Ray Stebbing, with syllables of 1-2-3-4-10, is one I really like, but its structure isn't simple and there is a hidden Pythagorean element to it. What I mean by "simple" is that with a form like the cinquain or etheree the syllable count is very easy to remember and keep in mind. With other forms, like the Detracts, I find I often have to write in the margin the syllable count for the line as the poem progresses because it doesn't automatically come to mind. Crapsey and Armstrong seem to have found syllabic structures that are embedded in our minds so that they are second nature.
Also, men who write syllabically, like Thom Gunn or Dylan Thomas (at times) tend to write with a form that is not what I call "strict". Crapsey's and Armstrong's forms have fixed limits, meaning they are a certain number of lines. When Gunn or Thomas wrote syllabically they tended to write in ways that did not have a fixed number of lines; that is to say their syllabic poetry isn't form specific or identifiable as a specific form. (There might be an exception or two for some of Gunn's sonnets.) I have noticed that this seems typical of male poets approach to syllabics; they don't seem attracted, by and large, to the stricter formal requirements of a cinquain or etheree. Obviously this isn't universal. I'm speaking in generalities. I am wondering if you have any thoughts about this. So far I haven't been able to draw conclusions regarding these observations, but I have the feeling, the intuition, that there's something here worth investigating further. Your feedback would be appreciated. Thanks, Jim Wilson
… maybe I can take this opportunity to ask you for your thoughts on "humorous tanka" or "kyoka." I'm writing an article on this for Ribbons. It was inspired by Alexis Rotella's Lip Prints. I was really inspired by this book, because it seemed to give everyone permission to say whatever they wanted about anyone by writing tanka, no matter how critical. I've been wondering about this, and where one should draw the line. Years ago, Sanford told me that he only senryued himself, so I thought it was therefore wrong to write critical tanka about others, particularly family and friends. I emailed Alexis about this and she thought that we – particularly women –should not hold things in and should feel free to express them. She also said that we should look to the ancient Japanese masters, who she believes were adept at this. What's your take on this, if you don't mind my asking.
one Ken
three Barbies
even in the toy world
so much frustrated
longing
Angela Leuck
On Sun, Feb 21, 2010 at 1:40 PM, Jane Reichhold <jane@ahapoetry.com wrote:
Dear Angela,. . .I am not the person you need to hear from unless you wish to hear the reverse of all you are working on for the article. But, for some reason, here you and I are walking along this path for a few moments on a nearly-spring morning, and you have asked. I do not feel we need another Japanese word for tanka. Tanka is form and the form remains basically the same no matter what the subject matter of the poem.
We all, each in our own way, will pour into the mold our thoughts and feelings for others to behold {the operative words are be – hold; now there is a subject to be explored!}. From a reading of translations of Japanese tanka, we can discover the form has already held a wide range of opinions and feelings from petty snits about others (Izumi Shikibu) to the deepest feelings of spirit (Murasaki Shikibu).
As borrowers of this genre and form, we only think we can add something new because we do not adequately know or understand everything about it. However, in reality, we do add, like small crumbs, our thoughts to giant meal of poetry. Whether we bring a homemade cake or Cheetos is determined by the lives we have lived up until the moment of writing the poem. Do poets set out to write something called ‘kyoka’ or do they just write about what they are feeling or thinking? Aren’t these names something to applied to already written poems? That then is the work of the compilers anthologies and not to poets. Why categorize and departmentalize your feelings when the important thing is to find a form that contains and carries them to the best ability. However, having said that, I am glad you found something that opens you up for more and deeper expressions of your own poetry. Blessed be!
. . .was browsing your AHA poetry page and came across your page on blogs. i thought i would share with you the link to the tanka blog i started this year.
http://carmellajb.wordpress.com/ enjoy, carmella
From Marco Fraticelli
. . .I hope you're doing well. It's been a year since I've been in touch. I got caught up in a multitude of other things that somehow derailed me from 'aha moments' that writing haiku again has been quite a struggle.
I haven't failed to read through the current issues though and I listened to Jane's talk.
But here I am again, submitting what have come in spurts. A few are old lines that came back refreshed when I rewrote them. I write my drafts in a personal blog I titled journals at <http://www.jornales.wordpress.com/www.jornales.wordpress.comand get a few visitors. I've attempted tanka in Iluko as well. Yes, I've gone further in writing with my native tongue and two of my poems have since been published in the Bannawag, the vernacular magazine I read as a child!But I look up to LYNX as my 'poeticspring'--that which nourishes me when my spirit dries up and though I don't sign up on my visits to the aha poetry site and merely leave my footprint in numerals, I do come by frequently. And perhaps this is why, on rare aha moments, a haiku still surfaces.I hope this rather thin 'harvest' will interest you.Best regards, Alegria Imperial
. . .Thanks for reviewing Ion Codrescu's waiting in silence. As the book's publisher I am perfectly happy with any mention of any of my publications, as it is any reviewer's privilege to say whatever he or she feels is in place. It's a privilege I cherish highly, being a book reviewer myself. So if I do feel I have to argue one of the points you make, it is not as the book's publisher, but mainly as a haiku lover. I am referring to your rearranging the order of the lines in the 'cumulus cloud' haiku. When I read that poem I start by seeing a cumulus cloud in the sky, followed by the image of a spreading ink blot on an art student's paper – and lo! it's shaped just like that cumulus cloud high in the sky! The haiku in my view, is about the similarity and yet difference of things. It reminds me of one by Basho, when he is struck by the similarity of the full moon and the cut of a sawn down tree. Your rearrangement of the lines in my view reduces a multi layered poem to a non dimensional riddle (a word you use yourself), loosing much of the poetry in the act. Personally I am convinced the essence of haiku is not in its shape. Like you I do have a certain preference for a short-long-short form of a haiku, but if the poetry is served by a deviation from that concept, the deviation is what the poet should go for.
No big detail. We all have our own ideas and opinions. That's part of the fun and there is room for all – as long as the acceptance of different views is mutual. We should only beware of those who claim to own the absolute truth. Best to you and Werner, Max Verhart
. . .Thank you very much for your book review published in Lynx. I am so glad to find out that my latest book Waiting In Silence arrived to you before your birthday: January 18th. Many happy returns of the day! Thank you again for your haiku friendship and your kind words in the book review. My best wishes to Werner too. In haiku spirit, Ion Codrescue
CONTESTS
California Haiku Poets, Central Valley announces their annual Haibun Contest. They specialize in haibun and are excellent writers. This is a great contest to enter.
For more on Central Valley Haiku go www.hsa-haiku.org click on the US map, then click on California. Also please visit Central Valley's web site: www.valleyhaiku.org.
Cheers :-) Linda Galloway HSA CA Regional Co-ordinator
The Land of Fifty Years Haiku Contest
Sponsor: Gualala Arts
Deadline: In-hand by November 1, 2010.
Purpose: In April 2011, for Poetry Month and in celebration of the 50th year anniversary of Gualala Arts, is planned the publication of a book titled, The Land of Fifty Years. It will be a haiku book that continues the series of the previous books – The Land of Six Seasons and The Land of Seven Realms. Winning haiku from this contest will be included in the book The Land of Fifty Years.
Subject Matter: The haiku must be about art, artists, Gualala Arts Center, life and scenes of the coastal areas of Sonoma and Mendocino Counties.
Eligibility: Open to the public.
Submissions: Haiku entered into the contest must be original and unpublished. The haiku should be without titles, in lower case, and in English. The haiku should not be longer than 17 syllables and may be shorter. There is no limit to the number of submissions. There are two methods of submission.
Digital Submissions: Send all the haiku you are submitting in one e-mail to haiku_contest@GualalaArts.org. Please sign each haiku with your real name. There is no entry fee for digital submissions.
Postal Submissions: Submit two copies of your haiku on a sheet containing your name and address along with a dollar entry fee for each haiku or five haiku for $3. Entry fees can be paid in cash or check to Gualala Arts. Please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for contest results.
Prizes: Winning haiku will be published in the book Land of Fifty Years. A grand prize of $100 will be awarded to the best haiku. For winning authors there will be a special discount on the published book.
Correspondence: No entries will be returned. Please note that postal entries without SASE, insufficient postage, or entries that fail to adhere to contest rules will be disqualified.
Send entries to: Haiku Contest, Gualala Arts Center, P.O. Box 244, Gualala, CA 95445
or haiku_contest@GualalaArts.org
Copies of The Land of Seven Realms can be obtained from Gualala Arts Center, The Dolphin, The Four-Eyed Frog Book Store in Gualala or Amazon.com
The Jerry Kilbride Memorial 2010 English-Language Haibun Contest
Sponsor: Central Valley Haiku Club
Deadline: In hand by October 1, 2010
Submissions: All entries must be unpublished, not under consideration elsewhere, and in English. No limit to the number or length of any submissions. Submit three copies of each haibun, two (2) copies without author information attached for anonymous judging, one (1) copy with author’s name, address, phone number and e-mail address for notification purposes. A first prize of $100 and a second prize of $50 will be awarded. Honorable mention certificates also will be given. Winning entries will be published in an upcoming CVHC chapbook and will be available at the CVHC website.. The entry fee $5 (US) per haibun should be paid by check and made out to: Mark Hollingsworth (CVHC Treasurer).
Eligibility: Open to the public; CVHC officers are not eligible.
Correspondence: No entries will be returned. Send business-sized SASE for a list of the winning entries. Please note that entries without SASE, insufficient postage, or that fail to adhere to contest rules will be disqualified.
Judges: Will not be disclosed until the contest winner has been decided.
Send entries to: Yvonne Cabalona, 709 Auburn Street, Modesto, CA 95350-6079.
PUBLICATIONS
Roadrunner X:1 has now been retrofitted with MASKS III
http://www.roadrunnerjournal.net/ MASKS is a zine of haiku pen-names (haigō)
Dear haiku friend,
In the second half of May 2010 the first issue of the bilingual (Dutch/English) haiku journal Whirligig will be published.
Objective
With Whirligig it is our intention to exchange haiku between the Dutch language area and the rest of the world. This will work in two ways:
* Through English translations of original Dutch-language haiku, interested people elsewhere will become acquainted with haiku written in the Netherlands and Flanders.
* Through Dutch translations of haiku originally written in other languages, interested people in the Netherlands and Flanders will become acquainted with haiku written in these other languages. (If the original language is not English, the original version may also be presented in addition to an English and a Dutch translation.)
The name
* Whirligig is the English name for the small water beetle Gyrinus natans, the Dutch name of which is schrijvertje or schrijverke (literally: ‘little writer’).
Practical details
* Whirligig will be published twice a year: in May and November.
* The scope will be about 60 pages per issue, the size being A5 (15 x 21 cm). Every volume will be produced as a book, including a title on the spine. The cover will be in full color.
* The annual subscription rate, including postage, will be:
For subscribers in the Netherlands: € 17,50
For subscribers elsewhere in Europe: € 21,50 (GB £19,00) (standard mail)
For subscribers outside of Europe: € 26,00 (US $ 35,00)
* The price per single copy, including postage, will be:
Within the Netherlands: € 9,50
Elsewhere within Europe: € 11,50 (GB £10,00) (standard mail)
Outside of Europe: € 15,00 (US $ 20,00)
* Payments can be made either by bank (Netherlands and Euro countries), through PayPal or in cash (all other countries). Further details will be sent along with the first issue.
Compilation and editing
* The content will consist mainly of haiku (including senryu) and short haibun. In addition, new publications will be noted. No, or almost no, essays or reflective texts will be included.
* In compiling Whirligig both old and new material will be used. Texts therefore will be drawn from earlier publications, while new and unpublished poems will also be included.
* To obtain as yet unpublished work the editor(s) will actively contact haiku poets.
* In compiling the journal and in translating the poems, editor Max Verhart has obtained the assistance of Klaus-Dieter Wirth (Germany), Norman Darlington (Ireland) and Marlène Buitelaar (Netherlands), all of whom have an above standard command of Dutch and English, besides which several other languages are covered by this team.
Submissions
* Unsolicited work may be submitted for publication, to be considered by the editor(s). However, no correspondence will be entered into concerning such submissions.
* It is not necessary to be a subscriber to submit material. However, when unsolicited work by a non-subscriber is published, the author will be expected to buy at least one copy of the issue in which it appears.
Submissions and subscriptions to be sent to:
By email: max@verhart.org
By snailmail: Whirligig
p.a. Max Verhart
Meester Spoermekerlaan 30
NL-5237 JZ Den Bosch
Netherlands
It’s possible to subscribe from this moment on!
With the subscription please add the postal address where Whirligig should be sent.
Forwarding this mail to other potentially interested parties is highly appreciated.Kind regards, Max Verhart
Liebe Haikufreunde, dear haiku-friends … die Monatsbeiträge April 2010 auf wortART sind online: the monthly highlights on wortArt - April 2010 - are online:
In memoriam Helmut Gabler - haiku
Anne-Dore & Wolfgang Beutke - haiga
sincerely yours, Ramona Linke
the fib review
Issue # 6
at
www.musepiepress.com
This issue features some outstanding Fibonacci poetry from new poets to award-winning poets. It has a diverse and rich blend of Fibonacci poems of varying lengths and shapes that represent works from the international community of poets of Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the US, and the UK. Submissions for Issue # 7, due to be posted in August 2010, are now being accepted. Please send your submissions to musepiepress@aol.com. Be sure to put “For the Fib Review” in the subject line.
30th Anniversary of Muse-Pie Press
1980-2010
www.musepiepress.com
THE INAUGURAL ISSUE OF
SHOT GLASS JOURNAL
Our new online poetry journal for short poetry
EDITED BY MARY-JANE GRANDINETTI
This inaugural issue features an international collection of poetry from widely published poets to first-time published poets who have submitted their work from Australia, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the UK, and the US. The wide range of poems includes Free Verse poetry and poetic forms such as Cinquain, Rondolet, Sijo, Tanka, Triolet and Zen poetry.
The new issue of CHO is now released.
Ray Rasmussen, Managing Editor, CHO
http://contemporaryhaibunonline.com/
Hello Sketchbook Friends and Readers, The new issue of Sketchbook, Vol. 5, No. 2, March / April 2010 is now on line. Home page: http://poetrywriting.org , Special Feature: Celebrate Mother’s Day Poems, March / April Flowers Haiku Thread, March / April spring rain Kukai Thread. In the next issue, Vol. 5, No. 3, May / June 2010:
May / June 2010 morning breeze Kukai:
May / June 2010 beach Haiku Thread
Celebrate Independence Days Around the World ( in USA, July 4)
The Editors – Karina Klesko, US and John Daleiden –extend a thank you to all the writers who participate in Sketchbook features. We also invite our Friends and Readers to participate in Sketchbook activities.
Update on moonbathing a journal of women's tanka
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: Moonbathing will feature only women poets. Send a maximum of five (5) tanka per submission period. Submission deadlines: Fall/Winter Issue: In-hand Deadline: November 1st. Fall/winter or non-seasonal themes only.No previously published tanka or simultaneous submissions; no tanka that has been posted on-line, whether on a personal website/blog or on a tanka discussion group; and no publicly workshopped tanka will be considered or accepted.Send your tanka in the body of an email to: Pamela A. Babusci: moongate44(at)gmail(dot)com please no attachments. E-mail submissions ONLY.
Subscriptions: $10 for one year (two issues) U.S. and Canada; $5 for one copy (includes postage). International: $14 U.S. dollars. These subscription prices will increase for issues three and four due to the cost of printing and S&H. Make checks—or send cash or international money orders—payable to Pamela A. Babusci to: Moonbathing Editor, 150 Milford Street Apt. 13 14515-1810 USA
Atlas Poetica : A Journal of Poetry of Place in Contemporary Tanka is proud to reveal the second installment of the ‘Special Features’ section of its redesigned website. The new website, designed by Alex von Vaupel, Technical Director for Atlas Poetica, hosts information about the journal, submission guidelines, ordering information, sample issues, and the new Special Features section. It is located at <http://AtlasPoetica.org.
Atlas Poetica is an international tanka journal that publishes tanka literature in many languages. However, it can be difficult for readers and poets to find venues to enjoy tanka featuring different languages and cultures. Therefore, Atlas Poetica has established the Special Features section to focus on different aspects of the international tanka community while leading up to a special edition of the journal itself. ATPO 7 (Autumn, 2010) will feature tanka in translation from around the world.
The current Special Feature is ‘25 Canadian Tanka Poets in French and English’ edited by Aurora Antonovic and translated by Mike Montreuil and Huguette Ducharme. It includes a brief introduction to the history of tanka in Canada and biographies of the poets. Poets in the collection are varied—some are residents of Canada without being citizens while others are Canadian citizens who reside elsewhere. Each poem appears in either French or English with its translation below it.
The premier Special Feature was ‘25 Romanian Tanka Poets’ edited by Magdalena Dale with an introduction by Vasile Moldovan. Two more special features are slated for presentation on an irregular schedule, including ‘25 New Zealand Tanka Poets’ edited by Patricia Prime which will appear in the first week of June, and ‘25 Poems on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Themes’ to appear later in the summer or early autumn and edited by Alex von Vaupel.
Anyone interested in being a Guest Editor for a Special Feature at the Atlas Poetica website will find guidelines on Special Features home page below the Atlas butterfly that is the symbol of the journal. Anyone interested in being a Guest Editor should familiarize themselves with the project by reading the Special Features section and also sample issues of the journal archived on the site. Atlas Poetica’s Special Features are published on an irregular schedule. Contact:M. Kei, publisher and editor Keibooks @ gmail.com
Since April there is a new website in German at: http://www.haikuscope.de/ lead by Hubertus Thum, Gerd Börner, and Michael Denhoff. Each week one haiku is published alone on the page. Contact: Hubertus Thum,Hasenwinkel 7, 30890 Barsinghausen, hubertus.thum [at] web.de or Gerd Börner, Brahmsstraße 17, 12203 Berlin, gerdboerner [at] gmx.net; or Michael Denhoff, Greifswalder Weg 57, 53119 Bonn, michael [at] denhoff.de . I loved finding haiku set to music by M. Denhoff that I could download and give a try on my flute!
GROUPS
Artists Anne-Marie Culhane and Jo Salter with Finn standing with the Full Bloom Renga Platform installation crafted by Jo Salter from reclaimed wood in Cotehele Old Orchard in Cothele, Cornwall, UK.
The platform was the place that the Full Bloom Renga took place on and around with Paul Conneally as master poet and John Hall as host poet.
http://www.orchardnetwork.org.uk/renga/
At the dedication of the DePrima Terrace at Gualala Arts Center on April 18, instead of simply reading the haiku of Margaret DePrima a “Haiku Performance” was written by Jane Reichhold. It was performed by Sita Milchev, Lucienne, Alyse, and Davina Allen using English handbells. Hearing voices of three generations of women hidden (at first) in the redwood forest, calling out the authors names and speaking the haiku among bell tones, was very impressive. The readers ended up on the stage with Margaret reciting her haiku as finale. In addition to the haiku written by Margaret, which had been in The Land of Seven Realms, were haiku by Rosemond Gumpert, Mickey Chalfin, vincent tripi, Bambi Walker, Werner Reichhold, Elaine Sherlund, Caroline Sutherland and Jane Reichhold.
Mayor Benj Thomas opening the the 8th Annual ukiaHaiku Festival held in the Ukiah Civic Cnter to award the prizes to over sixty haiku writers from grade schools to the young old. The festival has grown from having 300 entries from locals in 2001 to 2,362 this year from 10 states, eight countries, and four continents. This year, for the first time, haiku in Spanish had its own categories and prizes and the category earlier known as the Contemporary was renamed the Jane Reichhold International Haiku Prize. You can read the winning poems at: http://www.ukiahaiku.org/pdf/haiku2010_w_Cvr_b.pdf
The festival is sponsored by the city of Ukiah and members of the Poet Laureate Committee headed by the current Poet Laureate – Theresa Whitehill.
Photo credits: Kate Marianchild |
