Encore
Classic Articles about Haibun and Tanka Prose
Have you wondered about how haibun differs from its close cousin, tanka prose? If you search the Internet for definitions of haibun and tanka prose, you’ll find the usual (not-very-helpful) structural definitions: haibun contains prose plus one or more haiku (1-, 2- or 3-line poems of 17 or fewer syllables) and tanka prose, prose plus one or more tanka (most often presented in 5 lines and 31 or fewer syllables).
With that information in mind, you might be tempted to say to yourself, “Why not try tanka prose. I get two more lines and a bit more freedom to express my poetic impulses.” Of course, there’s a lot more to haiku, tanka, haibun, and tanka prose than their structures. So before you step into the tanka prose pond, it’s useful to study the form and read “good” examples to gain an understanding about how tanka prose differs from haibun. These two articles selected for this issue (plus “The Segue in Tanka Prose” by Jeffrey Woodward, which appeared in cho 17.2) are aimed at helping you do just that.
Ray Rasmussen, Encore Editor
Selections for Issue 17.3
“Toward a Theory and Practice of Tanka-Prose“
by Charles D. Tarlton
“Twenty Five Selections of Tanka Prose & an Editor’s Thoughts about Tanka Prose.“
by Bob Lucky
Selections from Previous Issues
“Saying Less to Mean More”
by Lew Watts
Watts reminds us that we write, not for ourselves, but for others and that sentimentality and obscurity can be turnoffs for readers. (Issue 17.2)
“The Segue in Tanka Prose“
by Jeffrey Woodward
Woodward, one of tanka prose’s best known poets, explores how the writer secures a good transition from one mode of writing (prose) to the other (the tanka, or in the case of haibun, the haiku). (Issue 17.2)
“What Haibun Poets Can Learn from Non-haikai Western Poetry Practices”
by J. Zimmerman
Zimmerman points out that other English-language genres— short stories, memoirs, personal essays, etc.—employ useful composition practices that can enhance the quality of our haibun and tanka prose. (Issue 17.1)
“More than the Sum of Its Parts: Explorations in Contemporary English-language Haibun” by Rich Youmans
Youmans offers a brief review of the history of haibun and tanka prose and addresses a central issue: the relationship of the poem (haiku or tanka) to the prose. (Issue 17.1)
“Some Personal Ideas about Writing Haibun” by David Cobb
Cobb, a master of English-language haibun, raises a number of key issues in composing haibun and tanka prose, and also addresses some “haibun myths.” (Issue 16.3)
Why Encore?
We’re returning to the stage “classic” English-language haibun and tanka prose articles, all previously published, for a repeat performance.
Over the last two decades, since the beginning of the big surge in haibun’s and tanka prose’s growth, a number of online journals, print magazines, and books that carry articles have disappeared—no longer be found on the Internet, purchased, or located in libraries.
During the same two decades, the number of writers and readers of haibun has dramatically increased. I estimate that of writers appearing in today’s cho, about 50% weren’t writing a decade ago, and about 90% weren’t writing two decades ago.
So it’s likely that many of you, particularly those new to these genres, have never seen articles that can help you grow in your writing and appreciation of haibun and tanka prose. We believe that these articles, our critical literature, are useful to writers and editors alike in shaping our writing and informing our understanding of what English-language haibun and tanka prose are—how they differ from similar genres like memoirs, personal essays, and short fiction, as well as from their ancestors in the Japanese literature.
Our aim in Encore is to bring what our editors consider to be the best of these lost or difficult-to-find articles back on stage for another performance.
To suggest future Encore articles, contact Ray here.