Encore
Classic Articles & Interviews about Haibun and Tanka Prose
In this issue we include:
Make Haibun New through the Chinese Poetic Past
Basho’s Transformation of Haikai Prose
by Chen-ou Liu
An exploration into how “Basho re-established and refined a mixed genre of verse and prose called haibun (haikai prose), which is exemplified, through his incorporation and recontextualization of the Chinese poetic past in his masterpiece, The Narrow Road to the Interior.”
Selections from Previous Issues
Looking and Seeing: How Haiga Works
by Jim Kacian
An article about the history and current practices and variety of English haiga. (Issue 18.1)
On Haiga
by Ron C. Moss.
A video interview of cho haiga editor Ron C. Moss by Michael Rehling. Ron offers his thoughts about the form and examples of his work, including his experiments with video haiga. (Issue 18.1)
“Toward a Theory and Practice of Tanka-Prose“
by Charles D. Tarlton
A look at the problem of tanka-prose from the limited perspectives of 1) the nature of the prose passage, the prosaic part; 2) the tanka or verse, the lyrical or rhapsodic portion; and 3) the two in tandem, the dialectical transformation that elevates the prose and the tanka to a new level of perception. (Issue 17.3)
“Twenty Five Selections of Tanka Prose & an Editor’s Thoughts about Tanka Prose.“
by Bob Lucky
TP or not TP? there will always be aesthetic questions about what comprises a good tanka and what exactly the prose is supposed to be doing. In the end, a tanka prose piece that connects to readers, however it may do so, will serve as a guide to other writers. Here are 25 guides. (Issue 17.3)
“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.