Old Blog Closed, Please Refer to AtlasPoetica.org

The revamp of the Atlas Poetica website and blog is complete and supersedes all material on this site. This site remains purely for archival purposes, and will eventually be removed. Thank you all who followed Atlas Poetica at this location, but please change your bookmarks to: AtlasPoetica.org

M. Kei
Editor, Atlas Poetica

New Blog Coming

The new website located at http://AtlasPoetica.org will incorporate a blog feature where future updates will be posted. This blog will shortly be closed. The archive will be maintained indefinitely, but all readers should direct their attention to the new website and blog.

Thank you for being a loyal reader of Atlas Poetica and I look forward to learning more about our poetic world as ATPO embarks on its third year of on-time publication.

~K~

M. Kei
Editor, Atlas Poetica : A Journal of Poetry of Place in Contemporary Tanka

Press Release: ATPO 5 Published, New Website Unveiled, Special Features Coming Soon

PRESS RELEASE - Please share with all appropriate venues

ATLAS POETICA 5 : A JOURNAL OF POETRY OF PLACE IN CONTEMPORARY TANKA PUBLISHED - NEW WEBSITE UNVEILED - SPECIAL FEATURES COMING SOON

15 March 2010 - Perryville, Maryland, USA

Keibooks is pleased to announce the publication of Atlas Poetica : A Journal of Contemporary Tanka, issue 5 (Spring, 2010) and the unveiling of its new website, AtlasPoetica.org. Atlas Poetica, edited by M. Kei, is published in print and digital formats, both available through the new website, . ATPO contains 72 pages of poetic content in a large, 8.5 x 11 inch format to accommodate individual tanka, tanka prose, tanka sequences, book reviews, articles, and international resources. Print ISSN is 1939-6465 and the digital ISSN is 1945-8908.

ATPO is the only tanka journal devoted exclusively to tanka poetry of place. It brings multiple language offerings from poets around the world together in each issue. It is also the only tanka journal that devotes itself to tanka literature in all its forms, including individual tanka, tanka sequences, tanka prose, shaped tanka, book reviews, articles, and international resources. ATPO seeks to publish all forms of tanka tradition and innovation from well-known and emerging poets and authors around the world. For full submission information, please visit the new website at: http://AtlasPoetica.org.

The Atlas Poetica website has been updated to facilitate the reading and buying of the journal and providing submission information for authors and poets, and also includes a Special Features section. This free to read section will showcase tanka from different communities around the world. The upcoming Special Features are ‘25 Romanian Tanka Poets, One Poem Each’ in English and Romanian edited by Magdalena Dale and Vasile Moldovan and ‘25 Canadian Tanka Poets in English and French’ edited by Aurora Antonovic. To receive announcements about the Special Features, readers should subscribe to Keibooks-Announce (at) googlegroups (dot) com.

ATPO is in the process of revamping its support for multiple languages on the website and updating its list of international resources. In addition, ATPO 7 will be a special issue dedicated to tanka in translation, information, and resources from around the world. Volunteer translators who would like to assist with the effort should contact Editor (at) AtlasPoetica (dot) org. Individuals and organizations who would like to be listed or to update their listing with ATPO should do contact the same address. Book notes of up to 200 words in any language will be published on a space available basis.

Keibooks-Announce (at) googlegroups (dot) com is an announcement-only email list maintained by Keibooks to provide information about Keibooks and its publisher, M. Kei. It post 0 - 4 announcements each month and does not forward from other sources. To join, visit: http://groups.google.com/group/Keibooks-Announce. Permission is granted to repost and/or forward Press Releases from Keibooks to all appropriate venues.

Atlas Poetica : A Journal of Poetry of Place in Contemporary Tanka is published by Keibooks (USA).

Keibooks
M. Kei, editor
P O Box 1118
Elkton, MD, 21922-1118
Keibooks (at) gmail (dot) com

Atlas Poetica web site: http://AtlasPoetica.org
Purchase Atlas Poetica at: http://Lulu.com/Keibooks

A New Era for Atlas Poetica

With this issue we open a new era for Atlas Poetica. For the first two years, Atlas Poetica was one many fine journals published by MET Press. However, last summer, circumstances required Denis M. Garrison, founder of MET Press, to reduce his workload. Several journals ceased publication. ATPO has moved to Keibooks and will be known as Atlas Poetica : A Journal of Poetry of Place in Contemporary Tanka to reflect that change.

The decision to move ATPO to my own small press, Keibooks, was both simple. ATPO is a unique journal in the field of tanka and has helped expand the poetic vocabulary, both in terms of subjects addressed and how they are addressed, bringing together works from poets and critics around the world.

Deliberately large format, ATPO is the only journal in existence which can publish epic tanka sequences, tanka prose, shaped tanka, book reviews, resources, announcements, non-fiction, and other material while still leaving plenty of room for individual tanka. Yet print provides a limited range of readership. Online journals develop readerships in the thousands; thus the decision had already been made to provide a free online version. ATPO will continue in digital and print versions.

Readers will find some minor changes in the print journal, but it will continue to offer the same great tanka poetry of place that is its hallmark. Most importantly, we are engaged in updating our international and multi-lingual services with the journal and website. Planned updates to all the international language blurbs are planned with expansion of international support.

Volunteer translators are sought to assist with increasing the number and quality of translations on the website. In addition, we are specifically seeking submissions in languages other than English for both poetry and articles. While we prefer that tanka be accompanied by English translation, we are able to provide translations from some languages (please inquire). We will publish announcements and articles in any language without translation. ATPO 7 (Autumn, 2010) will publish the international resources and multi-language blurbs, as well as tanka and articles in various languages. Please send your international materials!

One major change has occurred behind the scenes: I am pleased to welcome Alex von Vaupel as the technical director for ATPO. An excellent poet in his own right, Alex's assistance with the journal's cover, revamping the website, and related technical matters has been invaluable. In addition, Alex is a native Dutch speaker and professional translator who will be assisting with international outreach.

~K~

M. Kei
Editor, Atlas Poetica

ATPO 7 to feature International Tanka

Atlas Poetica 7, the Autumn 2010 issue, will have a special focus on tanka in translation from around the world. Poets are invited to subject tanka, kyoka, tanka sequences, tanka prose, shaped tanka, tanka acrostics, tanka book reviews, tanka articles, tanka interviews, and tanka resources in any languages. While poetry must be accompanied by an English translation, ATPO will published non-fiction, resources, and announcements in any language.

Atlas Poetica always welcomes international contributions and resources, but we are making a special effort to entirely fill ATPO 7 with international and translated works to focus attention on tanka in languages other than English and to promote improved communication among the various tanka communities of the world.

~K~

Atlas Poetica 5 Deadline Approaching

Atlas Poetica : A Journal of Poetry of Place will close to submissions on January 31, 2010 for issue 5. Poets who are planning to submit should get their tanka, tanka sequences, tanka prose, and articles in as soon as possible -- the interest is high and competition will be fierce for issue 5.

Planned topics include: Vacation/Recreation, Women, Rainy Weather, and Microtanka

As always, we are open to book reviews, articles, announcements, and other items. We also collect international tanka resources, book notes, and other items which are published on a space available basis.

Complete submission guidelines and a previous issue are available free online at: http://www.themetpress.com/atlaspoetica/masthead.html

Poets who are not familiar with tanka poetry of place are strongly encourage to read the sample issue carefully to understand what we seek.

Please note: Atlas Poetica was published by Modern English Tanka Press of Baltimore, Maryland, for the first four issues. Those issues will continue to be available for sale through themetpress.com. As of 1 January 20101, Atlas Poetica will be published by Keibooks of Perryville, Maryland. A new redesigned website will be announced soon and will be the 'one-stop' up to date location for all Atlas Poetica archives and current information. Atlas Poetica was formerly published two times a year, but starting in in 2010, will be published three times a year.

Atlas Poetica is pleased to welcome Alex von Vaupel as our new technical director. Alex is a fine tanka poet in his own right, and will be serving as webmaster of the revamped site and assisting in other matters.

A press release with full details will go out when the new site is ready.

~K~

Montserrat Review Honors Atlas Poetica 3

September 1, 2009 Perryville, MD

Montserrat Review, one of the most prestigious literary journals in America, published 'Best Reading' each spring and fall in which the Book Review Editor Grace Cavalieri presents her recommends for the best reading in a variety of categories. With fifty thousand literary journals publishing in North America, it is no small task to cull the best reading. The Best Reading for Fall 2009 honors six journals, including Atlas Poetica : A Journal of Poetry of Place in Modern English Tanka 3. ATPO is edited by M. Kei and features tanka, tanka prose, tanka sequences, and related non-fiction, such as international resources and book reviews.

Atlas Poetica is edited by M. Kei and beginning in 2010 is moving to a three times a year publication from its original twice a year schedule. 8.5" x 11" with full color covers drawn from the "Earth as Art" series sponsored by NASA and USGS, it publishes tanka poetry from around the world in English and other languages.

Grace Cavalieri is the host of the 'Poem and Poet' program at the Library of Congress, as well as having published fourteen books of poetry of her own. She has been honored with the Allen Ginsberg Poetry Award, The Corporation for Public Broadcasting Silver Medal, and many others.

To read the complete recommendations, visit the web page at

For further information about ATPO, visit the web site at . For interviews with M. Kei, contact AtlasPoetica (at) gmail (dot) com.

ATPO 3 : Twitterati, or Microblogging Tanka Poets

ATLAS POETICA 4 - Autumn, 2009

Twitterati, or Microblogging Tanka Poets

For the past year and a half, media descriptions of the opportunity to post updates such as, "Got up, made coffee, didn't get dressed," failed to illuminate why any sane person might want to make use of a microblogging service like Twitter. I dismissed it as yet another techno-toy of GenXers (or are we onto GenYers now?). I was quite surprised to stumble over a treasure trove of tanka within Twitter's archives.

People are tweeting tanka (and haiku and micropoetry) in great numbers on Twitter. While much of it is exactly what you would expect of poetry posted to a social media site, a surprising amount is good. Further, because each poet has 'followers' who often 'retweet' (repost) items they like, a good poem will be seen far beyond the poet's personal circle. As a result, each tanka poet has a readership larger than many tanka journals.

The thing that strikes me most about these poets is how they use tanka not as literature, but as communication. They talk to friends and strangers online and use tanka to illustrate something they have seen or experienced. They often accompany their tanka with images, links, and other items that provide context and amplify their conversation. Because their primary goal is to express themselves as effectively as possible, they have written eloquent, natural language poetry. That they have created literature is incidental; none of these poets had ever submitted tanka for publication in the print media and they were startled when I suggested that they should.

Thus, although Atlas Poetica normally seeks first world English-language rights for the tanka we publish, I am deliberately waiving that requirement in order to republish a number of fine 'Twitterati'—poets who have previously published tanka on Twitter and its ancillary services.

It is with great pleasure that I introduce you to Sean Greenlaw, Dirk Johnson, Marin Paul, Kris Lindbeck, and Alex von Vaupel. Sean Greenlaw, a mere stripling at only twenty-one, has already demonstrated a grasp of tanka that exceeds many poets twice his age and experience. Kris Lindbeck has turned her tanka eye on her home in Florida and rendered it as exotic as it is ordinary, while Marin Paul successfully blends classical sites with modern tanka in a voice that is uniquely her own. Dirk Johnson, a Buddhist, brings a quiet masculinity to the depictions of the redwood forests near his home in California while Alex von Vaupel's tanka are way stations in his travels between two countries.
If you have a Twitter account, I recommend you follow these fine poets.

~K~

M. Kei
Editor, Atlas Poetica
kujakupoet on Twitter

Taz and Yenisey Rivers, Siberia, Russia. Ice jams caused the Taz (left) and Yenisey (right) rivers to overflow their banks. Normally the rivers would appear as thin black lines. In this false color image, land is orange and sage, water is black, and clouds are white and pink.
Cover Image courtesy of Visible Earth by NASA .


TABLE OF CONTENTS
Editorial
Twitterati, or Microblogging Tanka Poets, M. Kei 7

Tanka in Sets and Sequences
Remembering My Father, Alexis Rotella 8
You Belong to Me, M. L. Harvey 9
Kyoko, Patricia Prime 10
Peregian, Mary Mageau 10
diary letter, stanley pelter 11
Minimalist Family Life, Sanford Goldstein 12
L'Aquila, Alexis Rotella 14
The Snowbirds Are Back! Bobbette A. Mason 15
Nine Car Pile Up, M. Kei 16
Mother's Day, Bobbette A. Mason 17
Stone Circles, Labrador, Claudia Coutu Radmore 18
One Morning in February, Bobbette A. Mason 19
Relic, Dru Philippou 20
Chinese Haircut, Bob Lucky 20
Bill, Abigail Greene 21
Society Archipelago, Cynthia Rowe 22
White Wind, Andrea Grillo 23
travelogue, John Samuel Tieman 23
North of Superior, Guy Simser 24
Andrew's Place, Abigail Greene 25
Crack of Dawn, Dru Philippou 26
Winter Rains, Gerry Jacobson 27
Allentown, Marylin Hazelton 27
Hunkies, Alexis Rotella 28
Bach at Piha, Patricia Prime 28
His Old Lake, Mike Montreuil 29
Moon, Marje A. Dyck 30
burnt images, Jo McInerney 31
Everybody Dies, Alexis Rotella 32
To Boldly Go, susan delphine
delaney 33
Confections, Tracy Royce 33
South of One Border or Another,
James Tipton 34
Clarity, Marje A. Dyck 35
Hatteras Island, Abigail Greene 35

Topical Tanka
Winter 36
Flowers and Gardens 37
Labor Day 38
Friends & Family 40

Individual Tanka 41

Book Reviews
Narrow Road to the Interior, by Kimiko
Hahn, reviewed by Brian Zimmer 60

Announcements 65

Biographies 69

Index 73

ATPO 3: You Can't Take a Bus Up a Cliff (reprint)

REPRINT


ATLAS POETICA 3 – SPRING 2009

You Can't Take a Bus Up a Cliff

Atlas Poetica : A Journal of Poetry of Place was founded to provide a home for tanka that could not easily be published in the mainstream journals. It publishes long, including extremely long sequences, tanka prose, multiple author works, experimental works, and content that demands more of the reader than the comfortable sentimentality the characterizes much of modern tanka in English.

Through the medium of place the poets in the current issue tackle difficult topics, such as war, crime, racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, poverty, environmentalism, adoption, and more. These are topics that make up only a small portion of the published ouvre of tanka in English, yet they are vitality important, bringing us some of the most wrenching and demanding works of literature in the canon.

In describing his military training during WWII when Americans are fighting to end Nazism, Sanford Goldstein is still frightened that his comrades in arms might "shoot this “dirty-jew” me." Ella Wagemakers presents the other side of Amsterdam's famed liberalism when she tells her children "the women are selling / beachwear and lingerie." Kirsty Karkow promises a friend afraid of HIV "to go with her / to the inner city clinic."

Yet amidst the terrors of the real world, there are pleasures and sustenance for the soul. John Daleiden celebrates "our burden lightened / my sisters and brothers" in honor of Junteenth, the anniversary of the emancipation of the slaves in the United States. Vasile Moldavan takes heart from the song of a cricket and begs his minister, "give up the vespers service [. . .] to listen to this cricket song." For Amelia Fielden "ten dolphins" become a nursery song right before her eyes.

The poets of Atlas Poetica call things by their real names. They write about real places, real events, real issues, real people. The poetic imagination is unleashed by the challenge of telling the unnoticed truth. Stereotypes and conventions, knee jerk reactions and travel guide advertisements do not do justice to the complexity of our lives or the places in which we live. By grappling with reality poets are forced to dig deep into themselves. They must bear witness to all that they have seen—for good or ill. The 'controlled ambiguity' that is a hallmark of tanka includes moral ambiguity. They reach deep into the human soul and pull out something of lasting value, something that inhabits the mysterious wilderness deep inside our hearts.

You cannot take a bus to scale the cliffs of history. You must pull yourself up with your own hands, bark your knees on the rocks, and take the risk of falling. The poets of Atlas Poetica have abandoned comfort in the quest for truth, and what they have discovered is wondrous, frightening, and inspiring.

~K~

M. Kei
Editor, Atlas Poetica

Gosses Bluff. 142 millions years ago an asteroid or comet slammed into what is now the Missionary Plains in Australia's Northern Territory, forming a crater 24 km in diameter and 5 km deep.
Cover Image courtesy of USGS National Center for EROS and NASA Landsat Project Science Office


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Editorial
You Can't Take a Bus Up a Cliff,
M. Kei 7

Tanka in Sets and Sequences
Old Memories in the Valley of the Sun,
John Daleiden 8
On the Beach, Marje A. Dyck 9
Sky Walker, Mary Mageau 9
Understanding the Patient,
Kirsty Karkow 10
The Black Straw Hat, Patricia Prime 11
generations, Owen Bullock 11
Vecernie / Vespers, Vasile Moldovan 12
war rubble, stanley pelter 13
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Paul Mercken 14
Midday Lunch, Michele L. Harvey 14
Seamen's Bethel, Jeffrey Woodward 15
Pre-Holocaust: Growing Up in
Cleveland, Sanford Goldstein 16
Along the Way, Bob Lucky 18
I Follow Your Course, Alexej von
Glasenapp 19
Winter in de Gambia / Winter in
Gambia, Paul Mercken 19
Middle Lake, Sasakatchewan, Angela
Leuck 20
Lost and Found, Terra Martin 21
Tor House, Jeffrey Woodward 22
Death in the Afternoon, Bob Lucky. 23
Imagining the Space, Owen Bullock 23
Gippsland waters, Jo McInerney 24
Lime Tree, Magdalena Dale 25
Legs of Invisible Desire, M. Kei 25
In de Oostertuin genietend van
chrysanten / Enjoying
Chrysanthemums in the Eastern
Garden, Paul Mercken 26
Entrance and Exit, Terra Martin 27
Rewinding Fort William,
Guy Simser 28
Short Flashbacks of a Long-Ago Trip to
The Philippines, Ella
Wagemakers 29
On a Beach at Polillo Island, Ella
Wagemakers 29
remembering Do's and Dont's,
stanley pelter 30
surviving the Shadow,
stanley pelter 31

Topical Tanka
War and Peace 32
Mourning 34
Urban 36
Summer 38

Individual Tanka 39

Book Reviews
Cicada Forest, by Mariko Kitakubo 59

Announcements 61

Biographies 70

Index 73

ATPO 2: The Autobiography of the World (reprint)

REPRINT

ATLAS POETICA 2 – AUTUMN 2008


The Autobiography of the World

The first issue of Atlas Poetica : A Journal of Poetry of Place in Modern English Tanka, was met with great appreciation. The result is a truly international journal that looks at the natural and cultural places of the human heart, finding significance in a blade of grass and the footsteps of actual people in our collective myths. If tanka is the autobiography of the poet as Takuboku and Goldstein teach, then poetry of place is the autobiography of the world itself.

We were gratified to receive many sets and sequences for the first issue. Atlas Poetica’s format was deliberately designed to permit the publication of sequences that were too long to publish in other venues, and we continue to welcome sequences of up to forty tanka in length, but prefer to be queried regarding longer sequences. We also received various works that include prose in various forms, whether in the form of classical headnotes, annotations, or fully developed prose with tanka in the haibun tradition.

We think the form of prose with tanka will prove fertile, for this is one of the most ancient methods by which tanka was published: as diary entries, embedded in letters and composed in celebration of various occasions. We believe that tanka’s accessibility is directly related to the conversational way in which it was classically used, and that now more than ever, human beings need to speak to one another—not with the rants and shrills that are the usual public discourse, but with eloquence and grace.

By speaking about their experiences of place, the poets of Atlas Poetica have touched on many deeper issues: the value of the natural environment, the importance of our communities, the travails of the modern world, and the everlasting love of beauty that may be the only true definition of civilization. The appreciation of beauty is not a luxury and not a fascination with superficial features, but the ability to peer into the details of existence and find joy. Nowhere is this more important than when burdened with the devastations that humans wreak on each other and the environment.

Our first issue published content in twelve languages, and we welcome and encourage international and indigenous contributions to the ‘autobiography of the world.’ We continue to seek and encourage translations into additional languages and bilingual presentations of international tanka with the native and English versions as co-equals. We also welcome articles, book reviews and essays addressing various elements of poetry of place in tanka in English or bilingual editions, as well as announcements, resources, and book notes in any language (no English translation required).

~K~

M. Kei
Editor, Atlas Poetica

"Image courtesy of USGS National Center for EROS and NASA Landsat Project Science Office"

Issue Notes:




TABLE OF CONTENTS


Editorial

The Autobiography of the World, M. Kei 7

Tanka in Sets and Sequences 8

The Road of the Wagemakers Family, Ella Wagemakers 8

On Guam, Norla M. Antinoro 9

The Empire Chest of Drawers, Abigail Greene 10

Looking for a House, Ella Wagemakers 11

The Red Divide, M. Kei 12

Garden of Stone, Jim Doss 14

Singing Silence, James Rohrer 15

Taupiri Mountain, Patricia Prime 15

All Clear, Patrica Prime 16

Still No Rain, Amelia Fielden 16

Port Phillip fragments, Jo McInernery 17

Tree of Life, James Toupin 18

Another Spring, Marje A. Dyck 19

Along the California Coast, Deborah Kolodji 20

Elvis, Alexis Rotella 22

Tanka Triptych, Sanford Goldstein 23

Drugs, Hooch, and Mobile Phones, Paul Mercken 26

New York Matinee, Paul Mercken 26

Holbeck Hill, Liam Wilkinson 27

Something About This Light, Owen Bullock & André Surridge 28

Tirohanga, Patricia Prime & Catherine Mair 29

The Philippines, Robert Wilson 30

Doing Time, shanna baldwin moore 31

Libya, Denis M. Garrison 31

Topical Tanka 32

The Good Earth 32

Autumn 34

Individual Tanka 35

Announcements 56

19th Int'l Tanka Splendor Award 56

Take Five : Best Contemporary Tanka 57

First Int'l Erotica Tanka Contest 58

Way Back Home 58

Moonset 58

Cigarettes Butts and Lilacs 59

Slow Motion 59

International News & Resources 61

Biographies, Issues 1 & 2 65

Index 71

ATPO 1: Earth as Poetry (reprint)

REPRINT


ATLAS POETICA 1 – SPRING 2008


Earth as Poetry

Welcome to the premiere edition of Atlas Poetica: A Journal of Poetry of Place in Modern English Tanka! New from Modern English Tanka Press, the Atlas strives to bring a new level of innovation, artistry, and appreciation to poetry of place in the tanka form.

A 'place' is not just any geographic place, but a place imbued with meaning. It is a combination of physical features (both natural and manmade) and significance perceived by humans and other creatures. Some places are grand and well-known while others are intimate, personal and experienced only by the poet. All of these special places are important because of the transformation of perception that they grant to the sensitive mind.

'Place' is therefore a locus of the natural and human worlds, the mediator between 'outer space' that contains all that the senses can perceive and 'inner space' which is the realm of the mind. It is the delicate zone through which all life moves. It forms a very thin veneer on the earth’s surface and is fragile, precious, and infinitely variable. It is the place of maps and mysteries, of exploration, discoveries, and disasters. It is the known world and the deep sea; it is the place of security, danger, and dreams.

It is the place where poetry is born and written, and it is the place we invoke when we chant the names of the world. It is an incantation that raises our souls to communion with something larger than ourselves, a place in which we are born, live, and die, our existence becoming part of that place and so immortal, just as that place becomes part of us and so mortal and perishable. Poetry is its natural voice, the song that sings through the ages when the place itself has vanished or been transformed beyond recognition. Poetry is the amber in which the places of the past are preserved.

The advent of space flight has erased boundaries and provided new ways to see our Earth, and so the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and NASA have teemed up to create an online image gallery entitled, "Our Earth as Art." It is from this gallery that our cover photo is taken. That image is not abstract art nor a marbled paper, but a picture of the Anti-Atlas Mountains in southern Morocco as seen by satellite. All future covers of Atlas Poetica will also be drawn from "Our Earth As Art," showcasing different places around the world.

With the launching of Atlas Poetica we invite all readers to see the places of the world through the eyes of poets and to find in poetry the maps that lead them to explore the multitude of meanings manifest in their own special places.

~K~

M. Kei
Editor, Atlas Poetica

"Image courtesy of USGS National Center for EROS and NASA Landsat Project Science Office"

Issue Notes:




TABLE OF CONTENTS



7 Editorial, Earth as Poetry, M. Kei

64 A Brief Statement on Tanka Definitions, M. Kei



8-34 Tanka in Sets and Sequences



8 holy ground, Sanford Goldstein

12 Geriatric Tanka, Barbara A. Taylor

12 This Is the Path, Ella Wagemakers

13 Europe, Alexis Rotella

14 Joyous Lake, Gary LeBel

17 once upon a time, Jamila

17 Manhattans on the Mountain Top, Barbara A. Taylor

18 Ireland, Abigail Greene

19 Tanka Za Connie / Tanka for Connie, Žarko Milenić

20 Three in Autumn, Miriam Sagan

20 Fighting Cloud Women, Barbara A. Taylor

21 Islands in the Chesapeake, M. Kei

22 North of Superior, M. Kei

22 The First People, James Rohrer

23 the old pa, Bernard Gadd

24 The Morning Market, James Rohrer

24 In Ma-Tzu's Court, James Rohrer

25 Closing the Circle, Guy Simser

25 Back and Forth, Guy Simser

26 Winterside, Liam Wilkinson

27 Wien / Vienna, Franz Prietler

28 Dracula între mit şi realitate / Dracula between myth and reality, Magdalena Dale

29 Vechea Temniţă / The Old Prison, Vasile Moldovan

29 The Shape of the Cliff, Megan Arkenberg

30 Round Faces & Nesting Dolls, an’ya and Alexis Rotella



38 Topical Tanka

38 Spring

39 Book Shopping

40 Birds & Butterflies

41 Down to the Sea

43 Dinner & Drinks



44-64 Individual Tanka



65 Announcements

65 Book Note: Heron Sea

66 Obituary: Bernard Gadd



67 International News & Resources

67 Nederlands

67 Deutsch

67 Español

68 Română

68 Hrvatski

68 Magyar

68 Suomeksi

69 Svenska

69 Ελληνικά

70 Русский



71 Index

Submission Guidelines

Atlas Poetica Home

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Atlas Poetica : A Journal of Poetry of Place in Modern English Tanka

These submission guidelines were revised on Sat, 06 Jun 2009 03:14:18 GMT

SEND ALL SUBMISSIONS TO: AtlasPoetica (at) gmail (dot) com

SUBMISSIONS SCHEDULE
#5, Spring 2010 – Submit Nov 15, 2009 - Jan 31, 2010. Publishes March 15, 2010.
#6, Summer 2010 – Submit March 15 - May 31, 2010. Publishes July 15, 2010.
#7, Autumn 2010 – Submit July 15 - Oct. 31, 2010. Publishes Nov. 15, 2010.

Submissions do not close before the announced date. However, we always recommend submitting earlier rather than later. Since we respond promptly, this gives the poet a chance to take editorial feedback into consideration and resubmit. Submissions made before the reading window will be held and not responded to until the regular time. Submissions will be considered for the current issue only and not be held over for the following issue.

EDITORIAL POLICY Please read carefully.

Atlas Poetica [ISSN 1939-6465] is a literary journal published three times a year in an 8.5" x 11" perfect bound print version, e-book version, and online on the World Wide Web. It is dedicated to publishing and promoting fine tanka poetry of place (including tanka written in variant forms). Issues 1-4 are available from . Starting with 5, issues will be available from .

ATLAS POETICA'S SELECTION CRITERIA:

We are interested in both traditional and innovative verse of high quality and in all serious attempts to assimilate the best of the Japanese waka/tanka/kyoka genres into a continuously developing English short verse tradition.

Our touchstone is tanka, but we will accept sets and sequences in which tanka is the basic unit of organization, but which may include verses in other forms, including haiku, cherita, couplets, monostiches, sonnets, quatrains, prose, etc. Thus a Wilsonian sequence, a tanka sequence with a haiku as an envoy, a sequence in which sonnets alternate with tanka, or a haibun in which the verse portion is a tanka are some possible examples. We also accept one line, two line, three line, and other non-standard lineation in tanka.

We also accept 'visual tanka' in which special formatting contributes to the work. Such visual layouts are limited to a maximum of two side by side 8.5 x11 inch pages. We do not accept illustrated tanka. We do accept tanka in international alphabets; however, we may require your assistance in handling non-European fonts. Due to incompatibilities between computer systems, formatting does not always survive, therefore your submission should include both a plain text version and along with the specially formatted version. Intelligible submissions will be rejected. DO NOT SEND ATTACHMENTS unless requested. Even specially formatted submissions must be contained in the body of the email.

We accept multi-author works if the submitting author includes a statement of permission from the other author(s) designating him/her as their authorized agent with regard to the work. The publisher, editor, and other staff are obliged only to notify the designated agent. It is the agent's responsibility to convey information to the poet(s) s/he represents. Works which depend on another author's works, such as 'found tanka,' must either be accompanied by the original author's permission, or constitute 'fair use' as designated in the laws of the United States and the treaties regarding copyright to which it is party. When any doubt arises, our publisher takes a strict view of copyright matters and will not publish any questionable work.

We will NOT publish single poems which are not tanka, waka, kyoka, or one of their recognized variants (cinquains, etc). We accept all forms from microtanka to sanjuichi to SLSLL to free style tanka. Do NOT send renga/renku that would be welcome by mainstream haiku magazines; we are seeking new ground in tanka sets and sequences.

We are not a mainstream tanka journal. Our reason for existence is tanka poetry of place. Therefore, place information must accompany every poem submitted. If no place information is supplied, the author's place of residence will be assumed to be the place for each poem accepted. We will publish short notes on a space available basis; the author should consider turning long notes into a work of tanka prose. Poems which are generic in location are not wanted; poems that evoke a strong sense of place, whether it be 'kitchen' or 'The Grand Canyon' are what we seek.

Atlas Poetica is a poetic atlas of the tanka world. Therefore, we are very open to work in other languages from poets around the world. We especially seek tanka which reflect the human and natural landscape and believe that through the specific details of place and event a universal insight can be gained. However, not all details will be grasped by all readers, so brief glosses should be supplied where necessary.

We do not normally publish poems that have been previously published. However, exceptions may be granted for poems previously published in a language other than English, or in a venue not regularly read by our audience. All such submissions must be accompanied by complete information regarding their previous publication. All exceptions are at the sole discretion of the editor.

Serious poetry and adult themes are appreciated. Doggerel and anything that is pornographic or in any way nasty, hateful, or bigoted will not be accepted. All such judgments will be made at the sole discretion of the editor.

SUMMARY OF SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Atlas Poetica welcomes previously unpublished tanka/waka/kyoka, either single poems or sets and sequences, single author or multi-author. We welcome international submissions, but require that poems written in languages other than English be accompanied by an English translation. In addition, we will NOT accept poems that are English translations only, the original poem in its original language must be included. The submitter, by virtue of submitting works to Atlas Poetica, certifies that he or she is the authorized agent of both author(s) and translator(s).

BOOK REVIEWS AND NOTES: Atlas Poetica cannot guarantee that we will review unsolicited books sent in for review; we may choose to review such an unsolicited book or not. All books received, solicited or unsolicited, will not be returned, whether reviewed or not. Book reviewers will receive a biographical entry on the Contributors page. We publish "Book Notes" and announcements at our sole discretion. (Haiku-only announcements will not be published.) If you wish to submit a fully written Book Note (300 words maximum) along with a copy of the book, we will consider publishing it; no guarantees. No biographical entry is published with a Book Note. For both book reviews and notes/announcements, we will publish only those which have some relevance to the scope of Atlas Poetica, i. e., tanka poetry of place.

ARTICLES AND ESSAYS: Atlas Poetica is interested in serious articles and essays of interest to our target audience, which is to say, readers of tanka poetry of place. Any length, up to chapter length, may be acceptable, with a target range of 500 - 5000 words. We are very sensitive to even the appearance of copyright infringement, so be certain that you have and provide any necessary permissions for works quoted in an article or essay. [USA copyright information] We may solicit articles and essays, but we are also glad to receive them after queries or even over the transom. We seek to promote the assimilation of the best of the Japanese waka/tanka/kyoka genres into a continuously developing English short verse tradition.

The criteria for publication of articles and essays are that the topic be of interest to our readers, that the author(s) have something fresh to say, and that the article or essay be well written, and that it in some way connect to tanka poetry of place. We are interested in items of various levels of expertise and scholarship and do not expect all items to be written at the same technical level.

We do NOT exclude good articles simply because they propose an idea with which we do not agree. We do NOT exclude good articles simply because the author is someone not in favor with us, with readers, or with the tanka community in general. We do NOT publish inferior articles on the basis of their agreement with our various positions on relevant matters, and we do NOT publish articles simply because they are by well-known names. In short, the publication of articles and essays is decided according to our editorial criteria. Concomitantly, publication of any article or essay in Atlas Poetica cannot reasonably, and should not be, taken as Atlas Poetica's or Modern English Tanka Press' endorsement of the propositions and ideas contained therein. We publish, as we are able, multiple viewpoints of important poetry of place tanka questions and issues.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Letters to the editor of Atlas Poetica are welcome and may be published in the currently open issue. Please put "LETTER TO THE EDITOR" on the subject line of your email to distinguish letters intended for publication from other correspondence. You letter may be edited for grammar, spelling, or brevity.

NO GRAPHIC ART: Atlas Poetica does not publish unsolicited graphics of any kind.

NO SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS: Please do not submit anything on offer anywhere else. Generally speaking, you will have an initial response within one month, and will know if your work is not being accepted at that time. You will receive final notice when the selection for the issue is complete. However, due to the exigencies of publishing, until the issue actually goes to print, there is no guarantee. It is rare, but sometimes necessary, to make last minute cuts.

NOT PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED: We primarily seek to publish fine tanka/waka/kyoka that have not been previously published. Each poet is personally responsible for noting in the submission any previous publication of any submitted work. We, of course, reserve the discretion to select previously published work of extraordinary merit from time to time. However, our preference is always for previously unseen work. By 'previously published', we mean work available in a public forum, such as works posted to blogs and websites, including those workshops which make their archives available to the public. Materials shared in closed sessions, such as email workshops whose archives can only be accessed by members, are considered unpublished.

PLEASE NOTE: This is an edited review. We DO NOT publish everything that is submitted to us. We reserve the right to exercise editorial discretion in ALL cases. If, for any reason, you cannot cope with rejection, better not to make submissions. We use only a portion of the submissions that we receive. There are plenty of other websites which are unedited and where you can post your poems with no editorial interference if that is what you seek. Occasionally, we may want to offer some editorial comment, assistance, guidance, etc., in which case, we will respond to your submission before publication. You always have the right to decline to make any changes suggested, and we have the right to decline to publish the work if it does not meet our criteria. You will always receive an explicit response from us indicating that your work is being accepted, declined, or held for further review. In the event you make multiple submissions, we will respond to each submission individually. Thus, if you submit A and B to us, and we decline A, that means only that we have declined A. You will receive a response to B when we make our decision. Not all decisions are made at the same time. The editor has a full time job and a family, so works on the journal as time is available. IF YOUR EMAIL DOESN’T WORK, then you will not receive your notification. Likewise, if your spam filter/security software rejects our email, you will not receive our notices. We will attempt an alternative email if we have it, but it is up to you to maintain an open line of communication with us.

HOW TO SUBMIT FOR ATLAS POETICA: You may submit up to forty tanka/waka/kyoka at one time. We may publish as few as 1 or 2 poems or a larger number. Please do NOT send us works that are still in progress. We will also consider sequences and sets of up to forty poems. We will consider multi-author works, provided all other criteria have been met, plus the submitting author(s) certifies that they are authorized to act as the agent for the other authors. Please clearly indicate which part is authored by which person. Please send us polished works, error-free. Make your submission by sending your poems in to Atlas Poetica in the body of an email. Do NOT send any attachments. Emails with attachments will be deleted. If you need clarification, or have a special situation you want to discuss, please feel free to write to the Editor at AtlasPoetica (at) gmail (dot) com.

RIGHTS SOUGHT: We seek first world English rights, including print, digital, and online versions, plus the right to reprint the work in our compilations and archives. Poems published in another language are eligible if accompanied by English translation. If we discover that the work has been previously published or submitted simultaneously, we will reject it. Errors happen, and we appreciate being notified when they do. However, a submitter who develops a record of failing to respect our submissions policy runs the risk of not being published with us at all. There are many fine poets who understand the importance of editorial guidelines and are happy to comply with them.

We have an exclusive right to publish your poem from the time you submit it until ninety days after the print edition becomes available. At that time, all rights revert to the author(s) and are free to be submitted elsewhere. In the event that a poem previously published by Atlas Poetica is reprinted elsewhere, we expect a credit to be given, e.g. “First published in Atlas Poetica [#], [year].” If you wish to republish the poem during our period of exclusivity, you need our permission. However, once our period of exclusivity has expired, you are free to publish it anywhere you like and do not need our permission and do not need to notify us. Poets are encouraged to purchase the issue in which their work was published, but it is not a requirement for publication.

WHAT TO SUBMIT: We need the following information: 1. Your name as you wish it to appear in the journal. 2. Your email address. 3. An alternative email if you have one. 4. Biographical sketch (100words max., written in the third person), including your location: your city, State/Province, and country (the minimum information acceptable is your country; the rest is optional). We reserve the right to edit biographies for length, grammar, or any other reason. 5. If you are younger than 16 years of age, tell us so that we may comply with the U.S.A. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (the COPPA applies to children under 13; our minimum age limit is 16 as a matter of editorial policy). 6. The submission itself, including location information for each poem.

NOTE: You must be 16 or older to submit anything to our journal. If you are under 16, EXIT NOW !

EMAIL POLICY: We will not include any email address with your Contributor Note unless you specifically request it. If you want your email address to be published online and in the print and e-book editions, please say so in your submission email. No live links will be included in any case.

THERE IS NO PAYMENT FOR CONTRIBUTORS: No payment will be made. No contributor copies are furnished free. There will be no payment of any kind for accepted submissions for any issue of Atlas Poetica.

CONTRIBUTOR'S RESPONSIBILITIES
If you choose to submit any work(s) for publication in Atlas Poetica, please read and familiarize yourself with these Submission Guidelines, as well as our Copyright, Privacy, and Editorial Policies. By submitting any work(s) to Atlas Poetica, you are representing that you have the copyright to the work(s) or are the authorized agent, and you are permitting Atlas Poetica copyrights in accordance with the published Copyright Policy and Submission Guidelines of Atlas Poetica, and that you hold Atlas Poetica, its publisher, editor(s) and agents harmless in all respects from any copyright infringement caused by your submission.

Include this personal information with your email submission and send it to: AtlasPoetica (at) gmail (dot) com.

SUBJECT LINE: "Atlas Poetica submission - [Your Name]"

BODY OF EMAIL:

1. Name.
2. Email Address.
3. An alternative Email Address if you have one.
4. Bio sketch (75 words max.)
Include your residential location: [City, State/Province] Country.
We reserve the right to edit bios for length, grammar, or any other reason.
5. Age—check this box IF YOU ARE UNDER 16: [ ]—Younger than 16.
6. Submission: 1 to 40 poems, including location information.

Feel free to copy and paste the above list to your email, for convenience's sake. Just highlight the list, then hit EDIT and COPY; then send in an email to the SUBMISSIONS email address and, in the body of your email, hit EDIT and PASTE, and you will have the list to fill in. Add your poetry submission after your personal information WITHIN THE BODY OF THE EMAIL.

Copyright © 2009- by Keibooks; previous copyright: © 2007–2009 by MET Press (Modern English Tanka Press)

ATPO 4: Topical Tanka

Atlas Poetica : A Journal of Poetry of Place in Modern English Tanka is open to submissions from 1 March to 30 May, 2009. We solicit individual tanka, tanka sequences and sets, tanka prose, review, articles, announcements, and anything else relating to tanka poetry of place in traditional or innovative forms. We regret that we cannot publish illustrated tanka. A complete set of guidelines is available online at: AtlasPoetica.com. We strongly recommend reading the free sample issue (ATPO 3) located on the website if you are unfamiliar with tanka, poetry of place, or Atlas Poetica.

Atlas Poetica includes sections of topical tanka. For issue four we are seeking topical tanka on the subjects of :

flowers/gardens
winter
employment/labor
family

We accept tanka on all themes and topics at all times; the topical tanka are a special section within the journal.

Cordially,

M. Kei
Editor, Atlas Poetica : A Journal of Poetry of Place in Modern English Tanka

Atlas Poetica 3 Published

Atlas Poetica 3 published
Atlas Poetica 3 - Spring 2009 has been published in the print edition and is available now.

A call for submissions for Atlas Poetica 4 will be issued March 1st.

Call for Submissions — Reading Opens March 1, 2009

Call for Submissions — Reading Opens March 1, 2009

ATLAS POETICA:
A Journal of Poetry of Place in Modern English Tanka

ISSN 1939-6465

Issue 4, Autumn 2009


ATLAS POETICA : A Journal of Poetry of Place in Modern English Tanka is off to an excellent start, with #'s 1 & 2 available now. Number 3 goes on sale March 1, 2009. The journal will publish an 8.5" x 11" print format (and in PDF and HTML digital edition) of tanka/waka/kyoka and its variants, as well as tanka prose, sets and sequences, two times a year. All poems will be poetry of place, in other words, poetry in which the natural or cultural place plays a role. Atlas Poetica aims at poetry in which the external and internal environments are connected, and which shows the diversity of the natural world and human experience. Tanka in both traditional and innovative forms are welcome, as are submissions in languages other than English as long as they are accompanied by English translation. Poets should send up to 40 poems that have never been published and which are not on consideration elsewhere. Atlas Poetica has the capacity to publish sequences or prose work longer than 40 verses in length, but prefers to be queried first. Non-fiction articles, book reviews, announcements, and other articles of interest to the readers of tanka poetry of place are welcome. International announcements can be in any language and need not be accompanied by English translation. For complete guidelines, visit AtlasPoetica.com. Reading window for Atlas Poetica 4: 1 March - 30 June, 2009.

Atlas Poetica is edited by M. Kei, editor-in-chief of the anthology, Take Five : Best Contemporary Tanka(forthcoming), and showcases previously unpublished tanka in English and English translation from around the world. The Atlas welcomes individual tanka, sets and sequences, and tanka prose that are deeply steeped in the human and natural landscape, reflecting the particularities of life as it is lived in all its splendid interconnections. Atlas Poetica believes that diversity, locality, tradition, innovation, and a keen sense of the awareness of the web that binds the internal and external environments together is the essence from which poetry springs. It is by connecting with this place, this moment, and these experiences of life that we achieve deep insight and appreciation for ourselves, our neighbors, and our world. "Sense of place is not just something that people know and feel, it is something people do."—Albert Camus

Before submitting, please carefully read the complete guidelines which are available at www.atlaspoetica.com/submit.html along with information regarding rights sought, schedules, deadlines, and more. Submissions and inquiries may be sent to the editor at: submissions (at) AtlasPoetica (dot) com.

For further information contact:
M. Kei, Editor, Atlas Poetica
AtlasPoetica (at) gmail (dot) com
or visit: AtlasPoetica.com

Please share widely and forward to all appropriate forums.

M. Kei
Editor, Atlas Poetica: A Journal of Poetry of Place in Modern English Tanka
AtlasPoetica.com

Please forward to any interested parties.

Atlas Poetica 3 put to bed

Atlas Poetica : A Journal of Poetry of Place has been sent to the publisher. This issue is a good one -- technical problems transmitting work from a Mac to a PC to the printer have been resolved, so this issue looks the way I want it to look. The contents are marvelous, and include work in new directions and new poets.

New to ATPO is the work of Stanley Pelter, whose extremely modern, fragmentary, almost surreal style shows how the tanka form can evolve beyond its Japanese roots into a powerful medium for the expression of human lives. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Paul Mercken's tanka transcriptions of old Chinese poetry by Bai Juyi translated into Dutch by Prof. Idema, show how tanka is a form that can be used to understand the past and cross cultural barriers. Jo McInerney contributes a Wilsonian sequence in which tanka and haiku alternate in the sonorous rhythms of life by the sea. Jeffrey Woodward's sea in 'Seamen's Bethel' mixes ruminations on Melville with his steps through an old church in a New England port.

Continuing developments of earlier issues, tanka poets address the places of their pasts. John Daleiden's 'Old Memories in the Valley of the Sun' traces a different kind of segregation: growing up black in a predominantly Hispanic town in the time when cotton was picked by hand, culminating in the celebration of Junteenth--the anniversary of the emancipation of the slaves. Kirsty Karkow, 'Understanding the Patient,' reflects on her days as a public health nurse in Baltimore. Amid the turmoil of modern life, there are still quiet voices heard and appreciated. In Romania, Vasile Moldovan listens to the voice of a cricket joining the Vesper service. Angela Leuck finds redemption or at least closure by visiting her hometown in Saskatchewan on a bitter winter's day.

Topical Tanka for the issue include 'War and Peace,' 'Mourning,' 'Urban,' and Summer.' The responses to the 'urban' category were numerous, and taps into an aspect of tanka which is important and voluminous, but which is often neglected in the journals. The dominant themes of tanka at the opening of the 21st century were nature and love, often with the former as a metaphor or symbol for the latter. Bucolic scenes and small intimacies and miniature betrayals were a literary fruit that did not drop far from the ancient waka tree. The Japanese of the classical period didn't want to hear about war and misery--they got enough of that in the news. It is precisely this genteel escapism that so appeals to many modern readers, but a poetry that excludes the harshness of the world will slowly become irrelevant, moribund, and no sort of literature at all. Such large topics are difficult to grasp, but the lens of place provides a way to focus on the details that reflect the larger realities. Tanka's ability to evoke the unsaid is perfectly matched to expressing what is too large for human expression.

ATPO 3 is the first issue that will appear in the triple format pioneered by our publisher: print, ebook, and online. It goes on sale March 1, 2009.

ATPO 3 closed to submissions

The third issue of Atlas Poetica : A Journal of Poetry of Place in Modern English Tanka closed to submissions at the end of November and the final selections are complete. The cover and editorial are posted on the website. Meanwhile, layout and technical work continues, and the galleyproof should be available in about two weeks for contributors to review.

All emails have been answered. However, over the summer a catastrophic computer failure caused the loss of some files. In addition, some poets who submitted work do not have valid emails and our emails to them bounced. Therefore we believe there is a small number of poets (1-3) who may not have received communications from us. If you submitted to Atlas Poetica but have not heard from us, please follow up with us from a valid email account.

This issue's cover features Gosses Bluff, Australia, and is from the Earth As Art collection by NASA from which we have drawn our other covers. "142 million years ago, an asteroid or comet slammed into what is now the Missionary Plains in Australia's Northern Territory, forming a crater 24 kilometers in diameter and 5 kilometers deep. Today, like a bull's eye, the circular ring of hills that defines Gosses Bluff stands as a stark reminder of the event."

Tanka in this issue includes our usual mixture of sequences, sets, tanka prose, individual tanka, and non-fiction. This time we have a book review of Kitakubo's Cicada Forest , and we invite reviews of other works of interest to tanka poetry of place, as well as non-fiction articles.

Topical tanka includes 'War and Peace,' 'Mourning,' 'Urban,' and 'Summer.' Planned topics for the next issue include 'Winter' and 'Kyoka' (humor, satire, parody).

As always we are on the lookout for innovative new uses of tanka in both form and content, and we believe this issue shows many promising avenues of development for tanka. We were especially pleased by the large number of urban tanka we received and the variety of issues addressed via tanka. Over the past twenty years, tanka of social protest/commentary have not been popular, and some people have even thought it is impossible to address such themes in a form as short as tanka, but as more poets become aware of the poetry of Japanese North Americans of the mid-20th century who often touched such issues, and have turned their hand to such topics with an increasingly sophisticated level of artistry.

A few samples follow:

in place of the fields
rows of red tiled rooftops—
a jammed-up freeway;
only the distant mountains,
stark, empty against the sky

~John Daleiden, from 'Old Memories in the Valley of the Sun'


all shadows lost
to the jailhouse lights
a watchman
gives up his search
for Orion's belt

~Kirsty Karkow, from 'Understanding the Patient'


midday lunch
in a bustling city park
below chinatown
between knotted roots
the dimpled dens of rats

~M. L. Harvey


naive in Cleveland,
I never once thought anyone
would say I killed Christ
until a soldier in my army platoon
bruised my ears on a full-pack march

~Sanford Goldstein, from 'Pre-Holocaust : Growing Up in Cleveland'


grain elevators
torn down   railway lines
abandoned
my inner landscape, too
has changed

~Angela Leuck, from 'Middle Lake, Saskatchewan'


if I work hard enough
I may give up
this broom
for a clip-board
& a lunch break

~Owen Bullock, 'Imagining the Space'


in the mud
next to the asphalt,
a broken doll’s head,
a crow pecking
at plastic eyes

~M. Kei, from 'Legs of Invisible Desire'


during WW1
German soldiers shelled
Reims Cathedral—
the roof caught fire and gargoyles
spat liquid lead

~André Surridge


old bible
recording generations
of births and deaths
mine was the first divorce
in our family . . .

~Peggy Heinrich


But where there is war, loss, and despair, there is also hope, humor, and help.

our burden lightened

my sisters and brothers—

junteenth

for some, the curious shackles

a bleak museum exhibit

~John Daleiden, from 'Old Memories in the Valley of the Sun'


the beach
has a story
that waves obliterate—
this fresh page
of shining sand

~Marjorie A. Dyck


the garbage truck
came early today—
angry monkeys
bang an empty can
and hiss at me

~Bob Lucky


ten dolphins
in a nursery rhyme
two leaping
three surfing the waves
five cruising further out

~Amelia Fielden


¿Café de Arbol—
quien necesita cielo
mientras hay todavía
meseras  hermosas
en este mundo? 

Coffee Tree Café—
who needs Heaven
while there are still
beautiful waitresses
in this world?

~James Tipton


while children play
my new friend whispers
fears of HIV
the promise to go with her
to the inner city clinic

~Kirsty Karkow, from 'Understanding the Patient'


First refrigerator—
neighbors come to visit
our Coldspot
as if it were
a sacred shrine.

~Alexis Rotella


just when
everyone seems to
want something from me
the branches are bare
on the beeches

~Owen Bullock


today I found
a pale blue egg
laying in the grass
I took it inside, kept it warm
and thought of second chances

~Trish Fong


bright blue cornflower
          tucked into his buttonhole
                   commuting to Wall Street
star sapphire cufflinks
          pawned for daily bread

~Bobbette A. Mason


road songs . . .
I used to hitchhike
to the city
the old house nothing
but a roof between rides

~Ella Wagemakers


autumn hunt:
way down there in the village
a sinner
enters the clapboard church:
God’s got binoculars too?

~Guy Simser

I hope you will enjoy the third issue of Atlas Poetica 3. It's a diverse, interesting, challenging, and rewarding issue. It was a great pleasure to put it together.

Cordially,

~K~

M. Kei
Editor

Atlas Poetica 3 - Reminder for Submissions

Atlas Poetica : A Journal of Poetry of Place is in the middle of its window for reviewing submissions for issue 3. The submission period is September 1 through 30 November. Any tanka, waka, kyoka, or related poems of place, including sequences, prose, non-fiction, announcements, international resources, and other materials are welcome. While there are no limits on the types or styles that may be submitted, the there is a preference for the sorts of works that are not often seen in other tanka journals. However, all submissions must be poetry of place, poetry that addresses the natural and human places we inhabit. (For further information, see the editorials at AtlasPoetica.com.)

In addition to being open to tanka poetry of place, the journal also seeks topical tanka. The current topics include 'Summer' and 'urban/suburban/the built environment,' and 'war and peace.' Summer is of course the usual seasonal poetry that is a staple of tanka literature, but the more specific the better. Urban/etc tanka are intended to counteract the usual trend to pastoralism in tanka by presenting tanka that directly engage the places in which most poets and readers live, work, and move. Tanka that address the issues of modern life, whether it be rush hour traffic, cell phones, or the upstairs neighbor, are welcome. Tanka of war and peace may present any viewpoint, whether it be an elegy for a fallen soldier, a protest against the war in Iraq, political satire, or any other treatment. ATPO does not censor, but it does require the works to be poetry, not mere polemics. No matter how passionate or sincere the sentiment, literature, by definition, lifts expression out of the ordinary.

As always we welcome international submissions. We present tanka in languages other than English accompanied by an English translation (and will consider multi-lingual translations on a space available basis.) We value tanka that express minority and indigenous experiences and which grapple with the difficult topics that human beings face and will continue to face as they move through the places of a highly varied world.

Starting with issue 3, Atlas Poetica will publish in print, e-book, and web forms. Our goal is to make the journal as widely available as is financially viable. Your submission indicates that you agree to these terms. To read the full terms and submission guidelines, please visit our web site at: AtlasPoetica.com.

Send all submissions to: submissions@AtlasPoetica.com

Thank you for the many kind responses we have received from our readers! We hope you continue to enjoy Atlas Poetica for many years to come.

~K~

M. Kei
Editor, Atlas Poetica

Atlas Poetica web site revamped

The revamp of the AtlasPoetica.com website is complete. Located at AtlasPoetica.com, the revamped website has been expanded to include an archive with past issues, updated submission and international information, and a new introduction by Editor M. Kei.

Atlas Poetica : A Journal of Poetry of Place in Modern English Tanka, is a biannual journal in a format of 8.5" by 11", with a full cover color. It features poetry in English and translation from around the world. Tanka poetry of place expands the self to include the community and the environment, both human and natural, through which the poet travels. Groups and places have their biographies; they are not static non-entities but profoundly important, affecting and effective boundaries of the poet's psyche. Whether contemplating subjects as diverse as n old chest of drawers or a Canadian waterfall, poets find connect, meaning, and significance in the previously unremarked proximities of our lives. Tanka poets of place are pushing tanka as a genre and poetry as a form into new territories.

Atlas Poetica 3 will be reading submissions until November 20, 2008. Full details are found on the website. A significant change from previous editions will be the production of e-books of moderate price, specifically intended to make Atlas Poetica more readily available in the international market. A free online version will also be published.

AtlasPoetica.com moving to new site

AtlasPoetica.com will be down for a short period while the site migrates to a new host server. It should be up again tomorrow (August 30). Sorry for any inconvenience. I hope you are all enjoying the new edition of ATPO 2.

~K~