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
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
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
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
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