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Call for Submissions

Stacking Stones – short tanka sequences

Reading window: March 1 – April 30, 2018

Submission address: Keibooks at gmail dot com — include subject line “Stacking Stones sub : [your name]”

Keibooks will publish an anthology of short tanka sequences ranging in length from 2-13 tanka, or equivalent, edited by M. Kei. Wilsonian sequences that mix tanka with other forms, including tanka prose, are acceptable, as long as at least 50% of the content is tanka. Collaborative works by multiple authors are acceptable.

Tanka have been composed in sequences since the earliest day. Certain sequences, such as the 100 poem sequence, or the 1000 poem sequence, are well known. In English, numerous variations of short tanka sequences are published in most journals. Of these, the tanka pentaptych, made up of five tanka in sequence, are probably the best known, but tanka pairs, triptychs, and other lengths are published as well. Occasionally, sequences in the form of circles, crosses, or other shapes are published, but these are rare. All kinds of tanka sequences, including tan renga, are welcome.

POETS: Poets are invited to submit up to 40 new or socially published poems. ‘Socially published’ works include poems that have appeared on Twitter or other social media, a personal blog site, or similar location. Poems which have appeared in edited websites, journals, anthologies, or other curated media are ineligible. Poems that have been socially published must be accompanied by a note explaining their previous appearance.

Note: ‘40’ refers to the number of tanka or equivalent. In other words, a submission can be made up of multiple short sequences, with the maximum total verses being 40. A paragraph of prose counts as a ‘verse’ for purposes of counting.

Submitting to the anthology certifies that the submitter is the holder of the copyright or the authorized representative of the copyright holder. In the case of multiple authors, the submitters must include a statement that they are the authorized representative of the collaborators. That representative will be responsible for communicating with their writing partners about all relevant matters.

BIOGRAPHY: Include a short biography written in the third person as well as the country of the sequence, or your home country, whichever is relevant. Submissions that lack biographies may be rejected.

FORM: We are seeking tanka, waka, kyoka, gogyoshi/gogyohka, and related forms. Generally speaking, each tanka in a sequence must be able to stand on its own, and is our preferred form, but we will consider sequences that use tanka as a stanza within a longer poem.

STYLE: We are open to all creative styles that make effective use of the tanka form and present material that engages the human heart. We especially value contributions from poets that show freshness and creativity, but we welcome poets that have mastered classical forms as well. Strong language and topics are acceptable, but works that are hateful, pornographic, or just plain vile will not be published.

TRANSLATION: All poems must be submitted in English, but we will consider poems written in other languages if

an English translation is provided. Correspondence for the anthology will be in English. All translators must be identified and the poet certifies that they have the translator’s permission to publish if selected. Translators will receive a byline.

 PAYMENT: We regret that the only payment for inclusion in this anthology is publication.
RIGHTS: We require one-time world rights, including print, ebook, audiobook, or other any other means by which the anthology as a whole can be published, and the right to publish any poem as part of the publicity material or promotion for the anthology. All other rights remain with the author. No simultaneous submissions. We require exclusive rights from the time submitted until 90 days after publication, after which you are free to submit elsewhere. If your poem appears in print in our anthology for the first time and is subsequently reprinted elsewhere, we request an acknowledgment for subsequent publications.
MANUSCRIPTS: Email submissions only. Please use a large, plain font. No unsolicited attachments. If your submission requires a non-Latin alphabet, please send the English translation and let us know what other language(s) are available. All submissions must be sent as plain text in the body of the email. If the item requires special formatting, please include an explanation. If we are interested, we will request an attachment and give directions for how we would like to receive it.
No snail mail submissions are accepted. All submissions, including email, must include legal name, pen name (if any), postal address, telephone number, email address, and alternative email address (if you have one). Please set your spam filters/permission levels to allow our response. If we cannot contact you, your poems will be rejected.
DEADLINE: April 30, 2018
PUBLICATION: Summer, 2018
RESPONSE TIME: Rejections will generally be within 4-8 weeks. Acceptances may take longer.
CONTACT US: Please send your submission to: M. Kei, Editor, at: Keibooks at gmail dot com with the subject line: Stacking Stones sub: [Your Name]
KEIBOOKS: To learn more about Keibooks, including the full version of our submission policy and guidelines, visit: AtlasPoetica.org.
 
We STRONGLY recommend joining Keibooks-Announce at: GoogleGroups.com to receive updates about the project. You can also check the blog on our website.
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Atlas Poetica Special Feature Online Now!

8 January 2018 — Perryville, Maryland, USA
Atlas Poetica’s latest special feature, ’25 Tanka About Arthropods,’ edited and introduced by Grunge, is now available free online at the Atlas Poetica website. Twenty-five tanka and kyoka, one each by twenty-five poets, bring the focus to insects and arachnids, or as they are known colloquially, ‘bugs.’
As editor Grunge notes, humans of every culture have a long and variable relationship with the small things that crawl, swim, or fly on our planet. “Because of these broad yet intertwined relationships between men and invertebrates, I knew I had to pick a likewise broad range of tanka which would not only cover the many types of arthropods but also express humanity’s differing views toward them. I hope that I have succeeded and that this special feature encourages others to take a closer look at the small, savagely beautiful world that exists alongside our own.”
Sample Poems
 *
Anna Cates
 *
inching forward
in his wheelchair
a one-legged vet
exploring the bike trail
yellow butterflies
 *
Tamara K. Walker
 *
imagine if Charlotte
the spinning silvery savior
were a black widow
her hourglass mark
running out of love and time
 *
M. Kei
 *
a street rat
from the rough side—
beneath the tattoos,
a gentle heart that mourns
the death of a cockroach
 *
Tish Davis
 *
while training me
on the meat slicer
the deli worker stops
and gently guides a spider
to the edge of a paper bag
 *
Visit http://atlaspoetica.org/?page_id=136 to read ’25 Tanka About Arthropods’ for free.
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Leaving the Board of the Tanka Society of America

slow walk
to the mail box
I renew
an old friendship
with time

~Skylark 4.1

My two year term as vice president is over and I decided not to seek another one. I will be volunteering behind the scenes for the TSA, but will no longer be an officer.  I hope to do a bit more writing. It’s been a challenging but rewarding two years.  Thanks to all TSA members for supporting me during these two years.

 

 

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Special Feature by Atlas Poetica

Dream Alchemy 

DREAMS HAVE BEEN WIDELY LINKED TO INSPIRATION. In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, it is believed that there are six intermediate stages in living and dying. Each of these ‘in-between’ phases is called the bar-do and it is viewed as a powerful stage for awakening and discovering the heart of enlightenment.

Are dreams important to your writing?

Do you use dreams in your writing?

 

Dream Alchemy will be published as a Special Feature of 25 tanka on the Atlas Poetica website at: http://atlaspoetica.org/. The general guidelines for Atlas Poetica apply. Dream Alchemy will publish summer, 2018.

Please submit five of your best dream-inspired tanka to us. Only one tanka per individual poet will be selected, so please send us your best poems. The poems must be original, previously unpublished and not under consideration by any other journal. Poems posted on social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook or personal blogs will be considered.

 

Send submissions to Sonam Chhoki blacklangur@outlook.com with the subject line: “Submission–Dream Alchemy”. Please send your tanka in the body of the email. Do not send attachments, which will be deleted. Please include a brief  (not more than 5 lines) bio-note about your writing.

Submission period: 30th November 2017–31st January 2018

Acceptance or non-acceptance of submissions will be notified as soon as possible after the deadline.

 

—

 

  1. Kei
    Editor, Atlas Poetica
    A Journal of World Tanka

    AtlasPoetica.org

 

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A Message from M. Kei

A reminder: Atlas Poetica 30 is open for submissions: tanka, kyoka, gyogyohka, tanka prose, tanka sequences, shaped tanka, ryuka, sedoka, cherita, non-fiction, and book notes.

Send them in. If ATPO 30 fills, they’ll be considered for ATPO 31.
Reminder: Science Fiction tanka and kyoka special feature is open until Nov 30. GLs at: http://atlaspoetica.org/?p=1761
~K~

—
M. Kei
Editor, Atlas Poetica
A Journal of World Tanka
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Atlas Poetica 28 Now Available

Atlas Poetica 28 : A Journal of World Tanka Published by Keibooks is now available

Atlas Poetica : A Journal of World Tanka continues to live up to its name as it publishes tanka, kyoka, ryuka, cherita, tanka prose, responsive tanka, and related forms in English and translation. Sinhalese, Japanese, Dutch, French, and Slovenian are represented in these pages because we serve an international community of tanka poets and readers. As always, we include non-fiction on a variety of topics, ranging from the music of ryuka to book reviews to an in-depth essay on Atlas Poetica’s editorial philosophy. Pick up a copy in print or ebook to see for yourself why Atlas Poetica is one of tanka’s premiere journals.

Shop for Atlas Poetica at //http:atlaspoetica.org/?page_id=84, purchase it in print or ebook from your favorite online sellers, or order it through your local bookseller.

If you purchase the print version from Amazon, you can also download the Kindle version for free. You can also read the Kindle version free if you are a member of the Kindle Library. If your public library lends ebooks, you maybe able to read it for free through your library.

Submit to Atlas Poetica : A Journal of World Tanka. Guidelines are available at the website:

http://AtlasPoetica.org

Back issues of Atlas Poetica are available to read for free online at: http://AtlasPoetica.org. Visitors to the site will also want to check out the Resources section for more information about tanka, kyoka, gogyoshi, sedoka, cherita, tanka prose, tanka sequences, and more.

 

 

 

 

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Final Reminder for Tanka Society of America Contest

Last Contest Reminder

 

We have now received more than 500 entries for the 2017 Sanford Goldstein International Tanka Contest! There is one more day to enter. If you have not aready entered the contest, you have until Wednesday at midnight to do so.

Poems should be emailed to Ken Slaughter at tsakrs@mail.com with a subject line of TSA Contest Entries – [your name]. Please see http://www.tankasocietyofamerica.org/tsa-contest/how-to-enter-the-tsa-international-tanka-contest for complete details.