English 170, Tanka Writing Roundtable is a one-credit writing workshop modeled after Japanese tanka groups. Tanka? Yes, tanka, the Japanese poem which extends beyond the perception-based haiku moment into the emotional or psychological heart of lyrical expression.

Reading goals will be to become familiar with Modernist and Contemporary English and Japanese tanka. These readings include major authors, tanka poetics, and approaches to teaching tanka writing.

Writing goals will be to immerse students in writing original tanka and collaborative tanka sequences. The class will have several kukai contests. Each student will create a small chapbook of their best tanka and submit tanka to a literary journal.

The primary goal of this course is to plan, develop, and complete a tanka collection with the support and critical response of peers. Another goal is to have fun sharing the creative process in a small workshop atmosphere. We will celebrate the variety of voices and experiences that will be evident in the tanka writing. It is a joy to share and express the emotions of living through tanka.

---

Tanka Writing Roundtable Authors

Assignments

---

Kukai 1 • Kukai 1 Results

Kukai 2 • Kukai 2 Results

Kukai 3 • Kukai 3 Results

Kukai 4 • Kukai 4 Results

Kukai 5 • Kukai 5 Results