Leslie left the renga playing field wide open yesterday, giving the third renju , Flemming Funch, LOTS of options. Today, Flemming could have created a final winter verse (no more than 3 consecutive winter verses are allowed), or he could have used the Moon Rule to start off autumn, or he could have used the Love Rule to start off the theme of love. He could have also created a verse about summer, dwellings, mountains or shores.
Flemming invoked the Love Rule and created this 5-7 -5 verse :
So, he shows continuity with Leslie’s verse by using crystal as a winter kigo. There is contrasts and connection in his poem too. The first image is of separating and merging paths : the second image is of strangers finding love. The second image brings to mind the similarities of chance meetings as our human paths divide and merge. Flemming has created new direction by shifting the theme to love.
Now this is getting exciting because the next poet has absolutely no choice ~ she’s cornered! She’s got to write a 7-7 about love. No two ways about it 🙂 . This is because of the Love Continuity Rule which states that once love is mentioned, another verse on love must follow!
I posted the hokku (the first verse) of our renga yesterday, and, from now on, it’s my job to be a diligent sōshō . The sōshō makes sure that the renga is completed and that the renju (renga poets) adhere to the complex rules.
Verse 2 should be in 7-7 format, and Leslie (the second poet) had lots of options. She could have continued with winter, or moved on to autumn, or onto love, or onto some of the minor (but allowable) themes such a summer, travel, mountains and shores. The only topic off-limits today was spring (you can’t mention spring until after the 8th verse!).
She needed to use a kigo word (to identify the season) and not repeat any previous images. She needed to demonstrate some kind of link with verse one, but also a shift in direction.
Leslie stuck with winter and this is what she came up with :
Lone wolf sings a lullaby :
bear dreams the new icy day.
So, there is continuity because we are still in winter, and there is a shift : the temperature just dropped! Leslie also introduces animals into the image and a she alludes to hibernation too.
You can get the full low-down on today’s episode of The Big Renga Round-Up.
Today sees the launch of the Big Renga Project. Over the next 25 days, 13 poets will be working together to create 25 linked verses. The first stanza (the hokku) is in and the game is on!
The first stanza was my responsibility, and this is what I wrote :
Prickly ghost blankets
spread out of winter shadows :
butter melts on toast.
I’m running a daily TV show throughout the project to give you the full low-down on all the renga news. Every day, I’ll be explaining the rules and you’ll get to see how the poem is growing (and why it’s growing the way it is!) You can watch today’s show here :
For today’s adventure, I finished creating the website for The Big Renga collaborative poetry project. I even learned how to create a contact form for the “Contact Us” page 🙂 I’m just waiting for bio details from the poets and then we’re good to go.
The brilliant news is that there are now 9 of us. I’ve worked out that if we can grow the crew to 12, then the project will work out pretty well. Of course, more than 12 would be fabulous, but 12 is enough.
In mid-November, I’ll be closing The Big Renga Project doors so that the renju (collaborative poets) can spend some time agreeing how the logistics are going to work and also learn a little more about the renga form.
For today’s adventure, I’ve done a few things to support the success of The Big Renga Project!
I’ve built a website which you can check out here ~ the structure is complete, but the content will take a little time to finish. The project also has its own Facebook page which you can view here , and a private Facebook group to support the renju (the collaborative poets).
I might actually need a wee lie down after today’s adventure!
I’m sure you may have realised by now that I’m a bit of a haiku fan 🙂 . As part of the research for my book Seventeen Syllables ~ Cultivating Presence Through Poetry, I looked at the origins of the haiku form. What is now known as haiku was originally known as hokku, the first verse of a collaborative linked- verse poem called a renga.
The renga form has been around since the thirteenth century, and you can find out more about it here. In a nutshell, groups of poets works together to create a linked poem. The first stanza follows a 3-line 5-7-5 syllable format, just like the haiku. It also contains a kigo (season word) and a kireji (cutting word). The second stanza responds to the first stanza, but this time in a 2-line 7-7 syllable format. The renga then gets handed back to the first poet or handed on to the third who, again, works with what is offered in the second stanza but employs the structure of the first (7-5-7).
This sequence of 3-line and 2-line structures is then repeated until the poem is done!
I thought is would be fun to work with other poets to create a renga poem called “December” to capture the spirit of this month. As December will be the last month of my 365 Days Of Adventure project, it feels like collaborating with others might be a lovely way to end the year.
So, for today’s adventure, I’m launching The Big Renga Project and this is where you come in! I’m putting out a call for a crew of 23 poets to join me in creating a 25-verse renga. Whilst no previous poetry-writing experience is required to join the project, I’m looking for people who are
Up for learning about, and respecting, the renga form
Keen to collaborate and be part of a supportive, playful, creative community
Able to keep their commitments
Prepared to be responsive and present to the previous stanza
Respectful of the emergent spirit of the renga
Willing to record their stanza in video format (so I can create a film of the whole renga with all the poets involved)
The project will start on December the 1st and the final verse will be created on the 25th. I will create a private Facebook group to facilitate collaboration and information sharing. Each day during December, the poem will be updated so that people can see the renga grow.
If this sounds like this project could be for you, please drop me an email to jane@janetalbot.com in the first instance. If you know of others who might enjoy being part of this collaborative venture, please feel free to share this information with them.
NOTE – it is not necessary for the poetry to be written in English. However, to support other poets, a translation into English will be required for a smooth stanza transition! For all non-English stanzas, subtitles will be required for the video 🙂 .
Humans Resourced 