The Big Renga Project

Adventure 347 ~ The Big Renga Project [Day 13]

/ intrepidjane

As Cara submitted a third spring verse yesterday, today’s renju, Alan Millar, had plenty of options! He could have gone for a fourth verse on the theme of spring (up to five consecutive verses are allowed), he could have invoked the Moon Rule, or gone for love, winter, summer or any of the peripheral themes (travel, mountains, shores, dwellings).

The thirteenth verse is important in our renga as it marks the turning point for us. Alan did not disappoint and chose to write a mid-renga  5-7-5 verse on the theme of summer :

Oh thunder solstice
of warm long sensual showers
and roses climax

Alan says : ” I continued the suggestion of powerful human emotions evoked by Cara. I tried to give a shape to her ‘erupting’ , hinting at a more specific human narrative, diffused within the language of nature.  I moved the imagery on, following the natural course from spring into summer. Oh – and the thirteenth verse is – is the half- way point  and significance of this evoked by the solstice. My kigo word is “roses”.”

Ooooh! The thread of imagery over the last couple of verses has been rather “hot” 😛 . I wonder what will happen tomorrow … ?

You can catch up with the latest episode of The Big Renga Round-Up here :

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

Adventure 346 ~ The Big Renga Project [Day 12]

/ intrepidjane

By now, you probably know all about continuity rules, right? And you’ve probably already realised that today’s 7-7 just had to be about spring – and that today’s renju, Cara Wilde was squashed right into a renga corner!

This is what she came up with :

Skylarks dancing, air delights :
hidden desires erupting

Cara says : ” The season word is skylark – it’s a Japanese classic kigo for spring! Continuity is demonstrated by continuing the anticipation and potential of the last stanza, and crescendoing into celebration of new life in spring. The last line is the result of building anticipation :  new life being called to grow from within the Earth.”

So, with three consecutive verses on the theme of spring now complete, the renga game now opens up again!

Watch the latest episode of The Big Renga Round-Up here :

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

Adventure 345 ~ The Big Renga Project [Day 11]

/ intrepidjane

Yesterday saw the arrival of spring via the traditional kigo of “cherry blossom”. This meant that today’s renju, Stephanie Johnson had no option but to continue the theme of spring (the Flower Rule states a requirement to continue the theme of spring for at least 3 consecutive verses).

This is what Stephanie came up with for her 5-7-5 :

Buds yawn and stretch out,
anticipate, quivering :
cloying amber stain

Stephanie says  : “My spring kigo is “buds”. I build on the image of yesterday’s blossoming of the trees and flowers. There’s an allusion to oestrus and sexual awakening too. There’s a clear contrast within my verse too –   between anticipation and action. The image is of pollen being powerful and overwhelming –  and it is not entirely positive!”

Woah! That’s some 5-7-7, right? I wonder what tomorrow’s poet will come up with. We know it has to be about spring, but how are they going to handle the issues of continuity and directional change?

Get your daily dose of The Big Renga Round-Up here :

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

Adventure 344 ~ The Big Renga Project [10]

/ intrepidjane

With Janet laying down a verse of winter for the first stanza of the second page, it left lots of options of today’s renju, Lisa Holden. Lisa could have carried on with winter, or opted to invoke the Flower Rule, the Moon Rule or the Love Rule. Summer , dwellings, mountains, shores and travel were also options too.

Lisa opted for the excitement of starting off spring and this is what she came up with :

Ambling to a pause, awake :
above cherry blossom, sings.

She employs the classic spring kigo of cherry blossom to start the new season off and continues the movement of Janet’s small animals in the previous verse with the use of the word “ambling”. The sleepiness of winter is now replaced by the awakeness of spring.

Catch up with the latest episode of The Big Renga Round-Up here:

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

Adventure 342 ~ The Big Renga Project [8]

/ intrepidjane

Yesterday’s saw the completion of the third compulsory verse in the autumn sequence. This meant that today’s renju, Kate Trafford, had lots of options! She could have continued with autumn or shifted direction into winter, summer, love, dwellings, mountains, shores or travel.

Kate stayed with the theme of autumn and came up with this 7-7 for today’s submission :

Acorn hoard, squirrelled away;
fear conceals buried treasure

Kate says : “Continuity is shown by taking up Caroline’s reference to secrets and referring to something being ‘squirrelled away’. Change of direction is created by moving from dark/fear-driven imagery to the bright/exciting image of buried treasure. Nature mirroring human nature is shown in second line. The squirrel is driven by fear/ scarcity to bury his treasure of a stockpile of food. For us humans, fear also conceals (masks) the inner treasure of insights/self awareness…”

In today’s Big Renga Round-Up I actually get to interview Kate about her stanza!

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

Adventure 341 ~ The Big Renga Project [7]

/ intrepidjane

Yesterday we already knew that today’s stanza was going to be about autumn because of the Moon rule’s continuity clause. Whilst today’s renju , Caroline Johnstone, didn’t have much room for manoeuvre, she certainly made use of the little space that she had!

Here’s the 5-7-5 that Caroline added today :

Mushrooms mulched fully
feed on the dead like poison :
harvesting secrets

Every time a poet submits a verse, they have to provide a commentary to show how they’re complying with the renga rules. This is what Caroline said about her submission : “Continuity was via the leaves that nourished the ground, which they do by rotting. I was watching Gardener’s world and it was all about mulch…which like so many things has a dark side to it too, with fungal infections lurking, which also linked to mushrooms which are fabulous – or poisonous.. Senga’s verse was such a lovely picture of autumn (my favourite season, and I love scrunching through leaves)… so the contrast was to show the other side of that… and then because it was autumn, time of harvests and Samhain and the Day of the Dead etc, I wanted a plot change and thought about the sorts of things you can harvest – and the things you couldn’t, or wouldn’t, want to harvest :  secrets being one.. ”

And here’s today’s edition of The Big Renga Round-Up 🙂

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

Adventure 340 ~ The Big Renga Project [Day 6]

/ intrepidjane

Because Kate invoked the Moon Rule yesterday, it really narrowed down the options for todays renju, Senga Cree. By mentioning the rule, it means that at least the next to verses must be about autumn.

This is what Senga came up with :

Tall branches sway, shedding flame :
earth’s crisp nourishing carpet

Senga keeps the continuity going by echoing the height of the peaks and the tides that Kate mentioned yesterday (she uses the word tall). She also echoes the heat of Kate’s verse by layering flames onto yesterday’s glow. The change in direction comes with a shift of our attention : we’re no longer looking up, we’re looking down on the crisp carpet.

What I like about Senga’s verse is the powerful and simple autumn image. The kigo word is “shedding” and all I can imagine when I read it is fiery autumn leaves!

Here’s today’s round-up :

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

Adventure 338 ~ The Big Renga Project [Day 4]

/ intrepidjane

After Flemming’s invocation of the Love Rule yesterday, today’s renju, Betsy Anderson, has very limited options! Betsy must continue the theme of love (the Love Rule has an attached continuity rule : when love is mentioned at least one more consecutive verse on the theme must be created) but she cannot mention the word love. She must also show a shift in direction.

Here’s how she got on with her 7-7 verse :

A longed-for kiss, light and chaste :
heart swells, and colour rises.

Pretty impressive , right? We’re in no doubt that we’re still on the subject of love – and she turned up the temperature too. We’ve gone from crystal coldness to the heat of passion (“colour rises”), and that’s a clever change of direction too 🙂 .

Hmmm. So what does this mean for tomorrow’s verse? Well it means that there could be a third and final verse on love. Or, the Moon Rule (autumn) could get invoked. Or it might mean a return to winter or a visit to summer, dwellings, mountains or shores!

You can hear the latest news from today’s episode of The Big Renga Round-Up.

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

Adventure 337 ~ The Big Renga Project [Day 3]

/ intrepidjane

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 :

Crystal light above,
travelled paths divide and merge :
strangers finding love.

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 am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

Adventure 335 ~ The Big Renga Project [Day 1]

/ intrepidjane

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 :

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT