Jane E.  Wilson  

the morning after
rinsing plates in the sink
I watch suds
slide off the porcelain
and remember your hands

     Thelma Mariano

balmy days
at the end of January
there are times
when I too
am unlike myself

     Jane E.  Wilson  

At first read, I thought this a bit obvious with the statement in the second half, explaining the first half. The author explained the correlation between part A and B, rather than let us find it ourselves. Yet, I couldn't stop thinking about it - that in itself, is reason to vote for this. It WORKS. Kathy Cobb

in one stroke
she divided everything
only then
did I notice
the half moon

     Keith McMahen

I like the juxtaposition of dividing up lives with the half moon.  I also like the use of stroke without the word "pen." I don't have any particular reason, some things just add to a poem, but you can't always vocalize the hows and whys. Kathy Cobb

Judge’s comments regarding:

JUDGING OPTIONS

I continue to be struck by the haiku/senryu difference when reading so many tanka.  It's hard for me compare "light" tanka with "weighty" tanka.  Two different categories when judging individual tanka? I also continue to believe it is hard to be a good reader.  Even though I read over the poems twice, I think I probably missed some good ones.  Having more than one judge is really important when rating poems.  So ... I look forward to the results of what poems the other judges picked. David Rice

Such a fascinating challenge both to enter and to help judge. Three poems seemed particularly powerful to me and I was tempted to vote for them several times rather than choosing ten different poems; but suppose you intended to preclude that option and so did not pursue it. Marianne Bluger

Thank you for the opportunity of reading all the other entries. I have spent the past few days steeped in tanka. As this was my first time entering the Tanka Splendor contest, I feel I have gained much by reading the other entries. At first it looked quite a daunting task to eliminate enough for a list of ten individual entries.  (There were a great many more remaining on my list after the first reading.) One which I would have liked very much to have included unfortunately failed at the last because of a difficulty in the sound at one point, when read aloud.  Another one which I considered a very courageous deviation from the strict 5-7-5-7-7 unfortunately lost something in the musicality of the rhythm. Madelyn Schnautz

I worry a little that, as you say in the voting instructions, we are helping to determine the future of English tanka and the ABC gradings may give extra weight to those whose choices are perhaps a little less discerning.  For example if someone simply gives all their choices A's then their voting carries more weight overall than someone who judges a little more carefully and uses the full range of grades. Having said that of course no system is ever perfect and all have their drawbacks.  An individual judge has his or her particular point of view, a committee decision is rarely satisfactory to all and the popular vote can produce variable results depending on the population! Alison Williams

QUALITY OF THE WORK

Reviewing each entry made me realize once again what an accomplishment it is to capture one's emotion in the beauty of the tanka form. Thanks for giving me this opportunity. And congratulations on your success at keeping the tanka spirit alive! Thelma Mariano

In the individual tanka I found that there is still often a basic lack of understanding of what tanka is and how it differs from haiku.  Sanford Goldstein once told me that he thought many haiku poets are actually writing tanka and many tanka poets are in fact writing haiku. Also, I find that using a Western poetry style and approach to writing tanka just doesn't work.  Tanka is a distinctive form and we need to know how to work within that form and bring out the amazing power that it is capable of.  It's wonderful to see the number of people seriously working in the tanka form. Angela Leuck

First off, on a positive vein, I was pleasantly surprised to find so many common emotions about common things expressed poetically. In that sense we are all poets, some just learn how to express themselves better poetically. This should not surprise, really, but one tends not to think much about it until one sees such a volume of writers all at once trying to hone their skill.  Next, I was surprised, maybe because this is the first time I have seen so many "competition entries", to see the number of submissions that were closer to haiku than tanka as I recognize the latter. That is, they described a perceived event/object, sometimes very effectively, but did not indicate a strong personal/emotional feeling essential in my eyes to tanka.
    Also, a common weakness, I believe, was a lack of "delicacy" and natural flow in language; a "clippedness" if such a word exists. I suspect this comes from non-traditional haiku writers who tend more to list objects/descriptions in order to stay within 17 syllables. This clipping of the language becomes very apparent when the poems are read aloud; and I think destroys a key element of natural poetic beauty that one should always strive for in tanka certainly, if not always in haiku. Guy Simser

I had a great, though difficult time, selecting the ones I thought outstanding.  Reading great poems is my idea of a good time.  I am proud to be a tanka poet among such fine poets.  Dave Bachelor

Compared to past years' competitions, it seems that many of these tanka are getting "wordier" and more explicitly emotional. Some might even be more successfully realized as longer poems, they carry such freight.  And many tell the reader what to think, negating (lack of trust?) the mental/emotional leap that makes reading poetry enjoyable. I think the ten I selected avoided these (to me) drawbacks, and used language with imagination and resonance. Ruth Holzer

I was amazed at the high percentage of sentimental verses, some bordering on the mawkish. Richard von Sturmer

In terms of the tanka sequences, the "Plunge of Sky" has established a standard for all sequences to  follow.  It was a real tour de force, and the first one in English that I feel could be labeled "great."  Several other of the sequences were also excellent, and I feel that the sequences on the whole were of much higher quality than last year's.  Really good progress being made here. Considering my own sequence entry, I have to say that I have been quite humbled, however I look forward to in future years somehow rising to the challenge of this remarkable and rich poetic form. Angela Leuck

I do not wish to vote for any of the sequences as, for me, they all seem to depend on some kind of a narrative thread which I find takes them into the realms of longer poetry.  What I most enjoy about both haiku and tanka is the effect of something enclosed within a small frame. Alison Williams

Some very enjoyable tanka here! - The decisions are not that easy. I found the final choice of sequence particularly difficult. I will be most interested to see how the other judges vote. David Steele

To be honest, I was disappointed by the large number of tanka using clichés, sentimentality, and awkward construction. Among the tanka that were more well-crafted, there was a lack of innovation: the same old nature symbolism, the same general emotions, the same rhythmic constructions. In my votes, then, I chose tanka that tried to use language in a new way, tried to do something innovative with rhythm, tried to make an interesting allusion to contemporary English-speaking culture, and/or tried to make an interesting allusion to English-language literature. (Example: one poem echoes Walt Whitman's "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry" in both language and meaning, while adding subjective personal narrative.) Laura Maffei

I am sending my vote at the proverbial "last minute" since I wanted a few days to expire before checking my final choices again.  I worked from a shortlist of 50 to 20 and eventually had to drop a few poems I liked in favor of my favorite 10.  Not an easy choice at all and a few worthy poems had to slip through.  I do hope my vote has done justice.  The process of judging was educational as it helped me form a clearer idea of what I value in modern tanka. Maria Steyn

THE NUMBER OF ENTRIES FOR VOTING

I enjoyed the process! There were many poems which i liked but could not include because of the limitation - only 10 tanka and one sequence! K. Ramesh

Easy to get my short list down to thirty. Then, pretty much a toss-up. I really couldn't single out one that I felt was stronger than the others based on craft, so the final ten each got equal marks. (Ultimately I think we tend to choose our favorites based on what taps into our own experience; and our preferred style) Joanne Klontz

A system of the entrant judges picking 31 single tanka and three sequences would seem to simplify things considerably. I really had a hard time keeping to the ten picks, and reluctantly excluded poems I truly liked. But if we all chose our favorite 31, it would quickly become clear which poems were favored over others, and I believe the participants would feel very comfortable with that. I think you've hit on something here! I confess I am not sure about the grading system. Hmmm. That I think I will leave in your more experienced hands, if I may. Melissa Dixon

KUDOS AND FUTURE GOALS

Contests will always have their fair amount of grumbling. My personal opinion is that once a tanka has passed a certain level of excellence, the final choice will be determined by what resonates with a particular person or judge. Tastes will necessarily differ. Contests judged by one or two individual judges will have a very different flavor from those judged by the contestants themselves. Each manner of judging will have problems and concerns of its own. Individual poets will have their own preferences as to which types of contest they enter. Contests are never perfect; neither is life. People who enter a particular contest should be aware of the manner of judging and will have shown their acceptance of this upon entering their work. It is my wish that poets and individual judges will always retain a sense of balance, good sportsmanship and will refrain from causing unnecessary distress. In the end we write in the service of poetry and art, not to impress, or collect "medals." Maria Steyn

Hopefully we can all collectively as writers realize the worth in improving our tanka, being harder on ourselves individually, widening rather than narrowing our horizons - and the opportunity to do these things that this contest offers. The collective celebration is far more important than any individual achievement, and any means that increase the quality of the collective whole are well-worth considering. Having said that, it's not me who has to do all the hard work! Whichever way the contest goes, I seriously hope you will continue it for years to come. John Barlow

Thanks for conducting this contest!  Evaluating the poetry was difficult, but reading it was a pleasure! Michael Meyerhofer

This was so hard! And so enjoyable. Cannot wait to compare with others. Heather

Lastly, you are to be commended for your continuing support through this competition, to introduce English tanka to those with an inclination to write but who need a stimulus; and a venue for existing writers of the genre. Good luck with the results. Guy Simser  

The way you have organized this contest is a tremendous opportunity for learning and as you pointed out, actually making choices about the direction of English tanka.  Thanks for your terrific work! Angela Leuck

This was the first Tanka Splendor Awards contest for me. I particularly appreciated the clear, firm and fair guidelines for voting. Tony Beyer

Thank you very much for organizing an enjoyable competition and for trying to find the fairest possible system of reaching a decision on the results. Alison Williams

Check out the TANKA SPLENDOR Contest Rules so you can enter the next contest after January 1, 2003. The deadline for the new contest is September 30, 2003.

Read online the results of past contests
Tanka Splendor 2001
Tanka Splendor 2000
Tanka Splendor 1996
Tanka Splendor 1994
Tanka Splendor 1990

Purchase copies of Tanka Splendor from AHA Books Bookshelf.