TIBU

I've acquired a new vice: I've posted to Thisisby.Us, the gimmick site for writers that promises them a share of the advertising revenue depending on how many 'goodness points' they get. Apparently, some of the novice writers are under the impression that it's a 'serious' literary site, which speaks volumes to the naivete of novice writers. But at the same time, there are a few interesting and thoughtful things posted, along with the dreck. It's basically a blog so the more controversial posts get strings of comments hanging off of them. A member can post comments, vote on the posts, and pick out favorite writers to follow, which makes it more interactive than the usual blog. It's kind of the MTV of blogging . . .

~K~

Prune Juice

Friend and Colleague, Alexis Rotella, has established a new journal, entitled Prune Juice, to publish senryu and kyoka. This journal will be published twice a year by Modern English Tanka Press. Submissions are now open for humorous, satirical, and witty poetry. Read the full submission guidelines at the home page.

Good luck,
Alexis~

"a wonderful collection of poetry"

Robert Wilson, managing editor of Simply Haiku, one of the major Internet journals for Japanese short form poetry, has reviewed Slow Motion in the current issue of the journal.

"M. Kei has written a book of tanka and haiku about life on a skipjack fishing vessel in the Atlantic Seaboard's Chesapeake Bay. He takes readers on a journey reminiscent of Bashô, allowing them to feel a semblance of place, the tanka and haiku therein giving a vivid picture of life as a skipjack crew member. It's also a rare book in that the majority of the poems are all well sculpted. It displays the author's solid understanding of poetry. Kei is not a traditionalist, and his use of meter and syllabication in many of the tanka is more akin in some ways to free verse and, perhaps, should be categorized as short tanka-like poems."

You can read the entire review (and journal) at SimplyHaiku.com

Thank you, Robert.

~K~

Moonset Tanka Contest 2008

I was just notified that one of my poem's won the 2008 Moonset Tanka Contest, and that another was an honorable mention. I have not won this contest before, so I am quite pleased! The winning poems will be published in Moonset, so after they've come out, I'll post them here.

~K~