Hagstones: A Tanka Journey

by Joy McCall and Claire Everett

Claire Everett and Joy McCall are two quintessentially English tanka poets whose work draws heavily on the Pagan past. It is no surprise then that they should find each other and become friends; poetry bridges the gaps between souls. Together they have written a sequence of ninety-two responsive tanka. Responsive tanka of this length are rare in English language tanka, although the earlier renga of Japan routinely featured multiple authors collaborating on sequences of one hundred tanka, and even one thousand tanka . . . According to Japanese mythology, the goddess Wakahime ('Poetry Princess') sang over the body of her dead husband and thereby invented tanka. The English witches are crouching over their mortar and pestle, sprinkling sweet and bitter herbs into their brew, and singing, as Macbeth's witches sang, as the Japanese goddess sang, and their grief is a spell that ensorcels the reader. There is no resolution here and precious little hope. Instead we are left with the shimmering remnants of the past dancing before our vision as a tantalus of memory. This is true magic: enduring, unshakeable, and persistent. When you read this book, a bit of the sacred incense will cling to you long after. For a time, you too will be seeing ghosts from the corner of your eye.(from the introduction by M. Kei)

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1515145360
• ISBN13: 9781515145363
• Release Date: July 2015
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 52 Pages
• Weight: 0.28 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.1" x 6.0"