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Keeping Score: Angry Tanka
Susan Burch’s new collection, Keeping Angry Tanka, answers the Why do we need angry tanka? We need angry tanka because they are better than the alternatives—violence or passive-aggressive pretense. Angry tanka do not mince words. They do not hide behind innuendo or avoid hurting. They are honest and release emotional truths we can no longer mask. A good venting through an angry tanka clears the air and makes way for the start of a new day. Sometimes, after a storm, there’s no other way to let yourself find the peace and joy of life you deserve. —Randy Brooks, Teacher, Poet, & Editor
- GenresPoetry
46 pages, Paperback
Published December 1, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 8, 2024
Poet Susan Burch is showing us one critical point about Tanka poetry - EVERYTHING is Tanka! There are no rules regarding topics for Tanka. One of the oldest Japanese forms, Tanka has evolved over the centuries and in recent times (in English) Tanka is a 31 or fewer syllable poem. It is traditionally in five-lines, 5/7/5/7/7 syllable count form, but can be any number of syllables per line as long as total syllable count is 31 or fewer. I personally prefer a short/long/short/long/long format but as it becomes more widespread many versions of the format continue to be discussed. An excellent Tanka will have a turn or “volta” and strong images in most cases.
Susan’s book of Angry Tanka called ‘keeping score’ is excellent with many extraordinary examples of Tanka. The cover art by Christine L. Villa is exquisite and the use of red and font choice perfect.
In her introduction Susan tells us that “bottling up our feelings isn’t always the best option” and it’s “time for a shift in focus inward, to write about things that matter, things we experience on a daily basis, the traumas we go through…” Here is one poem from the book:
a pin cushion
full of pins—
I don’t want to know
her name
this time
16 syllables was all Susan needed to get her point (pun intended) across… the pin cushion full of pins is an especially strong image for the topic of this Tanka.
I thought of a quote by Margaret Atwood as I was writing this review, “I began as a profoundly apolitical writer, but then began to do what all novelists and some poets do: I began to describe the world around me.”
I found Susan’s angry Tanka inspirational and it’s changed my note taking in my writer’s journal. I’ve begun to include dark thoughts that come upon me from a memory or instigated by local or world news. I’m inviting in the ugliness where I may have avoided it before. It’s a difficult place to be but I do feel creativity should remain open and Tanka is a resilient form that can incorporate dark as well as lighter emotions.
This book of Tanka should be on your shelf.
For a complete history of the Tanka form, articles about writing Tanka, contests, anthologies, etc., go to Tanka Society of America dot org.
Susan’s book of Angry Tanka called ‘keeping score’ is excellent with many extraordinary examples of Tanka. The cover art by Christine L. Villa is exquisite and the use of red and font choice perfect.
In her introduction Susan tells us that “bottling up our feelings isn’t always the best option” and it’s “time for a shift in focus inward, to write about things that matter, things we experience on a daily basis, the traumas we go through…” Here is one poem from the book:
a pin cushion
full of pins—
I don’t want to know
her name
this time
16 syllables was all Susan needed to get her point (pun intended) across… the pin cushion full of pins is an especially strong image for the topic of this Tanka.
I thought of a quote by Margaret Atwood as I was writing this review, “I began as a profoundly apolitical writer, but then began to do what all novelists and some poets do: I began to describe the world around me.”
I found Susan’s angry Tanka inspirational and it’s changed my note taking in my writer’s journal. I’ve begun to include dark thoughts that come upon me from a memory or instigated by local or world news. I’m inviting in the ugliness where I may have avoided it before. It’s a difficult place to be but I do feel creativity should remain open and Tanka is a resilient form that can incorporate dark as well as lighter emotions.
This book of Tanka should be on your shelf.
For a complete history of the Tanka form, articles about writing Tanka, contests, anthologies, etc., go to Tanka Society of America dot org.
May 19, 2021
A lot of fun. Remind me never to get on the bad side of the author.
Here's my favorite:
all of her work
in the journal
is outstanding . . .
I might have to
hate her
Here's my favorite:
all of her work
in the journal
is outstanding . . .
I might have to
hate her
January 31, 2023
** the “Sympathy for Lady Vengeance” of tanka collections <3 **
Sassy, brazen, irreverent, scathing, incisive verse (ranging from harrowing to laugh-out-loud sidesplitting) by a phenomenally talented poet showcasing the potent capabilities of this storied form for articulating messages of discontent, as an outlet for airing significant grievances, as a mode of communicating empowerment and voicing ringing demands for agency, decency, and sanity in an age where reason has taken a backseat and thoughtful pleas for reform and improvement are more visibly necessary than ever in our lifetimes. A cathartic celebration of speaking truth to power, raising battle cries and shaking fists, lobbing rotten fruit and waving pitchforks. Susan Burch is a fine role model to future generations who can no longer afford to be stifled or repressed, muzzled or subjugated. I encourage the writing community to read, savor, and learn from these terse grenades of umbrage, and to employ your education toward forging your own meaningful formulations and penning poignant, provocative poetry!!
Sassy, brazen, irreverent, scathing, incisive verse (ranging from harrowing to laugh-out-loud sidesplitting) by a phenomenally talented poet showcasing the potent capabilities of this storied form for articulating messages of discontent, as an outlet for airing significant grievances, as a mode of communicating empowerment and voicing ringing demands for agency, decency, and sanity in an age where reason has taken a backseat and thoughtful pleas for reform and improvement are more visibly necessary than ever in our lifetimes. A cathartic celebration of speaking truth to power, raising battle cries and shaking fists, lobbing rotten fruit and waving pitchforks. Susan Burch is a fine role model to future generations who can no longer afford to be stifled or repressed, muzzled or subjugated. I encourage the writing community to read, savor, and learn from these terse grenades of umbrage, and to employ your education toward forging your own meaningful formulations and penning poignant, provocative poetry!!
November 24, 2021
Angry tanka does not stop at the heart but punches you in the gut. It elicits the angst of recognizing yourself in each line of a poem and forces the reader to finally face some truths. Susan Burch does not hide herself in words but turns them inside out in a refreshing honesty that cuts to the chase. Free from restraint, this brilliant poet gives us the relief of getting the anger out of our system.
She has taken the classical Japanese poetry form to a more accessible and relateable expression of our times.
This book is a riveting read from cover to cover that, in the end, you would ask for more!
The start of a poem will tell you why:
a tanka
for you
written in blood...
-Bona M. Santos
She has taken the classical Japanese poetry form to a more accessible and relateable expression of our times.
This book is a riveting read from cover to cover that, in the end, you would ask for more!
The start of a poem will tell you why:
a tanka
for you
written in blood...
-Bona M. Santos
March 7, 2020
At its best, a good tanka will use its imagery and tone to invoke a mood in the reader. As stated in the title of this collection, keeping score: Angry Tanka will invoke moods of rage in the reader. And while there is no directly stated horror or gore in these pages, the implied violence connoted by the images and strong juxtapositions creates scary scenarios in the mind of the reader, which is much more haunting and longer lasting. Overall, any fan of poetry should thoroughly enjoy reading keeping score: Angry Tanka by Susan Burch.
Full Review Here: https://www.cemeterydance.com/extras/...
Full Review Here: https://www.cemeterydance.com/extras/...
March 29, 2024
Susan Burch pushes the boundaries with her narrative about a dysfunctional relationship told in tanka form. Each chiseled cut gleams. Brilliant and satisfying.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews