WD Poetic Form Challenge: Somonka
It's time for another poetic form challenge. If you're wondering where the lai results are, don't worry: I'm nearly finished with them, and they should be posted later this week.
As regular blog readers may have guessed, we'll be writing the somonka this time around. It's traditionally a collaborative poem--so I'll be giving extra credit to poets who "buddy up" with someone to work on these. Of course, I'll also accept solo written somonkas.
The somonka is comprised of two tankas written as love letters--each tanka from one of two lovers. Click here to read the post on somonkas (which also links to rules on the tanka).
Here are the WD Poetic Form Challenge guidelines:
- Challenge is free. There is no entry fee.
- The winner (and sometimes a runner-up or two) will be featured in a future edition of Writer’s Digest magazine as part of the Poetic Asides column.
- Deadline: 11:59 p.m. (Atlanta, GA time) on November 10, 2013.
- Poets can enter as many somonkas as they wish. Feel free to pummel me with them.
- All poems should be previously unpublished. If you have a specific question about your specific situation, e-mail me at robert.brewer@fwmedia.com. Or just write a new somonka.
- I will only consider somonkas shared in the comments for this post. It gets too complicated trying to hunt them down elsewhere.
- Speaking of posting, if it’s your first time commenting on this site, it might take a day or three for your comment to be manually approved by me (or another WD editor). So hang tight. If it starts to drag out or is super close to the deadline, just shoot me an e-mail to confirm receipt.
- Please include your name as you would like it to appear in print. If you don’t, I’ll be forced to use your screen name (which might be something like HaikuPrincess007 or MrLineBreaker). WD has a healthy circulation, so be sure to make it easy for me to get your byline right.
- Finally–and most importantly–have fun!
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Workshop your poetry!
Get feedback on your poetry and connect with other poets serious about the craft. Plus, do it all online–so you don’t have to deal with traffic, being on time, or getting dressed. Click here to learn more.
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Robert Lee Brewer
Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Content Editor of the Writer's Digest Writing Community and an experienced poetry collaborator who thinks the process is both fun and rewarding. Press 53 published his debut full-length collection of poetry Solving the World's Problems (which has a pretty neat poetry remix challenge tied to it). He's married to the poet Tammy Foster Brewer, who helps him keep track of his five little poets (four boys and one princess) and with whom he'd like to write a series of somonkas someday. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
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Here are some other poetic posts:
