Tanka Splendor 1993

First published in Woodnotes #21, Summer 1994, page 34.

Tanka Splendor 1993, judged by George Ralph. AHA Books, 1994, 44 pages, paperback, 5½ by 8½ inches. $5.00 postpaid from AHA Books, P.O. Box 767, Gualala, California 95445 [address no longer correct]. This book showcases 31 winners from the 1993 Mirrors International Tanka Award, chosen by George Ralph, who also writes a brief introduction. Jane Reichhold, series editor, adds an afterword. It is puzzling that one of the poems was not only previously published but won HPNC’s tanka contest in 1992 (and presumably should not have been entered). Nevertheless, some fine poems remain. Many HPNC members are represented in this valuable annual contest. A selection by Kay F. Anderson:

Home

from your friend’s funeral,

again you show me

where our insurance policies

are kept.