Japanese Forms
Conversation with
Richard Gilbert
Rattle #47 features 25 poets writing in Japanese forms, and an extremely insightful conversation with haiku scholar Richard Gilbert about the often misunderstood form, and how it relates to Japanese culture. Spanning haiku, senryū, tanka, haibun, haiga, renku, and rengay, the issue demonstrates the wide range of possibilities that these forms allow, from Billy Collin’s witty seventeen-syllable haiku, to Michael Mejia’s photopoetic exploration of salaryman culture. It’s an issue full of deep insight and deft humor. It’s also the first time we’ve ever published collaborative poems—here we have two, including the lyrically stunning “Midday Heat” by Jonathan Weinert and Debra Kang Dean.
As if that weren’t enough, we’ve returned to our old habit of splitting issues, so #47 provides a dozen open poems to rattle you in the usual fashion.
