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Infographic: How to Write a Tanka

By Will Willingham 3 Comments

Last month, we spent time writing tanka poems, a form that originated in 7th century Japan and in many ways served as social poetry, with individuals writing chains of tanka known as renga, as well as lovers exchanging competitive morning-after poems. The 31-syllable poem is written in five non-rhyming lines in a 5-7-5-7-7 syllable pattern.

Join in and learn to write your own with our fun and handy infographic.

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Post and infographic by Will Willingham.

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How to Write a Poem 283 highHow to Write a Poem uses images like the buzz, the switch, the wave—from the Billy Collins poem “Introduction to Poetry”—to guide writers into new ways of writing poems. Excellent teaching tool. Anthology and prompts included.

“How to Write a Poem is a classroom must-have.”

—Callie Feyen, English Teacher, Maryland

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Will Willingham
Will Willingham
Director of Many Things; Senior Editor, Designer and Illustrator at Tweetspeak Poetry
I used to be a claims adjuster, helping people and insurance companies make sense of loss. Now, I train other folks with ladders and tape measures to go and do likewise. Sometimes, when I’m not scaling small buildings or crunching numbers with my bare hands, I read Keats upside down. My first novel is Adjustments.
Will Willingham
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Filed Under: English Teaching Resources, How to Write a Poem, Infographics, Tanka

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About Will Willingham

I used to be a claims adjuster, helping people and insurance companies make sense of loss. Now, I train other folks with ladders and tape measures to go and do likewise. Sometimes, when I’m not scaling small buildings or crunching numbers with my bare hands, I read Keats upside down. My first novel is Adjustments.

Comments

  1. Donna Falcone says

    June 14, 2018 at 8:17 am

    LW I always love your infographics!
    The idea of a chain Tanka is intriguing – reminds me of some spontaneous collaborative poems that have been birthed here on TSP. What is a “half Tanka?” Where is the correct spot for one collaborator to end and another to begin? Mid way through the third line?

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. By Hand: Writing Longhand - says:
    July 22, 2018 at 12:18 pm

    […] Try writing a tanka using our new infographic. Tanka only has five lines and starts with a haiku, so it’s a poem that’s easier on your hands […]

    Reply
  2. 5 Best (and Worst) AI Poetry Generators - Tweetspeak Poetry says:
    September 26, 2022 at 5:00 am

    […] can also generate haiku, villanelles, didactic cinquains, rhyming couplets, limericks, acrostics, tanka, narrative poems, and concrete […]

    Reply

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