Tanka from the Edge by Miriam Sagan takes the reader on a journey of the mind through the ancient Japanese poetic form, tanka. Sagan, a prolific author, has given us her newest collection and a wonderful read.

Baltimore, Maryland – February 23, 2009 – Tanka from the Edge by Miriam Sagan has been published in trade paperback by Modern English Tanka Press. Miriam Sagan takes the reader on a journey of the mind through her deft approach to the ancient Japanese poetic form, tanka. Sagan, a prolific author, has given us her newest collection and a wonderful read. All who love tanka will want to read this compelling work.

Tanka from the Edge is a collection of over a hundred tanka that represent a decade's worth of poetic journeys. Some come from literal travels to places ranging from the Sonoran and Mohave deserts to Alaska's inner passage.Miriam Sagan has been a writer in residence at two national parks—Everglades and Petrified Forest. These very different eco-systems have both given rise to tanka. So has a year's intermittent residency at THE LAND/An Art Site, which is dedicated to low impact sculpture in Mountainair, New Mexico.

a woman
of fifty-five
sunning myself—
late afternoon
the lizard's golden eye

And sometimes these tanka just stay home, observing Sagan's unfashionable westside neighborhood in Santa Fe, where small changes can be vivid. The poems also reflect a renewed interest in Buddhism after many years absence.

even after
all these years
sitting zazen—
the monk still casts a shadow
on the paper screen

The title was suggested by Teresa Neptune, whose photograph is on the cover. Neptune, who has a photography gallery on Canyon Road, and Sagan are step-cousins. Their collaboration of visual art and poetry is ongoing.

Miriam Sagan is the author of twenty books, including the recent poetry collection Map of the Lost from UNM Press. She founded and directs the creative writing program at Santa Fe Community College. Her website is "Santa Fe Poetry Broadside" (sfpoetry.org) which publishes numerous poets, including tanka poets.

Her close friend and neighbor Elizabeth Searle Lamb was her mentor in haiku and tanka. Sagan edited Lamb's collected poetry Across the Windharp. Lamb's influence remains here.

Miriam Sagan is the author of twenty books, including Map of the Lost, poetry from University of New Mexico Press. She founded and directs the creative writing program at Santa Fe Community College. Her haiku and tanka have been published internationally, and she was the editor of Elizabeth Searle Lamb’s collected work, Across the Windharp.

For media inquiries or to arrange an interview with the author, contact Miriam Sagan by e-mail at msagan1035@aol.com. Publisher information at: www.modernenglishtankapress.com.

This book is available from www.Lulu.com/modernenglishtanka, from major booksellers, and from the publisher. Complete information and a mail or email order form are available online at www.modernenglishtankapress.com. Price: $11.95 USD. ISBN 978-0-9817691-9-6. Trade paperback. 116 pages, 6.00" x 9.00", perfect binding, 60# cream interior paper, black and white interior ink, 100# exterior paper, full-color exterior ink.

Modern English Tanka Press is an independent equity publishing house in Baltimore, Maryland, dedicated to producing books and periodicals of lasting literary value, especially poetry. A family business, we treat our customers and partners in publishing like family. We use modern print-on-demand production and distribution methods. Our special mission is to promote the tanka form of poetry and to educate newcomers about this most ancient poetic form. We operate www.TankaCentral.com, the internet megasite for tanka, with its popular "Tanka News" blog, and the poetry web hub, www.ShortVerse.com.

Contact: Denis M. Garrison, owner, Modern English Tanka Press  443-802-1249  Email to dmg@themetpress.com .
www.modernenglishtankapress.com www.modernenglishtanka.com  www.atlaspoetica.com
www.shortverse.com www.tankacentral.com  www.tankanews.com  www.modernhaiga.com  

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