Reviewing Sunflower Tanka: poet Colleen Chesebro’s tanka

Today, I’m reviewing the poetry anthology named Sunflower Tanka. I’m highlighting Colleen M. Chesebro’s tanka. Here is the book’s pretty cover illustration:

Colleen is also Sunflower Tanka’s co-editor.

Colleen writes about the longest night during the winter solstice benefits the moonflower. This nocturnal flower blooms at dusk and it lives for only one night. Nocturnal insects are visitors who help to pollinate this flower. However beautiful and alluring, this flower has to be treated with caution. It is poisonous to human beings, domestic animals like felines, canines, chicken, ducks, goats, cows and other livestock. The moonflower’s seeds and leaves are also toxic.

The poet has chosen to write about a moonflower because it is the opposite of the sunflower. I enjoyed reading Colleen’s tanka.

If I have the chance to interview Colleen, I would like to ask her these questions:

1. How did you select the tankas from 35 other poets? Each poet has written so many tankas. Yet you are tasked with choosing the best for inclusion into the anthology.
2. What was it like working to compile and edit the volume for publication?
3. Would you do this work all over again for another tome of poetry?
4. How did you decide to choose the tanka as THE type of poetry to gather material for publication?
5. Do you have plans to publish new books? If so, what are the genres of these future works?

Reference

Sunflower Tanka. Into The Light – 1st Edition 2024. Compiled by Robbie Cheadle & Colleen M. Chesebro.

Colleen’s blog is at TankaTuesday.com