It’s been four years since Denis Garrison and I published the first issue of Amaze and I’m excited by the continued interest in the cinquain form.  Denis has launched a new project, Modern English Tanka (http://www.modernenglishtanka.com/), which may be of interest to poets who write cinquains.

A tanka and a cinquain are related forms and sometimes the distinction between the two forms is blurred.  For example, earlier this summer my untitled cinquain “ermine” was published in Simply Haiku (http://www.simplyhaiku.com):

ermine
against her cheeks
naked before the fire--
a California girl unused
to snow

Simply Haiku, Summer 2006

The editorial policy of Modern English Tanka is that an untitled cinquain written in the style of modern tanka is considered to be a “set form tanka” and would be welcome in its pages.  I would encourage Amaze readers to stop by, enjoy the selection of tanka, and consider submitting untitled tanka-like cinquains there.

Deborah P Kolodji
Editor, Amaze: The Cinquain Journal