From the Zhu Lin Renga blog (zhulinrenga.wordpress.com):
"Renga is the Japanese pronunciation of lian ge 連歌, the Chinese characters meaning “to link together” and verse, or song. The Japanese perfected this method of poetry, but its roots may lie in Qin dynasty China. In China, it was a spontaneous collaboration of master poets, in which each contributed lines that built on each other; each contribution played upon the meaning of the previous contribution, adding new meaning while also retaining the line of thought. The end result was a poem full of layers and personalities, capturing a dialogue through poetry.
Zhu Lin Renga is our own take on the tradition of Renga poetry.
The Chinese character of wu 五 means 5. It looks like an hourglass. Each week, we will write a renga poem, with the help of 5 contributors, selected by chance through an impartial drawing. The 5 contributors will write 2 lines, going around the circle twice. At the end of the two turns, each will contribute one more line, for a total of 55 lines for the evening.
At the end of the season (we plan to have 4 seasons of 12 weeks of poetry), we will print the Renga into a handbound book on Zhu Lin Salon’s own printing press, illustrated by local artists, and publish it."Thanks to Sara Kohl, who is spearheading this event. You can check out her poetry here:
www.poetcetera.wordpress.com
www.myspace/lifeofpoetry.com
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