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★★★ Let’s write syllabic poetry together ★★★

About Tanka Tuesday
Join us every week for #TankaTuesday, a welcoming space where poets come together to explore the beauty of syllabic poetry. Whether you’re new to structured verse or a seasoned poet, this challenge invites you to craft thoughtful, expressive poems that capture moments, emotions, and the rhythm of life. Engage with fellow poets, refine your creativity, and let the art of words flow freely. Embrace the challenge and share your voice—your poetry belongs here!



The Sunflower Tanka Anthology
Exploring Tanka Poetry
Discover a curated selection of innovative and classic tanka poetry from poets around the world, emphasizing form and creative expression.
Our annual anthology celebrates the rich tradition of syllabic poetry, with a special focus on tanka. This concise five-line form offers a perfect balance of simplicity and depth, inviting poets to capture moments, emotions, and scenes with precision and clarity.
Whether you are a seasoned poet or new to the form, our collection provides inspiration and insight into the art of tanka composition.
Sunflower Tanka, edited by Robbie Cheadle & Colleen M. Chesebro, is an annual anthology. Join us in exploring this timeless poetic form through our latest anthology, which showcases a variety of styles, from traditional to experimental approaches.
Our focus on tanka for 2025 highlights its versatility — from classical compositions to avant-garde interpretations. Whether capturing fleeting moments or profound insights, tanka remains a compelling form for poets worldwide.
Sunflower Tanka: A 2025 Anthology of Tanka, Tanka Prose, & Experimental Tanka

For 2025, our theme “Dreams” invites poets to explore the symbolic language of dreaming, where metaphors blur the line between reality and imagination. Dreams often serve as gateways to layered meaning, offering fertile ground for syllabic poetry.
Our annual anthology celebrates the rich tradition of syllabic poetry, with a special focus on tanka & experimental tanka forms.
Available in Kindle & Print
Word Craft: Prose & Poetry

Consider this book the first step on your journey to learning the basics of how to craft syllabic poetry. Inside, you will discover many new forms, syllable combinations, and interpretations of the different Japanese and American forms and structures of haiku, senryu, haiga, tanka, renga/solo renga, gogyohka, haibun, tanka prose, the cinquain, and its variations. Etheree, nonet, and shadorma poetry.
Available in Kindle & Print
2024 Sunflower Tanka

Our theme, “Into the Light,” draws inspiration from the way a young sunflower bud constantly turns to face the sun. Poets delved into the realms of death, love, and the natural world, capturing their human experiences in the timeless form of syllabic poetry. Our annual anthology celebrates the rich tradition of syllabic poetry, with a special focus on tanka & experimental tanka forms.
Available in Kindle & Print
Sunflower Tanka Anthology News
- More Sunflower Tanka Loveby Colleen ChesebroMany thanks to Nicole Sara for this lovely review of Sunflower Tanka. Robbie and I are so grateful for these reviews. Thanks so much, and here’s to another year of writing syllabic poetry together. 🥳
- Celebrating the 2025 Sunflower Tanka Anthology | Robbie Cheadleby Colleen ChesebroI’m so pleased that Robbie Cheadle reviewed the 2025 Sunflower Tanka Anthology on her series called Treasuring Poetry on Writing to be Read with Kaye Lynn Booth. Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to share posts about this year’s anthology. Robbie and I appreciate you all! We couldn’t do this without your… Read more: Celebrating the 2025 Sunflower Tanka Anthology | Robbie Cheadle
- New Release – Sunflower Tanka: A 2025 Anthology of Tanka, Tanka Prose, & Experimental Tankaby Colleen ChesebroRobbie I are excited to share that the 2025 edition of Sunflower Tanka has published. You will find the book available in print, Kindle, and Kindle Unlimited. We’ve kept our prices the same as last year. The theme of “dreams,” was perfect for 2025. We’re looking forward to 2026, and another wonderful year of writing… Read more: New Release – Sunflower Tanka: A 2025 Anthology of Tanka, Tanka Prose, & Experimental Tanka
Syllabic Poetry Resources

Discover the 72 Micro Seasons, the rituals, and practices that keep creativity alive day after day.

Instructions on how to create the different syllabic poetry forms.

Build resilience, community, and learn the forms to create syllabic poetry.
Meet Our Team
My name is Colleen Chesebro. In 2016, I created Tanka Tuesday as a platform for poets to learn the fundamentals of Japanese and American syllabic poetry. Each Tuesday, a syllabic poetry challenge posts for poets to join in and write together.
Our Team
Melissa, Willow, Yvette, and Robbie joined the team to help create syllabic poetry challenges that stimulate your poetic creativity.
Follow Tanka Tuesday on Substack
Tanka Tuesday Books & Sunflower Tanka Anthologies

Word Craft Prose & Poetry

Word Weaving/The Moons of Autumn

2026 Sunflower Tanka Anthology
Coming Next Year
On the Blog
Join us every week for #TankaTuesday, a welcoming space where poets come together to explore the beauty of syllabic poetry. Whether you’re new to structured verse or a seasoned poet, this challenge invites you to craft thoughtful, expressive poems that capture moments, emotions, and the rhythm of life. Engage with fellow poets, refine your creativity, and let the art of words flow freely. Embrace the challenge and share your voice—your poetry belongs here!
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