Book Review: Sunflower Tanka Anthology compiled by Robbie Cheadle @bakeandwrite & Colleen Chesebro

Happy New Year! Ist review of 2025. 😀

Book overview

Sunflower Tanka, edited by Robbie Cheadle & Colleen M. Chesebro, is an annual anthology of contemporary tanka, tanka prose, & experimental tanka from a broad mix of new and established poetic voices from across the world.

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.

Contributors to the first edition of the Sunflower Tanka: Suzanne Brace, Yvette Calleiro, Kay Castenada, Luanne Castle, Robbie Cheadle, Colleen M. Chesebro, E.A. Colquitt, Melissa Davilio, Destiny, Tamiko Dooley, Lisa Fox, Cindy Georgakas, Chris Hall, Franci Hoffman, Marsha Ingrao, Jude Itakali, JulesPaige, Kenneth, MJ Mallon, Brenda Marie, Selma Martin, Michelle Ayon Navajas, Lisa Nelson, D. Wallace Peach, Freya Pickard, Dawn Pisturino, Gwen M. Plano, Jennifer Russo, Aishwarya Saby, Reena Saxena, Merril D. Smith, Nicole Smith, Ivor Steven, Ben Tonkin, Trilce Marsh Vazquez, Cheryl Wood.

Book Review

Sunflower Tanka (Anthology)

This is a beautiful collection of tanka, tanka prose, garland tanka, tanka puente
and rensaku, (if you are unfamiliar, Robbie Cheadle’s The Buffalo, & Jacaranda Blue, and Kay Castenada’s three rensaku, are all fantastic.)

Sunflower Tanka is lovingly edited by Colleen Chesebro and Robbie Cheadle with the theme ‘into the light.’ I loved all the different interpretations, how meaningful and different they all were.

I am honoured to have three off my tanka poems included.

This review relates to all of the other lovely poems

They are all favourites but here are some of my choices to highlight:

Lisa Fox with her tanka prose about creating sourdough from scratch and eating the finished product with peanut butter really made me smile.

Chris Hall, her tanka poems about the seasons, spring, early summer, late summer, autumn and winter are sublime.

Luanne Castle’s Lesson (Tanka prose,) about her care of her baby grandson. And a  hummingbird, sharing, ‘our duties of protection.’ 

Brenda Marie with her wonderful soul inspired Tanka.

Melissa Davilio’s lovely tanka about a rainbow uplifting her downcast mood.

Reena Saxena’s amusing double tanka about the brevity of haiku extended by ‘two more lines of wisdom.’

I enjoyed Lisa Smith Nelson’s tanka, (Sweater Weather,) tanka puente, and tanka prose, Driving Blind.)

Colleen Chesebro’s tankas celebrating  moonlight, an owl and nocturnal insects.

Moving tanka prose from Marsha Ingrao about her cancer treatment which ends on a hopeful note. And from D. Wallace Peach (My Mother’s Death,) a touchingly written personal tanka prose. Merril D. Smith’s April 2020 tanka prose during covid about loss, sadness, light and love remembered. And from Robbie Cheadle a truly relatable poem about growing older through the generations, (Family Gathering.)

Selma Martin’s visual tanka begins by taking you on an eagle’s wing. How poetry can really move you! 

Sunflower Tanka’s international flavour made it even more interesting for me with poets from the US, UK, Japan, Philippines, Uganda, Mexico, South Africa, Scotland/Portugal, Australia, Italy and India.

Keen poetry enthusiasts will be delighted to be gifted this anthology. What a pleasure to dip into the pages whenever you fill the need to bask into the light!

Robbie Cheadle is a gifted artist, the gorgeous cover and interior formatted by Colleen Chesebro depicts Robbie’s favourite flower, the Sunflower.

Highly recommended. 5 🌟

About Robbie Cheadle

Robbie is a poet, artist, and author of books for children and adults. You can connect to her on https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com

About Colleen Chesebro

Colleen likes crafting magic through prose & poetry by connecting to nature abd the passage of time Find her at https://tankatuesday.com and https://colleenchesebro.org.

She’s an avid supporter of her writing community on her blog on by organizing and sponsoring a weekly syllabic poetry challenge, called #TankaTuesday, where participants experiment with traditional and current forms of Japanese and American syllabic poetry.