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Feathered
Frost: an interview with the authors |
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| SH |
Feathered Frost is
an unusual and challenging piece in more ways than one. Each stanza, for
instance, is written as a single unbroken line. Where did you learn this
style of prosody? And what do you see as the advantages? |
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| ron |
One line haiku in
the tradition of MM [Marlene Mountain.ed] and Janice Bostok always attracted
me. Sheila and I starting writing in this way, without spacing on the line,
for its aesthetic appeal and the flow of imagery it creates, but it
must
always maintain the haiku breaks if written and then read properly. Of
course we even challenged ourselves on that too, by using very short
lines where
they could work. |
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| sheila |
I don't know Janice's
work (something I aim to remedy very soon) but I'm a great fan of Marlene's
and writing with her and others was what got me hooked on one-line haiku
without spaces or punctuation. I agree with Ron that, generally, each line
needs to be read as a distinct haiku . . . but on occasion like to depart
from that and slip in a deliberate 'run on'. One-line haiku are great fun
and habit forming. Sometimes allowing the reader several different interpretations,
depending on where s/he decides to place the punctuation/emphasis.
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| SH |
It's interesting that
you both refer to the component stanzas of the piece as 'haiku'. Is there
any material difference in the way you construct a stanza for these collaborative
pieces as opposed to the methods you would employ for a single stand-alone
verse?
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| sheila |
The way I write tends
to be intuitive/from the inside out, and it's not often that I'm consciously
aware of the mechanics of it. But having thought, yes, I suppose I do approach
the different forms differently. With a solo haiku I focus on the event/moment/what
I want to convey and that's all. In the case of collaborative writing, I
try to 'tune in' to my partner/s, get onto a shared 'wavelength' and allow
the work to flow and grow from there. Always with collaborative work I have
the intention, somewhere at the back of my mind, to make the overall piece
the best it can be . . . it is, perhaps, a more open and embracing practice
than single haikai writing. And that's a big part of the enjoyment of it,
for me.
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| ron |
Yes, I couldn't agree
more. The piece will often get a good a vibe if it's working and equally,
one of us might suggest it has lost momentum at a certain point and we
find a place to start again and not get hung up on the whys and why
nots but
continue the creative flow. |
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| SH |
Overall you use 36
verses for the piece - the length of the Kasen pattern immortalised by Matsuo
Basho. What influenced you to choose this number of verses? And/Or
did you draw directly on other features of the Kasen when composing
the piece?
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| sheila |
Yes, I first met this
particular form through ai li (editor of 'still' and
'dew-on-line'). She called it 'one line renku' and the name has
stuck with me. It seemed to me at the time to be the contemporary western
alternative
to the more 'traditional' Japanese renku forms, with their many rules and
conventions. Having thirty-six 'verses' is pretty much where the similarity
with kasen renku ends . . . that and the one requirement: that there should
be no back-linking (not just to the last but one verse but throughout).
The idea is to make the whole exciting, a journey through many places and
experiences. It is up to the writers to decide what constitutes a back-link. |
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| ron |
For me having a degree
of form can give you great freedom to explore the creativity of where a
piece can go, knowing that we will be working towards the traditional thirty-six
verse length, it gives you the space to allow the images to come, but have
a structure to work towards to
bring it to completion. |
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| SH |
Yes, it's clear
that Feathered Frost doesn't just end at random, and though it hits high
gear more rapidly than would a Kasen, I am nevertheless reminded of the
jo-ha-kyu dynamic pattern.
You alternate throughout.
Is there a collaborative aspect to the drafting of any given verse or
is each the sole work of the named poet? By the same token - were multiple
candidates proposed for each verse position. And, if so, how was the selection
process arrived at?
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| ron |
We write alternate
lines separately and then with a mutual respect for each other's individuality
and 'poetic voice' we might suggest an edit - if something is really not
working, we will be honest with each other, as the finished piece is what
is important. To find someone you can work well with is rare; collaborative
writing is certainly a challenge but the results are worth it. |
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| sheila |
I'm in agreement with
ron on this.
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Like ice .... ....
: sheila windsor
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| SH |
Did you reach this
level of understanding immediately? If I am not mistaken Feathered Frost
is not your first collaboration . . .
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| sheila |
Not by any means our
first collaboration, John. We're the Derby
& Joan of haikai
collaboration and have become more comfortable (read more outspoken) with
each other as we've progressed! We each know that the other's input will
be completely sincere and constructive and on that basis, feel free to say
what we need to say without fear that the other will take offence. |
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| SH |
The piece clearly demonstrates
the most fundamental generative technique of renku - that of 'link and shift'.
Did you use any other formal approach so as to guarantee variety and progression
in the piece? |
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| sheila |
No, 'link and shift'
is our only stated 'rule.' Other than that it's a matter of writing
intuitively
with the end of progression/variety taken as read.
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| ron |
Yes, as Sheila has
mentioned we feel that in order for it to take off into interesting directions
we link in someway to the verse before and stay aware of back-linking to
images and even specific well used words like 'moon' for example - we often
discuss certain back-links and this seems to be the best way to work. |
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| SH |
In the Japanese renku
tradition the use of seasons and season words is extremely important, not
least as a way of making extra-textual reference. What was your approach
to the general question of 'season'? And, other than the primary content
of the stanzas, did you adopt
any method of broadening the resonance of the poem?
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| ron |
We certainly use both
the season and seasonal words, but more in a free-form way when they occur
naturally rather than writing to a template. We also concentrate on not
having repetition and work towards a natural progression of seasons rather
than jumping back and forwards. Resonance is the hidden quality we all strive
for and working on the craft and lots of experimentation and writing is
an excellent start. |
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| sheila |
'Yes' to that! |
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| SH |
The relatively unorthodox
stanza structure aside, is this free-form approach to renku one you would
recommend to persons new to linked verse. Or is it the case that the adoption
of more formalised structures might, at least in the first instance, actually
aid the process of composition?
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| sheila |
I think it entirely
depends on the 'persons,' John. I would guess that perhaps
the majority might be more comfortable starting off with a more formalised
structure. Personally, I find the challenge of freedom exhilarating.
But I also need variety, in my literary and visual practices, so
I sometimes
like to work within the 'traditional' forms too. To make it work with
free-form collaboration requires a high degree of trust and an intuitive
connection between partners.
April 2005 |
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Related items in this
issue of Simply Haiku:
~ Feathered
Frost: one-line-renku – Ron Moss & Sheila
Windsor
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Copyright
2005: Simply Haiku
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