Book slut and tanka

With a name like mine sometimes it is difficult not to be slutty about books. I have seriously indulged lately - and one little tome that I can now justify the purchase of was just used for the first time. The (Penguin) 'Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory' has just saved me from a potentially awkward conversation with Chris Gallagher, the lovely director of The Tasmanian Writer's Centre (TWC) (see earlier blog post). TWC are holding a series of workshops throughout April and May (excuse late post, but I have been far, far away). Their workshops include ones on creative non-fiction (a genre I love to pieces beginning with Capote's 'In Cold Blood'), Haiku (yeah yeah, know all about it, did it in grade 6) and Tanka. Tanka. Lovely word, solid and quite visceral - but what on earth? 'A Japanese lyric form of thirty one syllables in lines of five/seven/five/seven/seven syllables. Also known as Waka or an Uta it originated in the 7th Century and is regarded as the classic Japanese poetic form.' (Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory' Penguin, 1999 p901.