Tundra: The Journal of the Short Poem

Explore this site to learn more about Tundra: The Journal of the Short Poem. Although Tundra is currently on a probably permanent hiatus, here you’ll find descriptions of issues, tables of contents and complete contributor lists for each issue, and links to selected poems. You’ll also find old subscription and submission information, plus links to reviews of the journal and more. We welcome orders of single copies, which are still available. Tundra focused on submissions of primarily objective and imagistic short poems of 13 or fewer lines. If you have questions, please visit the Graceguts website or email Michael Dylan Welch at WelchM@aol.com.

Edited by Michael Dylan Welch

Tundra #1

The first issue of Tundra, edited by Michael Dylan Welch, is 112 pages, perfectbound, 6 by 9 inches. It contains an article by Dana Gioia on featured poet Samuel Menashe, an interview by Catherine J. Kordich and Michael Dylan Welch with Imagist poet and novelist Janet Lewis (author of The Wife of Martin Guerre), an article by Hiroaki Sato on Japanese haiku master Seisensui along with 32 translations, a book review and haibun (prose with haiku), and a variety of haiku, senryu, tanka, and other short poetry. Peter Donaldson provided the cover photograph.

Contributors to Tundra #1 include John Brandi, Randy M. Brooks, Doc Dachtler, Dick Davis, Tom Disch, Dee Evetts, Garry Gay, Lee Gurga, Jane Hirshfield, H. L. Hix, Gary Hotham, Ted Kooser, Richard Kostelanetz, Leza Lowitz, H. F. Noyes, Alan Pizzarelli, Gabriel Rosenstock, Steve Sanfield, Robert Spiess, Cor van den Heuvel, Paul O. Williams, Virginia Brady Young, and many more (among 154 contributors).

To see sample poems from this issue of Tundra, click Tundra #1 Contents or Tundra #1 Contributors.

Tundra #2

The second issue of Tundra, edited by Michael Dylan Welch, is 128 pages, perfectbound, 6 by 9 inches. This issue contains correspondence on haiku by Robert Bly and Cor van den Heuvel, introduced by Michael Dylan Welch, and has Ted Kooser as featured poet, introduced by Lee Gurga, plus haiku by Akito Arima translated by Emiko Miyashita and Lee Gurga. Other highlights include a limerick cycle by Max Gutmann on the complete dramatic works by Shakespeare, a haibun by Michael McClintock, and a book review by Cor van den Heuvel on three prominent haiku books. Garry Gay provided the cover photograph.

Contributors to Tundra #2 include Francisco X. Alarcon, Joan Baranow, Art Beck, Tom Clausen, David Cobb, Ion Codrescu, Ruth Daigon, Diane di Prima, Jack Foley, Garry Gay, Dana Gioia, LeRoy Gorman, Jonathan Greene, Penny Harter, H. L. Hix, Gary Hotham, Gerald Locklin, Leza Lowitz, Martin Lucas, Stefanie Marlis, Samuel Menashe, Pamela Miller Ness, Dale Pendell, Alan Pizzarelli, Charles Rossiter, Miriam Sagan, Steve Sanfield, Barry Spacks, Robert Spiess, John Stevenson, Robert Sward, Susan Terris, Mike Tuggle, Ken Waldman, Ruth Yarrow, and many more (among 146 contributors).

To see sample poems from this issue of Tundra, click Tundra #2 Contents or Tundra #2 Contributors.

Submissions

NOTE: Tundra is currently on a probably permanent hiatus, so please do not submit at this time (although you are still welcome to order back issues).

Submissions of unpublished short poems (13 or fewer lines strongly preferred, especially haiku, senryu, and tanka) are welcome at the address below. Please send about three to ten poems at a time (up to ten only if they are very short, such as with haiku), with your name and address on each sheet, and always include a self-addressed stamped envelope for a reply. Email submissions are also welcome at WelchM@aol.com (please also include your name and snail-mail address with every email submission). For email submissions, please type or copy and paste directly into the message (no attached files, please). Contributors receive one free copy of the issue containing their work. Rights revert to authors upon publication, although the editor reserves the right to republish published work in possible future anthologies or on the Tundra website. Please help support Tundra with your subscriptions, contributions, and submissions. Order a sample copy or subscribe today!

Subscriptions

A three-issue subscription was available for $21.00 in the United States, $24.00 in Canada, and $28.00 elsewhere. Single copies of Tundra are still available for $10.00 plus postage costs (inquire about these costs at WelchM@aol.com by letting me know your postal address). Please make checks or money orders payable in U.S. funds to “Michael D. Welch,” and send it to the following address:

Michael Dylan Welch

Tundra Editor

22230 NE 28th Place

Sammamish, WA 98074-6408 USA

Tundra’s goal was to be the journal of short poetry in North America, and sought to integrate haiku with mainstream poetry without diluting the distinctive aesthetics of English-language haiku and related Japanese genres.

Reviews of Tundra

If you’d like to see the cover of the first issue of Tundra, as well as read or hear a few sample poems, or read reviews of issue #1 or #2, please visit the following web pages (please note that part of the third site requires MP3 capability):

http://geraldengland.co.uk/revs/mg073.htm

http://www.brooksbookshaiku.com/haikumagreviews/tundra.html

http://www.poetrypoetry.com/CharlieSez/00-01/CharlieSez.html

http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Cafe/1492/spr-stuff/text0055.html

More Information on Haiku and Tanka

Tundra publishes many haiku and tanka, among other genres of poetry. For more information on haiku and tanka, please visit the following sites:

"Becoming a Haiku Poet"

http://www.graceguts.com/essays/becoming-a-haiku-poet

Haiku Society of America

http://www.hsa-haiku.org/

Tanka Society of America

http://www.tankasocietyofamerica.org

Haiku Northwest

http://www.haikunorthwest.org

Open Directory Portal Site for Haiku and Related Poetry

http://www.dmoz.org/Arts/Literature/Poetry/Forms/Haiku_and_Related_Forms/

(now discontinued)

"Open Window" (Haiku and Photography by Michael Dylan Welch)

http://www.brooksbookshaiku.com/welch/index.html

Other Journals for Short Poetry

I’m pleased to recommend the following journals for short poetry. Hummingbird and Lilliput Review are the oldest journals I know of focusing on short poetry—and two of the best. If you know of others that should be listed here, please let me know:

4 and 20

http://4and20poetry.com/

(now discontinued)

Alba

http://www.ravennapress.com/alba/

Brevities, edited by Joyce Odam

(I don’t know of a website Brevities, but see http://www.rattlesnakepress.com/Joyce_Odem.html for her email)

Concise Delight

http://www.themetpress.com/concisedelight/

(the journal is now closed, and no longer accepting submissions, but you can still check out past issues)

Hummingbird

http://hummingbirdpoetry.org/

(founded in 1990 by Phyllis Walsh, who passed away in September 2012, at the age of 83; now edited by CX Dillhunt)

Lilliput Review

http://lilliputreview.googlepages.com/home

Noon, edited by Philip Rowland

http://noonpoetry.com/

See also the editor's essay at http://www.modernhaiku.org/essays/RowlandFromHaikuToShortPoem.html.