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“The Tanka Society of America is one of the best organizations I have ever belonged to. I’m so grateful for your support.”
—Jennifer Read Hawthorne, #1 New York Times best-selling coauthor, Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul
“The experience of mentoring leaves me with a warm feeling of pride in sharing with a group of tanka friends and in seeing them continue to grow.”
—Peggy Hale Bilbro (mentor, 2023–2024)
“I love seeing the ways we inspire and influence each other and I am excited to continue with this group as long as they’ll have me!”
—Cynthia Bale (mentor, 2025–2026)
The Tanka Society is pleased to offer its mentorship program again in 2026 after successful runs in previous years. The program is open to anyone seeking to cultivate their tanka craft and to build community around tanka and related forms. Theresa Cancro, TSA’s second vice president, will chair the program in 2026. Ideal candidates should be interested in meeting regularly with a small group to workshop, write, and discuss tanka, led by an experienced tanka poet. We expect candidates to commit to meeting regularly for at least six months.
We welcome participation by both beginner and experienced poets, and we hope to offer groups targeted at newer poets as well as those with a range of experience levels. For poets who are highly experienced and interested in sharing your knowledge with others, we encourage you to apply to lead a group as a mentor.
If you are interested in being a mentor or a mentee, please sign up using our 2026 Mentorship Sign-Up form. The form asks questions about your group preferences. We will do our best to match your preferences, but cannot guarantee a perfect match. Participation is free, and open to both TSA members and nonmembers.
The application deadline is May 31, 2026. We intend to contact applicants about group placement by no later than June 30. If you have any questions, please email tsamentorship@gmail.com.
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