Urban Tumbleweed: Notes from a Tanka Diary

Urban Tumbleweed: Notes from a Tanka Diary merges poetry with nature observation in an experimental collection. Through a series of tanka poems - a Japanese form consisting of 31 syllables - Mullen documents her daily walks in Los Angeles over the course of a year. The poems capture encounters between urban and natural environments, from sidewalk weeds to passing birds to freeway traffic. Mullen adheres to the traditional tanka syllable count while breaking from conventional nature poetry through her focus on modern city life and environmental concerns. Each poem stands alone while contributing to the larger rhythms of the collection as a moving chronicle of place and time. The work alternates between concrete observations and abstract reflections as Mullen traces her paths through Los Angeles. The collection examines intersections of nature and culture, questioning how humans relate to environment in an increasingly urbanized world. Through its hybrid form and subject matter, the work explores themes of belonging, observation, and the search for wildness within city limits.

Readers describe the book as an experimental blend of poetry and nature observation in urban Los Angeles. Many appreciate Mullen's focus on everyday moments and her ability to notice nature within city spaces. Liked: - Fresh take on traditional tanka form - Documentation of daily walks and observations - Connection between urban and natural environments - Accessibility compared to Mullen's other works Disliked: - Some poems feel repetitive - Limited emotional depth - Too much focus on cars and traffic - Several readers note the collection lacks the complexity of Mullen's previous poetry Ratings: Goodreads: 3.8/5 (84 ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (6 ratings) One reader on Goodreads notes: "These poems work best when read a few at a time rather than straight through." Another writes: "The constraint of the tanka form sometimes feels forced, but there are genuine moments of insight about how nature persists in urban spaces."

Time of Sky & Castles in the Air by Ayane Kawata A collection of tanka poems interweaves natural observations with metropolitan life in contemporary Japan.

The Narrow Road to the Interior by Kimiko Hahn These poems merge Japanese forms with personal narratives of urban life and motherhood through a hybrid of tanka, zuihitsu, and diary entries.

Morning Haiku by Sonia Sanchez Short-form poems chronicle encounters with jazz musicians, civil rights figures, and city streets through an African American lens.

Notes from a Sojourner by Marilyn Chin A poetic travelogue combines Eastern and Western forms to document observations of displacement and migration in urban spaces.

Sky Between Leaves by Margaret Chula Tanka sequences capture fleeting moments between nature and human activity in Portland's cityscape through traditional Japanese forms.

🌿 Harryette Mullen composed these poems while taking daily walks in Los Angeles, combining the Japanese tanka form with urban American experiences 📝 The traditional tanka is a 31-syllable Japanese poem, typically written in a single vertical line, which Mullen adapted into five horizontal lines 🚶‍♀️ The collection spans a full year of observations, recording both natural elements (birds, trees, weather) and human-made features (traffic, signage, architecture) encountered during walks 🏆 Mullen is a professor at UCLA and recipient of the Academy of American Poets Fellowship, the PEN Beyond Margins Award, and was a finalist for the National Book Award 🎭 The title "Urban Tumbleweed" refers to plastic bags caught in the wind—a modern, city-specific take on the traditional natural imagery found in Japanese poetry