Discover a curated selection of innovative and classic tanka poetry from poets around the world, emphasizing form and creative expression.
Our annual anthology celebrates the rich tradition of syllabic poetry, with a special focus on tanka. This concise five-line form offers a perfect balance of simplicity and depth, inviting poets to capture moments, emotions, and scenes with precision and clarity.
Whether you are a seasoned poet or new to the form, our collection provides inspiration and insight into the art of tanka composition.
Sunflower Tanka, edited by Robbie Cheadle & Colleen M. Chesebro, is an annual anthology. Join us in exploring this timeless poetic form through our latest anthology, which showcases a variety of styles, from traditional to experimental approaches.
Our focus on tanka for 2026 highlights its versatility — from classical compositions to avant-garde interpretations. Whether capturing fleeting moments or profound insights, tanka remains a compelling form for poets worldwide.



Our 2024 theme, “Into the Light,” draws inspiration from the way a young sunflower bud constantly turns to face the sun. Poets delved into the realms of death, love, and the natural world, capturing their human experiences in the timeless form of syllabic poetry. Our annual anthology celebrates the rich tradition of syllabic poetry, with a special focus on tanka & experimental tanka forms.
Available in Kindle & Print

Our 2025 theme “Dreams” invites poets to explore the symbolic language of dreaming, where metaphors blur the line between reality and imagination. Dreams often serve as gateways to layered meaning, offering fertile ground for syllabic poetry. Our annual anthology celebrates the rich tradition of syllabic poetry, with a special focus on tanka & experimental tanka forms.
Available in Kindle & Print

Coming in December 2026

This is another wonderful SUNFLOWER TANKA offering as special as last year’s with many of the same contributors—from all over the world—along with first timers of this particular anthology.
There are so many moving prose, I couldn’t begin to list them.
— Amazon Reviewer
Tanka is a specific type of poem, with different types defined in the introduction. Poets from around the world participate in Colleen Chesebro’s Tanka Tuesday on the internet–to celebrate the art of syllabic poetry, so this collection of poems from dreams were written by poets from Australia and Indonesia to England and Ireland, Italy and Japan, Romania and South Africa, and the United States.
— Amazon Reviewer
I am a fan of syllabic poetry and the tanka format. A favorite is tanka prose, but in reading this, I fell in love with the garland tanka and will be giving it a try. I enjoyed meeting each poet, some I knew, others were new to me. They were from all around the world and really added to the depth and perspective of this collection.
— Amazon Reviewer
IThe anthology is both gentle and expansive, gracefully forthcoming and with a warm velvety feel to it, as if of a genuine togetherness, thus offering readers a contemplative stroll through the separate and shared mindscape of human dreams and imagination. I warmly recommend it to all lovers of poetry, of beauty and… of dreams!
— Amazon Reviewer
I’m so pleased that Robbie Cheadle reviewed the 2025 Sunflower Tanka Anthology on her series called Treasuring Poetry on Writing… READ MORE
Robbie I are excited to share that the 2025 edition of Sunflower Tanka has published. You will find the book… READ MORE
Whew! Here we are on the last day of November! It’s been a crazy week for me, with my last… READ MORE
Hello, beautiful poets! Robbie and I want to update you on the status of the 2025 Sunflower Tanka Anthology. It’s… READ MORE
Robbie and Colleen thank all contributors for submitting tanka and related works to the 2025 anthology. The submission period is… READ MORE
“Advice from a sunflower. Be bright, sunny, and positive. Know your roots. Spread seeds of happiness. Rise, shine, and hold your head up high. Keep on growing. Even on the darkest days, stand tall and find the sunlight.“
~ Unknown
A yearly Anthology of tanka, tanka prose, and experimental tanka