Raku

poetry chapbook, $5. 40 pgs, Edward Baranosky, 115 Parkside Drive, Toronto ON, M6R 2Y8, [email protected]

The latest chapbook from Toronto-based poet and artist Edward Baranosky takes the Korean art of Raku pottery as a point of departure. Raku, which loosely translates as “Happy Chance,” involves the special tempering of a glazed finish to produce unpredictable patterns of iridescence. Likewise, Baranosky’s poetry radiates an effortless luminescence, but one that belies his studied craftsmanship. He is an accomplished student of traditional Asian poetry, and for this one he pulls out all the Haiku, Tanka and Glosa stops. Happy chance best describes a piece of found poetry culled from the pages of the Toronto Star… a “who would have thought” article about the return of Zeppelin blimps. Hindenburgs in the age of frequent flyer points. Anachronisms abound in Raku, but the wide-ranging historical references are pregnant with meaning for contemporary readers. (Jon Sasaki)

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