Notes & Links

Good Rengay have

• a unifying theme that runs throughout. Superior rengay have more than one theme without the themes seeming forced; each verse responds, in some way, to the preceding verse;
• verses that can stand alone as poems
• a title that reflects the theme(s), but does not seem obvious;
• 2-line verses that are not simply 3-line haiku written in two lines.

Rengay Information

For additional information on rengay formats and more writing tips, please check out these links:

Garry Gay, the creator of the rengay form
Garry Gay on Rengay

Michael Dylan Welch’s website, www.rengay.com, offers many examples of rengay, as well as essays on the form written by Welch and many others. A wealth of information.
https://www.rengay.com/rengay-essays

The Rengay Verse Form by J. Zimmerman is a webpage devoted to defining rengay and how to write them. http://www.baymoon.com/~ariadne/form/rengay.htm

Rengay by Michael Dylan Welch is a wonderful history of the origin and history of rengay. The article is part of Haikupedia, The Haiku Foundation Encyclopedia of Haiku, an unparalleled resource for all things haiku. The article includes examples, useful links and references.
https://haikupedia.org/article-haikupedia/rengay/