Melissa Lemay, who readers will recognize from Record of Dissent, is back with a new collaboration, and this one leans hard into play. Broken Rengay: Unruly Poetry is a quick, sharp collection co-written with Nolcha Fox and Barbara Leonhard, with a striking cover illustration by Lesley Scoble, that takes a poetic form rooted in Japanese tradition and shakes it awake.
The rengay—a modern adaptation of Japan’s ancient linked-verse forms—was created by Garry Gay in 1992. It’s a six-part collaborative poem, traditionally written by two or three poets who take turns building around a shared theme. You can think of it as jazz in verse. Each stanza riffs on what came before, shifting tone, mood, or image while keeping a thread that ties the whole thing together.
In this book, that thread runs wild. The trio keeps the bones of the form but bends everything else—the rules, the rhythm, the tone. Each poet brings her own style. Together, they create something that feels spontaneous but deliberate, lighthearted but layered. You can sense the trust between them, and that makes room for honesty, humor, and surprise.
Some poems read like a dare, others like confession. Some do both. The short form forces precision—every image has to count—and the shared authorship keeps it unpredictable. It’s not three poets trying to sound the same, but rather three distinct voices finding beautiful harmony through difference.
What makes Broken Rengay such a joy is how alive it feels. These poems don’t sit still. They turn, they wink, they occasionally bite. It’s collaborative writing that doesn’t feel forced, a reminder that poetry doesn’t have to be solemn to matter. Sometimes breaking form is the most faithful way to honor it.
At 32 poems, it’s a quick read, but one that lingers. You can flip through in a single sitting and come back later to notice new threads of connection running through it. And trust me, you’ll definitely want to come back, again and again. Whether you’re a poet, a reader, or just someone who likes watching language do cartwheels, this book delivers.
Broken Rengay: Unruly Poetry is available through Prolific Pulse Press and the usual online booksellers. Highly recommended for anyone who loves collaboration, brevity, and a little bit of rule-breaking done right.
—Nick Allison, Editor
Record of Dissent: Poems of Protest in an Authoritarian Age
Order Broken Rengay: Unruly Poetry: BookShop, Barnes and Noble, Amazon
P.S. I won’t pick a “favorite” poem from this book, but I’ll just say I really loved They Won’t Let Us Back Again.
And just for fun — a review in rengay form.
(Technically not a true rengay, since I don’t have any fellow poets handy.)
Three poets walk into a form,
each one carrying a spark—
none of them bring a map.
Rules tremble,
then step aside.
Laughter spills into craft,
the kind that hides
real depth under mischief.
A pause,
a glance that lands heavier than expected.
They trade lines like secrets,
turning language
into a living thing again.
Read it once for the fun,
and again for the freedom.
The Chaos Section Poetry Project 
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