Tanka and Haiga combined make a memorable and beautiful essay in short form poetry moving comfortably between seasons, emotions and lazy dreams of delicate gossamer.
Caught in a Hazy Dream from Tiffany Mackay captures fleeting moments forever with gentle wording, which can be read as singular pieces or over several pieces to gain an impression of seasons changing, dreams forming then slipping soundlessly into the ether.
One hundred small but perfect poems capture many of life’s special moments, some as simple as a smoke filled sky or a misty morning overlooking a lake, to the astounding beauty of a towering maple trees, to introspective moments which we all, at some time in our life journey, contemplate.
Tiffany Mackay was facing change in her life, passing through a period of introspection which offered her the time to sit and observe; to be able to watch nature at work, the changing seasons and the often unnoticed emotions captured in the fragmentation of time.
Over this time she has, in delicate strokes, used the time old form of Tanka poetry to create what she considered as often spontaneous moments of inspiration.
The journey through Caught in a Hazy Dream is one of comfort, as each piece has been carefully wrapped in delicate washes of colour, following the traditional Japanese art form of Haiga which makes the perfect pairing. It is her hope, that the words reach out and invite all who indulge in the moment to pause, allow nature to touch and transport you to a place of refreshing energy,
Contemporary, timeless and a collection to be returned to time and time again, Caught in a Hazy Dream is pure elixir for the soul.

Oh what I wouldn't give to have this breathtaking tanka collection on my shelf. I have never heard of tanka until this moment, but Tiffany Mackay has me utterly obsessed.

Publishing date: 23.08.2024
Thank you to Netgalley and Horizon Literary House for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

I expected: A beautifully illustrated collection
I got: Exactly what I expected
The book left me: Wanting to read more tanka

Poetry style:
Contemporary tanka, visual poetry

Amount of poems:
95 poems, one page each

Features:
Full color "illustrated" pages, poems invoking an emotion or a memory (at least for me)

Final ranking and star rating?
4 stars, A tier. These kinds of collections are always banges. I love full page coloration or illustrations already. A whole book with every page colored is a great treat for me. Every poem invoked a specific feeling, a memory, or longing for a special place. This was the perfect way to turn off my brain a little bit and just live in my own head for a while.
Highly recommend it.

Tiffany Mackay's Caught in a Hazy Dream is an ambitious exploration of dreams, self-discovery, and emotional depth. There are several moments in the collection where Mackay’s prose shines, particularly in the vivid imagery that transports readers to the blurred line between reality and fantasy. However, while the themes are engaging, the execution at times feels inconsistent.

The first half of the book is captivating, pulling the reader into a world of poetic dreamscapes. Mackay's use of language is beautiful, with striking metaphors that reflect her skill as a wordsmith. However, as the book progresses, some poems felt repetitive in both structure and theme, which caused the pacing to slow down. Additionally, there were moments where the emotional impact was diluted by abstract language that made it hard to connect fully with the narrative.

For me, the strongest aspect of Caught in a Hazy Dream is the way it examines the interplay between light and darkness, both metaphorically and literally. The author clearly has a talent for creating atmosphere. Yet, I would have liked to see more cohesion in the narrative arc. At times, it felt like the collection was drifting without a clear direction, making it difficult to stay fully immersed in the journey.

Overall, Caught in a Hazy Dream is a promising debut with flashes of brilliance. While there are areas where the writing could be tightened and the themes explored more deeply, there is no doubt that Tiffany Mackay has a unique voice that I look forward to seeing develop in future works. It is worth noting that the colorful artwork was a beautiful addition to a thoughtful collection.

1.75⭐ Thank you, Netgalley, for the chance to read "Caught in a Hazy Dream" by Tiffany Mackay. This simply wasn't for me; I'm not in the best of places mentally, so reading this very repetitive little book was honestly annoying.

I would say give it a go though; it's only little, so not too much of your time will be wasted if you end up disliking it.

The one-star rating may be a little harsh considering I don't know whether it's the reading slump I'm in that made this so boring or if the book really is boring, but that's my rating.

"Thank you NetGalley and Horizon Literary House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Caught in a Hazy Dream is a beautiful collection of tanka-inspired poetry, containing no less than 100 poems on gorgeous coloured backgrounds that reminded me of water colour paintings!

The poems deal with memory, love, growth, transformation and dreamscapes, and are divided into these five sections. All are beautifully written, but personally I connected more with the memory and transformation ones.

This is a must-read for anyone who enjoys contemporary poetry! "

The short but sweet styles of the poems paired with the colorful backgrounds make this a perfect read for anyone who like poetry. It also reminds you that poetry can take many forms and does not need to rhyme.

Loved the verse and imagery in this one. It feels like it's telling the most beautiful story. Definitely recommend!

As a poetic form, tanka (traditionally 31-syllable poems in 5 lines) lends itself well to abstraction. It's no surprise then that the author of this collection of tanka poetry paired with digital watercolor found the form fitting for these hazy, light-filled mediations on nature, relationships, and memory. The poems are largely impressionistic moments of memory and connection with the outdoors. The digitally painted backgrounds mimic wet-on-wet watercolor washes, and gesture toward encounters with nature: the sky, sunset, nightfall, water, waves, wind, stars, and more. I think because so many of the poems evoke this hazy, atmospheric quality, it is all the more compelling when sharp moments of sensory texture arise. For instance, the most richly descriptive line in the collection for me was the this: "salt and panic in my throat." The line comes from a poem describing "novice surfer's folly," and is one of the few poems directly referencing the speaker's actions. In contrast to this line, which feels so viscerally grounded in the body, most of the poems feel more dissociated and dreamlike--as if they could be occurring in memory or in the present. This slippage between memory and present moment is of course deliberate, and part of the moody, reminiscent quality of the collection. I enjoyed the collection, but longed for more tension to balance the abstraction. I don't mean that as added drama or action or anything, but rather I longed for stronger, richer depths of sensory imagery to sometimes counter-balance the mood. The poems were most successful when they allowed the haze to disperse and some detail to come into focus, if only for a moment.

A note on the design (at least in the digital edition I viewed): As this is a verbal-visual collection, I wish that the publishing house had made a different layout decision for these poems. The header and footer (including the author's name and book title on every other page) are overbearing and distracting to such a delicate, sparse arrangement of word and image.

This was my first time reading Tanka poetry, and it was lovely; each poem was short, yet it was able to portray tremendous feelings with only a few words. Within the five parts of the poem, each poem has its own unique inventiveness; the colors and abstract art that accompany each poem were appealing to me as I read since they precisely portrayed how I would feel as I read each one. The poetry did not rhyme, but it was still able to convey the poem's point and was vivid; it was extremely calming, and I am glad I tried this form of poetry and liked it so much!!

Caught in a Hazy Dream is a lovely poetry collection! I loved both the full-color pages and the beautiful poems. The book is divided into five sections exploring memory, love, growth, transformation, and dreams, making it easy to dip in and out of different moods and experiences. What stands out is how Mackay finds poetry in everyday moments, blurring the lines between the ordinary and the extraordinary.

One of my favorites:

barefoot on the beach
sand sticking to my ankles—
memories of us
walking here together
laughter carried by the waves

The book is divided into five sections exploring memory, love, growth, transformation, and dreams, making it easy to dip in and out of different moods and experiences. Combining words and images adds an extra layer of depth, inviting readers to pause and reflect. While poetry enthusiasts will appreciate the contemporary feel on tanka, the accessible language and vivid imagery make this collection enjoyable even for those new to poetry.

Introspective and meditative poems accompanied by lovely, serene watercolour backgrounds
I cannot speak for the tanka aspect, though this is a book of ideal length and with short poems. The reader gets what they are promised.
A few of the earlier poems used the same word, theme or feeling (fleeting).
At first, I had assumed this was to be a part of a pattern, all poems linking with such a word or feeling, though this was not the case, and I think it was for the best that each of them were different.
I enjoyed Mackay’s art.

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it will come out in about two weeks. Beautiful poetry. This was a breezy read because of the chosen type of poetry but it still left you feeling feelings and contemplating life.

This beautifully written tanka poetry is accompanied by gorgeous and dreamlike water color illustrations that really invite you into a dreamlike state reading it.
The poetry conveys the feelings well. I got a sense of nolstagia, longing, uncertainty but also joy reading the verses of small moments happening within the protagonist's life.
I feel like I got a very intimate glimpse of the poet's soul.

Each poem is uniquely paired with visual art reminiscent of Hagia, which is new to me, as is Tanka poetry. This pairing makes the book colorful and dreamlike. I enjoyed it.

This gem of a book is a delightful combination of tanka-style poetry and beautiful digital watercolor abstract art. The poetry is quite evocative while the art brings another dimension to the reading experience and enjoyment of the book. The poet, as is common in modern haiku/tanka/haiga written in languages other than Japanese, does not stick rigidly to the traditional 5-7-5-7-7 format. This is a wise decision, because it allows the poetry to express her thoughts and feelings in a much deeper way than if she'd been trying to limit her words to fit into a particular structure. The art also invites readers to stop and look at what's there. It quiets the mind. I sat down on a rainy, windy day with a mug of tea beside me and allowed myself to be carried along on the poems and images. What a lovely, peaceful, tranquil experience. This book would also be a great one to leave on a bedside or end table, to be picked up whenever there's an available moment, to be opened at random and enjoyed. It's a lovely book.

I had a wonderful experience reading this poetry collection with each of them pairing a unique watercolour painting in the background. It really enhanced the journey as the colour sets the mood before you read the words. Each poem is short and precise, delicate and dreamy. I love the idea of creating this poetry, it is pure art.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Some very beautiful tanka poetry and watercolour pictures. The experience I had while reading these was very relaxing and I'm glad I was granted an ARC by Netgalley and the writer.