Is word count a poetic form?

Yes. The obvious one, I don’t subscribe to in English -- haiku 5-7-5. So, that doesn’t satisfy the question. There are journals with word limits: CLWN WR (Bob Heman), Right Hand Pointing (Dale Wisely), Teeny Tiny (www.teenytiny.org, Amanda Laughtland) leap to mind. Others, of course. Recently, I discovered Benjamin C. Krause, (editor of twenty20journal) who created quincouplets (http://quincouplets.com). Have a look see.

Regarding chapbook publishers with exact word count, check out my posting 9/17/10. Dan Waber 500 Favourite Words chapbookpublisher.com.

I’m working on poems of 36 words. We’ll see if it ends up as an interesting but shelved exercise or a box worth opening 35 times.



Regarding food, I recall several cookbooks which limit ingredients, say no more than 5 or 7. Remember, a modest number of leftovers makes a meal unexpected & delicious. Think, small dishes to accompany small poems. Yup!