By Kris Kosaka

Tokyo poet Philip Rowland’s third full-length collection of verse, “Something Other Than Other,” quietly resonates with profound images of the quotidian humanity he finds around him.

Published last year by Isobar Press in Tokyo, the collection is a showcase for the playful power Rowland holds over his words. Organized into four sections, the book is a finely woven tapestry of forms ranging from found poems to pithy musings, tanka and haiku, all exhibiting a mastery of line and space — proof that Rowland is a craftsman who is confident with his tools.

Especially worthy of note, in the second section titled “Surveillance,” is a series of vignettes documenting Rowland’s observations about strangers and the lives they lead in and around his neighborhood in Shinjuku Ward. Read more

Source: The Japan Times