Bro ken Rengay: Unruly Poetry

Bro ken Rengay is a collaborative poetry collection by Barbara Leonhard, Melissa Lemay, and Nolcha Fox. Inspired by the rengay form-created by Garry Gay in 1992 as an alternative to renga and renku-this book follows the six-verse linked structure while playfully breaking its traditional rules.

Originally, Barbara and Nolcha collaborated on Too Much Fun to Be Legal. When Melissa discovered their work, she suggested the three of them write rengay together. The result? A series of poems where humor, anger, and deep emotions intertwine, forming an authentic and dynamic voice.

While honoring the alternating three-line and two-line stanza pattern of rengay, the poets deliberately abandoned strict haiku syllable counts-breaking, bending, and reshaping the form as they wrote. Their creative rebellion led to a collection filled with wit, raw emotion, and a deep poetic synergy so strong they often forgot who wrote which stanza.

We hope you enjoy the laughter, the passion, and the unexpected twists within these pages.

Nolcha Fox's poems have been curated in print and online journals. Her poetry books are available on Amazon and Dancing Girl Press. Nominee for 2023, 2024, and 2025 Best of The Net. Nominee for 2023 and 2024 Pushcart Prize. Editor of Chewers by Masticadores.Website: WritingAddiction2.wordpress and https: //nolchafox2.wixsite.com/nolcha-s-written-wor/blog Facebook: Facebook.com/nolchafox

Melissa Lemay lives in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, with her children and cats. She writes about God, addiction, trauma, healing, motherhood, and many other things. She enjoys spending time with family, drinking good coffee, and being outdoors. She loves animals. Her poem, "Ephemeral," was chosen as Poetic Publication of the Year for 2023 at Spillwords Press; she was Author of the Month for July 2024 and Author of the Year for 2024. Find her at melissalemay.wordpress, collaborature.blogspot, and at dVerse Poets Pub.

Barbara Leonhard is the author of Three-Penny Memories: A Poetic Memoir (2022) and The Lost Book of Zeroth (2025). Barbara and Nolcha Fox co-authored Too Much Fun to Be Legal (2024). Barbara's poetry has received honors from Well-Versed 2021 and Spillwords Press. She's a nominee for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net. Trending Poets named her Poet of the Year in 2023 and 2024. Her poetry has been translated into Italian, Albanian, and Chinese. She is the Editor for MasticadoresUSA and FEED THE HOLY. Her blog: Extraordinary Sunshine Weaver.