Description
Transcribing Moonlight is a collection of autobiographical haibun which outlines the life of a trans woman from December 2018 to December 2019. The form of the journal itself is traditional for haibun; while experimental at times, the haibun pay attention to the physical world and are therefore able to capture the changing seasons, moons, and phases of the narrator’s life. As the title may suggest, the moon is a point of focus for the collection, as the phases of the moon often match up and echo the phases and transitions of the narrator. In this way, the traditional trope of the moon and the traditional form of haibun become more nuanced and modern, as they represent a marginalized group and some of the struggles that trans women face, both externally and internally. These phases and struggles include gender (eu/dys)phoria, coming to terms with sexuality, life after graduation, relationships, and family issues.
About the author
Contributor Notes
Skylar Kay is an emerging writer from Calgary, AB. She has an interest in Japanese literature, specifically haiku, and has been pursuing this interest in her poetry since 2016. In addition to being a haiku enthusiast in creative writing, Skylar also participates in the academic side of Japanese literature, seeing publication in both academic and literary journals.