What better way to kick-off a new month than to have two quality poetry publications online and ready for viewing!
The September issue of Gean Tree Press's Notes From the Gean is available at http://www.geantree.com. Haiku, haiga, tanka, and more await the reader.
And why I'm on the subject of quality publications, be sure to read the reviews of A New Resonance 6: Emerging Voices in English-Language Haiku (edited by Jim Kacian & Dee Evetts) and The Onawa Poems 1999-2008 (edited by Paul MacNeil).
Expect a review of The Onawa Poems on Tobacco Road within the next couple of weeks.
A new issue of The Heron's Nest is also online at http://www.theheronsnest.com. The Heron's Nest was among the first if not the first online haiku journal. It is a global literary phenomenon, publishing poets from numerous countries, the only place I know where you can read a new issue then browse through a decade of archived issues.
Happy reading!
Curtis
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Carole MacRury - Three Questions
Carole MacRury is a Canadian poet and photographer residing in Point Roberts, Washington, a very special place on the 49th parallel that is a haven for poets. She is affiliated with the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival and The Tanka Society of America. Her poetry is published in North American and International journals and anthologies and her photos have appeared on the covers of Ribbons and Modern Haiku. Her first book, In the Company of Crows: Haiku and Tanka Between the Tides, published by Black Cat Press, was released late 2008. This year she conducted haiku workshops for elementary and secondary students and created audio-visual slide shows for use as teaching aids.
1) Why do you write haiku?
I came to haiku through free verse and my actual journey began approximately 10 to 12 years ago, when I came upon a used haiku book titled ‘Sparrow’ from Croatia. I had no idea then, that my work would eventually be translated and published in Croatian journals and anthologies. In some respects it feels like coming full circle. The universality of haiku bridges cultures better than any other form of poetry and that has always been part of its appeal to me.
I continue to study the Japanese classics in the hopes that at least some of my small epiphanies might stand the test of time. I find writing haiku therapeutic and it has deepened my appreciation for life by making me more aware of the transience of all things. My haiku are an emotional response to things witnessed in nature and some are deep metaphors for the human condition. Sort of like the world in a dewdrop - or in my case, it’s likely to be in a bee, a leaf, or another old crow. This is what sustains me.
2) What other poetic forms do you enjoy?
I enjoy many forms of poetry, and have tried a few myself, a sonnet, or villanelle, but prefer to write free verse for the most part, although it’s not really free. Free verse has demands of its own. I like to read at venues in Vancouver, BC, including coop radio. This year I took part in our community Chamber Series and presented a fusion of poetry and music titled, “A Walk through the Seasons”. I’m always excited to find new ways to bring poetry to the people. Currently, I’m devoting more time to writing tanka and enjoying the many discussions on english-language tanka. I have a broad range of poetic tastes from Blake, to the Sufi poets, not forgetting Mary Oliver and more recently, Carole Ann Duffy’s work. I keep an ongoing file of favorite poems to read on rainy nights.
3) Of the many wonderful haiku you’ve written, what do you consider to be your top three? (Please provide original publication credits)
I could spend hours mulling over this one, so will pick a few chosen by editors. My favorites change day by day depending upon my mood. This one never fails to bring me back to the moment.
late afternoon—
the fullness
of the cow’s udder
Merit Award, WHR Fourth Annual Kukai
Haiku Canada Anthology, 2006
Snapshot Press, The Haiku Calendar, 2008
A few more of my favorites:
lilac in full bloom—
bees bumping
into bees
Tinywords 2006-07-14
'Haiku Friends' ed. Masaharu Hirata, Osaka, Japan (2003)
death watch. . .
I freshen the water
of her bedside iris
Haiku Friends, ed. Masaharu Hirata, Osaka, Japan (2007)
“Carpe Diem”: Anthologie Canadienne du Haiku / Canadian Anthology of Haiku
Pachelbel—
I drive right past
my destination
Haiku Friends, Ed Masaharu Mirata, Osaka, Japan (2007)
Thank you for all you do for haiku, Curtis. I have enjoyed reading everyone’s response to your questions and appreciate all the news, announcements and u-tubes you share with us.
Carole
If you've been enjoying this weekly series and have not contributed, please consider sharing your response (whether it be for haiku or tanka) to the three little questions that Carole answered. You must be a published poet in order to participate.
Michael L. Evans will be our guest next week.
1) Why do you write haiku?
I came to haiku through free verse and my actual journey began approximately 10 to 12 years ago, when I came upon a used haiku book titled ‘Sparrow’ from Croatia. I had no idea then, that my work would eventually be translated and published in Croatian journals and anthologies. In some respects it feels like coming full circle. The universality of haiku bridges cultures better than any other form of poetry and that has always been part of its appeal to me.
I continue to study the Japanese classics in the hopes that at least some of my small epiphanies might stand the test of time. I find writing haiku therapeutic and it has deepened my appreciation for life by making me more aware of the transience of all things. My haiku are an emotional response to things witnessed in nature and some are deep metaphors for the human condition. Sort of like the world in a dewdrop - or in my case, it’s likely to be in a bee, a leaf, or another old crow. This is what sustains me.
2) What other poetic forms do you enjoy?
I enjoy many forms of poetry, and have tried a few myself, a sonnet, or villanelle, but prefer to write free verse for the most part, although it’s not really free. Free verse has demands of its own. I like to read at venues in Vancouver, BC, including coop radio. This year I took part in our community Chamber Series and presented a fusion of poetry and music titled, “A Walk through the Seasons”. I’m always excited to find new ways to bring poetry to the people. Currently, I’m devoting more time to writing tanka and enjoying the many discussions on english-language tanka. I have a broad range of poetic tastes from Blake, to the Sufi poets, not forgetting Mary Oliver and more recently, Carole Ann Duffy’s work. I keep an ongoing file of favorite poems to read on rainy nights.
3) Of the many wonderful haiku you’ve written, what do you consider to be your top three? (Please provide original publication credits)
I could spend hours mulling over this one, so will pick a few chosen by editors. My favorites change day by day depending upon my mood. This one never fails to bring me back to the moment.
late afternoon—
the fullness
of the cow’s udder
Merit Award, WHR Fourth Annual Kukai
Haiku Canada Anthology, 2006
Snapshot Press, The Haiku Calendar, 2008
A few more of my favorites:
lilac in full bloom—
bees bumping
into bees
Tinywords 2006-07-14
'Haiku Friends' ed. Masaharu Hirata, Osaka, Japan (2003)
death watch. . .
I freshen the water
of her bedside iris
Haiku Friends, ed. Masaharu Hirata, Osaka, Japan (2007)
“Carpe Diem”: Anthologie Canadienne du Haiku / Canadian Anthology of Haiku
Pachelbel—
I drive right past
my destination
Haiku Friends, Ed Masaharu Mirata, Osaka, Japan (2007)
Thank you for all you do for haiku, Curtis. I have enjoyed reading everyone’s response to your questions and appreciate all the news, announcements and u-tubes you share with us.
Carole
If you've been enjoying this weekly series and have not contributed, please consider sharing your response (whether it be for haiku or tanka) to the three little questions that Carole answered. You must be a published poet in order to participate.
Michael L. Evans will be our guest next week.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Andrea Grillo - Three Questions
Andrea Grillo is a landscape designer, tree grower and tractor operator living and working on a nursery farm in northern NJ. Reading and writing haiku and tanka are very much a part of her everyday work and leisure.
1) Why do you write haiku?
I fell in love with haiku as a student in grammar school, lost touch until I discovered Cor van den Heuvel's The Haiku Anthology and became totally smitten with English-language haiku. After that I could not read enough. It was around the time that my father was dying and reading/writing haiku helped me deal with my grief. Haiku deepened my connection to nature on such a simple yet truthful level that it became a life-affirming daily practice. At the same time - it's also a great delight! I have a lot of fun writing and sharing my poems. Even my friends who don't know the difference between haiku and a good tattoo will come to me and say " I just had a haiku experience".
2) What other poetic forms do you enjoy?
I also enjoy tanka, haiga and (very short) free verse. I truly have a limited attention span.
3) Of the many wonderful haiku you've written, what do you consider to be your top three? (Please provide original publication credits.)
My three favorite poems at the present time:
Halloween...
she asks to borrow
my hippie jeans
The Heron's Nest - Volume X, Number 3
nowhere the wren song everywhere twilight
Presence #36
earthquake the night wobbles anyway
Presence #38
Thank you Curtis for providing a wonderful forum to get to know other poets a bit more personally and my own self too.
Andrea Grillo
Randolph, NJ
If you've been enjoying this weekly series and have not contributed, please consider sharing your response (whether it be for haiku or tanka) to the three little questions that Andrea answered. You must be a published poet in order to participate.
Carole MacRury will be our guest next week.
1) Why do you write haiku?
I fell in love with haiku as a student in grammar school, lost touch until I discovered Cor van den Heuvel's The Haiku Anthology and became totally smitten with English-language haiku. After that I could not read enough. It was around the time that my father was dying and reading/writing haiku helped me deal with my grief. Haiku deepened my connection to nature on such a simple yet truthful level that it became a life-affirming daily practice. At the same time - it's also a great delight! I have a lot of fun writing and sharing my poems. Even my friends who don't know the difference between haiku and a good tattoo will come to me and say " I just had a haiku experience".
2) What other poetic forms do you enjoy?
I also enjoy tanka, haiga and (very short) free verse. I truly have a limited attention span.
3) Of the many wonderful haiku you've written, what do you consider to be your top three? (Please provide original publication credits.)
My three favorite poems at the present time:
Halloween...
she asks to borrow
my hippie jeans
The Heron's Nest - Volume X, Number 3
nowhere the wren song everywhere twilight
Presence #36
earthquake the night wobbles anyway
Presence #38
Thank you Curtis for providing a wonderful forum to get to know other poets a bit more personally and my own self too.
Andrea Grillo
Randolph, NJ
If you've been enjoying this weekly series and have not contributed, please consider sharing your response (whether it be for haiku or tanka) to the three little questions that Andrea answered. You must be a published poet in order to participate.
Carole MacRury will be our guest next week.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Contest/Competition News
We had a record-breaking registration week at work folks!
Now, to get caught up on a few things:
This just in from Rick Black:
Turtle Light Press is glad to announce its second bi-annual Haiku Chapbook Competition. In general, we are open to both traditional and modern-style haiku but have a particular fondness for haiku that deal with both nature and people. Please submit an original, unpublished collection or sequence of poems on a theme of your choice between 12 - 24 pages, two haiku per page maximum, postmarked by December 1, 2009. For entry fee and more details, please go to: http://www.turtlelightpress.com/Books/chapbook.shtml
And from Ms. Cathy L. Walker:
Announcing the 2010 Anita Sadler Weiss Memorial Haiku Awards, sponsored by the Haiku Poets of Central Maryland and dedicated to the memory of Baltimore-based haiku poet and teacher Anita Sadler Weiss.
Deadline: IN-HAND by JANUARY 31, 2010.
Sponsor: The Haiku Poets of Central Maryland.
Eligibility: Open to the public, aged 14 and up. (Only the contest coordinators are prohibited from entering.)
Awards: Total of $300.00 in prize money: First Place, $175.00; Second Place, $75.00; Third Place, $50.00. Five ranked Honorable Mentions will also be awarded. (Contest coordinators reserve the right to lower the prize money if sufficient entries are not received to cover the stated awards.)
Submissions: All entries must be the original work of the poet, unpublished, and not under consideration elsewhere.
Entry fee: $1.00 per poem. Poets may enter up to 15 haiku. Entry fee must accompany submission.
Submission Guidelines: Print or type each individual haiku on three separate 3-inch x 5-inch white index cards. On the back of ONE CARD ONLY print or type your name, address, and email address (if one is available). Include a No. 10 (business-size) SASE (or SAE plus US$1 for return postage for entries sent from outside the U.S.) for notification. Also enclose your entry fee in U.S. currency or check or money order payable in U.S. dollars to “HPCM/Elizabeth Fanto.” ENTRIES NOT FOLLOWING THESE GUIDELINES WILL BE RETURNED OR (IF SUFFICIENT POSTAGE AND/OR ENVELOPE ARE LACKING) DISCARDED. Entries without SASE or SAE + return postage will not receive winner notification.
Send entries to: Haiku Poets of Central Maryland, c/o Elizabeth Fanto, 51 Gerard Avenue, Timonium, MD 21093 USA. DO NOT EMAIL ENTRIES.
Notification/publication: Winners’ list will be mailed on April 6, 2010, to commemorate Anita Sadler Weiss’ birthday. Notification of winning poems will be sent to all competition participants and made available to the public for an SASE while supplies last. The winning poems also will be printed in The Dragonfly, the newsletter of the Haiku Poets of Central Maryland. All rights remain with the poets.
Adjudication: The name(s) of the judge(s) will be announced concurrently with the winning haiku.
And from Alan Summers:
The Full Results of the 2nd With Words International Online Haiku Competition (2009) are now up: http://www.withwords.org.uk/results.html
The Competition Report plus the Judge's Commentary are now up to read as well as the winning haiku.
Backlinks will also go up to save a certain amount of scrolling for future viewing.
CHANGES:
There will be changes to the 3rd With Words haiku competition and we will be happy to hear about feedback.
Details as to how to contact us are on the webpage: http://www.withwords.org.uk/comp.html
Now, to get caught up on a few things:
This just in from Rick Black:
Turtle Light Press is glad to announce its second bi-annual Haiku Chapbook Competition. In general, we are open to both traditional and modern-style haiku but have a particular fondness for haiku that deal with both nature and people. Please submit an original, unpublished collection or sequence of poems on a theme of your choice between 12 - 24 pages, two haiku per page maximum, postmarked by December 1, 2009. For entry fee and more details, please go to: http://www.turtlelightpress.com/Books/chapbook.shtml
And from Ms. Cathy L. Walker:
The 2010 Anita Sadler Weiss Memorial Haiku Awards
Announcing the 2010 Anita Sadler Weiss Memorial Haiku Awards, sponsored by the Haiku Poets of Central Maryland and dedicated to the memory of Baltimore-based haiku poet and teacher Anita Sadler Weiss.
Deadline: IN-HAND by JANUARY 31, 2010.
Sponsor: The Haiku Poets of Central Maryland.
Eligibility: Open to the public, aged 14 and up. (Only the contest coordinators are prohibited from entering.)
Awards: Total of $300.00 in prize money: First Place, $175.00; Second Place, $75.00; Third Place, $50.00. Five ranked Honorable Mentions will also be awarded. (Contest coordinators reserve the right to lower the prize money if sufficient entries are not received to cover the stated awards.)
Submissions: All entries must be the original work of the poet, unpublished, and not under consideration elsewhere.
Entry fee: $1.00 per poem. Poets may enter up to 15 haiku. Entry fee must accompany submission.
Submission Guidelines: Print or type each individual haiku on three separate 3-inch x 5-inch white index cards. On the back of ONE CARD ONLY print or type your name, address, and email address (if one is available). Include a No. 10 (business-size) SASE (or SAE plus US$1 for return postage for entries sent from outside the U.S.) for notification. Also enclose your entry fee in U.S. currency or check or money order payable in U.S. dollars to “HPCM/Elizabeth Fanto.” ENTRIES NOT FOLLOWING THESE GUIDELINES WILL BE RETURNED OR (IF SUFFICIENT POSTAGE AND/OR ENVELOPE ARE LACKING) DISCARDED. Entries without SASE or SAE + return postage will not receive winner notification.
Send entries to: Haiku Poets of Central Maryland, c/o Elizabeth Fanto, 51 Gerard Avenue, Timonium, MD 21093 USA. DO NOT EMAIL ENTRIES.
Notification/publication: Winners’ list will be mailed on April 6, 2010, to commemorate Anita Sadler Weiss’ birthday. Notification of winning poems will be sent to all competition participants and made available to the public for an SASE while supplies last. The winning poems also will be printed in The Dragonfly, the newsletter of the Haiku Poets of Central Maryland. All rights remain with the poets.
Adjudication: The name(s) of the judge(s) will be announced concurrently with the winning haiku.
And from Alan Summers:
The Full Results of the 2nd With Words International Online Haiku Competition (2009) are now up: http://www.withwords.org.uk/results.html
The Competition Report plus the Judge's Commentary are now up to read as well as the winning haiku.
Backlinks will also go up to save a certain amount of scrolling for future viewing.
CHANGES:
There will be changes to the 3rd With Words haiku competition and we will be happy to hear about feedback.
Details as to how to contact us are on the webpage: http://www.withwords.org.uk/comp.html
Monday, August 17, 2009
Haiku North America 2009 Photos
This just in from Michael Dylan Welch:
The tenth Haiku North America just took place in Ottawa, Ontario over the long weekend of August 5 to 9, 2009. Michael Dylan Welch sought to document as much of the conference (and a few tourist activities) as he could. His photos are now available in three albums at http://picasaweb.google.com/MichaeDylanWelch. The photos cover many of the presentations and social events, and include photos of nearly all the individual readers in the regional readings, and everyone seated at all the tables for the banquet. The highlight of these photos are of the dance that took place on a chartered boat we took up and down the Ottawa River on Saturday night after the banquet. Charlie Trumbull called this the Haiku Hop, or the Shiki Shake. Michael called it a Discku Dance. Who knew that haiku poets could let loose like this? Can any other haiku event top this? Check out the photos and add your comments to the albums. Congratulations to Terry Ann Carter, Claudia Coutu Radmore, Guy Simser, and their team of volunteers for organizing a truly excellent conference, which had more haiku poets attending than any previous HNA conference.
And if you hadn't already heard, at the conference Michael announced that the 2011 Haiku North America conference will take place at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, hosted by Randy Brooks and Francine Banwarth. Hope to see you all there!
Photos from Haiku North America 2009 in Ottawa
The tenth Haiku North America just took place in Ottawa, Ontario over the long weekend of August 5 to 9, 2009. Michael Dylan Welch sought to document as much of the conference (and a few tourist activities) as he could. His photos are now available in three albums at http://picasaweb.google.com/MichaeDylanWelch. The photos cover many of the presentations and social events, and include photos of nearly all the individual readers in the regional readings, and everyone seated at all the tables for the banquet. The highlight of these photos are of the dance that took place on a chartered boat we took up and down the Ottawa River on Saturday night after the banquet. Charlie Trumbull called this the Haiku Hop, or the Shiki Shake. Michael called it a Discku Dance. Who knew that haiku poets could let loose like this? Can any other haiku event top this? Check out the photos and add your comments to the albums. Congratulations to Terry Ann Carter, Claudia Coutu Radmore, Guy Simser, and their team of volunteers for organizing a truly excellent conference, which had more haiku poets attending than any previous HNA conference.
And if you hadn't already heard, at the conference Michael announced that the 2011 Haiku North America conference will take place at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, hosted by Randy Brooks and Francine Banwarth. Hope to see you all there!
Sunday, August 16, 2009
ayaz daryl nielsen - Three Questions
ayaz daryl nielsen is a poet/father/husband/veteran and hospice nurse - his poems have hundreds of homes worldwide, and he is editor/custodian of bear creek haiku.
1) Why do you like haiku?
In Poet's Market, bear creek haiku's listing ends with "write, create your poems - the heart, spirit, shadow, ancestors, readers, other poets, an occasional editor, etc., will benefit deeply", and this, for me, summarizes the essence of haiku. Within, around, beyond, underneath, before, and after all poetry, there is haiku - its poetic essence is within and embraces all ever-changing cultural, political and philosophical entities, past, present, future. It's an intertwined, mutually nourishing flow - within ghazals, the essence of haiku. Within haiku, the essence of ghazals -same with sonnets, triolets, you name the form, also the same with ever-emerging forms, peogles, Fibbing, sci-fi, dark fantasy - you name the form, the essence of haiku is there, and vice versa. Haiku, as with all poetic forms, is a beginning (which poets can always return to) - as Red Pine says of Basho's teachings in Narrow Road to the Interior (and I paraphrase), abide by rules, then throw them out, and wham! you are in the realms of ancients, elders and beyond to the genuine, soulful, wondrously transcendent poetic realm of you, ours - your own! Wow! Cool beans!
2) What other poetic forms do you enjoy?
Within all cultures are versions of the one original poem of creation - recently, I have been astonished, impressed at the high quality of poetics emerging - reemerging? - from eastern European countries, also, by what is overlooked in our - in my - own back yard(s).
3) Of the many haiku you've written, what do you consider to be your top three?
I love them all - here are three -
home, alone - dusk
enters my living room
forgets to leave
Lilliput Review
kestrel, hovering -
so, too,
the moment
accepted by Modern Haiku
fisherman's hat
on moonlit waves
his song, deep
within the river
Shemom
thank you for your extensive time and effort on Tobacco Road.
If you've been enjoying this weekly series and have not contributed, please consider sharing your response (whether it be for haiku or tanka) to the three little questions that ayaz answered. You must be a published poet in order to participate.
Andrea Grillo will be our guest next week.
1) Why do you like haiku?
In Poet's Market, bear creek haiku's listing ends with "write, create your poems - the heart, spirit, shadow, ancestors, readers, other poets, an occasional editor, etc., will benefit deeply", and this, for me, summarizes the essence of haiku. Within, around, beyond, underneath, before, and after all poetry, there is haiku - its poetic essence is within and embraces all ever-changing cultural, political and philosophical entities, past, present, future. It's an intertwined, mutually nourishing flow - within ghazals, the essence of haiku. Within haiku, the essence of ghazals -same with sonnets, triolets, you name the form, also the same with ever-emerging forms, peogles, Fibbing, sci-fi, dark fantasy - you name the form, the essence of haiku is there, and vice versa. Haiku, as with all poetic forms, is a beginning (which poets can always return to) - as Red Pine says of Basho's teachings in Narrow Road to the Interior (and I paraphrase), abide by rules, then throw them out, and wham! you are in the realms of ancients, elders and beyond to the genuine, soulful, wondrously transcendent poetic realm of you, ours - your own! Wow! Cool beans!
2) What other poetic forms do you enjoy?
Within all cultures are versions of the one original poem of creation - recently, I have been astonished, impressed at the high quality of poetics emerging - reemerging? - from eastern European countries, also, by what is overlooked in our - in my - own back yard(s).
3) Of the many haiku you've written, what do you consider to be your top three?
I love them all - here are three -
home, alone - dusk
enters my living room
forgets to leave
Lilliput Review
kestrel, hovering -
so, too,
the moment
accepted by Modern Haiku
fisherman's hat
on moonlit waves
his song, deep
within the river
Shemom
thank you for your extensive time and effort on Tobacco Road.
If you've been enjoying this weekly series and have not contributed, please consider sharing your response (whether it be for haiku or tanka) to the three little questions that ayaz answered. You must be a published poet in order to participate.
Andrea Grillo will be our guest next week.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Peter Newton - Three Questions
Peter Newton is a poet and stained glass artist living in Winchendon, Massachusetts. He is a graduate of The University of Michigan and Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School of English--where he has worked for the past seventeen summers. His poems are included in Haiku: A Poet’s Guide by Lee Gurga as well as Take Five, The Best Contemporary Tanka of 2008, edited by M.Kei, et.al. Other poems of his have appeared in the Atlanta Review, The Adirondack Review, Prairie Schooner, Modern Haiku and Modern English Tanka, among others.
1) Why do you write haiku?
To slow down the world.
To exercise my awareness.
To inhabit the quiet places I discover in my life.
To breathe in an experience.
To truly absorb it.
To break someone’s heart, if only my own.
I love the one-breath poem. The challenge. I find it’s a balancing act like running a race while carrying an egg in a teaspoon. Looks like fun, but not an easy task. The bigger challenge is to do it with a reverence for the grass, the breeze and everything around you. A light heart helps. I write haiku to learn how to write better haiku. The sculptor, Henry Moore said, “Your life’s work is that which you find impossible.” Somehow, I know I’ll spend my life attempting haiku. Trying to chronicle the perfect moments.
2) What other poetic forms do you enjoy?
Tanka has been a favorite of late. But free-verse was my beginning. I suspect I’m also writing free-verse tanka. No matter what poems I write they all seem to be small poems. I think in parentheses, write down asides. All to end up with a nugget of truth. Most mornings I begin simply writing in my journal as a way to record the inner life. Long walks help, a good run. Staying up late to solve the world’s problems with a friend. Poetry is a way of life now. And I’m grateful for the solitude it brings. Each day includes some form of writing. My stints at Bread Loaf are a life-saver. Vermont in July—can’t beat it. There’s so much to learn. Why not return to summer school for my 22nd consecutive year. I read poems by a variety of poets. It’s a revolving list with many main-stays: Rumi, Dickinson, cummings, Kunitz, Ammons, Bishop, Huddle, Gilbert, Hirshfield, Dunn, Oliver and the myriad of unknowns I discover in a library or a journal somewhere. I am drawn to the succinct and the wry smile that says: yes, we are in this together.
3) Of the many wonderful haiku you’ve written, what do you consider to be your top three?
First, I like the question—couched in a compliment. Today, I like these three still:
guzzling the fountain shimmering pigeons
mid-argument—
wind chimes
we gave each other
laundry room
folding together
apartments
Each of the above poems appeared in Modern Haiku.
Many thanks for this on-going, interactive conversation on poetry.
--Peter
If you've been enjoying this weekly series and have not contributed, please consider sharing your response (whether it be for haiku or tanka) to the three little questions that Peter answered. You must be a published poet in order to participate.
ayaz daryl nielsen will be our guest next week.
1) Why do you write haiku?
To slow down the world.
To exercise my awareness.
To inhabit the quiet places I discover in my life.
To breathe in an experience.
To truly absorb it.
To break someone’s heart, if only my own.
I love the one-breath poem. The challenge. I find it’s a balancing act like running a race while carrying an egg in a teaspoon. Looks like fun, but not an easy task. The bigger challenge is to do it with a reverence for the grass, the breeze and everything around you. A light heart helps. I write haiku to learn how to write better haiku. The sculptor, Henry Moore said, “Your life’s work is that which you find impossible.” Somehow, I know I’ll spend my life attempting haiku. Trying to chronicle the perfect moments.
2) What other poetic forms do you enjoy?
Tanka has been a favorite of late. But free-verse was my beginning. I suspect I’m also writing free-verse tanka. No matter what poems I write they all seem to be small poems. I think in parentheses, write down asides. All to end up with a nugget of truth. Most mornings I begin simply writing in my journal as a way to record the inner life. Long walks help, a good run. Staying up late to solve the world’s problems with a friend. Poetry is a way of life now. And I’m grateful for the solitude it brings. Each day includes some form of writing. My stints at Bread Loaf are a life-saver. Vermont in July—can’t beat it. There’s so much to learn. Why not return to summer school for my 22nd consecutive year. I read poems by a variety of poets. It’s a revolving list with many main-stays: Rumi, Dickinson, cummings, Kunitz, Ammons, Bishop, Huddle, Gilbert, Hirshfield, Dunn, Oliver and the myriad of unknowns I discover in a library or a journal somewhere. I am drawn to the succinct and the wry smile that says: yes, we are in this together.
3) Of the many wonderful haiku you’ve written, what do you consider to be your top three?
First, I like the question—couched in a compliment. Today, I like these three still:
guzzling the fountain shimmering pigeons
mid-argument—
wind chimes
we gave each other
laundry room
folding together
apartments
Each of the above poems appeared in Modern Haiku.
Many thanks for this on-going, interactive conversation on poetry.
--Peter
If you've been enjoying this weekly series and have not contributed, please consider sharing your response (whether it be for haiku or tanka) to the three little questions that Peter answered. You must be a published poet in order to participate.
ayaz daryl nielsen will be our guest next week.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Moonbathing: A Journal of Women's Tanka
MOONBATHING
A JOURNAL OF WOMEN'S TANKA
EDITORS
Pamela A. Babusci
Cathy Drinkwater Better
Published by Black Cat Press
Founding Editors Pamela A. Babusci and Cathy Drinkwater Better, and Black Cat Press, are proud to announce the first all women's tanka journal: Moonbathing.
Moonbathing will publish two issues a year: Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer. The journal will be small in size but huge in the quality of the tanka that is accepted and published.
Premiere Issue Tanka Contest:
For the Premier Issue (Fall/Winter 2009–10), the Editors are sponsoring a "moonbathing" tanka contest. Tanka poetesses may submit one tanka on the subject of “moonbathing”—whatever that means to you—for consideration, along with their regular submissions. The winner will be featured in the premiere issue of Moonbathing and receive a complementary copy. (Be sure to label your entry “moonbathing contest” if sending along with a regular submission.)
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
Moonbathing will feature only women poets. Send a maximum of five (5) tanka per submission period. Submission deadlines:
Fall/Winter Issue: In-hand Deadline: November 1st. Fall/winter or non-seasonal themes only.
Spring/Summer Issue: In-hand Deadline: May 1st. Spring/summer or non-seasonal themes only.
No previously published tanka or simultaneous submissions; no tanka that has been posted on-line, whether on a personal website/blog or on a tanka discussion group; and no publicly workshopped tanka will be considered or accepted.
SUBMISSION ADDRESSES:
Tanka poets with last names beginning: A-M:
Send your tanka IN THE BODY OF AN EMAIL to: Pamela A. Babusci: moongate44(at)gmail(dot)com. PLEASE NO ATTACHMENTS. Or mail to: Pamela A. Babusci, 150 Milford St., Apt. 13, Rochester, NY 14615 USA.
Tanka poets with last names beginning: N-Z:
Send your tanka IN THE BODY OF AN EMAIL to: Cathy Drinkwater Better: cbetter(at)juno(dot)com. PLEASE NO ATTACHMENTS. Or mail to: Cathy Drinkwater Better, 613 Okemo Drive, Eldersburg, MD 21784 USA.
Submissions will not be returned, so keep a copy of your poem(s). If sending a submission by snail-mail, please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope for a reply. We cannot respond to submissions without SASEs.
Guidelines:
The Editors are looking for the "crème de la crème" in contemporary English tanka being written by female poets. Moonbathing will accept one tanka per poet per issue, and one poem will be featured per page.
We are seeking to recognize, honor, and praise the unique "female voice" and perspective in tanka. The Editors are excited about being the first women editors to offer this type of literary venue to female tanka poets, and we hope all women poets will feel honored and enthusiastic as well.
Payment:
Unfortunately, at this time the Editors will not be able to provide contributors’ copies.
Due to the current economic situation—as well as our shoe-string budget—we hope that all tanka poets who have their work accepted will support Moonbathing by purchasing a copy or a subscription. If we are to succeed, the magazine will need your support—and we will be most grateful for it.
Disclaimer:
Moonbathing does not assume liability for copyright infringement or failure to acknowledge previously published tanka.
Copies/subscriptions:
Subscriptions: $10 for one year (two issues) U.S. and Canada; $5 for one copy (includes postage). Overseas: $14 U.S. dollars. Make checks—or send cash or international money orders—payable to “Cathy Walker” to: Moonbathing, Cathy Drinkwater Better [Walker], 613 Okemo Drive, Eldersburg, MD 21784 USA.
The Editors of Moonbathing are looking forward to receiving your best tanka. If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail either Pamela A. Babusci (moongate44(at)gmail(dot)com) or Cathy Drinkwater Better (cbetter(at)juno(dot)com).
Respectfully submitted,
Pamela A. Babusci,
Cathy Drinkwater Better
Co-editors/Co-founders, Moonbathing
A JOURNAL OF WOMEN'S TANKA
EDITORS
Pamela A. Babusci
Cathy Drinkwater Better
Published by Black Cat Press
Founding Editors Pamela A. Babusci and Cathy Drinkwater Better, and Black Cat Press, are proud to announce the first all women's tanka journal: Moonbathing.
Moonbathing will publish two issues a year: Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer. The journal will be small in size but huge in the quality of the tanka that is accepted and published.
Premiere Issue Tanka Contest:
For the Premier Issue (Fall/Winter 2009–10), the Editors are sponsoring a "moonbathing" tanka contest. Tanka poetesses may submit one tanka on the subject of “moonbathing”—whatever that means to you—for consideration, along with their regular submissions. The winner will be featured in the premiere issue of Moonbathing and receive a complementary copy. (Be sure to label your entry “moonbathing contest” if sending along with a regular submission.)
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
Moonbathing will feature only women poets. Send a maximum of five (5) tanka per submission period. Submission deadlines:
Fall/Winter Issue: In-hand Deadline: November 1st. Fall/winter or non-seasonal themes only.
Spring/Summer Issue: In-hand Deadline: May 1st. Spring/summer or non-seasonal themes only.
No previously published tanka or simultaneous submissions; no tanka that has been posted on-line, whether on a personal website/blog or on a tanka discussion group; and no publicly workshopped tanka will be considered or accepted.
SUBMISSION ADDRESSES:
Tanka poets with last names beginning: A-M:
Send your tanka IN THE BODY OF AN EMAIL to: Pamela A. Babusci: moongate44(at)gmail(dot)com. PLEASE NO ATTACHMENTS. Or mail to: Pamela A. Babusci, 150 Milford St., Apt. 13, Rochester, NY 14615 USA.
Tanka poets with last names beginning: N-Z:
Send your tanka IN THE BODY OF AN EMAIL to: Cathy Drinkwater Better: cbetter(at)juno(dot)com. PLEASE NO ATTACHMENTS. Or mail to: Cathy Drinkwater Better, 613 Okemo Drive, Eldersburg, MD 21784 USA.
Submissions will not be returned, so keep a copy of your poem(s). If sending a submission by snail-mail, please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope for a reply. We cannot respond to submissions without SASEs.
Guidelines:
The Editors are looking for the "crème de la crème" in contemporary English tanka being written by female poets. Moonbathing will accept one tanka per poet per issue, and one poem will be featured per page.
We are seeking to recognize, honor, and praise the unique "female voice" and perspective in tanka. The Editors are excited about being the first women editors to offer this type of literary venue to female tanka poets, and we hope all women poets will feel honored and enthusiastic as well.
Payment:
Unfortunately, at this time the Editors will not be able to provide contributors’ copies.
Due to the current economic situation—as well as our shoe-string budget—we hope that all tanka poets who have their work accepted will support Moonbathing by purchasing a copy or a subscription. If we are to succeed, the magazine will need your support—and we will be most grateful for it.
Disclaimer:
Moonbathing does not assume liability for copyright infringement or failure to acknowledge previously published tanka.
Copies/subscriptions:
Subscriptions: $10 for one year (two issues) U.S. and Canada; $5 for one copy (includes postage). Overseas: $14 U.S. dollars. Make checks—or send cash or international money orders—payable to “Cathy Walker” to: Moonbathing, Cathy Drinkwater Better [Walker], 613 Okemo Drive, Eldersburg, MD 21784 USA.
The Editors of Moonbathing are looking forward to receiving your best tanka. If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail either Pamela A. Babusci (moongate44(at)gmail(dot)com) or Cathy Drinkwater Better (cbetter(at)juno(dot)com).
Respectfully submitted,
Pamela A. Babusci,
Cathy Drinkwater Better
Co-editors/Co-founders, Moonbathing
Sunday, August 2, 2009
William Cullen Jr - Three Questions
Bill Cullen published his first haiku in Modern Haiku in 1988. His poems have appeared in many of the major journals over the years as well as several of the Red Moon Anthologies and in a number of contests (Henderson, Mainichi, Mie Times among others). He lives with his wife and fellow haiku poet Brenda Gannam in Brooklyn, New York. They have two college-age sons, Emmett and Charlie.
1) Why do you write haiku?
To release images within me that yearn to be free, so maybe, someday when I die, someone will take kindness on me and release my soul from the prison of my body and mind.
Other reasons I hope I aspire to include elevating the moral imagination of my people, making a contribution to the literature of my age, and learning to be a better husband, father, and friend.
2) What other poetic forms do you enjoy?
I can’t think of a poetic form that I don’t enjoy.
3) Of the many wonderful haiku you've written, what do you consider to be your top three?
It’s hard for me to say whether any of the haiku I've written qualify as 'wonderful', but three haiku of recent years that I have recalled are:
All Souls' Day
drop by drop by drop
yesterday's rain
Modern Haiku, 37.1, Winter Spring 2006
full moon
mist from my whisper
on her silver earring
Frogpond, 29:1, Winter 2006
rainbow
a yacht on top
of a sand dune
Mainichi Daily News, March 3, 2009
If you've been enjoying this weekly series and have not contributed, please consider sharing your response (whether it be for haiku or tanka) to the three little questions that Bill answered. You must be a published poet in order to participate.
Peter Newton will be our guest next week.
1) Why do you write haiku?
To release images within me that yearn to be free, so maybe, someday when I die, someone will take kindness on me and release my soul from the prison of my body and mind.
Other reasons I hope I aspire to include elevating the moral imagination of my people, making a contribution to the literature of my age, and learning to be a better husband, father, and friend.
2) What other poetic forms do you enjoy?
I can’t think of a poetic form that I don’t enjoy.
3) Of the many wonderful haiku you've written, what do you consider to be your top three?
It’s hard for me to say whether any of the haiku I've written qualify as 'wonderful', but three haiku of recent years that I have recalled are:
All Souls' Day
drop by drop by drop
yesterday's rain
Modern Haiku, 37.1, Winter Spring 2006
full moon
mist from my whisper
on her silver earring
Frogpond, 29:1, Winter 2006
rainbow
a yacht on top
of a sand dune
Mainichi Daily News, March 3, 2009
If you've been enjoying this weekly series and have not contributed, please consider sharing your response (whether it be for haiku or tanka) to the three little questions that Bill answered. You must be a published poet in order to participate.
Peter Newton will be our guest next week.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Helen Losse reading Part 1
I had the pleasure of meeting and recording Helen Losse, editor of The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature, at a poetry reading in Winston-Salem recently. Here is Helen reading from Better with Friends, her wonderful new book of poems.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
When Empathy Leads to Haiku
The following article appeared in the Juxtapositions section of Modern Haiku - Volume 40.2 (Summer 2009):
The majority of haiku I write are taken from moments in my life. This is the way I learned to write these concise poems. Reading another person’s haiku, we might have a sense of the poet saying, this happened to me, or, this is what I witnessed; what do you make of my experience? The poem resonates within us, which ultimately leads to our interpretation of it. Haiku, perhaps more than any other art form, are about sharing a small part of ourselves.
But what about haiku that are not based on events in the poet’s life? Can the poet walk in another person’s shoes and write haiku from events in someone else’s life? By their very nature are poets not more sensitive and perceptive of their surroundings than the average person? Do we not feel the joy and—yes—pain of a family member, friend, or colleague more intensely?
This haiku of mine was written from another person’s perspective.
autumn rain
peppers the sand. . .
a missing toe’s phantom itch
Frogpond 27:3 (for Melvin Powers)
A few people have approached me to inquire as to which of my toes is missing; in fact, all my toes are intact. My father-in-law suffered a massive heart attack some years ago and, to complicate matters, also had diabetes. He eventually recovered, living an additional twelve years, but not without the loss of his right leg and a couple of toes on his left foot. In my mind’s eye I saw him walking a beach in the autumn rain, complaining about the phantom itch that he often felt years after the loss of his leg and toes. With the images of rain and sand and the sensation of a “phantom itch” in the season of autumn, the nucleus of a poem about a dear relative of mine presented itself to me. Here’s another:
empty house —
a whisper of mother’s voice
in the autumn wind
Frogpond 31:1 (for Hilda Ratliff)
People are usually surprised when I tell them that this haiku is not about my mother. It was written after a colleague spoke of having to go to the empty house of her mother, who was in the hospital, to retrieve a few items. We were sitting under a pine tree at the time. The wind began to blow gently, causing the pine to “whisper.” I imagined the wind to be her mother’s voice.
I like to call haiku that are written from another person’s perspective “empathy haiku.” Haiku should not only be about sharing a part of ourselves with the reader, but it should also be a means to share in the joys, triumphs, and sufferings of others. What better way to show someone that we truly care than to write a haiku about their experience from their perspective?
Curtis Dunlap
Mayodan, N.C.
January 12, 2009
[A special thanks to Charlie Trumbull for publishing this mini essay.]
When Empathy Leads to Haiku
The majority of haiku I write are taken from moments in my life. This is the way I learned to write these concise poems. Reading another person’s haiku, we might have a sense of the poet saying, this happened to me, or, this is what I witnessed; what do you make of my experience? The poem resonates within us, which ultimately leads to our interpretation of it. Haiku, perhaps more than any other art form, are about sharing a small part of ourselves.
But what about haiku that are not based on events in the poet’s life? Can the poet walk in another person’s shoes and write haiku from events in someone else’s life? By their very nature are poets not more sensitive and perceptive of their surroundings than the average person? Do we not feel the joy and—yes—pain of a family member, friend, or colleague more intensely?
This haiku of mine was written from another person’s perspective.
autumn rain
peppers the sand. . .
a missing toe’s phantom itch
Frogpond 27:3 (for Melvin Powers)
A few people have approached me to inquire as to which of my toes is missing; in fact, all my toes are intact. My father-in-law suffered a massive heart attack some years ago and, to complicate matters, also had diabetes. He eventually recovered, living an additional twelve years, but not without the loss of his right leg and a couple of toes on his left foot. In my mind’s eye I saw him walking a beach in the autumn rain, complaining about the phantom itch that he often felt years after the loss of his leg and toes. With the images of rain and sand and the sensation of a “phantom itch” in the season of autumn, the nucleus of a poem about a dear relative of mine presented itself to me. Here’s another:
empty house —
a whisper of mother’s voice
in the autumn wind
Frogpond 31:1 (for Hilda Ratliff)
People are usually surprised when I tell them that this haiku is not about my mother. It was written after a colleague spoke of having to go to the empty house of her mother, who was in the hospital, to retrieve a few items. We were sitting under a pine tree at the time. The wind began to blow gently, causing the pine to “whisper.” I imagined the wind to be her mother’s voice.
I like to call haiku that are written from another person’s perspective “empathy haiku.” Haiku should not only be about sharing a part of ourselves with the reader, but it should also be a means to share in the joys, triumphs, and sufferings of others. What better way to show someone that we truly care than to write a haiku about their experience from their perspective?
Curtis Dunlap
Mayodan, N.C.
January 12, 2009
[A special thanks to Charlie Trumbull for publishing this mini essay.]
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Chad Lee Robinson - Three Questions
Chad Lee Robinson's haiku and related poetry have appeared in over thirty journals across eight countries as well as in a variety of anthologies, including five editions of the Red Moon Anthology and Baseball Haiku (W.W. Norton, 2007). He is a member of the Haiku Society of America and the Haiku Poets of Northern California, and has been the Plains & Mountains Regional Coordinator for the HSA since 2006. His first collection of haiku and senryu, a chapbook titled Pop Bottles, is due out this summer from True Vine Press. He lives in Pierre, SD, within sight and smell of the Missouri River.
1) Why do you write haiku?
When I first encountered haiku, Basho’s famous crow, I couldn’t believe what I was looking at. I loved it. I connected with haiku more than I ever did with free verse or any fixed form poetry. It has since become a part of my everyday life. I love that feeling I get when I know I’ve written a good haiku, when everything about it feels just right. I write haiku because it feels just right.
2) What other poetic forms do you enjoy?
I also enjoy writing senryu and an occasional tanka.
3) Of the many wonderful haiku you’ve written, which do you consider to be your top three?
It’s hard to choose when so much effort goes into each one, but these have done very well for me:
the sound of bath water
going down the drain
winter evening
Acorn 13, Fall 2004
shooting star
the span of her hand
across my chest
Snapshots 11, 2005
buffalo bones
a wind less than a whisper
in the summer grass
The Heron’s Nest IX:3, September 2007
If you've been enjoying this weekly series and have not contributed, please consider sharing your response (whether it be for haiku or tanka) to the three little questions that Chad answered. You must be a published poet in order to participate.
William Cullen Jr. will be our guest next week.
1) Why do you write haiku?
When I first encountered haiku, Basho’s famous crow, I couldn’t believe what I was looking at. I loved it. I connected with haiku more than I ever did with free verse or any fixed form poetry. It has since become a part of my everyday life. I love that feeling I get when I know I’ve written a good haiku, when everything about it feels just right. I write haiku because it feels just right.
2) What other poetic forms do you enjoy?
I also enjoy writing senryu and an occasional tanka.
3) Of the many wonderful haiku you’ve written, which do you consider to be your top three?
It’s hard to choose when so much effort goes into each one, but these have done very well for me:
the sound of bath water
going down the drain
winter evening
Acorn 13, Fall 2004
shooting star
the span of her hand
across my chest
Snapshots 11, 2005
buffalo bones
a wind less than a whisper
in the summer grass
The Heron’s Nest IX:3, September 2007
If you've been enjoying this weekly series and have not contributed, please consider sharing your response (whether it be for haiku or tanka) to the three little questions that Chad answered. You must be a published poet in order to participate.
William Cullen Jr. will be our guest next week.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Chasing the Sun
Chasing the Sun: selected haiku from Haiku North America 2007, edited by Bob Moyer with art by Pamela A. Babusci, is available from Rosenberry Books.
Order your copy by visiting the Rosenberry Books catalog page.
Contributors of this anthology can receive a copy for $4. A special page for ordering has been created for contributors.
And finally, I'll close this post with a reading by Bob Moyer, editor of Chasing the Sun.
Order your copy by visiting the Rosenberry Books catalog page.
Contributors of this anthology can receive a copy for $4. A special page for ordering has been created for contributors.
And finally, I'll close this post with a reading by Bob Moyer, editor of Chasing the Sun.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
D. Claire Gallagher - Tribute
Carolyn Hall sent this bio of D. Claire Gallagher who passed away a few days ago:
D. CLAIRE GALLAGHER
1941 – 2009
D. Claire Gallagher, a woman of boundless energy and enormous talent, extraordinary haiku poet and friend to many in the community, passed away at home, surrounded by family, on Friday, July 17, 2009, after a long bout with cancer. She left this world as gracefully as she lived in it. Surviving her are her husband Patrick Gallagher, also a haiku poet, and loving children and grandchildren.
Claire became interested in haiku in 1991 after reading Wes Nisker’s commentary on haiku in his book Crazy Wisdom. Two years later she attended a meeting of the Haiku Poets of Northern California (HPNC) and quickly became active in that group, the Yuki Teikei Haiku Society, and the Haiku Society of America, and remained so till the end of her life. She served as HSA Regional Coordinator for Northern California. She was co-editor of Mariposa, the membership journal of HPNC, from 1999 to 2007 and played a major role in shaping this fine periodical. She served also on the editorial staff of the Red Moon Anthology. Her haiku have been published in numerous journals and anthologies and have won or placed in many contests in the USA and abroad. Among her many honors were a First Place in the 2007 HSA Harold Henderson haiku contest and Second Place in the 1998 HSA Gerald Brady senryu contest, as well as top honors in the HPNC San Francisco International contests, the Snapshot Press Calendar Awards, the NLAPW Poetry Contest, the British Haiku Society’s Hackett Award Contest, and the Yuki Teikei Society’s Tokutomi Contest. As winner of the Virgil Hutton manuscript contest, her chapbook, How Fast the Ground Moves, was published in 2001 by Saki Press. A newer collection of her haiku, The Nether World, is forthcoming from Red Moon Press.
Claire described herself as having been “born a Californian in Wisconsin.” She was raised in Western Pennsylvania and it was 43 years before she arrived physically on the “Left Coast” in Sunnyvale, California. Her career included incarnations as a potter, educator, radio journalist, technical writer, and naturalist hike leader for a land preserve agency. In addition to reading and writing haiku, which contributed to her living “more mindfully and more heartfully,” among the joys and talents that enriched her life were hiking and traveling with her husband, gardening, ikebana, collage, Chinese brush painting, and spending time with her family and friends. She was always keenly aware of the world of natural wonders around her, and she delighted in sharing her excitement and knowledge with friends and family, most especially with her grandchildren.
She will be greatly missed.
A few of Claire’s outstanding haiku:
family reunion—
some of the beached kelp
in knots
1st Place, HSA Harold Henderson Haiku Awards (2007)
weathered bench—
I open my palms
to the winter sky
2nd Place, San Francisco International Haiku Contest (2007)
sunflowers
the tube of cadmium yellow
squeezed flat
2nd Place, San Francisco International Haiku Contest (2004)
the closer we get . . .
losing my friend’s heart-to-heart
to the waterfall
1st Place (tie), British Haiku Society Hackett Award Contest (1999)
budding maples—
how fast the ground moves
under his tricycle
How Fast the Ground Moves, Saki Press, 2001
blowing out
one birthday candle
the whole family
2nd place, HSA Brady Contest (1998)
his arthritis
guiding the hoe—
late tomatoes
The Heron’s Nest IV:2 (2002)
Advent altar—
a candle wick straightens
within the flame
3rd Place, NLAPW Poetry Contest (1999)
winter solstice—
the sunset incantations
of red-winged blackbirds
Frogpond XXIV:3 (2001)
the dark folds
of a greening mountain —
my sister’s locked diary
The Heron’s Nest VIII:2 (2006)
sultry day—
melancholy squeezed
from his accordion
Acorn #20 (2008)
slicing apples
into the dented pan—
howl of the wind
The Heron’s Nest X:2 (2008), Heron’s Nest Award
D. CLAIRE GALLAGHER1941 – 2009
D. Claire Gallagher, a woman of boundless energy and enormous talent, extraordinary haiku poet and friend to many in the community, passed away at home, surrounded by family, on Friday, July 17, 2009, after a long bout with cancer. She left this world as gracefully as she lived in it. Surviving her are her husband Patrick Gallagher, also a haiku poet, and loving children and grandchildren.
Claire became interested in haiku in 1991 after reading Wes Nisker’s commentary on haiku in his book Crazy Wisdom. Two years later she attended a meeting of the Haiku Poets of Northern California (HPNC) and quickly became active in that group, the Yuki Teikei Haiku Society, and the Haiku Society of America, and remained so till the end of her life. She served as HSA Regional Coordinator for Northern California. She was co-editor of Mariposa, the membership journal of HPNC, from 1999 to 2007 and played a major role in shaping this fine periodical. She served also on the editorial staff of the Red Moon Anthology. Her haiku have been published in numerous journals and anthologies and have won or placed in many contests in the USA and abroad. Among her many honors were a First Place in the 2007 HSA Harold Henderson haiku contest and Second Place in the 1998 HSA Gerald Brady senryu contest, as well as top honors in the HPNC San Francisco International contests, the Snapshot Press Calendar Awards, the NLAPW Poetry Contest, the British Haiku Society’s Hackett Award Contest, and the Yuki Teikei Society’s Tokutomi Contest. As winner of the Virgil Hutton manuscript contest, her chapbook, How Fast the Ground Moves, was published in 2001 by Saki Press. A newer collection of her haiku, The Nether World, is forthcoming from Red Moon Press.
Claire described herself as having been “born a Californian in Wisconsin.” She was raised in Western Pennsylvania and it was 43 years before she arrived physically on the “Left Coast” in Sunnyvale, California. Her career included incarnations as a potter, educator, radio journalist, technical writer, and naturalist hike leader for a land preserve agency. In addition to reading and writing haiku, which contributed to her living “more mindfully and more heartfully,” among the joys and talents that enriched her life were hiking and traveling with her husband, gardening, ikebana, collage, Chinese brush painting, and spending time with her family and friends. She was always keenly aware of the world of natural wonders around her, and she delighted in sharing her excitement and knowledge with friends and family, most especially with her grandchildren.
She will be greatly missed.
A few of Claire’s outstanding haiku:
family reunion—
some of the beached kelp
in knots
1st Place, HSA Harold Henderson Haiku Awards (2007)
weathered bench—
I open my palms
to the winter sky
2nd Place, San Francisco International Haiku Contest (2007)
sunflowers
the tube of cadmium yellow
squeezed flat
2nd Place, San Francisco International Haiku Contest (2004)
the closer we get . . .
losing my friend’s heart-to-heart
to the waterfall
1st Place (tie), British Haiku Society Hackett Award Contest (1999)
budding maples—
how fast the ground moves
under his tricycle
How Fast the Ground Moves, Saki Press, 2001
blowing out
one birthday candle
the whole family
2nd place, HSA Brady Contest (1998)
his arthritis
guiding the hoe—
late tomatoes
The Heron’s Nest IV:2 (2002)
Advent altar—
a candle wick straightens
within the flame
3rd Place, NLAPW Poetry Contest (1999)
winter solstice—
the sunset incantations
of red-winged blackbirds
Frogpond XXIV:3 (2001)
the dark folds
of a greening mountain —
my sister’s locked diary
The Heron’s Nest VIII:2 (2006)
sultry day—
melancholy squeezed
from his accordion
Acorn #20 (2008)
slicing apples
into the dented pan—
howl of the wind
The Heron’s Nest X:2 (2008), Heron’s Nest Award
[Photo by Carolyn Hall]
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Desiree McMurry - Three Questions
Desiree McMurry is our Haiku - Three Questions guest this week. She writes:
Hi Curtis,
Thanks for your willingness to have me as the "3 Questions" poet! I appreciate it very much and feel honored amd humbled to have my name alongside so many accomplished and talented poets.
Here's a little bit about me:
I'm 41 and live with my husband of 18 years and 4 homeschooled children on a sheep farm in Missouri. Sometimes I feel I have an unfair advantage when it comes to haiku, as I'm constantly surrounded by various natural phenomena -- muddy fields, migrating geese, lambs, young leaves, the list could go on and on. My family are an inspiration, too.
I began writing haiku again in 2004 after a very long hiatus beginning at the age of 10, when I wrote my very first haiku in 5th grade! I have placed in the Tokutomi contest, including 1st in 2008 as well as honorable mentions in a few of the Anita Sadler Weiss Memorial contests. I've been published in the Geppo Study/Work Journal of the Yuki Teikei Haiku Society and in each of their member anthologies since 2005.
Okay, enough about me. Here are answers to your three questions:
1. Why do you write haiku?
Writing haiku allows me savor the moments of grace which are part of everyday existence, when I make myself slow down enough to take those moments in. Reading haiku is an excellent reminder of the grace which is all around us, when we open ourselves to it. The best haiku take me out of myself into something which, to quote C.S. Lewis, is " bigger on the inside than it is on the outside".
2. What other poetic forms do you enjoy?
Being so new to poetry I haven't attempted to write any form other than haiku, though I do fantasize about writing haibun some day and I really like reading it. My favorite haiku poets (so far) are Chiyo-ni, Shiki, and Buson. Free verse poetry is a new reading endeavour for me, particularly Seamus Heaney and Jane Kenyon.
3. Of the many wonderful haiku you've written, what do you consider to be your top three? (Please provide original publication credits.)
This question makes me blush, so I'll keep my answer short and (hopefully) sweet:
laughing baby
the clarity
of this spring moon
(unpublished)
winter garden
the stems
go this way and that
Yuki Teikei Geppo Study Journal, Jan-Feb 2008
This last one was inspired by my growing-up-too-fast 5 1/2 year old daughter, when we were walking along the creek near our house:
youngest daughter
passing through
the willow shoots
2nd place, Kaji Aso Studio’s International Haiku Contest 2009
Once again, thank you, Curtis! Keep up the good work!
Desiree McMurry
If you've been enjoying this weekly series and have not contributed, please consider sharing your response (whether it be for haiku or tanka) to the three little questions that Desiree answered. You must be a published poet in order to participate.
Chad Lee Robinson will be our guest next week.
Hi Curtis,
Thanks for your willingness to have me as the "3 Questions" poet! I appreciate it very much and feel honored amd humbled to have my name alongside so many accomplished and talented poets.
Here's a little bit about me:
I'm 41 and live with my husband of 18 years and 4 homeschooled children on a sheep farm in Missouri. Sometimes I feel I have an unfair advantage when it comes to haiku, as I'm constantly surrounded by various natural phenomena -- muddy fields, migrating geese, lambs, young leaves, the list could go on and on. My family are an inspiration, too.
I began writing haiku again in 2004 after a very long hiatus beginning at the age of 10, when I wrote my very first haiku in 5th grade! I have placed in the Tokutomi contest, including 1st in 2008 as well as honorable mentions in a few of the Anita Sadler Weiss Memorial contests. I've been published in the Geppo Study/Work Journal of the Yuki Teikei Haiku Society and in each of their member anthologies since 2005.
Okay, enough about me. Here are answers to your three questions:
1. Why do you write haiku?
Writing haiku allows me savor the moments of grace which are part of everyday existence, when I make myself slow down enough to take those moments in. Reading haiku is an excellent reminder of the grace which is all around us, when we open ourselves to it. The best haiku take me out of myself into something which, to quote C.S. Lewis, is " bigger on the inside than it is on the outside".
2. What other poetic forms do you enjoy?
Being so new to poetry I haven't attempted to write any form other than haiku, though I do fantasize about writing haibun some day and I really like reading it. My favorite haiku poets (so far) are Chiyo-ni, Shiki, and Buson. Free verse poetry is a new reading endeavour for me, particularly Seamus Heaney and Jane Kenyon.
3. Of the many wonderful haiku you've written, what do you consider to be your top three? (Please provide original publication credits.)
This question makes me blush, so I'll keep my answer short and (hopefully) sweet:
laughing baby
the clarity
of this spring moon
(unpublished)
winter garden
the stems
go this way and that
Yuki Teikei Geppo Study Journal, Jan-Feb 2008
This last one was inspired by my growing-up-too-fast 5 1/2 year old daughter, when we were walking along the creek near our house:
youngest daughter
passing through
the willow shoots
2nd place, Kaji Aso Studio’s International Haiku Contest 2009
Once again, thank you, Curtis! Keep up the good work!
Desiree McMurry
If you've been enjoying this weekly series and have not contributed, please consider sharing your response (whether it be for haiku or tanka) to the three little questions that Desiree answered. You must be a published poet in order to participate.
Chad Lee Robinson will be our guest next week.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Sad news - D. Claire Gallagher
Deborah P Kolodji notified me of this very sad news:
"I don't know if you heard that haiku poet D. Claire Gallagher passed away yesterday afternoon."
Here are a few poems from this remarkable lady and poet:
blowing out
one birthday candle:
the whole family
Second Place 1998 Gerald Brady Memorial Award Collection
autumn breakers
the laughter of old friends
with new hips
The Virgil Hutton Haiku Memorial Award Chapbook Contest Winner 2001 – 2002
Please join me in extending our sincere condolences to the family and friends of D. Claire Gallagher.
[Photo by Carolyn Hall]
the laughter of old friends
with new hips
The Virgil Hutton Haiku Memorial Award Chapbook Contest Winner 2001 – 2002
Please join me in extending our sincere condolences to the family and friends of D. Claire Gallagher.
[Photo by Carolyn Hall]
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