****************************************************************
* Dogwood Blossoms -- Volume 1, Issue 7 -- March '94 *
****************************************************************
* editor: Gary Warner *
* UK correspondant: Andreas Schoter *
* revisions editor: Bill Blohm *
* special consultant: Gary Gash *
* nihongo editor: Nori Matsui *
****************************************************************
Dogwood Blossoms, is an often-monthly 8-) publication of the
Internet community. The goal of this digest is to be a place
where Haiku can be shared and discussed with other lovers of the
art. Submissions are encouraged, both of original work,
published work by other authors, and comments and critiques of
works in previous issues. Articles of "short essay" length are
also welcome.
When you subscribe, please volunteer any haiku you would like to
see discussed, indicating if it is published or original...
also, if you would like to serve on the "editorial board" please
indicate so, or if you can serve as a translator for non-English
submissions (which are welcome) please indicate so.
If you are a list owner, and feel that this digest would make an
appropriate posting on your list, please send me a note
indicating so. In this issue:
Table of Contents
I. Administrivia (you're there now!)
II. A Note from the Editor
III. Original Haiku by our subscribers
IV. Haiku of Yamaguchi Syuson in Translation
V. Haiku from LOGOS
VI. Letter: A Response to LOGOS past
VII. The Game of Maekuzuke
VIII. A Visit to the Desert
IX. Haiku in the Big City
X. The Haijin as Photographer
XI. PRESS HERE Haiku Books
XII. Review: Blithe Spirit
XIII. Assignments for Next Issue
Dogwood Blossoms is intended to be distributed "AS-IS" in its
entirety. Any excerpts from Dogwood Blossoms must include the
Source Statement (below) from the issue from which it is
excerpted unless reprint permission is given by the original
author, to whom all rights revert upon publication. Dogwood
Blossoms reserves the right to use in current or future
electronic or print publications any submissions received.
/* Begin Source Statement */
Dogwood Blossoms Issue 7, March 1994
An Electronic Haiku Magazine
All subscription requests and submissions should be directed to:
Gary Warner
/* End Source Statement */
*************************************************************
II. A Note from the Editor
*************************************************************
Welcome to Dogwood Blossoms Issue 7! Thanks to a bit of
advertising last month, we now have 239 subscribers, in 17
countries. Several of our new subscribers have strong haiku
backgrounds, while many others are beginners. We hope to
have something of interest for everyone, including a Beginner's
Corner starting in Issue 8. Watch for an announcement regarding
same sometime this month. By the way, America Online readers
must be doing a great job passing the word, as we now have
TWENTY subscribers from America Online!
Many of our new subscribers received in their "start-up
package" a copy of "Dogwood Blossoms Issue 0", which was
written to help introduce our readers to what haiku is.
They also received "The ISN'Ts of Haiku" to tell them
what haiku isn't. If you missed these when you joined,
you can get them by sending me (GLWARNER@SAMFORD.BITNET)
a note asking for the "Haiku Newbie File". Also, there
were over 80 requests for back issues last month, and
not everyone got theirs. If you still haven't received
yours, please request them again. (And if you have access
to an FTP site that wouldn't mind holding them, please
have your site administrator drop me a line!)
I saw the below Finnish poem in Jukka Mannonen's sig-file
and confused it for a submission. I worked a translation
in English, shown below, and then learned that the Finnish
quote was the beginning of a poem in English. Can someone
provide the "real" English text? I think it funny that we
have tried to "haiku-ize" a non-haiku poem!)
From: Jukka Mannonen
one needs winter's mind Tarvitaan talven mieli
to view the mantle of snow katsomaan kylm¿n ja lumen kuorta
on evergreen boughs m¿ntypuun oksilla.
w.stevens
Lastly, I must apologize to ALL submitters this month. A
change somewhere in our networking software caused me to lose
all Tabs. Please send poetry with SPACES instead of TABS in
the future. I know that the spacing of haiku is supposed to
be author's privilege, but this month, it wasn't. Very sorry.
-- Gary Warner
(Return to Table of Contents)
**************************************************************
III. Original Haiku by Our Subscribers
**************************************************************
(Gar-note: The numbers are author identifiers. All authors
are listed with email address at the end of this section.
Please drop them a note and let them know what you thought
of their work!)
11) canada geese cut
the new snow dawn still
fresh as October
3) Snow.
Too much of it
for the hopeful bud.
4) musty lights shining
snow piling on my dark coat
peaceful smoke rising
5) tick of melting snow
counting down
winter
5) Rich ferment
Snow and mud
Preparing spring
6) A chilling morning
dim and dark...
what happened to spring?
7) On through the dark wood,
Over the hills's brow: the sea!
Boundless before us.
1) wolf crying in dark
mate lost to a cold steel trap
life long love expires
10) after stopping
the whirring fan
rainfall against leaves
2) Kittens make music.
They rub each other's bodies
and purr together.
4) sun's blinding light burns
sharp lines across the soft rug
gently warming cat
4) summer sun flute notes
pine needles biting soft skin
nature invites visit
5) lone car
on country road
violence of engine
3) It dropped upon my hair,
forest spider
lighter than forest dew
14) thickly padded mat:
rich, lush carpet on the ground,
greenly abounding.
14) leaf-dappled forest:
silver-shining moonshadows
paint the forest floor.
15) Pearblossoms falling
The nightingale complaining
Sleep impossible
15) Evening birds cry
The garden of blue darkness
A hedgehog sniffling
14) glimpses of the moon
through the leafshadowed spaces
paint the ground below.
15) The pale birch leaning
Shedding her leaves in the lake
Water down a drain
15) Iodine smell: The beach
Algae signs written in sand
A dog loping along
15) June evening, foggy green
Even the clouds are confused
pass right through the building
8) giggling child at play
the windblown leaves of autumn
they fly from your hands
5) over traffic jam
wheel freely
casual gull!
5) In house of meditation
Bathroom fan
Whines
9) watching wife's calm face
surrounded by warm blankets -
she smiles at a dream
10) fine girlish features
in a rounder face--
an old love
(Gar-note:
Here are two poems that are not necessarily haiku but nice responses
to their first look at Dogwood Blossoms!)
12) The flow of stale words
across my screen
bursts into color
and the fresh scent
of a flower.
13) At last - this highway
has a garden too - Stop - Look -
the dogwoods blossom!
1) Bill Stinemetz c/o
2) Ed McGlone
3) Achariya Stone
4) Paul D Meartz
5) Tom Frenkel
6) Julie Denkers
7) Philip Adams
8) Nicholas Gold
9) Bill Blohm
10) salparadis@aol.com
11) James Terral
12) Leigh Charles Goldstein
13) Jonas Barciauskas
14) Andy Coan
15) Arne Herlav Petersen
(Gar-note:
This haiku was found at the beginning of "Bits and Bytes", which
is an on-line magazinet published by Jay Machado. In the interest
of supporting other on-line magazines, I include the haiku, by Jay,
and information on his magazine, which is VERY interesting to the
technical types. Drop a note to Jay to subscribe.)
I programmed three days
and heard no human voices.
But the hard disk sang.
JAYMACHADO@delphi.com
Bits and Bytes Online Edition will contain news of interest to anyone
interested in the future directions of our increasingly high tech
society. We explore the impact of technology on society and vice
versa. We focus on the computer industry as the enabling framework for
so many of the innovations that are revolutionizing the way we live.
The emphasis here is on the future, which is already in progress.
Join us, won't we?
(Return to Table of Contents)
***************************************************************
IV. Haiku of Yamaguchi Syuson in Translation
***************************************************************
From: NORIM@EARLHAM.EDU
Translation of Haikus of Yamaguchi Syuson (1893-?)
( all translations are by Nori Matsui
1.Koorogi no A cricket,
kono ittetsu no look at his face;
kao o miyo this headstrong face
2.aigakusei A college student,
akatonbou o trying to catch
torantosu a red dragon fly
3.Mogami-gawa Mogami-gawa
ochiba ichimai carrying away falling leaves
zutsu nagasu one by one
Mogami-river is the famous river since Basho made some famous haikus.
(Return to Table of Contents)
*******************************************************************
V. Haiku from LOGOS -- Ryosuke Suzuki <74570.2160@CompuServe.COM>
*******************************************************************
blurred dream
only thing able to remember
swallowed-in-saliva Ryosuke Suzuki
fragrance of plum blossoms
spreads far and wide
the first storm of spring Yoshiko Ono
calm waves of a spring sea
one dark figure
night fishing Kikuko Kondo
after snow storm
ski trails join on new snow
father and son Ikuko Sano
sudden blue sky
a cloud shaped like an eagle
staying -- toward evening Mikiko Iida
my sick aunt
gives me
a strained smile Yuri Takai
two beads
in the ultramarine
cat's eyes Ayako Tanaka
(Return to Table of Contents)
*******************************************************************
VI. Letter: A Response to LOGOS past -- delirium@ime.usp.br
*******************************************************************
In issue 4, the
moon
swallowing
our sight (by Yoshihiro Yamaguchi)
called my attention because more than other celestial objects,
the moon has in fact the ability of hypnotize and attract not
only our sight but also our imagination and mind in
contemplation. Having momentarily our mind in the moon we can
see the earth from there with a sense of harmony.
Here is a lunar haiku that I wrote in the Desert of Atacama (Chile):
Alem da montanha Beyond the mountain
iluminando a noite illuminating the night
brilho da lua. shine of the moon.
- Rodrigo Siqueira (delirium@ime.usp.br)
Could you tell more about what is the Logos Haiku Circle ?
(Return to Table of Contents)
********************************************************************
VII. The Game of Maekuzuke--Andreas Schoter
********************************************************************
Back in Issue 5 (November 1993) I proposed a game of maekuzuke to
Dogwood Blossom subscribers. The term `maekuzuke' means,
literally, "joining to a previous verse" - the maeku, "previous
verses", are thrown to winds, displayed in some public space, and
individuals come along and add their own tsukeku, a "joined
verse". The idea is that the joined verse should depend on the
seed for its full sense: it is incomplete or lacks full impact
without it.
There are a number of things that seem relevant to me about this
form. Firstly, often my own haiku arise as a form of maeku game
with myself. An initial experience will trigger some words -
rarely a complete haiku, often only a couple of lines - and these
stay with me, sometimes for a long time before they form into
something that feels more complete. If, in fact, they ever do.
So, considering how my own compositions emerge, it's interesting
to see what happens when the initial seed of words comes from a
someone else. Here there's no experience triggering the poem,
instead we have a level of indirectness, a response to a
response.
I said in issue 5 that what I'd be looking for is a poem that
expresses a moment or feeling that in some way complements or
contrasts with the original moment that generated the maeku. The
variety of response has certainly lived up to that! Sometimes I
can see an immediate connection: the poet is bouncing some of the
original experience back at me; sometimes, although the tsukeku
reflects a very different experience from that which triggered
the maeku, I can see how the poet arrived there; and
occasionally, to my delight, I'm at a loss to see any connection.
Such is the rich variety of individual response!
I originally put forward four maeku (A-D) for folk to respond to.
I've grouped the tsukeku under the maeku to which they respond.
I've not included authors' names with each poem, but instead I've
given each poet a number, listed in a key at the end of the
article, and numbered each poem accordingly. Before each group
of tsukeku I say a few words about the original experience that
prompted the maeku to give some idea of how interpretations
correspond/differ. This may also give you some idea of how
appropriate (or not) the maeku itself is. I wish to stress that
I've exercises no editorial control here - everyone who submitted
a haiku has been included. To my mind some of these poems are
not completely successful: compare and contrast. In addition
I've taken the liberty of including my own tsukeku.
Here, then, is the fruit of the request.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
(A) Territorial wailing
shatters the afternoon peace.
(3) on the ancient wall
a bird rests momentarily
above the faithful
(2) With a heavy sigh
tired mother separates
her toddlers once more
(5) thunder crashes once
rams recover quietly
mountain peaks echo
(1) To each worker comes
A new boss and a new job.
Another reorg!
(6) Clicking of Switchblades
Angry Voices cry out
blood silently flows
(4) hum of buzzsaw
lonely dog
whines
(7) fire alarm
pushing people out down-
burning building
ashes cover the oak tree
nearby searing its branches
(9) On the shed roof:
A cat watches a cat watching
In the long grass.
Notes on Maeku "A":
This first maeku came one afternoon whilst I was at home
practicing Tai Chi. We live in a third floor flat (that's
actually the top floor) and, being at the back of the block, we
look out onto a communal area, quite wild and overgrown, enclosed
on all four sides by buildings. This space is a haven for the
local cats and attracts, in addition, a wide variety of bird
life. I probably waste far too much time watching its wild
society! My own tsukeku to this comes some time later, but from
the same arena.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
(B) A twist in the path reveals
the clarity of far hills.
(2) After many hours
The point to which we journey
has grown no closer
(8) Snow covered on a far hill
Ghostlike
the abandoned farmhouse waits
(3) nearby, the fall roars
a gentle white windborn spray
so cool on my face
(6) Looking upon it
I finally realize
what Majestic means
(1) But glass and concrete
frames them. The pain and the curse:
To see, but not touch.
(9) My stride briefly stilled
On the rushed city pavement -
My mind's eye is there!
Notes on Maeku "B":
Like most folk now, I live in a city. But here in Edinburgh I'm
lucky: it's possible to be constantly surprised by the vistas
that open up as you walk around the town centre - almost always
there are lines of sight that take you away from the streets. In
the case of this maeku, out over the Firth of Forth (an estuary)
and away to the Cullaloe Hills. My tsukeku here came almost
immediately (with some `in head' editing prior to writing it down
:-).
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
(C) Rivulets of shadow
snake up the sunlit hill.
(1) How swiftly shadows
climb, while I am earthbound by
Walking stick and shoes.
(2) scent of burning leaves
mixes with someone's supper
hoping it is mine
(3) soon, cold ocean air
will bring its misty blanket
time to feed the cat
(6) precious afternoon
lovers cling to each other
the sun sets too fast
(9) Yin and yang mix
in the morning sunlight
on Arthur's Seat.
Notes on Maeku "C":
Again, Edinburgh is the source of this maeku. In the centre of
the city is a place called Holyrood Park, if you can find a map
of the city take a look at it. Essentially, this is a chunk of
wilderness that has remained undeveloped in the middle of
cosmopolitan sprawl. The beauty of it is that even if someone
wanted to build on it it would be virtually impossible! Arthur's
Seat and Salisbury Crags are primordial rock intruding into the
modern. They dominate my morning walk into the department.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
(D) Earth roots the great trees' fingers
gently stroking the breeze.
(3) summer's winding road
redwoods and rocky beaches
distance grows with time
(1) Blinded by money
Full of sight, but no vision:
"Seen one, seen 'em all."
(2) closed book on my chest
Vivaldi on my headphones
tree fingers on my mind
(6) beautiful great tree
peacefully giving comfort
loving gift from God
(9) Heed the trees:
Each year unfolds another
Burst of buds.
Notes on Maeku "D":
A Note from the author of (D1): the last line is a Ronald Reagan
quote regarding protection of redwoods from logging. The Royal
Botanic Garden in Edinburgh has a stand of redwoods, a great deal
smaller than in their native habitat, the climate here not being
ideal for them. But that Garden is a constant source of
quietude, as diverse a collection of plant life as one could wish
for. This tsukeku is, perhaps, not directly triggered by the
maeku, but again it comes from the same source.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Authors (arranged here in order of receipt):
(1) "Name withheld by request"
(2) Gary Warner
(3) Mike Rilee
(4) Chuck Easter
(5) Bill Blohm
(6) Debbie Blohm
(7) John Saylor
(8) Cher A. Holt-Fortin
(9) Andreas Schoter
(Return to Table of Contents)
********************************************************************
VIII. A visit to the Desert
********************************************************************
By Rodrigo de Almeida Siqueira (delirium@farofa.ime.usp.br)
I'm back from the Desert of Atacama (North of Chile). It's
really fantastic there and many of the things immediately
inspirate Haiku:
Sand, flowery cactus, lakes made of salt, cold wind, mountains
made of salt crystal, abandoned cities, roads of sulphur,
saltpeter and borax fields, ore, green lakes with flamingos and
volcanoes covered with snow (more than 5000m altitude), geysers
of hot water and sulfuric vapor, Inca ruins, spanish ruins, old
mines of saltpetre and abandoned cemeteries of last century,
mountain range, lots of tourists, lunar landscape and martian
scenery, indian villages and modern cities, mummies older than
those of Egypt, archeology, huge beaches with seagulls, high
cliffs, deep valleys of rock, oasis with fruits, sun setting
behind sand mountains, workmanship with copper, sculptures made
by the wind, little tornados, llama and other unusual animals and
many other things impossible to describe in words.
Rio seco Dry river
silencio sob a ponte silence under the bridge
apenas o vento. only the wind.
Campo amarelo Yellow field
entre pedras e areia between rocks and sand
uma flor seca. a dry flower.
Noite no deserto Night in the desert
muito mais areia much more sand in the land
do que estrelas. than stars in the sky.
Reflexo da lua Reflection of the moon
nas pedras do chao. in the little rocks of the ground.
No ceu, as estrelas. In the sky, the stars.
(Return to Table of Contents)
********************************************************************
IX. Haiku in the Big City -- Gary Gach
********************************************************************
------------------------------------------------------
-------------------
the following selection -on and of "senryu" - is
excerpted from a forthcoming, illustrated book
ADVENTURES IN HAIKULAND for younger readers of all
ages. - for DOGWOOD BLOSSOM subscribers' advance
read. // the actual senryu are by a number of
authors, and acknowledgments will occur in the actual
book. // (note: if you are one of the authors and
you haven't received a Release Form, please contact
me immediately; thanks! ) // questions, comments
welcomed.
gary (gar2)
------------------------------------------------------
----------------------
FIND HAIKU IN THE BIG CITY
The voice of nature is everywhere. In the city you
have only to listen a little harder sometimes.
Instead of wolves howling, or waterfalls, there's car-
roar, or the sound of a refrigerator ... part of the
life of this place in which we are living.
The red sun
reflected in the square
of the tv.
Neons flash red & green.
April rains on still street. Man
Nods. Red lights blink, blink.
After April rain
-in puddles of oil
city rainbows
The whole block flooded.
Men hauling pumps & hoses;
children, plastic boats.
A great freight truck
lit up like a town
through the dark stony desert.
Sure as there's nature in the city, human nature
leaves traces and cuts tracks in nature. So haiku
can express not only nature, but human nature too.
[The name for this kind of haiku is "senryu" (say
sen-roo).
Putting human nature in e foreground and nature in the
background, everyone can see something of universal
human nature in themselves or the world around.
What kind of person
would put a price
on orchids ...
???
Here too anything can happen - and usually does.
Old men drive
slowly backwards
in Safeway parking lots
Some haiku are like watercolors - senryu can be more
like snapshots, like this:
Second before
the next sneeze, waiting ...
what a funny face !
A soap opera :
passions wrenching the heart
of a woman viewer.
As well as linking up things to things, they can link
up other people. Person-to- person.
The dentist,
finding his work difficult,
opens his mouth, too~
Haiku can be seen in forests, on mountains, near
rivers ... or from diners, lobbies, bus-windows. The
street, the garage, around the house, or around town.
Wherever you find them.
His serious face looks
around, looking for
something he can't see
dog paws backseat floor
to dig an escape tunnel,
driven to the vet
My hands are tools
that build the world
but I am just a speck
faces on the bus,
in hardcovers & paperbacks
The housepainters
using such short brushes
to make the job last.
Not saying a word,
the house is the wife's.
"What's this for?"
says the carpenter
as he saws it off.
(Return to Table of Contents)
********************************************************************
X. The Haijin as Photographer -- Bill Blohm
********************************************************************
One of the main problems with beginners writing haiku seems to be
grasping the concept of what a haiku is. Let me re-phrase that:
how a haiku is would probably be more accurate. Few have
problems with the 5-7-5 structure. The problem seems to be one
of composition rather than idea, structure, or purpose.
So, for all you struggling haiku writers out there, here is an
analogy that you should be able to apply immediately. When
working on your haiku, consider the photograph. No, I don't mean
take a photograph of what you are trying to write about. Rather,
consider how a photograph works. A haiku should work the same
way. Indeed, you could say that a haiku is a photograph of a
scene or event in words rather than in film.
The idea in both is the same: to take a picture and use that
picture to generate a specific response in the reader or viewer.
In the haiku, the 5-7-5 syllable structure corresponds, if you
will, with the camera and film proper.
With the camera, the beginner will point and shoot, the more
advanced photographer will compose and shoot. The beginning
photographer focuses on the camera. He points and shoots, and
begins to tie together what he is doing with the camera with what
he gets in the photograph. And so he grows and learns the
various elements of photography. The advanced photographer waits
for the right time. He finds the right light, finds the right
angle. He changes, if possible, unwanted elements in the scene.
And he composes for a specific response from the viewer. He
begins to be struck by the world around him, attempts to capture
it to evoke the same awe, pleasure, emotion in the viewer. For
better or worse, consciously or unconsciously he begins to see
everything in the light of his camera and how he can use that to
say what he wants to say.
So, too, it is with the writer of haiku. The beginner focuses on
the 5-7-5 structure. Gradually as he writes and observes the
effect of what he writes on others, he begins to wait for the
right word. He finds the right elements of the scene to
emphasize. He changes his words until he thinks he will evoke
the desired feeling in the viewer. He composes his lines for a
specific response from the reader. He begins to be struck by the
world around him, attempts to capture it to evoke the same awe,
pleasure, emotion in the viewer. For better or worse,
consciously or unconsciously he begins to see everything in the
light of his haiku and how he can use that to say what he wants
to say.
In writing the haiku, like taking a photograph, the important
thing to keep in mind in both is that you want to evoke a
specific response. Just as in the photograph you can not say
"this is what I felt", so it is in the haiku. You want to
compose the haiku/photograph to transmit these feelings. In
writing haiku, you have the ability to use words, but if any part
of your feelings is expressly written into the haiku, it is no
longer like a photograph, and hence no longer a haiku. Now it is
more like an audio tape, and is a poem. You need to capture the
scene in words in the exact same way you would with a photograph.
You want to evoke a specific response from a photograph, you
compose and shoot many photographs until you find the one,
perfect photograph that evokes what you want to say. So it is
with the haiku. You write the first brief impression of the
scene. Then you write and re-write, perhaps keeping that first
one in front of you to remind you of what you are trying to
express. If you are lucky your first attempt at this haiku is
it, just as sometimes the first photograph captures exactly what
you want.
And one final reminder. Just as the photographer has to be there
to take the photograph, so too does the haiku writer have to be
there to write about it. Haiku is supposed to be the writer's
photograph. It is meant to be about something the writer has
himself seen or experienced. Remember, the haiku is, after all,
the writer's camera and film.
So, if you are bogging down while trying to understand what makes
a haiku and what doesn't, think of the photograph and how it is
used, what it contains, and how it is created. Then write your
haiku to do the same. If you keep this analogy in mind, you are
pretty much on your way to writing haiku.
(Return to Table of Contents)
********************************************************************
XI. PRESS HERE Haiku Books
********************************************************************
(Gar-note: I wanted to introduce our readers to one of our
subscribers, Michael Dylan Welch. Michael is the editor
publisher and everything else for a small press called
"Press Here". I've had the pleasure of reading, and enjoying
several of the books listed below, and would strongly
recommend them for their quality. Michael has shown himself
to be an outstanding poet as well as an outstanding editor
as exemplified by the following haiku)
after the quake
the weathervane
pointing to earth
("Frogpond" and "Tremors")
an old woolen sweater
taken yarn by yarn
from the snowbank
("Frogpond" 2nd prize "Henderson Haiku Contest")
summer moonlight--
the potter's wheel
slows
(2nd Prize -- Boston Haiku Contest)
Press Here was founded in 1989 by Michael Dylan Welch to publish
haiku books in English. The following books are available:
ON MY MIND
An interview with Anita Virgil by Vincent Tripi, introduced by
Garry Gay. Winner of a Merit Book Award from the Haiku Society
of America. "Art is a selfish mistress. . . . But, if you can
apportion her some time in which to bloom, if you can afford this
luxury, the results of life lived with eyes open to the world
about you will show in the work you produce."--Anita Virgil [1989
(third printing, 1993), 28 pages, ISBN 1-878798-00-6, $5.00 plus
postage]
RAKING SAND
An interview with Virginia Brady Young by Vincent Tripi,
introduced by Ebba Story. "Haiku is challenging, at least for
most poets. If you disagree and think it is easy to write,
perhaps you are settling too soon for too little."--Virginia
Brady Young [1993, 28 pages, ISBN 1-878798-07-3, $5.00 plus
postage]
STARSHIP EARTH
Award-winning environmental haiku and senryu by Adele Kenny;
includes translations from "The Canticle of the Sun" by St.
Francis of Assisi. A sample poem (a one-liner): "hairdo
perfectly sprayed she asks about fluorocarbons" [1990, 48 poems,
24 pages, ISBN 1-878798-01-4, $5.00 plus postage]
MET ON THE ROAD: A TRANSCONTINENTAL HAIKU JOURNAL
A travel journal and haiku anthology written and compiled by
William J. Higginson with Penny Harter on a cross-country trip
from New Jersey to New Mexico. Contains haiku and senryu by 48
different poets from the United States and Japan. "We are
grateful for both the opportunity to meet poets across the
country, and to share haiku and thoughts on haiku with them.
This book is dedicated in that spirit of sharing to our friends,
the haiku poets of North America and Japan."--William J.
Higginson [1993, 75 poems, 36 pages, ISBN 1-878798-10-3, $6.00
plus postage]
THE HAIJIN'S TWEED COAT
A unique haiku sequence by Michael Dylan Welch. Winner of a
Merit Book Award from the Haiku Society of America. "This
sequence, for me, rings as clear as the sound of a frog jumping
into a pond on a crisp day. It's the best nature sequence I've
read in years."--Alexis Rotella [1990, 8 poems, 12 pages, ISBN
1-878798-02-2, $4.00 plus postage]
TREMORS
Earthquake haiku and a haibun by Michael Dylan Welch, written
about the 1989 Loma Preita earthquake in San Francisco. A sample
poem: "after the quake / the weathervane / pointing to earth"
[1990, 22 poems, 1 haibun, 16 pages, ISBN 1-878798-03-0, $4.00
plus postage]
FIG NEWTONS: SENRYU TO GO
Humorous senryu by Laura Bell, Garry Gay, Christopher Herold,
Vincent Tripi, Michael Dylan Welch, and Paul O. Williams.
Edited and introduced by Michael Dylan Welch. "For a moment,
distinctions between haiku and senryu are not important; if just
one poem makes you chuckle, then this book has met its
goal."--Michael Dylan Welch [1993, 111 poems, 32 pages, ISBN
1-878798-09-X, $6.00 plus postage]
THE MEASURE OF EMPTINESS
An engaging collection of Midwest haiku by Lee Gurga, introduced
by Jerry Kilbride. Includes "A Talk with the Author" by Michael
Dylan Welch. A sample poem: "summer sunset-- / the baby finds
its shadow / on the kitchen wall" [ 1991, 71 poems, 88 pages
perfectbound, ISBN 1-878798-04-9, $7.50 plus postage]
HARVEST
The 1991 Haiku North America conference anthology, edited and
introduced by Michael Dylan Welch. "The conference which
inspired this anthology is justly labeled a celebration of North
American haiku. Indeed, the haiku community on this continent is
vibrant and growing, yet we are still small enough to be on a
first-name basis."--Michael Dylan Welch [1991, 52 poems, 20
pages, ISBN 1-878798-05-7, $5.00 plus postage]
THE SHORTEST DISTANCE
The 1993 Haiku North America conference anthology, edited and
introduced by Ebba Story and Michael Dylan Welch. "We are drawn
together over the shortest distance--shorter even than the
written forms we cherish. We meet in the moment where hearts and
minds open and rejoice. There is no distance here."--The Editors
[1993, 51 poems, 20 pages, ISBN 1-878798-11-1, $5.00 plus
postage]
FOOTSTEPS IN THE FOG
Tanka by Christopher Herold, David Rice, Pat Shelley, Dave
Sutter, Kenneth Tanemura, Michael Dylan Welch, and Paul O.
Williams. Edited and introduced by Michael Dylan Welch. Press
Here, 1994, 115 tanka by San Francisco area poets, 48 pages, 5
1/2 x 8 1/2 inches, 1-878798-12-X, paper, $7.00 plus $1.00
postage and handling (checks payable to Michael D. Welch).
Order from Press Here, P.O. Box 4014, Foster City, CA 94404.
"Hovering above the fog of objective and subjective concerns is
an effable spirit, a spirit that defies description but once
tasted is never forgotten. It is toward this tanka spirit that
the poets in this book travel -- to seek, with intuitive longing,
what the masters sought." -- from the Introduction.
To order any of the above books, please include postage and
handling as follows: For the first book, add $1.00; add an
additional 75 cents for each additional book. Send your check or
money order in U.S. funds, payable to Michael D. Welch to the
following address:
Press Here
P.O. Box 4014
Foster City, CA 94404
Thank you for your orders!
(Return to Table of Contents)
********************************************************************
XII. Review: Blithe Spirit
********************************************************************
"Blithe Spirit" is the journal of the British Haiku Society. The
name is a phonetic pun on the name of R.H. Blyth, a student of
Zen and a pioneer of bringing haiku into the English language
during the forties and fifties. The journal appears in A5 format
(148*210mm) and is bound in coloured card with illustrations or
wood block prints on the front and back covers. The journal
often also contains ink drawings in the body to complement the
poetry. It averages around 30 pages an issue, it is published
quarterly and is just entering its fourth year. Copyright of all
material reverts to the authors after publication in the journal.
But enough on its form - what about the content?
Well, there is always a large selection of original poems from
members of the Society and the journal provides a number of
conceptual sections to which these poems may be submitted. There
is a regular "Season Corner" for haiku on the theme of a season:
the journal always runs one season behind to give haijin a chance
to absorb the spirit of the time and work through the composition
process (for example the February 1994 issue's "Season Corner"
was for autumn). A particularly evocative poem in this section
for autumn from January 1992, by David Cobb, is:
across the field of stubble
flame stalks flame
There is also a section called "Gorse Blossoms" where out of
season or non-seasonal haiku appear; and a section called "Senryu
Pie" where, unsurprisingly, senryu appear. Senryu, formally
identical to haiku, deal with human nature rather than nature
itself, and often contain a humorous twist. From October 1993
comes this offering by D.C. Trent. For me this really captures
the kind of emotional inversion that events can bring:
More interruptions.
Seething, I open the door -
to my oldest friend
The journal also devotes some space to the form of tanka, which
Bill Higginson has compared to the sonnet in terms of its role as
a poem of love. Tanka were often the form in which notes where
exchanged between lovers. Traditionally it has a different form
to haiku and senryu, usually taking five lines with 5-7-5-7-7
counts. This example, by Susan Rowley, comes from July 1993:
darker than despair
- the moment just after
the moment you leave;
unripe fruit of the cherry
tossed to the ground by cold winds
This poem seems to pivot around the second and third lines -
defining the instant that gave rise to the feelings.
Beginning with Volume 3, Number 1 each issue also has a "Museum
of Haiku Literature Award" - this is for the best poem published
in the previous issue and carries a prize of #50. A different
member of the Society selects from each issue but the award is
not necessarily given to the most polished or skilful poem in the
journal: the award for the October 1993 issue, announced in the
most recent issue was given because the poem captured some
mysterious essence of the tea ceremony. It is by
Cicely Hill:
Still unopened
The greenish hydrangea flowers:
The taste of tea
It's interesting, in each issue, to compare the awarded poem with
your own favourite from the previous edition. In addition to
this "every issue" award the British Haiku Society sponsors the
annual "James W. Hackett Award". The winner for 1993, announced
in the most recent issue, was by Lesley Lendrum:
A broken nutshell
and a twisted root remain
where the hazel grew.
This award is open to non-members, and I'll inform "Dogwood
Blossom" readers of the details of the 1994 competition in the
spring when the Society issues the entry form.
In addition to publishing poetry there are usually articles on
haiku and composition - for example, a couple of short pieces
over recent issues have discussed the relation of haiku
experience/composition to the right brain/left brain dichotomy:
the intuitive insight of the originating haiku experience and the
imposition of the structure of language. Other articles have
focused on the form of haiku in English, and others still on
non-haiku poets who nonetheless seem to embody something of the
spirit of the haiku perception. There are also occasional
reviews of books that might be of interest to haijin.
I should point out that "Blithe Spirit" only publishes poetry by
full members of the British Haiku Society. However, the journal
has a special section that it calls "The Pathway" - non-members'
poetry is published here, and each poem must be in at least two
languages, the original language (any language) and a translation
into English, French or German. This is often a very interesting
section of the journal. In the January 1993 issue "The Pathway"
was devoted to the Croatian Haiku Association in recognition of
the current troubles in the former Yugoslavia. Although I am
unable to reproduce the diacritics in ASCII code I include two of
the haiku here, the first by Luko Paljetak and the second by
Marijan Cekolji:
I dalje nosi A horse -
na ledima svoj teret dead, but still harnessed
ubijeni konj to its load
Olujna kisa: Storm rain:
mrav plovi na latici an ant sails a petal
divljeg kestena. of wild chestnut.
(Gar-note: For those interested in subscribing, here is a
replica of the subscription form. Remember to send payment
in Sterling or Dollars!)
Full subscription (UK or EC) 12.50 sterling
Full subscription (other contries) 15.00 sterling or US$25.00
Blithe Spirit only (UK or EC) 7.00 sterling
Blithe Spirit only (other contries) 9.00 sterling or US$15.00
Pay either by:
1) Cheque or postal order made out to "British Haiku Society"
2) Dollar bills or sterling pound notes
3) Transfer to UK Giro account No. 41 756 3604
_Note for members living outside the UK_: If you send us cheques,
drafts or money orders expressed in a currancy other than sterling, or
drawn on a bank without an office in Britain, it is normally
uneconomic or even impossible to cash them.
Overseas members normally receive journals and newsletters by surface
mail, but if you prefer them to be sent by air, this can be arranged:
please ask how much extra you need to pay.
Name _________________________________________________________________
Address ______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Signature _____________________________________ Date _________________
From: The Secretary, BHS, SInodun, SHalford, Braintree, Essex, UK
(tel/fax 0371-851097)
(Return to Table of Contents)
***************************************************************
XIII. Assignments for Future Issues
***************************************************************
Thanks to all who submitted things for this issue! This month
we received more submissions than any other 3 month period
since we began. Hopefully our ability to be more selective
will improve the quality of our publication. Unfortunately,
there are many things that we were not able to use, but I hope
that all of you will continue to submit.
Assignments:
1. Beginning Next Issue: The Beginner's Corner -- a place
where beginner's can share tips about writing haiku, and
put haiku (or even ideas) in progress which you would like
to have help developing. Ideally, the "polished" poem would
appear the following month.
2. Haiku in the Big City. Right a haiku about something that
you observe "in the city" rather than the typical haiku.
Note that there are senryu and haiku. The article in this
issue was intended to show the difference between the two.
I'm after HAIKU here.
3. Original work. Your haiku are the heart of this magazine.
Haiku and your articles about them are always welcome. WE
ARE DESPERATE FOR ORIGINAL HAIKU!!!! Actually, we are also
desperate for articles, book reviews, and anything else you
would like to share...
4. Published work. Find a Haiku collection at your library, and
share with us some particularly striking works you find. Often
the beauty of haiku, or the appreciation of an author, is enhanced
by seeing several works by the same author or along the same
theme. See what you can find and send them in!
5. Book reviews and recommendations are desired. If you submit,
please include the ISBN of the book, and ordering information
if known. Catalog information from Haiku presses is also
desired.
6. Contest news. We would like to let our readers know about
upcoming contests, as well as hear about contests in which
you have participated. Send us entry information, or tell
us about the turn out of the contest, and perhaps your entry
or the winning entries (if allowed). Thanks for the idea
Rodrigo!
7. If you own, work for, represent, or participate in any Haiku
organization, we will gladly advertise for you for a reciprocal
ad. Mention us in your publication or newsletter and we will
happily do the same for you. To make this seem a LITTLE less
than blatant advertising, please write a short article about
some event your organization has sponsored, or include sample
poetry from your organization's publication in your article.
8. Send us a short note, telling what you thought of issue 7, or
responding to any of the Haiku that were included in this issue.
Encourage our contributors! (That's why we include their e-mail
addresses!) Let them know what you thought of their submissions
(and to me, I'm dying for feedback to share with my editorial
staff)
********************************************************************
Return to Dogwood Blossoms Index