2023 Touchstone Awards for Individual Poems — Awarded
The Haiku Foundation is pleased to announce The Touchstone Awards for Individual Poems for haiku and senryu published in 2023. Just over 1600 poems were nominated this year by poets, readers, contest administrators, and editors around the world. After much deliberation, the six panelists narrowed the field to a Long List of 55 poems, then a Short List of 29. Our third and final round recognizes seven poems with the highest honor of Awarded.
The Awarded poems represent the panel’s assessment of the best of what English-language haiku and senryu have to offer. Thank you to everyone who nominated poems last year. And thank you to the hard-working panelists — Roberta Beary, Gregory Longenecker, Marianne Paul, Agnes Eva Savich, Dan Schwerin, and Shloka Shankar — for their diligence, expertise, and effort.
The panelists’ commentaries for these Awardees will be shared in the near future, along with those of the Awarded Individual Haibun and Books.
Please join us in congratulating the winning poets!
Robin Smith
Coordinator, Touchstone Awards for Individual Poems
the mother my summer died
—Susan Antolin, Mariposa 49
while(the clouds turn into rain)the lily blooms
—Norma Bradley, whiptail: journal of the single-line poem, Issue 7; while the lily blooms, Yavanika Press (2023)
cocooned
feeling my wings
become
—Mark Gilbert, Stardust Haiku, Issue #73 January 2023
cathedral vaulting
the centuries
of whale fall
—Laurie Greer, Kingfisher #7
until it’s a noun garden
—Matthew Markworth, Modern Haiku, 54.2
laughing daughters somewhere sunflowers
—John Pappas, FreshOut Magazine, July 2, 2023
advice for my son —
the tissue paper
protecting each pear
—Chad Lee Robinson, The Heron’s Nest, Volume 25, March 2023
Comments (20)
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Congratulations to the winning poets! Awesome, intimate haiku.
I love the wings become one
Beautiful! That last one with the tissue-covered pears took my breath away! Bravo!
Congratulations to Susan, Mark, Norma, Laurie, Matthew, John and Chad. All very striking and thought-provoking poems.
marion
Congratulations to all! Great poems.
Congratulations to the poets on the ‘awarded lists’ for their innovative and enriching haiku, and hats off to the panel for their hard work and to Robin for keeping it all rolling along!
Congratulations to the winners, those who made the long list, and to all the poets on this International Haku day.
My thanks to the panelists and to Robin for selecting my haiku in the final round. I sincerely appreciate the time and effort everyone put into this, and for the recognition as well. Congrats to the other winners!
A huge congratulations to all the winners and the judges for their hard work. I have greatly enjoyed reading from the long list to the short list to these winners. It gives such an awareness of the remarkable talent and diversity within the haiku community. Kudos to all!
Well done to all the winners, it is a great selection, thanks to the panel and Robin! Thanks also to Valentina Ranaldi-Adams who published my poem.
Congratulations, Mark! I am so excited for you. It’s a fantastic poem, and I’m elated it was recognized in this way.
Congratulations to all the winners- a truly wonderful selection of haiku and plenty of food for thought.
Congratulations Mark and all
Well done indeed
Thanks Mark, hope you are well!
Congratulations to all the winners. An interesting and thought-provoking selection.
My deepest thanks to the judges and to Tanya McDonald for the nomination. I am stunned and honored to be part of this amazing group.
Congratulations to all! A great selection!
Heartiest congratulations to all the winners!!
Congratulations to all the poets!
Congrats to the winners! Lovely work.