2025 Touchstone Distinguished Books Award — Short List
The Haiku Foundation is pleased to announce The Touchstone Distinguished Book Awards Short List for books of haiku and related forms published in 2025. The nominees’ works represent a rich variety of English-language books from many nations and haiku traditions. The five members of the Touchstone Distinguished Books Award panel have each read the 81 books which were submitted, and in the first round chose their top 10 selections which composed the Long List. After careful discussion and deliberation, the panel then chose their top 8 selections, which then became the Short List. After more review, discussion and voting, the panel will determine which will receive the Awards and Honorable Mentions.
We wish to recognize the many worthy books beyond the Short List which were published in 2025.
On April 17, The Haiku Foundation will announce its final awards for 2025.
I wish to thank the Distinguished Books Award Panel: Joyce Clement, Judson Evans, Edward Cody Huddleston, Christopher Patchel and Sharon Pretti
Bruce H. Feingold
Touchstone Awards Chairperson and Touchstone Distinguished Book Awards Coordinator
We extend our congratulations to the following authors and publishers (books are arranged in alphabetical order by author):
- Beary, Roberta. crazy bitches. (Winston-Salem, NC: Mac Q Press, 2025).
- Bennett, Brad. a rush of doves. (Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2025).
- Brickley, Chuck, downhill home. (Ormskirk, UK: Shapshot Press, 2025).
- French, Terri L. kaleidoscope dream. (Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2025).
- Gurga, Lee, the whisper I wished for. (Champaign, Ill: Modern Haiku Press, 2025).
- Gurga, Lee & Metz, Scott. Haiku 21. 2 (Champaign, Ill: Modern Haiku Press, 2025).
- Hall, Carolyn, Pulling the Yarn. (Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2025).
- Hotham, Gary. Our Backs to the Wind. (Taylorville: Ill: Brooks Books, 2025).
- Kamakura, Sayumi. Applause for a Cloud. (Boston, MA: Black Ocean, 2025).
- Lehmann, Kat. no matter how it ends a bluebird’s song. (Studio City, CA: Rattle 2025).
- Robbie, Karen. home. (Uxbridge, UK: Alba Publishing, 2025).
- Smith, Crystal Simone. Runagate. (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2025).
- Tann, Hilary, edited by Gary Hotham and John Stevenson. timbre. (Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2025).
- Thompson, John & Owen, Renee. Moonblind. (Sebastopol, CA: Pig Blossom Press, 2025).
- Tropper, Sara, white heat. (Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, Winchester, VA, 2025).
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