Gloria Maxson was widely published in the journals of rhe 1970s, and this volume (Triton Press, 1976) captures the style of the poems of the time: nature-infused, three lined (and often stair-stepped), aiming-at-17-syllabled, punctuated and capitalized “moments.” You can read…
John Sheirer was a shooting star through the haiku sky in the late 1990s, focusing on the humorous aspects of life, and especially family relations. This volume (Riverstone Books, 1997) gives a goodly sampling of his major preoccupations in his…
Carol Montgomery wrote some of the most memorable senryu in the language, many of which appeared in this volume (Los Hombres Press, 1992), so it is disappointing that she has been absentee from the haiku world for more than a…
Francine Porad was a painter before she was a haiku poet, and she often combined her talents in her numerous publications. This volume (Vandina Press, 2004) represents her at a mature stage in both arts. You can read the entire…
Peter Benchley famously wrote “I hate writing. I love having written.” This is probably a familiar feeling to most of us. But it is only one of many malaises that affect us as writers. Guest editor Sonam Chhoki explores another…
Claire Cooperstein’s attractive, self-produced (1986) chapbook is representative of the norm of its time: beautiful papers, crisp type, artless sketches, and an amiable attentiveness to “moments,” in this case with a personal formal style and no automatically enforced syllable count.…
Tateo Fukutomi published this book (Kaiteishinsha, 2000) in Japanese and English, a commonplace now but relatively rare at the time. The interplay of naturalism and whimsy is to become a regular feature in contemporary Japanese haiku in translation. You can…
Donald Johns is not a household name, and we offer this selection as a reminder of the kinds of work typical in a book of its time (Four Winds Press, 1982): informed in a certain way, friendly, casual. You can…
Poverty has many faces. A lack of material possessions can by one person be seen as a disaster, where non-materialistic individuals may think nothing of finding themselves in that same situation. Our attitude to poverty is connected to who we…
Clement Hoyt’s mordant humor, centered on the mores of a small town and mediated through the central character of the scarecrow, is on display in this, the first book of senryu written in English (American Haiku Press, 1966). You can…
The idea that great art is best created in austerity carries a romantic view of poverty. The notion of the struggling writer, penning beautiful poetry in squalor, certainly has a truth in haiku. Writing haiku can sometimes be easy and…
Why are we all bobbing our heads at the same time? Guest editor Marilyn Appl Walker asks: Why do we like music? Studies have concluded that music has therapeutic value; it touches us emotionally. Music flows from our alarm clocks…
H. F. “Tom” Noyes, who moved to Greece as a young man, never tired of his relationship with water and especially the sea, as can be seen in this version of his 1996 collection (Editura Leda). You can read the…
We often think of a successful life as one where much has been achieved by one person or many possessions have been gathered, but often the outer signs of success are of less importance to the individual. Many find happiness…
Paul O. Williams sustains a reverie for a nearly lost natural world and for the humans who share it in this elegantly produced chapbook from 1999 (Brooks Books). You can read the entire book in the THF Digital Library. Do…
There are strong connections between haiku and begging. Many of the classic haiku masters were beggar monks who scorned possessions for a life in simplicity. Today we are again meeting austerity and begging on our doorsteps in many parts of…
Penny Harter’s mature volume from 1987 (From Here Press, Fanwood NJ) evokes the connectedness, both visceral and uncanny, of all things, between species and between ourselves. You can read the entire book in the THF Digital Library. Do you have…
Writing a good haiku has many different components. Excellent haiku often come from simplicity and in finding profound meanings in very modest things. One of the masters of finding that magic in everyday life was the beggar monk Santoka Taneda’s…
Jim Kacian travels to the old country for the funeral of a friend's father and discovers what of himself still belongs to the old ways in this 2006 Red Moon Press offering of haibun and haiku. You can read the…
Many of the respected masters of haiku were Buddhist monks. Many wandered on foot, from temple, to temple. Almost all of them were begging. They were a cherished part of the community. They would chant sutras and write poems for…