The Haiku Foundation Forums

morning Alan,

i read my way through the original issue 2. i can see from a quick look at the final issue 2 that essay-wise you've added some material. y/n?

i really enjoyed issue 2. thank you for all your efforts with it.

for issue 3, how come no shahai?

lorraine

hi Alan and c,

thank you for setting me straight. i had thought it would be october.

lorraine

when is the drifting sands haibun journal for october 2023 going to be published

lorraine

Quote from: AlanSummers on September 17, 2023, 11:13:05 AMHi Lorraine!

Quote from: Lorraine Pester on September 13, 2023, 04:55:44 AMhi Alan,

it's rather like the schools taking on the raising of the children en toto rather than just educating them. experienced that many years ago as an early elementary teacher.

i've done some soul-searching lately as to the branding of our poetic themes as we write. for me, the question is do i want to be marked as 'that poet with that past'? and your answer here tells me what i concluded. it's who i am. how can i not? hope that made sense.

lorraine

There does seem to be an even more intense peer pressure, even policing in some instances, about how to write haiku a certain way. Do we write haiku as it's been 'done' the last 10-20 years, do something startlingly new, whether it's composed well or not?

I like poets who stick to their narrative arc, though will experiment as well, but not following any current pressure to adhere to any current fad or trend.

Judging the forthcoming competition I will be even more open-minded than ever, as a lot of less regular haiku writers, who don't know about the current fashions, and may not have any current haikai publications, will be entering.

I won't be putting them a narrow lens. After all, if we are poets, we want our skillsets sharpened as wordsmiths, and taut writing outside the so-called 'norm' of whatever long-term or new expert on the scene insists that we do.

I think it'll be an exciting contest, with people from many poetic backgrounds taking part. There is also an accessibility menu to help anyone with sight or reading issues.

GPS haiku contest
https://www.thegloucestershirepoetrysociety.co.uk/2023-haiku-competition

As mentor with Call of the Page I get to read a lot of amazing work in progress, covering tough subject matter. I don't see a quietness in the 'world of haiku' but then it's my job to observe as much as I can about what is happening in this poetic scene. We are still strongly in a pro-rape society, with dead cats being flung around to detract from high public figures in the News media and politics being investigated, tried, and arrested etc... Humble poets just don't have the money to employ big name lawyers to bring rapists to justice. So yeah, it's pretty quiet in the justice department within society as we don't have the big bucks to pursue these people. We can only cover tough subjects that are general, or if it's about us, we can't mention any big name well-monied person that easily.

I don't know what raised voices means in this context. Thankfully mental health issues are being bravely raised more and more in the world of haiku. Jacar Press not long ago (May 16, 2023) published this book:

Grasping the Fading Light: A Journey Through PTSD by Julie Bloss Kelsey
https://www.amazon.com/Grasping-Fading-Light-Journey-Through/dp/0936481242

WINNER OF THE 2021 WOMEN'S INTERNATIONAL HAIKU CONTEST FROM SABLE BOOKS.

"This manuscript has a global feel in spite of it being a personal experience. The poems are strong and forceful and at the same time gentle and honest. The interweaving of haiku and tanka effectively help in the arc of its narrative. Filled with a poignancy, the mood is one of resilience and bouncing back. One very important point to be noted is the healing that takes place as the pages unfold. In these times of trials and turmoil caused by Covid and war – the art of swinging back to sanity and normal life is deftly handled here. Definitely a winner!" -- Final Judge Kala Ramesh

Written by Julie Bloss Kelsey over a ten-year period, this book contains 65 short poems -- mainly haiku, senryu, kyoka, and tanka -- on the theme of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and recovery from childhood trauma. About the collection, she says, "I hope that this book will help those on similar journeys feel less alone."
https://sablebooks.org/international-womens-haiku-contest/

Anyone who knows Richard Krawiec, or of him, knows he publishes challenging books, different poetics, as well as haiku etc...
https://jacarpress.com/contact/

I'd say the haiku scene, both mainstream and off-stream (like off Broadway) is vibrant. We don't get the publicity to the same degree as other poets and other poetry publishing houses, but there is still a lot of news to be read/discovered across Instagram, Twitter/X, Facebook, and other platforms.

A lot of people are writing about tough topics, really tough ones, from Lorraine Pester, Roberta Beary, and others. They cover highly uncomfortable areas of abuse, with tight writing.

Does haiku need a jolt? I doubt it. Does society and turning the other eye to injustice need a jolt? Most definitely, and rather than this immature left-wing/right-wing positioning etc... poets are writing about tough issues. The jolt to my mind is readers buying more poetry books and just like some Instagram haiku poets, selling tens of thousands of copies.  The big jolt is to encourage children to read, that it's not a crime to read a book, and committing an act of reading every year of their life. Now that's radical.

warm regards,
Alan
founder, Call of the Page

p.s.
More publishing houses are coming out, small and large, which is great. Now if we could stop poetry being marginalised in schools, that would be an incredible jolt!

Quote from: Lorraine Pester on September 13, 2023, 04:55:44 AM

Quote from: AlanSummers on September 12, 2023, 06:14:15 PMHi Dmitri,

Could you explain more about haiku progressing?

Personally each new generation (age group or simply someone new coming to haiku) seems to add and stretch haiku.

For instance, the stance and support for attacks on women continues to be disturbing as it's covered up and protected by governments and institutions, for instance the pro-sexual attacks within the UK national health service reports in the last few days.

New journal haikuNetra:

fingers scraping
the inside of a cantaloupe
gang rape

          Muskaan Ahuja
https://haikunetra.blogspot.com/2023/09/haikunetra-issue-11.html

While most people in power, the old nasty feudal system which never left us, continues to be under protection. If a lowly haiku poem calls it out, and almost no one else or nothing else, that's progress of sorts.

Poetry in general is facing topics that politicians and corporate people will not allow us to call out. It's a shame few people in society reveal crimes against the population and not little poems do. I just don't think haiku and other poetics should carry all that weight. But there are some brave souls who push for justice although the legal system is built to prevent it.

In poetry we do what we can, but to ask it to carry all the weight?

Alan

Quote from: Dmitri on February 20, 2023, 11:23:56 AMThank you. I do have the impression that Alan Summers is one of the more vocal champions for haiku-- all kinds of it.

I guess a better question could be whether or not haiku needs to progress in some way. Has it got
too set in its different ways?

hi Alan,

it's rather like the schools taking on the raising of the children en toto rather than just educating them. experienced that many years ago as an early elementary teacher.

i've done some soul-searching lately as to the branding of our poetic themes as we write. for me, the question is do i want to be marked as 'that poet with that past'? and your answer here tells me what i concluded. it's who i am. how can i not? hope that made sense.

lorraine

hi Alan,

what a great addition you just made to this thread.

i don't think very many poets start out learning to write just to write about whatever theme they wind up zeroing into. you gotta learn how to get across the easy stuff first to the reader. it also helps learning which form suits best your thinking and style of writing. when i found haibun, tanka prose,zuihitsu, and shahai, i knew i was home.

i think that Jim Kacian has done a great job providing a safe space where we can all express ourselves and get valuable feedback. it's a welcoming atmosphere that i really appreciate. thank you Jim and everyone who makes this forum what it is.

it's really important to me to have found someones who encourage each of the haijin they work with to write them selves. that would be Alan Summers, Marion Clarke, Chen-ou and light pilgrim. thank you.

thank you for the links, Alan. thank you for the time you take whenever you reply.

lorraine

Quote from: AlanSummers on September 12, 2023, 06:14:15 PMHi Dmitri,

Could you explain more about haiku progressing?

Personally each new generation (age group or simply someone new coming to haiku) seems to add and stretch haiku.

For instance, the stance and support for attacks on women continues to be disturbing as it's covered up and protected by governments and institutions, for instance the pro-sexual attacks within the UK national health service reports in the last few days.

New journal haikuNetra:

fingers scraping
the inside of a cantaloupe
gang rape

           Muskaan Ahuja
https://haikunetra.blogspot.com/2023/09/haikunetra-issue-11.html

While most people in power, the old nasty feudal system which never left us, continues to be under protection. If a lowly haiku poem calls it out, and almost no one else or nothing else, that's progress of sorts.

Poetry in general is facing topics that politicians and corporate people will not allow us to call out. It's a shame few people in society reveal crimes against the population and not little poems do. I just don't think haiku and other poetics should carry all that weight. But there are some brave souls who push for justice although the legal system is built to prevent it.

In poetry we do what we can, but to ask it to carry all the weight?

Alan

Quote from: Dmitri on February 20, 2023, 11:23:56 AMThank you. I do have the impression that Alan Summers is one of the more vocal champions for haiku-- all kinds of it.

I guess a better question could be whether or not haiku needs to progress in some way. Has it got
too set in its different ways?

hi Alan,

it's rather like the schools taking on the raising of the children en toto rather than just educating them. experienced that many years ago as an early elementary teacher.

i've done some soul-searching lately as to the branding of our poetic themes as we write. for me, the question is do i want to be marked as 'that poet with that past'? and your answer here tells me what i concluded. it's who i am. how can i not? hope that made sense.

lorraine

Morning Alan,

I read parts but the journal is so meaty that it'll take me several passes to savor it. What a labor of love for you! You have outdone yourself. Thank you for a splendid read. Alan, words are really not adequate.

I'm curious how many pages it is. On my iPhone, it's 404. Sounds like an error message doesn't it?

Best to you, Karen and Alison.

Lorraine

Quote from: AlanSummers on March 01, 2023, 02:24:45 PM
Just out!

Slip-Realism across the single line of haiku by Alan Summers
https://www.whiptailjournal.com/lizard-lounge-visiting-contributors/slip-realism-across-the-single-line-of-haiku-by-alan-summers#/

evening Alan,

i remember the original of this essay. now, it's so rich. truly something to strive for, no matter how many lines, but particularly crucial with the short one liner.

thank you.

lorraine

Quote from: AlanSummers on February 25, 2023, 02:56:41 AM
Hi Lorraine,

If it's a 1-line haiku sequence:
You can either send in the sequence of 8 without a title, or even make the first line into a title, or create a '9th line' as a title. Have fun, and you have plenty of time to check, double-check, decide to send as it is, or tweak or amend.

Sequences needn't be titled.

Here's examples of sequences that Margaret Walker, and Jo Balistreri used:
https://www.whiptailjournal.com/issue-1-sequences.html#/

You can see that Margaret Walker used a title to bring all the 1-line haiku together.
You can see that Jo Balistreri has used their first 1-line haiku as a title.

Have fun, and you know that I won't be policing, I'm just keen for interesting work for this one-off special on 1-line and 2-line haiku.

warmest regards,
Alan

Quote from: Lorraine Pester on February 24, 2023, 07:30:15 PM
hi Alan,

boy, this sounds wonderful! a giant umbrella of sorts, with different rooms, so to speak?

i do have a question. your instructions make it sound like there needs to be a title for the sequence submission. does that mean 8 one or two liners max plus a title making 9? you said originally that the first line would also be the title for a total of 8.

i'm confused. i have my sequence of 8. do i put a9th line in for the title?

??

thanks. lorraine

Quote from: Lorraine Pester on February 24, 2023, 07:30:15 PM

Quote from: AlanSummers on February 24, 2023, 04:51:34 PM
Hi Lorraine,

Lots of reasons for the changed name. I like to do something that does six different things, or solves six different things etc...

The Pan Haiku Review will not only have different themes and genres from issue to issue, it will feature two ideas I've had for two new journals, that will be inside PHR now. I'll also be able to bring back Babylon Sidedoor for haibun and zuihitsu for a future time plus Blo͞o Outlier Journal, often misspelt, will be featured, and safe from being incorrectly being spelt. There will be other features, which will be revealed in the inaugural issue of PHR, a homage to Blo͞o, as well as the other journals or ideas I had to place on hiatus.

As in the name, Pan will be inclusive, not always the case elsewhere, and I hope people pick up on that around the world.

As excited as I am about PHR1, PHR2 & 3 will be a blast too!

Alan

Quote from: Lorraine Pester on February 24, 2023, 08:44:30 AM

Quote from: AlanSummers on February 24, 2023, 05:19:21 AM
The Pan Haiku Review:
https://www.callofthepage.org/the-pan-haiku-review/

morning Alan,

why the changed name? there's gotta be a zuihitsu in that! 🙃

you gonna do a pan on pan like you did on bloo?

the best to you, Karen, and Allison

lorraine

hi Alan,

boy, this sounds wonderful! a giant umbrella of sorts, with different rooms, so to speak?

i do have a question. your instructions make it sound like there needs to be a title for the sequence submission. does that mean 8 one or two liners max plus a title making 9? you said originally that the first line would also be the title for a total of 8.

i'm confused. i have my sequence of 8. do i put a9th line in for the title?

??

thanks. lorraine

good saturday Alan,

thanks for the clarification.

you? policing? i can't imagine it! 🫢

have a great weekend with your lovely

lorraine

Quote from: AlanSummers on February 24, 2023, 04:51:34 PM
Hi Lorraine,

Lots of reasons for the changed name. I like to do something that does six different things, or solves six different things etc...

The Pan Haiku Review will not only have different themes and genres from issue to issue, it will feature two ideas I've had for two new journals, that will be inside PHR now. I'll also be able to bring back Babylon Sidedoor for haibun and zuihitsu for a future time plus Blo͞o Outlier Journal, often misspelt, will be featured, and safe from being incorrectly being spelt. There will be other features, which will be revealed in the inaugural issue of PHR, a homage to Blo͞o, as well as the other journals or ideas I had to place on hiatus.

As in the name, Pan will be inclusive, not always the case elsewhere, and I hope people pick up on that around the world.

As excited as I am about PHR1, PHR2 & 3 will be a blast too!

Alan

Quote from: Lorraine Pester on February 24, 2023, 08:44:30 AM

Quote from: AlanSummers on February 24, 2023, 05:19:21 AM
The Pan Haiku Review:
https://www.callofthepage.org/the-pan-haiku-review/

morning Alan,

why the changed name? there's gotta be a zuihitsu in that! 🙃

you gonna do a pan on pan like you did on bloo?

the best to you, Karen, and Allison

lorraine

hi Alan,

boy, this sounds wonderful! a giant umbrella of sorts, with different rooms, so to speak?

i do have a question. your instructions make it sound like there needs to be a title for the sequence submission. does that mean 8 one or two liners max plus a title making 9? you said originally that the first line would also be the title for a total of 8.

i'm confused. i have my sequence of 8. do i put a9th line in for the title?

??

thanks. lorraine

Quote from: AlanSummers on February 24, 2023, 05:19:21 AM
The Pan Haiku Review:
https://www.callofthepage.org/the-pan-haiku-review/

morning Alan,

why the changed name? there's gotta be a zuihitsu in that! 🙃

you gonna do a pan on pan like you did on bloo?

the best to you, Karen, and Allison

lorraine

Quote from: Dmitri on February 19, 2023, 04:36:39 PM
Don't know if this is the best place for my question, but here goes. From what I can see, things seem
pretty quiet in the world of haiku. Seems like everyone has settled into his/her camp, some people writing "normative haiku", others writing haiku gendai-inflected work, no raised voices, not much new or
challenging. Is this a fair representation? I don't claim to be aware of everything that's going on.

Leads to this then-- does haiku need a jolt? Is it ready for one? Is it even possible at this point?

Many thanks.

every time a haijin dares to write his own truth and not worry about being published or labeled, that is a win for the haikai world. and when editor/publishers like Alan Summers celebrates those efforts and truths by publishing what few others will, that's a win too. have you looked at Alan's online journals that celebrate those haijin?

lorraine

Quote from: Lorraine Pester on January 29, 2023, 05:40:01 AM

Quote from: AlanSummers on January 29, 2023, 04:34:44 AM
Thank you!

Quote from: flowerfox on January 28, 2023, 12:48:41 PM
An engaging video, Alan. You have used some interesting words that you have come across.
Your final verse I found quite emotional even though you have given the listener the opportunity to rework your verse.
My first thoughts were of poverty during childhood, a lost and found happiness, something which was found within your third line.

I hope you also enjoy the publication that is released tomorrow too!

The Wise Owl Team has put together a Chapbook of Haiku verse, 'The Wise Owl Haiku Renditions.' The e-book is edited by Neena Singh & Alan Summers and is an offshoot of the The Wise Owl Haiku Zoom Event hosted by Neena Singh, haiku poet and Guest Editor of The Wise Owl.

The Chapbook will be released on 30th January 2023.

Those interested in procuring a free copy of the e-book may please write to:

"Rachna Singh" <editor@thewiseowl.art>

The Wise Owl:
https://www.thewiseowl.art/publications

morning Alan,

done and done. thanks for the heads up.

lorraine

morning, Alan

first, i got the ebook. thanks to everybody who helped make it happen.

secondly, i watched your reading. imaginative to say the least. i really liked that you commented. and you made this texas gal look up 'jumble sale.'

lorraine

Quote from: AlanSummers on January 29, 2023, 04:34:44 AM
Thank you!

Quote from: flowerfox on January 28, 2023, 12:48:41 PM
An engaging video, Alan. You have used some interesting words that you have come across.
Your final verse I found quite emotional even though you have given the listener the opportunity to rework your verse.
My first thoughts were of poverty during childhood, a lost and found happiness, something which was found within your third line.

I hope you also enjoy the publication that is released tomorrow too!

The Wise Owl Team has put together a Chapbook of Haiku verse, 'The Wise Owl Haiku Renditions.' The e-book is edited by Neena Singh & Alan Summers and is an offshoot of the The Wise Owl Haiku Zoom Event hosted by Neena Singh, haiku poet and Guest Editor of The Wise Owl.

The Chapbook will be released on 30th January 2023.

Those interested in procuring a free copy of the e-book may please write to:

"Rachna Singh" <editor@thewiseowl.art>

The Wise Owl:
https://www.thewiseowl.art/publications

morning Alan,

done and done. thanks for the heads up.

lorraine

Quote from: AlanSummers on January 14, 2023, 03:22:39 AM
Hi Lorraine,

Pris Campbell tested this challenge, and has an iPad. She was able to COPY and PASTE "Blo͞o"

Someone else who states they are not keyboard literate is being helped by a fellow haiku poet.
This could be fun, to ask a friend to copy and paste "Blo͞o"

warmest regards,
Alan



The Blo͞o Outlier Journal, with its Macron (diacritic) was born!

Why Blo͞o Outlier Journal?

Let's see!

Blo͞o origins


blo͞o is related to Old English blǣwen 'blue' and Old Norse blár 'dark blue'

blo͞o is associated with depth and stability, symbolizing trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, truth, and heaven.

Studies have also shown it slows human metabolism and produces a calming effect

blo͞o is a rare trilogy or trifecta of words that can be an adjective, noun, or verb in its immediateness and can be invisible to the naked eye.

*adjective: blo͞o

*comparative adjective: blo͞oer
*superlative adjective: blo͞oest
Denoting one of three colors of a quark which are any of a number of subatomic particles carrying a fractional electric charge, postulated as building blocks of hadrons and an appropriately colored one at that!


.

*noun: blo͞o

*plural noun: blo͞os

The famed Blue Morpho butterfly has the largest wing span and is the most quickened...


.

*verb: blo͞o

*3rd person present: blo͞os;

*past tense: blo͞od;


*gerund or present participle: blo͞oeing;
*gerund or present participle: blo͞oing


To make or become blo͞o as in the blo͞oing of splashed items or the blurring of quickened blo͞o dragonflies.

Alan Summers
founder/editor-in-chief
Blo͞o Outlier Journal

Quote from: Lorraine Pester on January 13, 2023, 12:23:54 PM

Quote from: AlanSummers on January 13, 2023, 08:32:29 AM
Blo͞o Outlier Journal issue 5 (2023)

Details

This next issue of Blo͞o Outlier Journal will look at the tactics of the 'single line haiku'; the 'double line haiku'; and 'single or double line sequences'.

For the purpose of this issue, it can be senryu or haiku or that often occurring 'overlap' between the two.

max. Two 1-line haiku
max. Two 2-line haiku

max.
One haiku sequence no more than 8 one-line or 2-line haiku.
The first one acts/doubles as the title.

You can submit across all three 'sub-genres'

Sending work window opens
Saturday 25th February 2023
closes on Friday 31st March 2023.

CURRENTLY NO SUBMISSION EMAIL!

WHY?
The new and dedicated submission email will be revealed:
Friday 24th February 2023.

It's a lot to think about, so this is why the advance warning on all counts!

The subject line needs to have the correct spelling of Blo͞o in Blo͞o Outlier Journal,
plus how you wish your name to be published.

e.g.

Blo͞o Outlier Journal - Alan Summers

.




.

hi Alan,

okay. i'll bite 🫢 by asking how i manage to get the lines over the Os? a clue would help.

lorraine

morning Alan,

this is one post i'm saving for all the wonderful information about the word.

thank you

lorraine

Quote from: AlanSummers on January 13, 2023, 08:32:29 AM
Blo͞o Outlier Journal issue 5 (2023)

Details

This next issue of Blo͞o Outlier Journal will look at the tactics of the 'single line haiku'; the 'double line haiku'; and 'single or double line sequences'.

For the purpose of this issue, it can be senryu or haiku or that often occurring 'overlap' between the two.

max. Two 1-line haiku
max. Two 2-line haiku

max.
One haiku sequence no more than 8 one-line or 2-line haiku.
The first one acts/doubles as the title.

You can submit across all three 'sub-genres'

Sending work window opens
Saturday 25th February 2023
closes on Friday 31st March 2023.

CURRENTLY NO SUBMISSION EMAIL!

WHY?
The new and dedicated submission email will be revealed:
Friday 24th February 2023.

It's a lot to think about, so this is why the advance warning on all counts!

The subject line needs to have the correct spelling of Blo͞o in Blo͞o Outlier Journal,
plus how you wish your name to be published.

e.g.

Blo͞o Outlier Journal - Alan Summers

.




.

hi Alan,

okay. i'll bite 🫢 by asking how i manage to get the lines over the Os? a clue would help.

lorraine