The Touchstone Awards 2010: Results

[Mark Harris]

The Haiku Foundation presents the results of the inaugural Touchstone Awards. The results are posted on our new Touchstone Archive page:

http://www.thehaikufoundation.org/awards/touchstone-archive/

[C.Moreglas1]

I'm new to this forum, and I checked out your award winners. It struck me that these poems seem pretty mainstream, and this somehow seems at odds with your site. Does this seem so to anyone else?

The only poem that seemed pushing the limits at all was this one—

the time it takes
to thaw the breast milk—
winter night

And even this isn't that out there.

This is not a complaint, just a wondering. Anyone else feel like I do?

CM :P

[Adam Traynor]

CM, is there a haiku you wish had won? I don't know if the Foundation exists to promote any particular kind of work, but I tend to agree that awarding at least one or two "out there" poems or books would have been more in keeping with the range of stuff being done.

Tray

[John McManus]

Hello Tray and CM, I think that all of the poems selected for the touchstone awards are very, very good examples of contemporary english language haiku.

To me it's no suprise that Robert Epstein's 'ragged clouds' won as it was an editor's choice for THN in december, and also placed well in the poems of the year category in THN.

Peggy willis Lyles's poem for me is excellent and acts as a stark reminder of what a talent the haiku community have lost with her passing  :(

I also particularly like Mark Lonergan's 'morning mist' it really makes me use all my senses when I read it.

The only suprise for me is that Billie Wilson's haiku, that won the poem of the year in The Heron's Nest didn't place in the touchstone awards. For those who are unfamiliar with Billie's haiku to which I refer here it is   

campfire sparks
someone outside the circle
starts another song

On a side note to CM and Tray which haiku specifically would you have preferred to see? I would appreciate it if you could post some examples.

Regards,
John 

[AlanSummers]

I would be intrigued by some "Special K" category haiku nominations myself. :-)

Alan

[cat]

Hello, all,

I for one thought the panel did an excellent job explicating why they chose to award those specific poems.

Awards in any realm are of necessity a composite of the taste of the specific judges involved, and it's always interesting to see what the results are.  I haven't delved into this one deep enough to know if there are poems I would have liked to see in the top group, but I look forward to seeing what others here suggest.

cat

[Adam Traynor]

It's not so much what I would have preferred, but some sense that the kind of thing that roadrunner for example publishes is also "distinguished". I have no idea what poems or books were submitted, but one could infer that a statement has been made regarding edgier work.

Still, there is something to enjoy in what was selected.

Tray

[Lorin]

There are two separate sections in the Touchstone Awards, one for Individual Poems and one for Books. The comments and enquiries here, I notice, have been only about the Individual Poems, but do check out the Book Awards, too. Whilst John Martone's work isn't quite along roadrunner lines, I don't think it can be called 'mainstream' as far as EL haiku goes, and he was awarded for two books, one in the 'winners' & one is the 'runners-up'.

The job of any panel of judges is to come to agreement about quality, regardless of style or school. THF is open to all styles and schools. Consider the HaikuNow! contest (which is for individual poems) : there are three categories, 'Traditional', 'Contemporary' and 'Innovative'. The message is that all styles and schools of haiku can be excellent and that THF itself is not set up to promote a particular style or school. Though individuals participating in the forums may and do promote particular styles, schools and viewpoints about English-language haiku, I'd say that there's a clear caveat that "the opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of the management".  

It would be wrong if THF appointed independent judges for the Touchstone Awards and then attempted to influence them in any way, and of course, it doesn't.

- Lorin

modified: I originally left out 'way' in the last sentence.