Haiku Registry

Hello and Goodbye at the Haiku Registry

The Haiku Registry, a staple of the The Haiku Foundation since its inaugural year of 2009, has had, in all that time, but a single impresario: Billie Wilson. She has welcomed new poets, updated veterans, managed the reams of data that have come her way, and, on occasion, memorialized the few who have passed. She has brought a style and vivacity to the task, and made it her own domain, one of the most popular on the Foundation site. So we know it will bring you as much sadness as it does us to know that Billie is stepping down from this task today, June 30. It has been our pleasure to work with Billie for a decade, and we will miss her spirit, her willingness to do what it takes, her competence, and not least, her niceness!

Being the thorough person she is, of course, she is not going to leave you (and the Foundation) in a bad situation, however: she has been working with our new Haiku Registry manager, Marta Chocilowska, who takes over July 1. Marta has been working with Billie for the past several weeks to catch up on the subtleties of the position, and is ready for soloing. Please continue to apply to be listed, or to update your registry pages, at the same sites you’ve been using.

Billie writes:

Helping with the Haiku Registry has been a constantly rewarding experience, and I will dearly miss that privileged connection with other haiku poets. From the beginning, I hoped that the Registry would become not only a special meeting place, but a solid resource for haiku researchers. This hope stemmed from my four-year research project into the work of John Wills. The time and effort to find everything was far more than I expected, so Wills was one of the first listings I created. I hoped it might serve as a standard for listings to come. (See also William J. Higginson as another such example.) Seeking to present as near to complete a haiku history as possible in such a small space, I hoped to include every award and other honor, and every publication and republication of each haiku or essay. (Thus, my own page does some of this, and I always hope it will not appear that I am bragging.) As difficult as it has been to decide that it was time to retire from this dream job of all time, it is a little easier knowing the torch is being passed into Marta’s loving and skillful hands.

And so you can get to know Marta a bit better, she offers:

I am a cat(s) lover and cyclist, and I live in Warsaw, Poland. I am a member of the Polish school of classical haiku KUZU. I have co-authored several domestic and foreign haiku anthologies, been both winner and judge of domestic and international haiku contests, and have published in various haiga and haiku journals. I have enjoyed being a participant of haiku workshop and renku sessions on Troutswirl (The Haiku Foundation blog); the co-administrator of the Polish Haiku Association website and fanpage; and administrator of two haiku poetry groups on facebook: International Buds of Haiku and Polish haiku poetry. I am also known as the author of Seasons in Polish Kigo, as a member of the founding committee of the Polish Haiku Association (2015), and, since 2018, President of that association. You can find a sampling of my own poety on my blog. I am honored and happy that Jim has entrusted me with this task and am grateful to Billie for her help and advice, past and future, throughout my work.

This Post Has 47 Comments

  3. Thanks again for all of these beautiful responses. The haiku community worldwide is like another family. –Love, Billie

  4. Marta, I wish you well in your new position. As a ‘freshman’ in the study and writing haiku, it is my hope that someday I may also be inducted into the THF Registry.

  5. Dear Billie,
    It has been a joy to work with you! Your dedication to the cause has been amazing. I wish you happiness in your new pathways!
    ——————————————————————————————————————————————-
    Hello, Marta, and welcome!
    I look forward to getting to know you!!

  8. The Registry has served as a kind of anthology as well as a directory of poets. I have greatly appreciated it, and the work Billie Wilson has put in over the years.

    I also want to say that others have provided significant service which I have valued, mostly going through archives. (I do regret that I was not aware of what was happening during what seemed like the heyday of THF, as least in terms of discussion). Those who curated such things as Virals, Periplum, Sails, Field Notes etc., deserve recognition as well. I don’t know if many people who visit this site are aware of what may be found in the archives. Things are pretty quiet around here right
    now.

  10. Billie, thank you for your decade of dedication and hard work. You do so very much for the haiku community. You are leaving it in the very capable and caring hands of Marta. Welcome, Marta! 😊

  12. Thank you,Billie, for all your wonderful work, and welcome aboard, Marta!

  14. Many, many exuberant thanks to all of you for these heartwarming responses. I hope this spotlight on the Haiku Registry will result in doubling its size. It has been such a joy to “work” with each of you, and I look forward to viewing your updated listings as well as exploring all of the new ones. Marta is absolutely amazing – the perfect person for this. Virtual hugs to all. –Billie

  15. Dear Billie, I hadn’t realised it has been a decade! Thank you for all of your work and dedication on the THF Haiku Registry, and your graceful generosity in our contacts with you. You certainly deserve a break.

    Marta, thank you for accepting the role. I can’t think of anyone more suitable.

    warm wishes,

    Lorin

  17. THF in general and The Haiku Registry specifically is a great service for the haiku community.

    Thank you Billie for your dedication and for making the Registry such a success.

    Welcome to you Marta. I need to update as well . . . but first, a swim in the lake.

    –Peter Newton

  19. Thank you Marta–you already know how I feel about the help you’ve given me over the past week. You’ve been wonderful through my entire acceptance process.
    Best Wishes for long, creative and inspirational future.

    Barbara

  21. Billie, thank you so very much for all you have done for the haiku community. You have made the resource what it is.
    ************************************************
    Welcome Marta, all the best in this new responsibility you willdo a great job

  22. Dear Billie:

    A thousand thanks for your many kindnesses to me, and for your dedication to the Registry. One of my favourite haiku of all time:

    the eons I wasn’t here
    the eons I won’t be—
    winter stars

    Billie Wilson (USA)
    Winner, The Haiku Calendar 2018 (Snapshot Press)

    wishing you many blessings,
    Debbie

  23. Having worked with Billie with the Haijinx online journal, and how much she does to make many aspects of the haiku world move smoothly, I often wondered how she could do something that would take most people 36 hours a day! 🙂
    .
    It’s been an honour and privilege to have known Billie, albeit in the virtual world.
    .
    Marta is also extraordinary, so we are all continuing to be in good hands.
    .
    Thank you Marta! And I know, I must update my profile! 🙂
    .
    .
    warmest regards, and deepest bow,
    Alan
    .
    Alan Summers
    President, United Haiku and Tanka Society
    co-founder of Call of the Page (formerly ‘With Words’

    1. Thank you, dear Alan! Your encouraging words make me happy 🙂
      I am waiting impatiently for your information and to update your profile in THF HR !
      Love
      Marta Chocilowska

      1. Thanks Marta!

        Both myself and Karen need to update, and it’s been truly hectic with filming, and projects. But we will create an update for you. Promise. 🙂

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