John Stevenson — Touchstone Distinguished Books Honorable Mention 2023
Commentary from the Panel:
Two years ago John Stevenson’s lifetime collection, My Red, won a Touchstone Award. Five of his half dozen other books are award winners as well, not to mention his many other haiku awards and accomplishments over the past three decades. Yet he is clearly not resting on his laurels!
This Once is such a great title and theme. So apropos for a genre of poetry so attuned to the ephemeral. Many of the poems in this collection are indeed the epitome of that attunement:
ashes just
begin to
scatter
brevity
almost
the point
Other similar “almost” occurrences are also keenly sensed:
cloudy day
a moment of almost
shadows
Stevenson’s signature voice (unassuming, perceptive, nuanced, witty) is well-known and highly regarded. His subject matter spans the gamut of everyday life experiences. With the sparest of language, which is consistently pitch-perfect, his poems engage the mind and the heart.
death as wide as long
equinox—
my son and I dress
for different seasons
Besides his mastery of haiku, Stevenson is a master of the haiku book (and these are book awards after all). Crafting an immersive haiku book, rather than a collection of greatest hits (though there’s nothing wrong with that) is an art in its own right. Where the whole is greater than the sum of its poems. Where effective use of themes, sequencing, pacing, etc., work together to enhance the significance of individual poems, and to shape a cumulative emotional arc, not unlike that of a memoir or novel.
This Once puts on a clinic when it comes to the art of the haiku book. Obviously, only a full, firsthand reading can show that. But take for a small example the opening and closing bookend poems. Note the contrasts, comparisons, and forward anticipation:
waterfall
full sounding
spring
surface tension
the next
drip from the tap
Such interconnections abound throughout, thus enhancing continuity and engagement, as with these adjacent poems:
wildfire
the roof burnt off
a secret
briefly
mine to hold
a firefly
The title poem aptly exemplifies the book as a whole. One scenario you might imagine is that of a flitting butterfly momentarily alighting on you (or perhaps you’re hoping for that to happen). It’s a rare experience that can feel quite magical, even mystical:
butterflyjustthisonce
Fortunately, one can return to This Once and experience these poems a good many times.
See the complete list of winners of both Individual Poem Awards and Distinguished Books Awards in the Touchstone Archives.
Comments (5)
Comments are closed.
A true master whose verses are a delight — and repay close study also.
Thank you all. I want to recognize the selectors, the administrators and, in particular, whoever wrote this commentary!
Yea, John! :-)
Congratulations, John! So thankful for you as a person and a poet!
I love everything about John Stevenson. His train travel requirement going across the country, his never ending energy to create haiku, his unique voice, his dry sense of humor, his love of life.