Our Roving Ambassador in Portugal

My volunteer role as Roving Ambassador for The Haiku Foundation enables me to spread the haiku word worldwide. But it also gives me the opportunity to spend time with haiku poets I know only through their work. Bob Lucky, whose work I have long admired, is one such poet. In early November 2022, my husband Frank and I spent an afternoon with Bob and his wife, Lisa Black, in Porto, Portugal. It was fascinating to hear about Bob and Lisa’s teaching careers in the USA and abroad and their retirement life in Portugal’s expat community.

Bob and I touched on the challenges writers face in a world in which online civility is often lacking, before segueing into a discussion about haiku and haibun. Bob was happy to receive an autographed copy of the Haiku Ireland anthology, Stone After Stone, along with my haibun collection, Deflection. We made plans to meet again in a few months, perhaps in a part of Portugal where another haiku poet makes their home.

Submitted November 8, 2022
Roberta Beary, Roving Ambassador THF
Photo Credit: Lisa Black

The Haiku Foundation created the position of Roving Ambassador in January 2017, in collaboration with our Education Resources program, the initiative of our longstanding benefactor Roberta Beary. Ms. Beary fulfilled the role in 2017, as she embarked on round-the-world travel which saw her engage with haiku cultures on three continents. Her tenure was so successful that The Haiku Foundation was eager to have her continue in this role, and she has agreed. So, Ms. Beary continues as the THF Roving Amabassador for 2018. During this time she will help people around the world become more aware of the Foundation and its activities, in addition to giving readings and presentations. Now based in Ireland, her planned stops for the year include Italy and Portugal, and northern UK in summer. We’ll update you with her whereabouts as time goes along, and be sure to check here for her reports. Please notify her if you would like to try to schedule an appearance.