Poet Profile

John Hawkhead

John Hawkhead has been writing haiku, senryu and creating illustrated haiga for over 15 years. His work has been published in Australia, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Romania, the UK, and the USA. He specialises in short pieces, including short stories, one-minute plays (see YouTube) and short poems.

Awards and Other Honors:

His poem "Helmand" was selected for the Royal British Legion’s official CD recording of war poetry for its Poppy Appeal 2010. Other honors include First Prize in the HaikuNow! 2013 Awards [Traditional Haiku category] (The Haiku Foundation, 2013); Lincoln Underground Haiku Contest 2016 - Winner; Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival 2019 - International Sakura Award; UHTS 'aha' Haiku Contest 2020 - Winner; Haiku Calendar Competitions 2020 & 2021 - Winner; 10th Setouchi Matsuyama Haiku Contest 2021 - Grand Prix Winner; 2021 Porad Award - First Place; 2021 Trailblazer Contest Finalist.

Books Published:

Witness (Austin Hutcheon, 2010) [ISBN 1445225387, 9781445225388]; Small Shadows (Alba Publishing, 2016) [ISBN: 978-1-910185-53-7].

lying together
after the spring thunderstorm
blossom and hailstones

lifting a shell             
to her five year old ear
the whispering sea

cattle reflected
in the river’s meander
summer clouds

late night closing
       broken glass in the gutter
            reflecting starlight

practising judo
the youngest group of children
learn how to tie knots

after the service
we gather at the wake
raising spirits

Credits:

"lying together" - Snapshots 5 (1999); Haiku Society of America Haiku Wall (Bend, Oregon, 2011); Daily Haiga (2012); "cattle reflected" - Acorn 26 (2011); Haiku Journal (2013); "practising judo" - Haiku Presence 10; Haiku Spirit; The New Haiku (Snapshot Press, 2002; edited by John Barlow and Martin Lucas); The Greenleaf files (2012); "lifting a shell" - Haiku Presence 36; Modern Haiga: 2009 (2009); "late night closing" - Asahi Haikuist Network (November 20, 2009); "after the service" - A Hundred Gourds 1:1 (2011).