Poet Profile

Nina Kovačić

Nina Kovačić (née Ružička) graduated in Physics from the Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb. She writes free style and the rhythmical lyrical verses. Within her opus, the majority of works are written in short Japanese forms of poetry and prose (haiku, senryu, haibun and haiga).

Awards and Other Honors:

Second Prize, “15th haiku day – Dubravko Ivančan”, (Krapina, Croatia, 2013); Selected Haiku, The International Matsuo Bashō Award 2014, (Pordenone, Italy 2014); First Prize, 2nd Haiku Meeting Rovinj “Greetings to Spring”, (Rovinj, Croatia 2015); Commended, “Sharpening the Green Pencil 2015”, Romanian Kukai Group, (Bucuresti, Romania, 2015); Selected Haiku, “Apokalipsa”- Magazine for Poetry No. 193 -194, (Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2015); two Commendations, (theme: a butterfly and theme: a river), 3rd Haiku Meeting Delnice, (Croatia, 2015); Commended, (theme: blood donation) in two categories “haiku in Croatian language” and “International haiku in English language”, International Competition organized by Croatian Institute for Transfusion Medicine, Zagreb & Haiku Association “Three Rivers” Ivanić Grad, (Croatia, 2015); Commended, The Sixth IAFOR Vladimir Devidé Haiku Award (Osaka, Japan 2016); Runner up, Second International Haiku Contest “Cherry Blossom” organized by Bulgarian Haiku Union in Sofia (Bulgaria, 2016); Commended, 27th Haiku Festival Odžaci (Serbia, 2016); First Prize (theme: a frog) and the Best Haiku in the Almanac, 4th Encounter of Haiku Poets (Lokve, Croatia, 2016); Third Prize for haiku and Commendation for senryu, 3rd Encounter of Haidjins (Ivanić-Grad, Croatia, 2016; Honorable Mention at the Matsuo Basho Poetry Offerings (Iga, Japan, 2016); Third Prize, Haiku Contest on theme “toys” (Ivanić Grad, Croatia, 2017); Second (theme: “seagull”) and Third Prize (theme: olive tree), 3rd Haiku Meeting Rovinj “Greetings to Spring”, (Rovinj, Croatia 2017); Second Prize, International Haiku Contest on theme „white stork“, (Ivanić Grad, Croatia, 2017); selected haiku - wild voices I and wild voices II: an anthology of short poetry & art by women' (published by wildflower poetry press, London, UK, 2016 and 2018); Commendation, First International haiku Contest “Nature in the eye” (Golubovci, Monte Negro, 2017); Honorable Mention at the Matsuo Basho Poetry Offerings (Iga, Japan, 2017); Honorable Mention at the Matsuo Basho Poetry Offerings (Iga, Japan, 2018); Commendation for haiku cycle, Contest organized by Literature Club “A Little Bird” (Beograd, Serbia, 2017); Commendation, 5th Encounter of Haiku Poets “Green Treks” (Ravna Gora, Croatia, 2017); Commendation for senryu, 4th Encounter of Haidjins (Ivanić-Grad, Croatia, 2017); Honorable Mention at Iris Little Haiku Contest on theme “International Travels” (Ivanić Grad, Croatia, 2017); Runner Up, Third International Haiku Contest “Cherry Blossom” (Bulgaria 2017); Commendation, 5th Encounter of Haidjins (Ivanić-Grad, Croatia, 2018); First Prize for haiku in kajkavian dialect at 5th Encounter of Haidjins (Ivanić-Grad, Croatia, 2018); Commendation, Apokalipsa International Haiku Contest (Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2018); Second Prize for haiku in Croatian at Iris Little Haiku Contest (Ivanić Grad, Croatia, 2018); First Prize, 6th Encounter of Haiku Poets (Vrbovsko, Croatia, 2018); "Akita Chamber of Commerce and Industry President’s Award”, 7th Japan-Russia Haiku Contest (Akita, Japan, 2018); Prize Winner at 20th HIA Haiku Contest (Tokyo, Japan 2018); Runner Up, Fourth International Haiku Contest “Cherry Blossom” (Bulgaria 2019).

Books Published: A Spring Tea (Hrvatski sabor kulture/Croatian Cultural Institute, Croatia, 2016).

a cherry petal 
fell into a cup 
spring tea

stubble field
a crow pecking at
the rays of sunset

dense fog
a dog's barking
quickens my steps

on a cold doorknob
I feel loneliness
behind the walls

twilight on the quay
waves are murmuring through
fisherman’s tales

empty net―
fisherman shakes the ashes
from a cold pipe

Credits:

“a cherry petal” - First Prize - 2nd Haiku Meeting “Greetings to Spring”, (Rovinj, Croatia 2015); “stubble field“ - Matsuo Basho Poetry Offerings (Iga, Japan, 2016); “dense fog” - The Cicada's Cry - A Micro-zine of Haiku Poetry (Autumn 2016 issue, Delaware, USA); “on a cold doorknob” - Commended, The Sixth IAFOR Vladimir Devidé Haiku Award (Osaka, Japan, 2016); “twilight on the quay” - Akita Chamber of Commerce and Industry President’s Award, 7th Japan-Russia Haiku Contest (Akita, Japan, 2018); “empty net” - Prize Winner at 20th HIA Haiku Contest (Tokyo, Japan, 2018).