Poet Profile

Ivanka Yankova

Ivanka Yankova is a poet, writer and passionate public figure. She went to high school in her home town, Asenovgrad, and later graduated Philosophy from Sofia University. Now retired, for more than 40 years she has worked for the cultural exchange and public relations between Bulgaria, Russia and the other Slavic countries. Ivanka was one of the founding members of Haiku Club Plovdiv and its Chairwoman for nearly thirteen years now. She is also a member of the Union of Independent Bulgarian Writers - Sofia, the Bulgarian Haiku Union, the World Haiku Association, and the Society of Plovdiv writers. She is author of 14 books (among them children’s book, poetry, essays, prose and haiku) and her haiku have appeared in various national and international journal and anthologies: Klostranski haiku, The Road/Пътят, "Oda" ord der Angen, Птицата/The bird, Na kraju dana/На края на деня , Хаику новине/Haiku Novine, "La Ville" /Градът, Огледала/Mirrors, Прагове/Thresholds, etc.

Awards and Other Honors: Award by the Bulgarian Haiku Club-Sofia for her work and dedication (2005); Golden Award for overall performance by the Union of Independent Bulgarian Writers (2011); Awards by the Bulgarian Haiku Union and various national contests (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016). As acknowledgment for her work as a public figure Ivanka was awarded a few prestigious national awards: the Golden Medal of Labour and the Medal of Cyril and Methodius (first and second degree). She has received several Russian awards and medals for the cultural exchange and development of public relations between Bulgarian and Russian people

Books Published: Like the Water (Prizma, Plovdiv, 2003); Tomorrow we will be awake again [haiku] (IMN-Plovdiv, 2004); Hey, summer [children’s poems] (Imeon, Plovdiv, 2005); Starry bells (Imeon, Plovdiv, 2005); Little Flower (Imeon, Plovdiv, 2006); A primer for feelings (Imeon, Plovdiv, 2007); Harmonies (Imeon, Plovdiv, 2008); Dates after sunset (Imeon, Plovdiv, 2009); Crossroads for birds (Imeon, Plovdiv, 2010); Flaring sunset (Imeon, Plovdiv, 2011); The conch’s song [lyrical prose and poems] (Imeon, Plovdiv, 2012); Bright signs (Imeon, Plovdiv, 2013); Smiling moments (Imeon, Plovdiv, 2014); The Lotus of Infinity (Imeon, Plovdiv, 2017).

autumn in the park
between two benches
my mother’s shadow

white clouds – 
chapels
perched on the cliffs

raven on the branch
a snowflake resting
on its beak

I tied the evening breeze
to the church spire
heavenly sounds

December night...
only our shadows
glow

a tear 
on the face of a child
the chime of a church-bell

Credits: "autumn in the park" - The Haiku Foundation, World of Haiku--Bulgaria (2016); "raven on the branch" - Distinction in the Bulgarian Haiku Union contest "December" (2013); Haiku Svyat 2 (2014); "December night" - World Haiku 13 (2017) [ed. by Ban'ya Natsuishi]; "white clouds" - To out-sing the wind [haiku anthology] (Asenovgrad, 2012); "I tied the evening breeze" - Градът/La Ville (Sofia, 2012); "a tear" - At the end of the day [haiku anthology compiled by Aleksandar Obrovski] (Novi Sad, 2005).