Poet Profile

Michael Dylan Welch

Michael Dylan Welch is a longtime officer with the Haiku Society of America; cofounder of the Haiku North America conference (1991) and the American Haiku Archives (1996); founder of the Tanka Society of America (2000); editor of Woodnotes (1989-1997); editor of Tundra (1997-); editor/publisher of Press Here haiku and tanka books (1989-); coeditor of a monthly haiku column in Asahi Weekly (Japan; 2008-); and founder/director of the Seabeck Haiku Retreat (2008-). Thousands of his haiku have been published in hundreds of journals and anthologies.

Awards and Other Honors: Grand Prize Winner (“Special Award”) in Basho 360th Anniversary Haiku Contest (Japan, 2004); First prize awards in many contests, some of which include the Harold G. Henderson Memorial Award, the Gerald Brady Memorial Award, and the Tokutomi, Drevniok, and Haiku Poets of Northern California contests. Welch is also a recipient of the Museum of Haiku Literature Award and Merit Book Awards from the Haiku Society of America.

Books Published: Family [concrete poems] (Winnipeg, Manitoba: n.p., 1985); Haiku (Riverside, California: n.p., 1986); Yosemite [haiku and other short poems] (Riverside, California: n.p., 1988); Egret [haiku] (Foster City, California: Press Here, 1989); John Thompson, ed. Two Autumns [haiku: one of four poets included] (San Francisco: Two Autumns Press, 1990); Tremors [a collection of earthquake haiku] (Foster City, California: Press Here, 1990); The Haijin’s Tweed Coat [a haiku sequence; winner of a Merit Book Award from the Haiku Society of America] (Foster City, California: Press Here, 1990; Harvest [editor, 1991 Haiku North America conference haiku anthology] (Foster City, California: Press Here, 1991); The Gulf Within [coeditor with Christopher Herold of anthology of Gulf War haiku] (San Francisco: Two Autumns Press, 1991); A Vote for Alice [political parody of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland] (Foster City: Press Here, 1992); Fig Newtons: Senryu to Go [editor, and one of seven contributing poets—a collection of senryu; winner of a Merit Book Award from the Haiku Society of America] (Foster City, California: Press Here, 1993); The Shortest Distance [coeditor with Ebba Story, 1993 Haiku North America conference haiku anthology] (Foster City, California: Press Here, 1993); Footsteps in the Fog (editor, and one of six contributing poets—an anthology of tanka] (Foster City, California: Press Here, 1994); Thornewood Poems [haiku sequence] (Foster City, California: Press Here, 1994); A Haiku Path [coeditor of a book about the history of the first twenty years of the Haiku Society of America] (New York: Haiku Society of America, 1994); Hammerhorn Lake [collection of rengay written with Garry Gay and John Thompson] (Foster City, California: Press Here, 1994); Northern Lights [editor, 1995 Haiku North America conference haiku anthology] (Foster City, California: Press Here, 1995); Shades of Green [editor, 1997 Haiku North America conference haiku anthology] (Foster City, California: Press Here, 1997); Wedge of Light [coeditor with Cor van den Heuvel and Tom Lynch of haibun anthology; Winner of a Merit Book Award from the Haiku Society of America; anthology of the first-ever haibun contest conducted in English] (Foster City, California: Press Here, 1999); Through the Spirea: The Herb Barrett Award 1998 [judge; editor] (Hamilton, Ontario: Hamilton Haiku Press, 1999); Too Busy for Spring [coeditor with Lee Gurga, 1999 Haiku North America conference haiku anthology] (Foster City, California: Press Here, 1999); Countdown [editor, 2000 Haiku Poets of Northern California members’ haiku anthology on the theme of the millennium and the New Year] (San Francisco: Two Autumns Press, 2000); Berries and Cream: Contemporary Haiga in North America [interview with Jeanne Emrich on haiga] (Foster City, California: Press Here, 2000); The Haijin’s Tweed Coat [haiku sequence; second, expanded edition] (Foster City: Press Here, 2000); Open Window [http://www.brooksbookshaiku.com/welch/ -- online haiku collection, with photographs] (Decatur, Illinois: Brooks Books, 2000); Paperclips [coeditor with Larry Kimmel and Carol Purington, 2001 Haiku North America conference haiku anthology] (Foster City, California: Press Here, 2001); Paul O. Williams The Nick of Time: Essays on Haiku Aesthetics [Michael Dylan Welch, coeditor with Lee Gurga; winner of a Merit Book Award from the Haiku Society of America] (Foster City, California: Press Here, 2002); Castles in the Sand [editor, 2003 Tanka Society of America members’ anthology] (Sammamish, Washington: Press Here, 2003); Brocade of Leaves [coeditor with Yu Chang, 2003 Haiku North America conference haiku anthology] (Sammamish, Washington: Press Here, 2003); Gingerly [haiku and other short poems] (Napanee, Ontario: pawEpress (pawEprint #64), 2003); Tracing the Fern [coeditor with Billie Wilson, 2005 Haiku North America conference haiku anthology] (Sammamish, Washington: Press Here, 2005); Haiku Journey [http://www.mumbojumbo.com/games/Haiku_Journey -- haiku editor for computer game] (Midlothian, Texas: NStorm / Hot Lava Games (now MumboJumbo), 2006); Dandelion Wind [editor, 2007 Haiku North America conference haiku anthology] (Sammamish, Washington: Press Here, 2008); 100 Poets: Passions of the Imperial Court [cotranslation with Emiko Miyashita of the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu] (Tokyo, Japan: PIE Books, 2008); For a Moment [haiku] (Pointe Claire, Quebec: King’s Road Press, 2009); Into Our Words [coeditor with Grant D. Savage, 2009 Haiku North America conference haiku anthology] (Sammamish, Washington: Press Here, 2009); Roberta Beary, Nothing Left to Say [Michael Dylan Welch, editor] (Pointe Claire, Quebec: King’s Road Press, 2009); Paul Miller, ed. My Neighbor [one of four poets included; haiku] (San Francisco: Two Autumns Press, 2009).

meteor shower . . .
a gentle wave
wets our sandals

spring breeze—
the pull of her hand
as we near the pet store

a few pines
tagged with ribbons . . .
winter stillness

toll booth lit for Christmas—
from my hand to hers
warm change

first star . . .
a seashell held
to my baby’s ear

Valentine’s Day—
she reminds me
to fasten my seatbelt

Credits: "meteor shower" - First Prize, Harold G. Henderson Memorial Award [Haiku Society of America] (2000), Frogpond 24:1 (2001); "a few pines" - Honorable Mention, Kaji Aso Haiku Contest (2001); "first star" - Grand Prize Winner (“Special Award”) in Basho 360th Anniversary Haiku Contest (Japan, 2004); "spring breeze" - Woodnotes 19 (1993); "toll booth lit for Christmas" - Second Prize, Harold G. Henderson Memorial Award [Haiku Society of America] (1995), Frogpond 18:4 (1995); "Valentine’s Day" - Honorable Mention, the Gerald Brady Memorial Award [Haiku Society of America] (2000), Haiku Society of America Newsletter 15:4 (2000), Frogpond 24:1 (2001).