Poet Profile

Petar Tchouhov

Petar Tchouhov holds a B.A. in Library Science and an M.A. in Social Sciences. His works have been published in many newspapers, magazines, and anthologies in Bulgaria and abroad, including A New Resonance 5: Emerging Voices in English-Language Haiku (Red Moon Press, 2007), The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009), Simply Haiku, The Heron’s Nest, Full Moon, Roadrunner, tinywords, Frogpond, Modern Haiku, bottle rockets, Contemporary Haibun, Haiku Presence, Magnapoets, Ginyu, World Haiku (2006, 2007and 2010), Mainichi Daily News, and others.  He has played guitar and written music and lyrics for various rock bands and is currently playing with the ethno-rock band Gologan [www.gologan.net and www.myspace.com/gologanmusic]. He is a member of the Association of Bulgarian Writers, the Sofia Haiku Club, the Haiku Society of America, the World Haiku Association, and Musicautor.

Awards and Other Honors: Honorable Mention, 11th HIA Haiku Contest (2009); the top prize at the 61st Basho Festival (2008); Third prize, Ludbreg International Haiku Contest (2008); First Poetry Award Golden Watch-chain (2007); Slaveikova Award for poetry (2005); Best Text Message Poetry Award in the First Text Message Poetry Contest sponsored by MTel (2004); Special Awards for poetry in the Magic of Love and The Bridge of Love contests (2004); A New Bulgarian Novel Special Award for Snezhni Choveci (Snowmen) in the Razvitie Holding Annual Contest (2003); Best verse collection for Malki Dni (Small Days), Ivan Nikolov Award (2002); Best short story in the Agatha Detective Story Contest (2000); Book of the Year for Muleto na Pedro (Pedro’s Mule), Egoist Magazine (1999); Ivan Nikolov Award: Best First Book for Gradinata na slabata realnost (The Weak Reality Garden) in the National Poetry Contest Iuzhna Prolet (Southern Spring, 1995).

Books Published: Gradinata na Slabata Realnost [The Garden of Weak Reality - a collection of verse] (Fond DG, Sofia, 1995); Runi [Runes - a collection of verse] (Izdatelsko atelie Ab, Sofia, 1998); Muleto na Pedro (Pedro’s Mule - short stories] (Svobodno poetichesko obshtestvo, Sofia, 1999); Provincii [Provinces - a collection of verse] (Literaturen vestnik, Sofia, 2000); Malki Dni [Small Days - a collection of verse] (Zhanet 45, Plovdiv, 2002); Snezhni Choveci [Snowmen - a novel] (Razvitie, Sofia, 2003); Po-Skoro Nikoga [The Nearly Impossible] (Zhanet 45, Plovdiv, 2004); Tri [Three - a collection of verse] (Zhanet 45, Plovdiv, 2010); Bezopasni igli / Safety pins [haiku, in Bulgarian and English] (Ciela, Sofia, 2010); Kogato Se Zavrushtat Ednorozite [When the Unicorns Return – a collection of verse] (Ars, Blagoevgrad, 2011); Bioráin Dhúnta [Safety Pins – haiku, in Irish and Bulgarian] (Original Writing, Dublin, 2012).

spring sun
an unfinished word
on the to-do list

candlelit church
all the shadows
mine

incessant rain
a book from a library
that no longer exists

full moon
the hole
of his wedding ring

her name
on a moored boat
summer ends

the longest night
a raven steals the eyes
of a snowman

Credits: "spring sun" – The Heron’s Nest X:2 (2008); "incessant rain" – Editors' Choice, The Heron’s Nest IX:4 (2007); "her name" – Shiki Kukai (July 2009); "candlelit church" – tinywords (March 2, 2007); "full moon" – Honorable Mention, 11th HIA Haiku Contest; "the longest night" – Ginyu 28 (2005).