Poet Profile

Artūras Šilanskas

Artūras Šilanskas graduated from Vilnius University in 1995, and has been composing haiku and senryu in Lithuanian, English, and Russsian since 2000.  He has been practicing judo for almost 30 years. His work has appeared in many publications, including A Home for the Wind [Selected and translated from Lithuanian: An Anthology of Lithuanian Haiku] (Vilnius, Vaga, 2009), World Haiku, Still, Dew-on-line, Ginyu, and Druskininkai Poetic Fall 2009 (Vilnius, Vaga, 2009).

Awards and Other Honors: Second Prize, 9th Mainchi Haiku Contest( 2005); Second Prize, 11th Mainichi Haiku Contest (2007); a prize, Genkissu! Spirits Up! World Wide Hekinan Haiku Contest (2008); a prize, Genkissu! Spirits Up! World Wide Hekinan Haiku Contest (2009); Honorable Mention, 13th Mainichi Haiku Contest( 2009); Honorable Mention, Japan-EU English Haiku Contest (2010); First Prize, "Sharpening The Green Pencil" haiku contest (Romanian Kukai Group, February-March, 2012).

village at the crossroads—
homemade raspberry jam
with a smack of dust

orphanage window
just can‘t have enough
of the spring sky

autumn drizzle
stares at the ocean
dead whale‘s eye

base for skyscraper
fresh concrete is mixed
with cherry petals

first raindrops
crossing the bridge—
dried out river

a sunny day of spring
toddler tries on for size
father‘s judo belt

Credits: "village at the crossroads" – Second Prize, 9th Mainchi Haiku Contest (2005); " autumn drizzle" - Second Prize, 11th Mainichi Haiku Contest (2007); "first raindrops" - a prize, Genkissu! Spirits Up! World Wide Hekinan Haiku Contest (2008); "orphanage window" - a prize, Genkissu! Spirits Up! World Wide Hekinan Haiku Contest (2009); "base for skyscraper" - Honorable Mention, 13th Mainichi Haiku Contest (2009); "a sunny day of spring" - Honorable Mention, Japan-EU English Haiku Contest (2010).