Poet Profile

Lee Gurga

Lee served as president of the Haiku Society of America in 1997, and Editor of Modern Haiku from 2002-2006. He is currently editor of Modern Haiku Press.

Awards and Other Honors: Japan-America Society of Chicago Cultural Achievement Award (2006); Haiku Society of America Best Book of Criticism (2004); Haiku Society of America Merit Book Award, Best Translations [with Emiko Miyashita] (2002); First Place, Haiku Society of America Merit Book Award (1998); First Place, Haiku Society of America Merit Book Award (1997); Illinois Arts Council Poetry Fellowship (1997); First Place, Haiku Summit Contest, International Division (1996); First Place, Canadian Writers' Journal Haiku Contest (1996); Grand Prize, Kusamakura International Haiku Contest, Kumamoto City, Japan (1996); Jury's Choice Award, Ito-en New Haiku Contest (1995); First Place, Mainichi Daily News Haiku in English Contest (1990).

Books Published: autumn mosquito (Modern Haiku Press, 2005); Haiku: A Poet's Guide (Modern Haiku Press, 2003); Fresh Scent: Selected Haiku of Lee Gurga (Brooks Books, 1998); In & In and Out of Fog [First Place, Merit Book Award, Haiku Society of America] (Press Here, 1997); Nine Haiku (Swamp Press, 1997); dogs barking (Lidia Press, 1996); The Measure of Emptiness (Press Here, 1991); a mouse pours out (High/Coo Press, 1988). BOOKS OF HAIKU TRANSLATIONS [with Emiko Miyashita]: Einstein's Century: 170 Haiku of Akito Arima (Brooks Books, 2001); Tsuru: Selected Haiku of Yoshiko Yoshino (Deep North Press, 2001); Love Haiku: Masajo Suzuki's Lifetime of Love (Brooks Books, 2000).

summer sunset—
   the baby finds his shadow
      on the kitchen wall

graduation day—
   my son and I side by side
      knotting our ties

fresh scent—
    labrador's muzzle
      deeper into snow

from house
   to barn:
      the milky way

snow
sculpted
prairie
your hand cups my hand
cupping
your
breast

sky
smudged
with
blackbirds
another woman passes by
who
is
not
you

Credits: "summer sunset" - First Place, Mainichi Daily News Haiku in English Contest (1990); Mainichi Daily News (July 9, 1990); Geppo 13:244; Yuki Teikei Haiku Society Journal 8 (1990–91); Gurga, The Measure of Emptiness (1991); Gurga, In and Out of Fog (1997); Woodnotes 12 (1992); Woodnotes 13 (1992); The Bloomington (Illinois) Pantagraph (August 9, 1997); Gurga, Fresh Scent (1998); van den Heuvel, The Haiku Anthology 3 (1999); Blithe Spirit 8:1 (1998); Savina, Haiku International Anthology; wnoszäc ßwiatlo ksiëzyca / carrying moonlight; "fresh scent" - 1st place, Haiku Summit Contest, International Division (1996); Frogpond 19:3 (1996); The Daily Yomiuri (February 17, 1997); Gurga, In and Out of Fog (1997); Gurga, Fresh Scent (1998); The Red Moon Anthology 1996 (Red Moon Press, 1997); van den Heuvel, The Haiku Anthology 3 (1999); Brooks Books Web site; David J. Skorton’s inaugural speech as president of the University of Iowa (March 1, 2003); "snow" – Modern Haiku 39:3 (2008); "graduation day" - Woodnotes 30 (1996); Gurga, In and Out of Fog (1997); Dallas Morning News (July 5, 1997; Lincoln, Illinois); Courier (January 7, 1998; The Bloomington (Illinois) Pantagraph (August 9, 1997); Gurga, Fresh Scent (1998); van den Heuvel, The Haiku Anthology 3 (1999); Brooks Books Website; Haiku Light Archive; Blithe Spirit 8:1 (1998); Woodnotes 30 (1996); Frogpond 26:1 (2003); Modern Haiku 34:3 (2003); Swede and Brooks, ed., Global Haiku (2000); edge of light: The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku 2003 (Red Moon Press, 2004); "from house" - Frogpond 17:2 (1994); Gurga, In and Out of Fog (1997); The Red Moon Anthology 1996 (Red Moon Press, 1997); Gurga, Fresh Scent (1998); van den Heuvel, The Haiku Anthology 3 (1999); Haiku Light Archive; Blithe Spirit 8:1 (1998); Carrying Moonlight; "sky" – Modern Haiku 39:1 (2008).