7th Jane Reichhold Memorial Haiga Contest (First Runner-Up, Traditional Category)

I'm so ecstatic! My haiga in the traditional catergory won first runner-up in the Jane Reichhold Memorial Haiga Contest. Thank you so much to the judges, Steve Hodge and Hemapriya Chellappan. Congratulations to all the winners - Julie Schwerin, Julie Bloss Kelsey, Bona Santos/Susan Burch and others.

This haiga by Chrissi Villa presents itself as stomach-turning butterflies, a pounding heart and never-ending nervousness. We don’t know who the “he” is, but we sense a palpable tension. When you’re in love you find yourself unable to think straight, you feel ecstatic, you don’t know what’s next. You don’t think about the future because what could possibly go wrong? But then life happens, and you move on. There is nothing better than reliving those moments with your ex-whomever-it-is. Bittersweet moments maybe before and now but everyday seems like the first time again.

                                                                                                                  -Hemapriya Chellapan

See all the winners and commentaries here.

 

Neighborhood Haiku in Lexington, Massachusetts

My haiku is painted on the entrance door of the Lexington Historical Society building, which used to be a train station. Poetry reading and celebration were held last night in this building. Thank you so much, Brad Bennett, for reading my haiku and for taking these pictures. So thrilled and grateful! So grateful to your, Lord!!! You make all these things possible!

If you want to know more about this haiku project, Neighborhood Haiku in Lexington, click here. 

The British Haiku Society Awards 2021 (First Place)

I woke up with a big surprise! I won first place in the Tanka Section of the British Haiku Society Awards 2021! My deepest gratitude to The British Haiku Society and to the esteemed judge, Margaret Chula, for selecting my poem. Here is my winning tanka and the judge's commentary.

Congratulations to all the winners. http://britishhaikusociety.org.uk/.../results-bhs-awards.../

6th Jane Reichhold Memorial Haiga Contest - First Place and First Runner-up!

Who wants to do the happy dance with me? Thank you, Lord for my two recent awards - First Place in the Traditional Category and First Runner-Up in the Photography and Mixed Media Category. This is one of the beautiful ways you have turned my life experiences into gifts to be shared to everyone! I am very grateful!!!

I hope you all enjoy these. Congratulations to all the winner! See all the winners and the commentaries here. 

First Place - Traditional Category

At first reading and viewing, this haiga by Chrissi Villa grips you. With each successive reading, the compounding layers of possibilities in this senryu are echoed visually in the varied and multi-textured circles of the image. One can’t help but to wonder of the other rings once worn. Are the bestowers now as nameless as the moon? The wonderful balance between fragment, phrase, and image invites the reader to insert themself into the narrative and make it their own without diminishing the original intent of the author, were we privy to it. (Commentaries by judges Kelly Sauvage and Bryan Rickert)

                             First Runner-Up - Photography and Mixed Media Category

This haiga by Chrissi Villa activates all our senses, as she invites us to view the textures, smell the flowers, and contemplate all the varied interpretations of her one line senryu. The image and senryu combined show a wonderful balance of softness and strength; yet, it is the sense of whimsy that offers an uncommon optimism. Oftentimes, when we think of abandoning a place or a situation, it is in the context of escape. Yet, in this instance, the leaving is a lofting—ripe with infinite possibility. (Commentaries by judges Kelly Sauvage and Bryan Rickert)

Gingko Walk Contest at the Haiku North America Conference 2021

I enjoyed so much the Haiku North America conference 2021! As one of the moderators, I was honored to introduce presenters Brad Bennett, Jennifer Hambrick, and Michael Dylan Welch. I also learned a lot from the presentations and from the renku session. Thank you, Linda Papanicolaou, for the informative and engaging workshop. I had fun with the other participants. Lastly, I am so thrilled that I won first place in the Gingko Walk contest conducted by Alan Pizzarelli and Donna Beaver. Haiku was barking when she knew I was excited about the wonderful news. lol

Watch the full video of the gingko walk here. Thank you, Alan Pizzarelli and Donna Beaver for this inspiring video. https://vimeo.com/630495692

Failed Haiku, Volume 6 Issue 68

So happy to have two collaborative split sequences published in the latest issue of Failed Haiku! Here's one. So honored to write this with Susan Burch. Thank you so much, Bryan Rickert, for publishing this. You can read the full issue here. https://www.haikuhut.com/FailedHaikuIssue68.pdf

Behold Issue 6 on Beautiful Defect edited by Susan Furst

My collaborative split sequence and artwork published in Behold, Issue 6, Peace. You can find more poetry and artwork in this wonderful issue edited by Susan Furst here. https://www.beautifuldefect.com/ Thank you, publication twin Susan Furst!

Congratulations

on a bigger and more blessed issue!

brass bell: a haiku journal

My two haiku about childhood memories published in brass bell: a haiku journal. Thank you so much, Zee Zahava. Looking forward to the next issue!

Ribbons Spring/Summer 2021: Volume 17, Number 2

Got my copy of Ribbons today! I forgot to submit a tanka for this issue, but I'm happy to see my scratch artwork with Susan Weaver's tanka. For the next issue, I will submit again another collaboration. I will ask the poet, whose tanka was previously selected for the back cover, to write a tanka for my artwork. That means I will be asking Marcyn Del Clements next. 😊

*This scratch works looks better in the issue because it's smaller. You don't get to see the imperfections of my scratching. lol

Pandemic Special (Tanka Society of America)

Watch the video I made for the Pandemic Special compiled by Susan Burch!

Congrats

to all the poets who are included in this wonderful collection, a daily post of tanka to celebrate National Poetry Month, April 2021. Contributing poets in order of appearance are Debbie Strange, James Chessing, Sara Ellison, Steve Black, Margaret Chula, Grix Seven, Alexis Rotella, Marc Thompson, Marilyn Humbert, Keitha Keyes, Chen-ou Liu, Pris Campbell, Peggy Hale Bilbro, Jenny Angyal, Lesley Anne Swanson, Marcyn Clements, Seren Fargo, Michelle Brock, Julia Wakefield, Cynthia Anderson, Charles Harmon, Tish Davis, Carol Raisfeld, Susan Weaver, Susan Burch, Sheila Sondik, Mary Davila, Adelaide B. Shaw, LeRoy Gorman, and Christine L. Villa.