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.

Vispo Contest in Sonic Boom Journal

So honored to be included in Sonic Boom Journal's Vispo Gallery 2021. There were 93 entries and only 19 were selected. Yahoo! Clink here to see all the artwork. CONTESTS | sonicboom (wixsite.com)

Fireflies' Light, Issue 23

Here are my poems published in Fireflies' Light:

SENRYU

biscuit crumbs 

between the couch cushions . . . 

forgotten lies 

 

sour milk 

too late to say 

I'm sorry 

honeymoon 

releasing the butterfly 

in my obi 

 

park walk 

in Valentine t-shirts 

my dog and I 

 

HAIKU 

 

before sundown 

the fiery glow 

of a waterfall 

 

cherry blossoms 

the way my dog and I 

glance at each other 

 

summer night 

swaying to the beat 

of calabash maracas 

 

TANKA 

 

cherry petals 

float down the river . . . 

how I wish 

I could tell you 

one more time 

 

between seedlings 

and unfolding petals . . . 

all the waiting 

sweetened by the songs 

of a nightingale 

 

CHERITA 

 

the last fallen leaf 

balances desperately 

on another branch

like my final words 

 

hanging recklessly 

with yours


enfolding myself 

with the scent of wildflowers 

 

I stay in this moment 

 

where everything 

sounds better 

in my head