Welcome to the Haiku Society of America web site

HSA Haiku Awards 2024

Judged by
P.H. Fischer & Annette Makino
Judges Commentary

~ First Place ~

blue skies—
finding the nowhere
I'd rather be

Matthew Markworth, OH, USA

 

~ Second Place ~

first fireflies
the little boy
in my voice

Frank Hooven, PA, USA

 

~ Third Place ~

spring equinox
a canoe flipped
upside up

Matthew Markworth, OH, USA

 

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HSA Senryu Awards 2024

Judged by
Bill Cooper & Helen Ogden
Judges Commentary

First Place

garden clean-up
one invasive species
roots out another

Brad Bennett, MA, USA

 

Second Place

water park grand opening
a toddler finds
the puddle

Matthew Markworth, OH, USA

 

Third Place

“on your left”
the Progressive Bike Club
out for a ride

David Green, IL, US

 

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HSA Haibun Awards 2024

Judged by
Peter Newton & Barbara Sabol
Judges Commentary

 

First Place:

by Dylan Stover, OH, USA

heartwood

for David "Woody" Stover

It began with a young beech tree on a windy day, mid-spring. Acting upon an impulse I cannot now explain, I pressed my ear to the smooth, gray bark and started listening. To my surprise, there was sound: a secret inner creaking, like a stifled moan, as the crown twisted in the breeze. It was voice—tree voice. Each limb, as it swayed high in the canopy, was sending reverberations down through the acoustic body of the tree and into my ear as I crouched patiently at its side.

hand at my chest
the doctor suspects
a murmur

That’s when I became a listener of trees: I quickly discovered that smooth bark was best; the thicker the cork layer, the fainter the sound. Lithe ones were more melodious, aged ones more laconic, terse. But all speaking.
 
Then one day I noticed a pileated woodpecker hammering away in the upper branches of an ash tree. Sneaking up to the bole, I put my ear against the bark: ta-tum ta-tum ta-a-TUM ta-tum… The wood trembled at each jab. Even the scrapes of the bird’s claws were amplified: every movement echoed inside me, as if the bird, the tree, and I were unified in a single, ringing vibration.

a simple procedure
to remove the weevil
—then silence

~ ~ ~


Second Place:

by Dian Duchin Reed, CA, USA

What I'm Doing on My Summer Vacation

My yard is not very big, but it’s big enough to shelter a million ants, keep the bees in business, and lure hummingbirds down to flirt with red flowers.
 
Who knew that aphids came in a rainbow of colors? When I sit still, I might see a gopher pushing dirt out of its hole, then taking a break while its head soaks in the warmth of the sun. I’m learning the towhee’s cat alarm and the crows’ hawk taunts. I sometimes hear coyotes singing along with a passing siren.
 
Did I mention the opossum babies who ride on their mother’s back at dawn? The skunk’s evening saunter? School’s about to start, and I haven’t even scratched the surface. The millipedes and Jerusalem crickets will have to wait till next summer.

the mockingbird
plays its whole repertoire
endless afternoon

~ ~ ~


Third Place:

by J Hahn Doleman, CA, USA

True Places Never Are

Lighter than a tuft of seafoam, yet tasting heavy as iron, this palmful of mycelium dust dissolves on my tongue as we trudge across an ancient caldera high above the territory of mapped consciousness.

thinning air
an obsidian cairn
warm to the touch

Under the retreating sun, still shining like a new doubloon, our breath becomes visible as we follow the lost footsteps of Klamath and Paiute. Traversing the first sequence of switchbacks, a jagged mountain scrimshaw leading to the summit, our boots awaken prehistoric ghosts beneath the crunch and scuttle of igneous rock. On one flank of the volcano, bleached skeletons of mountain hemlock blur into a Danse Macabre, their trunks swaying like mizzen masts in a typhoon. A whale-sized andesite obelisk crests above us, spouting luminescent fractals from an invisible blowhole.

the universe still expanding rhyolite fragments

This white-haired alp appears to slumber as gusts of wind from an invisible, eternal Victrola play across its skin, spinning out records of our past. We test our sea legs on the glacier, a frozen brig drifting within its own concept of time, as meltwater runoff rushes its way to the ocean and a world we will never quite fathom.

open crevasse
a Pandora moth
enshrined in ice

~ ~ ~


HSA Rengay Awards 2024

Judged by
Billie Dee & Richard L. Matta
Judges Commentary

2024 First Place

Ding Dong Ding

white coral bells —
those endless rounds we sang
as children

still wanting to believe
life is but a dream

the third blind mouse
suddenly
able to see

the fuzziness
between sleep and wakefulness
morning bells are ringing 

the farmer’s wife pauses
to catch her breath

warm breeze . . .
cherry petals drift
gently down the stream 

Angela Terry 1, 3 & 5
Julie Schwerin 2, 4 & 6

 


2024 Second Place

Post Roe

without her
bindweed starts
to flower

until the smell
mousetraps forgotten

migrations
a monarch stops
in the purple aster

front porch
a dish of water
for the strays

trust the barn light
to cross the prairie

far back pasture
a young cow
drops her calf

Dan Schwerin 1, 3 & 5
Julie Schwerin 2, 4 & 6

 


2024 Third Place

Blow on By

whoosh of wind
a crimson leaf lands
in a new year

around the corner
unseen chimes

cool breeze
the scattering scraps
of a torn letter

sharp screech
high above the well pump
metal blades wheel

origami cranes
fly in the swift draft

in the garden
a whirligig cardinal
wings spinning

Eavonka Ettinger 1, 3 & 5
Annie Holdren 2, 4 & 6


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Haiku Society of America Merit Books Awards 2024
for books published in 2023

Laurie D. Morrissey and Elliot Nicely, judges

(judges commentary to be published
in Frogpond then on the web site)

Submit entries or nominations to:

Gary Hotham
Haiku Society of America VP
10460 Stansfield Road
Scaggsville, Maryland 20723
USA

If you have questions email: <hsavicepres@aol.com>.

HAIKU BOOK AWARDS:

First Place

Beverly Acuff Momoi. How the Wind Sighs. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2023

Second Place

Kristen Lindquist. Island. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2023

Third Place

James Roderick Burns. Crows at Dusk. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2023

Honorable Mentions (not ranked but in alphabetical order by author)

Annie Bachini and Helen Buckingham. Two Haiku Poets. North Shields, England: Iron Press, 2023

Carolyn Hall. Unmended Fences. Ormskirk, England: Snapshot Press, 2023

Jeff Hoagland. Scent of Juniper. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2023

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HAIKU ANTHOLOGY AWARDS:

Best

Stanford M. Forrester and Johnette Downing, Editors. Bird Whistle: A Contemporary Anthology of Bird Haiku, Senryu, & Short Poems. Windsor, CT: Bottle Rockets Press, 2023

Honorable Mentions

Christine Lamb Stern and Jeannie Rueter, Editors. Luminaries: Celebrating the Dojin of Yuki Teikei Haiku Society. San Jose, CA: Yuki Teikei Haiku Society, 2023

Jim Kacian & The Red Moon Editorial Staff. Skipping Stones: The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku 2022. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2023

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HAIBUN BOOK AWARDS:

Best

Lew Watts. Eira. Ormskirk, England: Snapshot Press, 2023

Honorable Mentions

Reka Nyitrai and Alan Peat. Barking at the Coming Rain. Uxbridge, England: Alba Publishing, 2023

Sean O’Connor. A Patch of Earth. Uxbridge, England: Alba Publishing, 2023

~ ~ ~

PROSE BOOK AWARDs:

Best

Roberta Beary, Lew Watts, and Rich Youmans. Haibun: A Writer's Guide. England: Ad Hoc Fiction, 2023

Honorable Mention

James Shea and Grant Caldwell, Editors, The Routledge Global Haiku Reader, London & New York: Routledge, 2023

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BOOK DESIGN & AESTHETICS - SPECIAL COMMENDATION:

Lisa Gerlits and Antoinette Cheung. Deepening Leaves: 2022 Seabeck Haiku Getaway Anthology. Bellevue, WA: Haiku Northwest Press, 2023

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LINKED VERSE - SPECIAL COMMENDATION:

Christine L. Villa, Editor. How the Wind Moves: An Anthology of Collaborative Spilt Sequences. Sacramento, CA: Velvet Dusk Publishing, 2023

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TRANSLATIONS BOOK - SPECIAL COMMENDATION:

Shelley Baker-Gard, Michael Freiling, and Satsuki Takikawa. They Never Asked: Senryu Poetry from the WWII Portland Assembly Center. Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University Press, 2023

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Arts & Haiku - YouTube Presentation
International Haiku Day

~ ~ ~

Richard Tice, Regional Coordinator, is pleased to announce that The Washington Region of the Haiku Society of America hosted a two-hour presentation “Art & Haiku” on International Haiku Day (April 17, 2024). This gathering featured twelve haiku writers and artists sharing their work. You may enjoy this video on YouTube by clicking on the link below:

https://youtu.be/76hoycFyVEI?si=GKmh_vg4uEbQUZ_w

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Haiku Society of America Student Haiku Awards
in Memorial of Nicholas A. Virgilio

Sharon Pretti and M. Shane Pruett
judges

Here are the winning haiku:

spring tide
the colored pencil box
she never used

Teo Contac — Grade 7, Botosani, Romania

~ ~ ~

cranberry sauce
in an antique bowl—
autumn deepens

Emme Doyle – Grade 8, Atlanta, GA

~ ~ ~

flower moon
touching the water
bullfrogs' thrum

Elsa Krol – Grade 9, State College, PA

~ ~ ~

rice cakes orbit
in a cloudy broth
lunar new year

Benjamin Moon-Chun – Grade 8, Decatur, GA

~ ~ ~

day moon . . .
mom still needs
a blood donor

Maria Negrut – Grade 7, Botosani, Romania

~ ~ ~

silent night
a cherry branch
hits the moon

Edi Parvu – Grade 7, Botosani, Romania

~ ~ ~

 

Nicholas A. Virgilio Memorial Haiku and Senryu Competition Anthology

edited by Randy M. Brooks
designed by Ignatius Fay

© 2022 HAIKU Society of America

To commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the Nicholas A. Virgilio Memorial Haiku and Senryu Competition, the executive committee of the Haiku Society of America published this anthology of award-winning haiku and senryu. The student observations, insights, experiences, emotions and insights evident in these haiku and senryu are a wonderful testament to the fresh voices and vivid imagery of young people. We believe the judges’ commentaries add a valuable layer of meaning as we see how leaders, editors, writers and members of the Haiku Society of America carefully consider the significance of each award-winning poem.

Download your PDF copy for a teacher in your area.

cover student anthology

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It's time to renew your membership or join
the Haiku Society of America for 2005.

2025 Membership Link

The Haiku Society of America is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1968 to promote the writing and appreciation of haiku in English. The HSA has been meeting regularly since its inception and sponsors meetings, readings, publications and contests. The HSA has over 1000 members around the country and overseas. Membership is open to all readers, writers, and students of haiku. Join today.

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Haiku Society of America Merit Books Awards 2025
for books published in 2024

Submit haiku books published in 2024 after January 1, 2025 and before February 15, 2025.

Haiku books published with a 2024 copyright date should be submitted between January 1, 2025 and by February 15, 2025. Please do not send any entries before 1 January 2025. SUBMIT 2 COPIES OF EACH BOOK.

Submit entries to:

Gary Hotham
Haiku Society of America VP
10460 Stansfield Road
Scaggsville, Maryland 20723
USA

If you have questions email: <hsavicepres@aol.com>.

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Latest Issue of Frogpond:

fp47-3-cover

Frogpond 47.3 • 2024

Museum of Haiku
Literature Award

Haiku & Senryu

Essay - Haiku of Care

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HSA MEMBERS ANTHOLOGY 2024

The Haiku Society of America published the 2024 HSA Members' Anthology.

2022 Members' Anthology

Huddleston, Edward Cody, Editor. Hauling the Tide: Haiku Society of America Members’ Anthology 2024. New York; Haiku Society of America, 2024.

Book design by Tanya McDonald.

All members of HSA receive a copy of the annual members' anthology.

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Events & Gatherings
of Interest for HSA Members

We want to feature events, conferences and gatherings of interest to members of the Haiku Society of America. Please follow this new feature on our meetings page.

<brooksbooks@gmail.com>

Specific details about these events change frequently, but these links should help you seek current information. Some of these links are to organizations with several events. We invite HSA members and haiku event planners to send us information about additional events and conferences. Please email URLs or contact information to the HSA webmaster at: <brooksbooks@gmail.com>

Australian Haiku Society
2024 events

British Haiku Society
events

Cradle of American Haiku
08/23 - 08/25, 2024

Edinburgh Haiku Circle

Haiku Canada Weekend
05/17 - 05/19, 2024

The Haiku Circle

Haiku Down Under
08/16 - 08/18, 2024

The Haiku Foundation's Events
04/17 - International Haiku Poetry Day

Haiku North America
2025 - San Francisco, CA

Haiku Northwest
2024 events

Haiku Poets of Northern California
2024 events

Haiku Poets of Northern California
Two Autumns Reading

09/22, 2024

Haiku Society of America
meetings

Hailstones Haiku Circle
2024 events

New Zealand Poetry Society
HaikuNewz

Nick Virgilio Haiku Association
events

North Carolina Haiku Society
2023 Haiku Holiday

Seabeck Haiku Getaway
10/24 - 10/27, 2024

Tanka Society of America
events

Triveni Haikai
events

Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival
Haiku Invitational Contest

03/29 - 03/31, 2024

Wild Graces Haiku Gathering
08/24, 2024

World Haiku Association

Yukei Teikei Haiku Society
2024 events

Yukei Teikei Haiku Society
Retreat at Asilomar, CA

11/07 - 11/10, 2024

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The Nicholas A. Virgilio Memorial Student Haiku and Senryu Competition for Grades 7-12

Founded by the Sacred Heart Church in Camden, NJ, and co-sponsored by the Nick Virgilio Haiku Association in memory of Nicholas A. Virgilio, a charter member of the Haiku Society of America, who died in 1989. The Haiku Society of America is also a co-sponor of the contest, providing judges, and publishing the results in Frogpond and on the HSA Web site.

Virgilio Student Haiku Contest:
submissions deadline for 2024 - to be announced

Submissions open February 1, 2024
and close on March 27, 2024.

See the 2024 Student Haiku and Sentryu Contest Guidelines

See the 2023 award winning haiku!

Nicholas A. Virgilio Memorial
Student Haiku and Senryu Competition Collection

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Haiku Society of America
Member Memorials

HSA Member Memorials

Haiku Society of America often features short memorials of members who have recently died. Usually these memorials are provided by HSA Regional Coordinators and featured in the Haiku Society of America Newsletter. We want to honor these HSA members who have died on this archive of HSA Member Memorials.

This is a new feature on the HSA web site. We will include brief memorials of HSA members. If you would like to send information about an HSA member who has recently died please send complete information to your HSA Regional Coordinator.

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Check out our Frogpond history:
the Archive of
Frogpond Journal

Archive of Frogpond Journal

(all issues from 1978-2020)

Haiku Society of America is pleased to provide access to PDF copies of back issues of Frogpond. This includes all but the most recent issues published in the last two years.

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Support HSA with a Donation

The Haiku Society of America is a not-for-profit organization that is dependent on membership dues and much appreciated donations.

Friend: Up to $49
Donor: $50-$99
Sponsor: $100 or more

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