Haiku Society of America
Complete Archive of Merit Book Awards
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Merit Books Awards
for books published in 2023Laurie D. Morrissey and Elliot Nicely, judges
see the judges commentary (forthcoming)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
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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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Merit Books Awards
for books published in 2022
Jim Chessing and Sondra J. Byrnes, judges
see the judges commentaryHAIKU BOOK AWARDS:First Place
Where Rain Would Stay: The Haiku Poetry of Peggy Willis Lyles, Edited by John Barlow & Ferris Gilli, Snapshot Press, 2022
Second Place
Peter Newton. Glide Path. Winchester, VA; Red Moon Press, 2022
Third Place
John Hawkhead. Bone Moon. Uxbridge, UK; Alba Publishing, 2022
Honorable Mentions (not ranked but in alphabetical order by author)
Brad Bennett, A Box of Feathers, Red Moon Press, 2022
Bill Cooper. Rounded by the Sea. Winchester, VA; Red Moon Press
Bruce H. Feingold, Everything with an Asterisk, Red Moon Press, 2022
Aaron Barry, Eggplants & Teardrops: A Haiku Collection, 2022
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HAIBUN BOOK AWARDS:
Best
Andrew Riutta. Blessed. Winchester, VA; Red Moon Press
Honorable Mention
Sean O’Connor. The God of Bones. Uxbridge, UK; Alba Publishing, 2022
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HAIKU ANTHOLOGY AWARDS:
Best
Jim Kacian, editor, String Theory, Red Moon Press, 2022
Honorable Mentions
LudmilaBalabanova, editor, Tuning Up the Violins: Haiku Anthology, with Illustrations by Irina Karakehayova, Scribens Publishing, 2022
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ESSAYS/PROSE BOOK AWARD: Best
Lenard D. Moore and African American Haiku: Merging Traditions, by Ce Rosenow, Lexington Books, 2022
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 2021
Agnes Eva Savich and Bill Cooper, judges
judges commentary forthcomingHAIKU BOOK AWARDS:
First Place
John Stevenson, My Red: Selected Haiku of John Stevenson, Brooks Books, 2021.
Second Place
Edward Cody Huddleston, Wildflowers in a Vase, Red Moon Press, 2021.
Third Place
Tia Haynes and Jonathan Roman, After Amen: A Memoir in Two Voices, Published by the authors, 2021.
Honorable Mentions (not ranked but in alphabetical order by author)
Rebecca Lilly, Aporia, Red Moon Press, 2021.
John Martone, A Landscape in Pieces, Tufo, 2021.
Bill Pauly, Walking Uneven Ground: Selected Haiku of Bill Pauly, Brooks Books, 2021.
Michele Root-Bernstein, Wind Rose, Snapshot Press, 2021.
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HAIGA BOOK AWARDS:
Best
Jim Kacian, Terry Ann Carter, Claudia Brefeld, The Engdangered C, Red Moon Press, 2021.
Honorable Mention
Annette Makino, Water and Stone: Ten Years of Art and Haiku, Makino Studios, 2021.
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HAIBUN BOOK AWARDS:
Best
Sean O’Connor, Fragmentation, Alba Publishing, 2021.
Honorable Mentions
Rich Youmans, Ron Moss, Ludmilla Balabanova, Tish Davis, Terri L. French, Peter Newton, Bryan Rickert, and Harriot West, editors, Contemporary Haibun Volume 16, Red Moon Press, 2021.
Margaret Chula, Firefly Lanterns: Twelve Years in Kyoto. Shanti Arts Publishing, 2021.
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HAIKU ANTHOLOGY AWARDS:
Best
Jacqueline Pearce, editor, Last Train Home. Pondhawk Press, 2021.
Honorable Mentions
Jim Kacian and the Red Moon Press editorial staff, Jar of Rain: The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku 2020, Red Moon Press, 2021.
Jim Kacian and Julie Warther, A New Resonance 12: Emerging Voices in English- Language Haiku, Red Moon Press, 2021.
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ESSAYS/PROSE BOOK AWARDS:
H.F. Noyes, Favorite Haiku and Other Collected Essays, Red Moon Press, 2021.
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Merit Books Awards
for books published in 2020
Ce Rosenow and Bryan Rickert
judges commentaryFirst Place
Susan Antolin. The Years That Went Missing. Durham, NC: Backbone Press, 2020.
Second Place
Carolyn Hall. Cricket Dust. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2020.
Third Place
Elmedin Kadric. Light Packing. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2019.
Honorable Mentions (not ranked but presented in alphabetical order by author)
Hifsa Ashraf. Her Fading Henna Tattoo. Human/Kind Press, 2020.
Alan Bridges. In the Curves. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2020.
Debbie Strange. The Language of Loss. Sable Books, 2020.
Best Haibun Book
Keith Polette. Pilgrimage. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2020.
Honorable Mention Haibun Book
Zane Parks. Journey. Lulu.com, 2020.
Three Best Haiku Anthologies (ranked in order)
Gratitude in the Time of COVID-19. Edited by Scott Mason, Chappaqua, New York: Girasole Press, 2020.
Wind Flowers. Edited by Jim Kacian and the Red Moon Editorial Staff, Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2020.
Haiku 2020. Edited by Lee Gurga and Scott Metz, Champaign, IL: Modern Haiku Press, 2020.
Honorable Mention Haiku Anthologes (not ranked in alphabetical order by editor)
The Wanderer Brush. Edited with haiga by Ion Codrescu, Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2020.
All This Talk. Edited by Charles Trumbull, Yuki Teikei Haiku Society, 2020.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 2019
Marilyn Hazelton and Rebecca Lilly, judges
judges commentaryFirst Place
Kon Nichi Translation Group. Haiku As Life: A Kaneko Tohta Omnibus. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2019.
Second Place
John Martone, Homelands. Charleston, IL: TUFO, 2019.
Third place
Stuart Quine. Wild Rhubarb. Uxbridge, UK: Alba Publishing, 2019.
Honorable Mentions (not ranked but presented in alphabetical order by author)
Glenn G. Coats. Furrows of Snow. Arlington, VA: Turtle Light Press, 2019.
William McCrea Ramsey, Umbrellas Rising, Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2019.
Jolanta Kajzer. Bread by Bread. Gdansk, Poland: Marpress, 2019.
Joshua Eric Williams, The Strangest Conversation, Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2019.
Best Haibun Book
Ludmila Balabanova. Sunflower Field. Plovdiv, Bulgaria: Zhanet, 2019.
Honorable Mention Haibun Book
Lew Watts. Tick-Tock, Ormskirk, UK: Snapshot Press, 2019.
Best Haiku Prose Book
Charles Trumbull, A History of Modern Haiku, Lincoln, IL: Modern Haiku Press, 2019.
Honorable Mention Haiku Prose Book
Geoffrey Wilkinson. Going to the Pine: Four Essays on Basho. Franksbridge, UK: Geoffrey M. Wilkinson, 2019.
Best Haiku Anthology
A New Resonance 11, Edited by Jim Kacian and Julie Warther, Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2019.
Honorable Mention Haiku Anthology
Ferry Crossing, Edited by Patricia J. Machmiller, Haiku Poets of Northern California, 2019.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 2018
Chad Lee Robinson and Dan Schwerin, judges
judges commentaryFirst Place
Randy and Shirley Brooks, Editors. The Collected Haiku of Raymond Roseliep. Taylorville, IL: Brooks Books, 2018.
Second Place
Eve Luckring. The Tender Between. Princeton, NJ: Ornithopter Press, 2018.
Third place
John Stevenson. Emoji Moon. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2018.
Honorable mentions (unranked, in alphabetical order by author's last name)
Hasegawa Kai. Okinawa. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2018.
Bill Kenney. Senior Admission. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2018.
Larsson, Marcus. Dad’s Accordion. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2018.
Ben Moeller-Gaa. Wishbones: Haiku & Senryu. Meredith, NH: Folded Word, 2018.
Best Haibun Book
Harriot West. Shades of Absence. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2018.
Honorarble Mention Haibun Book
Rich Youmans. Head-On: Haibun Stories. Saint Paul, MN: Red Bird Chapbooks, 2019.
Best Prose - 1st Place Tie
Sato, Hiroaki. On Haiku. New York: New Directions Publishing Corporation, 2018.
Richard Gilbert. Poetry as Consciousness: Haiku Forests, Space of Mind, and Ethics of Freedom. Keibunsha Co., 2018.
Best Haiku Anthology
Jim Kacian and the Editorial Staff. Old Song: The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku 2017. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2018.
Honorable Mention Anthology
Chuck Brickley. Open Iris. San Francisco, CA: Two Autumns Press, 2018.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 2017
Melissa Allen and Brad Bennett, judges
judges commentaryFirst Place
Peter Newton. The Searchable World. Mapleview Publishing, 2017.
Second Place
Elmedin Kadric. Buying Time. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2017.
Third Place
Carolyn Hall. Calculus of Daylilies. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2017.
Honorable mentions (unranked, in alphabetical order by author's last name)
Chuck Brickley. Earthshine. Ormskirk, UK: Snapshot Press, 2017.
Cherie Hunter Day. For Want. Princeton, NJ: Ornithopter Press, 2017.
Kristen Deming. Plum Afternoon. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2017.
Jim Kacian. after image. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2017
Best Haibun Book
Glenn G. Coats. Waking and Dream. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2017.
Honorarble Mention Haibun Book
Stella Pierides. Of This World: 48 Haibun. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2017.
Best Prose
Scott Mason, Editor. The Wonder Code: Discover the Way of Haiku and the See the World with New Eyes. Chappaqua, NY: Girasole Press, 2017.
Honorarble Mention Prose
Michele Root-Bernstein and Francine Banwarth. The Haiku Life: What We Learned as Editors of Frogpond. Lincoln, IL: Modern Haiku Press, 2017.
Best Haiku Anthology
Lenard D. Moore, Editor. One Window's Light: A Collection of Haiku. Greensboro, NC: Unicorn Press, 2017.
Honorable Mention Anthology
Jim Kacian and Dee Evetts, Editors. A New Resonance 10: Emerging Voices in English-Language Haiku. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2017.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 2016
Terri L. French and LeRoy Gorman, judges
judges commentaryFirst Place
George Swede. Helices. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2016.
Second Place (tie)
Amanda Bell. Undercurrents. Uxbridge, UK: Alba Publishing, 2016.
Margaret Lane Dornaus. Prayer for the Dead: Collected Haibun & Tanka Prose. Ozark, AR: Singing Moon Press, 2016.
Third Place (tie)
Maxianne Berger. Winnows. Toronto, ON: Nietzsche’s Brolly, 2016.
Peter Yovu. Imago. Princeton, NJ: Ornithopter Press, 2016.
Honorable mentions (unranked, in alphabetical order by book title)
Kyle D.Craig. Invisible Tea. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2016.
Carol Judkins. at the water’s edge. San Bernardino, CA: wildflower poetry press, 2016.
Deborah P Kolodji. highway of sleeping towns. Pasadena, CA: Shabda Press, 2016.
Giselle Maya. Cicada Chant: Collected Haibun and Tanka Prose. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2016.
Philip Rowland. Something Other Than Other. London, UK: Isobar Press, 2016.
Best Anthology (tie)
nada annunaad: an anthology of contemporary world haiku edited by Kala Ramesh, Sanjuktaa Asopa and Shloka Shankar, Vishwakarma Publications, 2016.
galaxy of dust: The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku 2015 edited by Jim Kacian & The Red Moon Editorial Staff, Red Moon Press, 2016.
Honorable Mention Anthology
Scent of the Past. . . Imperfect edited by Renée Owen, Two Autumns Press, 2016.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 2015
Joe McKeon and Naia, judges
judges commentaryFirst Place
Edward J. Rielly. Answers Instead: a life of haiku. Encircle Publications LLC, Farmington, Maine, 2015.
Second Place
Chad Lee Robinson. The Deep End of the Sky. Turtle Light Press, Arlington, Virginia, 2015.
Third Place
Roberta Beary. Deflection. Accents Publishing, Lexington, Kentucky, 2015.
Honorable Mentions (unranked, in alphabetical order by book title)
Rick Tarquinio. Mostly Water. Self-published, 2015.
Dan Schwerin. ORS. by Red Moon Press, Winchester, Virginia, 2015.
Bill Cooper. Young Osprey. Red Moon Press, Winchester, Virginia, 2015.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 2014
Charles Trumbull and Neal Whitman, judges
judges commentary
First Place Award (tie)
Marjorie Buettner. Some Measure of Existence: Collected Haibun. Red Dragonfly Press, 2014.
Harriot West. Into the Light. Mountains and Rivers Press, 2014.
Second place (tie)
Garry Gay, ed. One Song. Santa Rosa, Calif.: Two Autumns Press, 2014.
Haiku Northwest. No Longer Strangers: Haiku Northwest 25th Anniversary Anthology. Bellevue, Wash.: Vandina Press for Haiku Northwest, 2014.
Honorable mentions
Ion Codrescu. Something Out of Nothing: Seventy-five Haiga. Winchester, Va.: Red Moon Press, 2014. 160 pages. ISBN 978-1-936848-35-5.
Lee Gurga and Scott Metz, eds. Haiku 2014. Lincoln, Ill.: Modern Haiku Press, 2014.
Ron C. Moss. The Bone Carver. Ormskirk, U.K.: Snapshot Press, 2014.
Edward J. Rielly. Spring Rain Winter Snow: Haiku. Brunswick, Maine: Shanti Arts Publishing, 2014.
John Stevenson. d(ark): Haiku. Winchester, Va.: Red Moon Press, 2014.
George Swede. Micro Haiku: Three to Nine Syllables. Toronto: Inspress, 2014.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 2013
Deb Baker and Adelaide B. Shaw, judges
judges commentaryFirst Place
Tom Clausen. Laughing to Myself. Rochester, NY: Free Food Press, 2013.
Second Place
Dietmar Tauchner. Noise of Our Origin. Winchester,VA: Red Moon Press, 2013.
Third Place
Charles Trumbull. A Five-Balloon Morning. Santa Fe, NM: Red Mountain Press, 2013.
Best Book of Haibun
Peter Newton. Welcome to the Joy Ride. Winchenton, MA: Imaginary Press, 2013.
Honorable Mention - Haibun
Mike Montreuil. from the journal of a perpetual dreamer. Northing, Charleston, IL: Northing, 2013.
Honorable Mention - Anthology
Allan Burns, Editor. Where the River Goes: the Nature Tradition in English-Language Haiku. Ormskirk, UK: Snapshot Press, 2013.
Honorable Mention - Anthology
Lenard D. Moore and Roberta Beary, Editors. 7. Jacar Press, 2013.
Honorable Mention - Chapbook
Stanford M. Forrester, Editor. lonely together. Windsor, CT: Nut Wagon Press, 2013.
Honorable Mention
Richard Gilbert. Disjunctive Dragonfly. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2013.
Honorable Mentions - Book Design
Lidia Rozmus. Art and Design, for Moon Dance by Marian Olson. Santa Fe, NM: Deep North Press, 2013.
Bob Arnold. Book Design, for Our Waves Meet the Ocean Waves by Gary Hotham. Green River, VT: Longhouse, 2013.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 2012
Paul MacNeil and Paul Miller, judges
judges commentaryFirst Place
Carolyn Hall. The Doors All Unlocked. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2012.
Second Place
Rebecca Lilly. Yesterday’s Footprints. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2012.
Third Place
Stella Pierides. In the Garden of Absence. Afterword by Michael Dylan Welch. Neusaess, Germany: Fruit Dove Press, 2012.
Honorable Mentions
Victor Ortiz. Into Borrego Valley. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2012.
Bruce Ross. Spring Clouds. Bangor, ME: Tancho Press, 2012.
Michael Henry Lee. Against the Grain. Saint Augustine, FL: Eleventh Hour Press, 2012.
Best Anthology
Robert Epstein, ed. The Temple Bell Stops: Contemporary Poems of Grief, Loss and Change. Baltimore, MD: Modern English Tanka Press, 2012.
Honorable Mentions for Best Anthology
Jim Kacian, et al., eds. Carving Darkness: 2012 Red Moon Anthology. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2012.
Patricia J. Machmiller, ed. Bending Reeds: 2012 Yuki Teikei Haiku Society Members Anthology. San Jose, CA: Yuki Teikei Haiku Society, 2012.
Best Criticism
Stephen Addiss. The Art of Haiku. Boston, MA: Shambhala Publications, 2012.
Special Award for Fiction
David G. Lanoue. Frog Poet. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2012.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 2011
Carolyn Hall and Christopher Patchel, judges
judges commentaryFirst Place (tie)
Fay Aoyagi. Beyond the Reach of My Chopsticks. San Francisco, California: Blue Willow Press, 2011.
paul m. Few Days North Days Few. Winchester, Virginia: Red Moon Press, 2011.Second Place
Robert Boldman. Everything I Touch. Winchester, Virginia: Red Moon Press, 2011.
Third Place
Allan Burns. Distant Virga. Winchester, Virginia: Red Moon Press, 2011.
Best Anthology
Lee Gurga and Scott Metz, editors. Haiku 21. Lincoln, Illinois: Modern Haiku Press, 2011.
Honorable Mentions for Best Anthology:
Robert Epstein, editor. Dreams Wander On: Contemporary Poems of Death Awareness. Baltimore, Maryland: Modern English Tanka Press, 2011.
Jerry Ball and J. Zimmerman, editors. Wild Violets: Yuki Teikei Haiku Society Members’ Anthology 2011. Sunnyvale, California: Patson’s Press, 2011.Best Design and Aesthetics
Joyce Clement. Beyond My View. Bristol, Connecticut: Endionpress, 2011.
Best Book of Translation
Bouwe Brouwer, translated by Bouwe Brouwer, Norman Darlington, and Max Verhart. Messages from the Past. Den Bosch, Netherlands: ’t Schrijverke, 2011.
Honorable Mentions for Best Translation
Ljubomir Dragovic, translated by Sasa Vazic. A Narrow Road. Belgrade, Serbia: Liber Press, 2011.
Taneda Santôka, versions by Scott Watson. Walking by My Self Again. Sendai, Japan: Bookgirl Press, 2011.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 2010
Michael Dylan Welch, judge
judges commentaryFirst Place
Karma Tenzing Wangchuk. Shelter/Street. Port Townsend, Washington: Minotaur Press, 2010.
Second Place
John Parsons. Overhead Whistling. Labyrinth Press, 2010.
Third Place
Christopher Herold. Inside Out. Winchester, Virginia: Red Moon Press, 2010.
Honorable Mentions:
George Swede. Joy in Me Still. Edmonton, Alberta: Inkling Press, 2010.
Gary Hotham. Spilled Milk. Paintings by Susan Elliott. Montrose, Colorado: Pinyon Publishing, 2010.
Carolyn Hall. How to Paint the Finch's Song. Winchester, Virginia: Red Moon Press, 2010.
Best Anthology
Stephen Henry Gill and Okiharu Maeda, editors, One Hundred Poets on Mount Ogura, One Poem Each. Kyoto: People Together for Mt. Ogura and Hailstone Haiku Circle, 2010.
Honorable Mentions for Best Anthology:
Lidia Rozmus and Carmen Sterba, Editors. The Moss at Tokeiji. Santa Fe, New Mexico: Deep North Press, 2010.
Billie Dee, editor. An Island of Egrets: 2010 Southern California Haiku Study Group Anthology. Pasadena, California: Southern California Haiku Study Group, 2010.
Stanford M. Forrester, editor, Donna Fleischer, contributing editor. Seed Packets: An Anthology of Flower Haiku. Windsor, Connecticut: Bottle Rockets Press, 2010.
Allan Burns, editor. Montage: The Book. Winchester, Virginia: The Haiku Foundation, 2010.
Spring Street Haiku Group, Efren Estevez, production editor. Suspiciously Small: A Collection of Haiku. New York: Spring Street Haiku Group, 2010.
Best Book of Haibun
Cor van den Heuvel. A Boy's Seasons. Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Single Island Press, 2010.
Best Book of Translation
Ruth Franke, translated by David Cobb and Celia Brown, paintings by Reinhard Stangl. Schwerelos Gleiten/Slipping Through Water. Schwinfurt, Germany: Wiesenburg Verlag, 2010.
Best Book for Children
Valerie Bodden, Poetry Basics: Haiku. Collingwood, Ontario: Saunders Book Company; Mankato, Massachusetts: Creative Paperbacks, 2010.
Honorable Mention for Best Book for Children:
Kala Ramesh. My Haiku Moments: An Activity Book for Young Haiku Lovers. New Delhi, India: Katha, 2010.
Special Award for Best Letterpress Book
Michael Ketchek, Over Our Heads. Northfield, Massachusetts: Swamp Press, 2010.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 2009
Mike Dillon, judge
judge's commentaryFirst Place
John Stevenson. Live Again. Winchester, Virginia: Red Moon Press, 2009.
Second Place
Ce Rosenow. Pacific. Hillsboro, Oregon: Mountain Gate Press, 2009.
Third Place ($50)
Alice Frampton. A Gate Left Open. Winchester, Virginia: Red Moon Press, 2009.
Special Award for Fiction
David G. Lanoue. Haiku Wars. Winchester, Virginia: Red Moon Press, 2009.
Best Criticism (Tie)
Ian Marshall. Walden by Haiku. Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press, 2009.
Yoshinobu Hakutani. Haiku and Modernist Poetics. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009.
Best Anthology
Michael Dylan Welch, Editor. Seeing Stars. Seattle, Washington: Haiku Northwest, 2009.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 2008
an'ya and Cherie Hunter Day, judges
judges commentaryFirst Place
Lorin Ford. A Wattle Seedpod. Teneriffe, Qld, Australia: Post Pressed, 2008.
Second Place
Madeleine Findlay. Empty Boathouse: Adirondack Haiku. Portsmouth, NH: Single Island Press, 2008.
Third Place
Adelaide B. Shaw. An Unknown Road. Baltimore, MD: Modern English Tanka Press, 2008.
Special Award for Anthology
Roberta Beary and Ellen Compton, Editors. Dandelion Clocks: Haiku Society of America Members Anthology 2008. New York: Haiku Society of America, 2008.
Special Award for Themed Haiku Collection
S.B. Friedman. It Has Been Many Moons. San Francisco CA: Lily Pool Press (Swamp Press), 2008.
Special Award for Chapbook
Helen Russell. Distant Sounds. 2008
Special Award for Haibun
Jim Kacian, Bruce Ross and Ken Jones, Editors. Contemporary Haibun, Volume 9. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2008.
Special Award for Haiku Criticism and Theory
Richard Gilbert. Poems of Consciousness. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2008.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 2007
George G. Dorsty & Marie Summers, judges
judges commentsaryFirst Place
Marian Olson. Desert Hours. Northfield, MA: Lily Pool Press 2007.
Second Place
Quendryth Young. The Whole Body Singing. Alstonville, NSW, Australia, 2007.
Third Place
Roberta Beary. The Unworn Necklace. Liverpool, UK: Snapshot Press, 2007.
Honorable Mention (tie):
Matt Morden. Stumbles in Clover. Liverpool, UK: Snapshot Press, 2007.
Gary Hotham. Missed Appointment: Pittsburgh, PA: Lilliput Review, 2007.
Best Translation:
Kayoko Hashimoto. The Rabbit In The Moon. Tokyo, Japan: Kadokawashoten, 2007.
Best Anthology:
Jim Kacian, Editor. Big Sky: The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku 2006. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2007.
Best Haibun:
W. F. Owen. Small Events. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2007.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 2006
Ed Markowski & Yvonne Cabalona, Judges
judges commentsFirst Place:
Jeanne Emrich, Editor. Reeds: Contemporary Haiga. Edina, MN: Lone Egret Press, 2006.
Second Place:
Water Lines by Carolyn Hall. Water Lines. Liverpool England: Snapshot Press, 2006.
Third Place:
Paul Miller [paul m.]. Called Home. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2006.
Fourth Place:
Vincent Tripi. Paperweight for Nothing. Greenfield, MA: Tribe Press, 2006.
Special Category Honorable Mention For Haibun:
David Cobb. Business in Eden. Essex, UK: Equinox Press, 2006.
Special Category Honorable Mention for Anthology:
Beary, Roberta & Ellen Compton, Editors. Fish in Love: Haiku Society of America Members’ Anthology 2006. Haiku Society of America, 2006
Special Category Honorable Mention for Best International Collaboration:
Jim Kacian. Presents of Mind. Translation into Japanese by The Kon Nichi Haiku Circle, Kumamoto University. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2006.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 2005
Yu Chang and A.C. Missias, judges
judges commentsFirst Place
Peter Yovu. Turn to the Earth. Saki Press, Normal, IL: Saki Press, 2005.
Second Place (tie)
Geri Barton. Crumb Moves the Ant. Saki Press, Normal, IL: Saki Press, 2005.
Nina Wicker. Wild Again: Selected Haiku of Nina Wicker. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2005.
Third Place
Michael Dudley. Pilgrimage. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2005, 2005.
Award for Best Anthology (tie)
Patrick Gallagher, Pamela Miller Ness, Laurie W. Stoelting, and Karma Tenzing Wangchuk. If I Met Basho. San Francisco: Two Autumns Press, 2005.
Jim Kacian and Dee Evetts, Editors. A New Resonance 4: Emerging Voices in English-Language Haiku. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2005.
Honorable Mention Anthology
Brandi, John and Dennis Maloney, Editors. The Unswept Path: Contemporary American Haiku. Buffalo, NY: White Pine Press, 2005.
Best Serial Book
Jim Kacian, Editor. Tug of the Current: Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku 2004. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2005.
Award for Best Book of Haiga:
Jeanne Emrich, Editor. Reeds: Contemporary Haiga 2005. Edina, MN: Lone Egret Press, 2005.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 2004
Dean Summers and Ruth Yarrow, judges
judges commentsFirst Place
Quiet Enough by John Stevenson. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2004.
Second Place
Michael Fessler. The Sweet Potato Sutra. Wethersfield, CT: Bottle Rockets Press, 2004.
Third Place
Tom Painting. Piano Practice. Wethersfield, CT: Bottle Rockets Press, 2004.
Award for Best Anthology
Jim Kacian, Editor. Edge of Light: the Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku 2003. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2004.
Honorable Mention for Haibun
Lidia Rozmus. My Journey. Evanston, IL: Deep North Press, 2004
Honorable Mention for Haiga
Jeanne Emrich, Editor. Reeds: Contemporary Haiga . Edina, MN: Lone Egret Press, 2004.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 2003
Kirsty Karkow and Edward J. Rielly, judges
judges' commentsFirst Place
Carolyn Thomas. Puddle on the Ink Stone: Haiku and Other Short Poems. Cathedral City, CA. 2003
Second Place
An'ya. Haiku for a Moonless Night, Volume 1. Crooked River Ranch, OR:Natal*Light Press. 2003
Third Place
Faye Aoyagi. Chrysanthemum Love. San Francisco, CA: Blue Willow Press, 2003.
Award for Best Anthology
Jeanne Emrich, Editor. Reeds: Contemporary Haiga . Edina, MN: Lone Egret Press, 2003.
Award for Best Book of Criticism
Lee Gurga. Haiku: A Poet's Guide. Lincoln, IL: Modern Haiku Press, 2003.
Award for Best Book of Haibun
William M. Ramsey. Ascend with Care. North Falmouth, MA: Leap Press, 2003.
Award for Best Book of Linked Verse
Carol Purington and Larry Kimmel. A Spill of Apples: Tanrenga and Other Linked Verse. Colrain, MA: Winfred Press, 2003.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 2002
Michael Ketchek and Tom Painting, judges
judges' commentsFirst Place
Paul Miller [paul m.]. Finding the Way. Sammamish, WA: Press Here, 2002.
Second Pace
Rebecca Lilly. Shadwell Hills. Delhi, NY: Birch Brooks Press, 2002.
Third Palce
Peggy Lyles. To Hear the Rain: Selected Haiku of Peggy Lyles. Decatur, IL: Brooks Books, 2002.
Honorable Mention
William M. Ramsey. This Wine. Evanston, Ill.: Deep North Press, 2002.
Award for Best Anthology
Jim Kacian, editor. The Loose Thread: The Red Moon Anthology of English Language Haiku 2001. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2002.
Highly Commended Anthologies
Cyril Childs and Joanna Preston, Edtiors. listening to the rain: an anthology of Christchurch haiku and haibun. Christchurch, NZ: The Small White Teapot Haiku Group, 2002.
David Cobb, Editor. The British Museum Haiku. London, UK: British Museum Press, 2002.
Award for Best Book of Haibun
Linda Jeannette Ward. A Delicate Dance of Wings. Coinjock, NC: Clinging Vine Press, 2002.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 2001
Stanford M. Forrester and Bruce Kennedy, judges
judges commentsFirst Place
Vincent Tripi. Monk & I. Richland, WI: Hummingbird Press, 2001.
Second Place
Jeffrey Winke. What's Not There: Selected Haiku of Jeffrey Winke. Evanston, IL: Deep North Press, 2001.
Award for Best Translation (tie)
Akito Arima. Einstein's Century: Akito Arima's Haiku. Translated by Emiko Miyashita and Lee Gurga. Decatur, IL: Brooks Books, 2001.
Yoshiko Yoshino. Tsuru by Yoshiko Yoshino. Translated by Lee Gurga and Emiko Miyashita. Evanston, IL: Deep North Press, 2001.
Award for Best Criticism
Lee Gurga and Michael Dylan Welch, Editors. The Nick of Time: Essays on Haiku Aesthetics by Paul O. Williams. . Foster City, CA: Press Here, 2001.
Award for Best Anthology
Jim Kacian & Dee Evetts, Editors. A New Resonance 2: Emerging Voices in English-Language Haiku . Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2001.
Honorable Mentions for Anthologies
Jim Kacian, Editor. a glimpse of red: The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku 2001. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2001.
Carlos Colón, Editor. Voices and Echoes. Shreveport, LA, 2001.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 2000Pamela Miller Ness and Karen Klein, judges
judges comments
First Place
Connie Hutchison, Editor. To Find the Words. The Haiku Society of America Northwest Region Members Anthology, 2000.
Second Place
Christopher Herold. A Path in the Garden. Oswego, OR: Katsura Press, 2000.
Third Place
Ernest Berry. Forgotten War. Queensland, Australia: Post Pressed, 2000.
Special Category Honorable Mention for Haiga
Raffael de Gruttola. Echoes in Sand. Upton, MA: piXeLaRt Press, 2000.
Special Category Honorable Mention for Criticism
A. C. Missias, Editor. In Due Season: A discussion of the role of kigo in English-language haiku; (Acorn Supplement #1). Philadelphia, PA: Redfox Press, 2000.
Special Category Honorable Mention for Tanka
Cherie Hunter Day. Early Indigo. Liverpool, England, UK: Snapshot Press, 2000.
Special Category Honorable Mention for Haiku Novel
David Lanoue. Haiku Guy. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2000.
Special Category Honorable Mention for First Book of Poetry
Laurie W. Stoelting. Light on the Mountain mt. Tamalpais a poet's view. Mill Valley, CA: Field Trips, 2000.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 1999Tom Clausen and Ebba Story, judges
judges commentsFirst Place
Gary Hotham. Breathmarks: Haiku to Read in the Dark. Moscow, ID: Canon Press, 1999.
Second Place
Chula, Margaret & Rich Youmans. Shadow Lines: Linked Haibun. Lake Oswego, OR: Katsura Press, 1999.
Third Place
Brooks, Randy. School’s Out: Selected Haiku. Foster City, CA: Press Here, 1999.
Honorable Mentions
Lamb, Elizabeth Searle. Across the Windharp: Collected and New Haiku. Albuquerque, NM: La Alameda Press, 1999.
Purington, Carol. Family Farm: Haiku for a Place of Moons. Colrain, MA: Winfred Press, 1989.
Vince Tripi. The Day I Find, Poems from a Desert Hermitage. Novato, CA: 1999.
Williams, Paul O. Outside Robins Sing. Decatur, IL: Brooks Books, 1999.
Special Category Honorable Mentions for Haiku Anthologies
Van den Heuvel, Cor, Editor. The Haiku Anthology, Expanded Edition. New York: W.W. Norton, 1999.
Kacian, Jim and Dee Evetts, Editors. A New Resonance: Emerging Voices in English-Language Haiku. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 1999.
Special Category Honorable Mentions for Haibun Anthologies
Welch, Michael Dylan, Cor van den Heuvel & Tom Lynch, Editors. Wedge of Light. Foster City, CA: Press Here, 1999.
Ion Codrescu. Oaspete strain / A Foreign Guest. Constanta, Romania: 1999.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 1998for books published in 1998
Mary Fran Meer and Michael Dylan Welch
judges commentsFirst Place
Lee Gurga. Fresh Scent: Selected Haiku of Lee Gurga.Decatur, IL: Brooks Books, 1998.
Second Place
H. F. Noyes. Favorite Haiku, Volume I. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 1998.
Honorable Mention
Ernest Berry. A Raindrop, A Flowing River. Blenheim, New Zealand: PhotoImage, 1998.
Honorable Mention
Spring Morning Sun by Tom Tico. Spring Morning. San Francisco, CA: Belltower Press, 1998.
Honorable Mention
Richard Wright. Haiku: This Other World. New York, NY: Arcade Publishing, 1998.
Honorable Mention
Jim Kacian. Six Directions: Haiku & Field Notes. Albuquerque, NM: La Alameda Press, 1998.
Honorable Mention
Haruo Shirane. Traces of Dreams: Landscape, Cultural Memory, and the Poetry of Basho. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1998.
Honorable Mention
Makoto Ueda. The Path of Flowering Thorn: The Life and Poetry of Yosa Buson. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1998.
Honorable Mention
Patricia Donegan and Yoshie Ishibashi. Chiyo-ni: Woman Haiku Master. Boston, MA: Tuttle Publishing, 1998.
Honorable Mention
Cyril Childs, Edtior. The Second New Zealand Haiku Anthology. Wellington, New Zealand: The New Zealand Poetry Society, 1998,
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 1997for books published in 1997
Peggy Willis Lyles and Paul O. Williams
judges commentsFirst Place (tie)
Dee Evetts. Endgrain: Haiku & Senryu 1988-1997. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 1997.
Lee Gurga. In and Out of Fog. Foster City, CA: From Here Press, 1997.
Second Place
Jeb Barton. Short Distance, Long Journey. Ubud, Bali, Indonesia, 1997.
Third Place
Edith Shiffert. The Light Comes Slowly: Short Poems from Kyoto. Oswego, OR: Katsura Press, 1997.
Honorable Mention
Vincent Tripi. Between God and the Pine. San Francisco, CA, 1997.
Honorable Mention for Translation
Kôko Katô, Editor. Translated by Kôko Katô and David Burleigh. A Hidden Pond: Anthology of Modern Haiku. Tokyo: Kadokawa Shoten, 1997.
Honorable Mention for Translation
Ishihara, Yatsuka. Translated by Tadashi Kondo and William J. Higginson. Red Fuji: Selected Haiku of Yatsuka Ishihara. Santa Fe, NM: From Here Press, 1997.
Honorable Mention for Anthology
Jim Kacian, Editor-in-Chief; Jan Bostok, Tom Clausen, Ellen Compton, Dee Evetts, Yvonne Hardenbrook, John Hudak, H. F. Noyes, Francine Porad, Ebba Story and Jeff Witkin, Editors. The Red Moon Anthology 1996. Berryville, VA: Red Moon Press, 1997.
Honorable Mention for Anthology
Carol Conti-Entin, Helen K. Davies, Cherie Hunter Day, D. Claire Gallagher, Marianna Monaco, Ce Rosenow, Ebba Story, and Joan Zimmerman. Editors. Beyond Within, A Collection of Rengay. Portland, OR: Sundog Press, 1997.
Honorable Mention for Tanka
Pat Shelley. Turning My Chair. Foster City, CA: Press Here, 1997.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 1996Hayat Abuza and Charles Trumbull
judges commentsFirst Place
Vincent Tripi. The Path of the Bird. Richland Center, WI: Hummingbird Press, 1996.
Second Place
David Cobb. Jumping from Kiyomizu: a Haiku Sequence. North Shields, Northumberland, UK: Iron Press, 1996.
Third Place
William Hart. Paris. Fulton, MO: Timberline Press, 1996.
Honorable Mention
Jim Kacian. Presents of Mind. Lake Oswego, OR: Katsura Press, 1996.
Honorable Mention
John Sheirer. Students Breathing. Elbow Lake, MN, 1996.
Honorable Mention
H.F. Noyes.. Between Two Waves/Intre doud valuri. Constanta, Romania: Editura Leda, 1996.
Honorable Mention
Vasile Spinei. Surasul calugarului/The Monk’s Smile. Constanta, Romania: Editura Leda, 1996.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 1995Randy Brooks and Gene Doty
judges pageFirst Place
Elizabeth St Jacques. Dance of Light, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario: Maplebud Press, 1995.
Second Place
Penny Griffin. A Dash Through Leaves. Whispering Pines, NC: Persephone Press, 1995.
Third Place
Tom Clausen. Unraked Leaves: Haiku by Tom Clausen. Ithaca, NY, 1995.
Honorable Mention
Lidia Rozmus. Sumi-e and Haiku. Glencoe, IL, 1995.
Honorable Mention
Sono Uchida, A Simple Universe, Foster City: Press Here, 1995.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 1994Bruce Ross and Alfred H. Marks
judges commentsFirst Place
Ion Codrescu, Editor. Ocolind iazul/Round the Pond, Antologie de/An Anthology by Ion Codrescu, Editor, Constanta, Romania, Editura Muntenia, 1994
Second Place
Nick Avis. Footprints. Pointe Claire, Quebec: King’s Road Press, 1994.
Third Place
Tom Clausen. Autumn Wind in the Cracks. Ithaca, NY: 1994.
Honorable Mention
Sam Savage. Trawlers. McClellanville, SC: Hardscrabble Press, 1994.
Honorable Mention
Vincent Tripi, White. Amherst, MA: Swamp Press, 1994.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 1993unknown judges
judges commentsFirst Place
Chula, Margaret. Grinding My Ink. Lake Oswego, OR: Katsura Press, 1993.
Second Place
Dickson, Charles B. A Moon in Each Eye. Edited by Vincent Tripi. Gualala, CA: AHA Books, 1993.
Third Place
Porad, Francine. The Patchwork Quilt: Haiku, Senryu, Tanka, Renku, Artwork. Mercer Island, WA: Vandina Press, 1993.
Honorable Mention
Childs, Cyril, Editor. The New Zealand Haiku Anthology. Wellington, New Zealand: The New Zealand Poetry Society, 1993.
Honorable Mention
Jorgensen, Jean. Border Crossing: Haiku and Related Poetry. Edmonton, Alberta: Four Seasons Corner, 1993.
Honorable Mention
Priebe, David, Editor. Timepieces: Haiku Week At-a-glance 1994. Los Angeles, CA: Cloverleaf Books, 1993.
Honorable Mention
Michael Dylan Welch, Editor. Fig Newtons: Senryu to Go. Foster City, CA: Press Here, 1993.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 1992Francein Porad and Robert Major
judges commentsFirst Place
Geraldine Clinton Little. More Light, Larger Vision. AHA Books, Gualala, California, 1992.
Second Place
Randy Brooks and Lee Gurga, Editors. Midwest Haiku Anthology. Decatur, IL: High/Coo Press, 1992.
Third Place
Jane Reichhhold. A Dictionary of Haiku. AHA Books, Gualala, California, 1992.
Honorable Mention
David Samuel Block. The Essence of This. 1992.
Honorable Mention
David Cobb. Mounting Shadows. Shalford, England: Equinox Press, 1992.
Honorable Mention
Ion Codrescu. Drawings Among Haiku. Constanta, Romania, 1992.
Honorable Mention
Marian Olson. Songs of the Chicken Yard. Rexburg, ID: Honeybrook Press, 1992.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 1991Raffael de Gruttola and Patricia Neubauer
judges commentsFirst Place
Alan Pizzarelli. City Beat. Islet Books, 1991.
Second Place
Anita Virgil. One Potato Two Potato Etc. Forest, VA: Peaks Press, 1991.
Third Place
Robert Spiess. The Cottage of Wild Plum. Madison, WI: Modern Haiku, 1991.
Honorable Mention
Anne Mckay. Shaping the Need. 1991.
Honorable Mention
Alexis Rotella. An Unknown Weed. Pointe Claire, Quebec: King’s Road Press, 1991.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 1990Elizabeth St. Jacques and Elizabeth Searle Lamb
judgesFirst Place
Virginia Brady Young. Warming A Snowflake. Hamden, CT: Sleeping Giant Associates, 1990.
Second Place
Hal Roth. Her Daughter’s Eyes. Glen Burnie, MD: Wind Chimes Press, 1990.
Third Place - Tie
Anne Mckay. From the Upper Room. Glen Burnie, MD: Wind Chimes Press, 1990.
Alexis Rotella. Carousel. La Crosse, WI: Juniper Press, 1990.
Honorable Mention
Adele Kenny. Castles & Dragons. Passaic, NJ: Yorkshire House with Muse-Pie Press, 1990.
Honorable Mention
Michael Dylan Welch. The Haijin’s Tweed Coat. Foster City, CA: Press Here, 1990.
Honorable Mention
Jane Reichhold. Silence. Gualala, CA: AHA Books, 1990.
Honorable Mention - Posthumous Award for Haiku Excellence
Charles Dickson. Out of Cassiopela. Deer Isle, ME, 1990.
Honorable Mention - Anthology
Alexis Rotella, Editor. The Rise and Fall of Sparrows: A Collection of North American Haiku. San Diego, CA: Los Hombres Press, 1990.
Honorable Mention - Renga
Jane Reichhold, Editor. Round Renga Round. Gualala, CA: AHA Books, 1990.
Honorable Mention - Miniature
Carol Montgomery. Outlines. Amherst, MA: Swamp Press, 1990.
Honorable Mention - Critical Writing on Haiku
Toshimi Horiuchi. Synesthesia in Haiku and Other Essays. Manilla, Phillipines: The University of the Philippines, 1990.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 1989Virginia Brady Young and R.W. Grandinetti Rader
judgesThis year Mrs. Frances Levenson has made a special donation (in addition to her long-time annual donation) to fund the 1st prize award in our Merit Contest. She has noted that this is not a memorial, but rather, her way of remembering a very happy event occurring in September. Over the years Mrs. Levenson has been more than generous in supporting the HSA. As a way of expressing our gratitude, we have named this year’s 1st place award in her honor. Please note that this is for 1990 only.
First Place (The 1990 Frances Levenson Award)
Geraldine Clinton Little. Star-mapped: Selected haiku, collected haiku sequences, one solo renga, one tanka sequence. Silver Apples Press, 1989.
Second Place
Werner Reichhold. Handshake: Far East Form, Far West Thinking, An Exchange of Spirits. Gualala, CA: AHA Books, 1989.
Third Place
Kazuo Sato. And The Cat, Too. Gualala, CA: AHA Books, 1989. Translated by Jack Stamm.
Honorable Mention
Andre Duhaime and LeRoy Gorman. Parallel Journey/Voyage Parallele. Hull, Quebec: Editions Asticou, 1989.
Honorable Mention - Interview
Anita Virgil and Vincent Tripi. On My Mind: An Interview. Edited by Michael Dylan Welch. Foster City, CA: Press Here, 1989.
Honorable Mention - Renga
Anne McKay and other poets. A Woman of Passage. Glen Burnie, MD: Wind Chimes Press, 1989.
Honorable Mention - Anthology
Ricketts, Beard, Drummond, and Tanabe, Editors. Winter’s Blossoms. The New Zealand Poetry Society, Inc.: Nagare Press, 1989.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 1988Charles Dickson and Makoto Ueda
judges samplesFirst Place
Nicholas A. Virgilio. Selected Haiku. Burnt Lake Press, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, and Black Moss Press, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, 1988.
Second Place
Rod Willmot. Sayings for the Invisible. Black Moss Press, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, 1988.
Third Place
Jane Reichhold. Tigers in a Tea Cup. AHA Books, Gualala, California, 1988.
Honorable Mention Awards
Robert Spiess. New and Selected Speculations on Haiku. Modern Haiku, Madison, Wisconsin, 1988.
Dee Evetts. A Small Ceremony. From Here Press, Fanwood, New Jersey, 1988.
Joseph Gustafson. October Sun: A Year of Haiku. Leicester Hill Books, Worcester, Massachusetts, 1988.
Jane K. Lambert. Small Journeys. privately published, [Greenville, North Carolina], 1988.
Geraldine C. Little. Beyond the Boxwood Comb: Six Women’s Voices from Japan. Sparrow Press, West Lafayette, Indiana, 1988.
anne mckay. Street Songs. Wind Chimes Press, Glen Burnie, Maryland, 1988.
Wally Swist. Chimney Smoke. Juniper Press, LaCrosse, Wisconsin, 1988, and Unmarked Stones. Burnt Lake Press, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, 1988.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 1987
Jerry Kilbride, Geraldine Clinton Little, and Charles D. Nethaway, Jr.
judges samples
Due to the increased volume of quality haiku publications produced every year, the HSA Merit Book Awards became an annual rather than biennial event, starting in 1987.
First Place
Adele Kenny. Migrating Geese. Muse-Pie Press, Passaic, New Jersey, 1987.
Second Place
Donald McLeod. Small Town, Big City. All Night Press, Sherman Oaks, California, 1987.
Third Place
Edward J. Rielly. Family Portrait. Advance Press, Carmel, California, 1987.
Honorable Mentions
John Wills. Reed Shadows. Burnt Lake Press, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and Black Moss Press, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, in association with Chant Press, New York, New York, 1987.
Vincent Tripi. Haiku Pond: A trace of the trail . . . and Thoreau. Vide Press, San Francisco, California, 1987.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 1985 & 1986
for books published in 1985 and 1986
John K. Gillespie and Peggy Heinrich
judges samples
First Place
Rod Willmot. The Ribs of Dragonfly. Black Moss Press, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, 1984.
Second Place
Richard Tice. Station Stop. Middlewood Press, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1986.
Third Place
R. W. Grandinetti Rader. Neon Shapes. Jade Mountain Press, Morristown, New Jersey, 1985.
Honorable Mentions
Adele Kenny. Between Hail Marys. Muse Pie Press, Passaic, New Jersey, 1986.
Elizabeth Searle Lamb. Casting into a Cloud. From Here Press, Fanwood, New Jersey, 1985.
Alexis Rotella. Rearranging Light. Muse Pie Press, Passaic, New Jersey, 1985.
Nicholas A. Virgilio. Selected Haiku. Burnt Lake Press, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, 1985.
Honorable Mention - Translation
Lenore Mayhew, translator. Monkey’s Raincoat: Linked Poetry of the Basho School with Haiku Selections. Charles E. Tuttle, Rutland, Vermont, 1985.
A selection from Monkey’s Raincoat, the last six verses of “Grass and Plum” (Ume Wakana), a 36-stanza renga:
Honorable Mention - Textbook
William J. Higginson with Penny Harter. The Haiku Handbook: How to Write, Share, and Teach Haiku. McGraw-Hill, New York, New York, 1985.
Honorable Mention - Anthology
Cor van den Heuvel, editor. The Haiku Anthology. Fireside/Simon & Schuster, New York, New York, 1986.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 1983-1984
for books published in 1983-1984
R. W. Grandinetti Rader (chairman)
Frank Robinson and Ruth Yarrow
judges samples
First Place
Rod Willmot, Editor. The Erotic Haiku Anthology. Black Moss Press, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, 1983.
Second Place
Bob Boldman. Wind in the Chimes. Juniper Press, La Crosse, Wisconsin, 1983.
Third Place
Adele Kenny. The Roses Open. Jade Mountain Press, Morristown, New Jersey, 1984.
Honorable Mentions
Alexis Rotella. After an Affair. Merging Media, Westfield, New Jersey, 1984.
Hal Roth. The Way the Wind. Wind Chimes Minibook, Glen Burnie, Maryland, 1983.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 1981-1982
Virginia Brady Young
judge samples
First Place
Bob Boldman. Walking With the River. High/Coo Chapbook No. 8, Battle Ground, Indiana, 1981.
Second Place
Cor van den Heuvel. Dark. Chant Press, New York, New York, 1982.
Third Place
Elizabeth Searle Lamb. 39 Blossoms. High/Coo Mini-chapbook No. 17, Battle Ground, Indiana, 1982.
Eminent Mentions
L. A. Davidson. The Shape of the Tree. Wind Chimes, Glen Burnie, Maryland, 1982.
Alan Gettis. Sun-Faced Haiku, Moon-Faced Haiku, Volume I. High/Coo Chapbook No. 11, Battle Ground, Indiana, 1982.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 1978-1980
for books published in 1978-1980
Alfred Marks (chairman)
Sydell Rosenberg, and Lilli Tanzer
judges samples
First Place
Raymond Roseliep. Sailing Bones. Rook Press, Ruffsdale, Pennsylvania, 1978.
Second Place
Bernard Lionel Einbond. The Coming Indoors and Other Poems. Charles E. Tuttle, Rutland, Vermont, 1979.
Third Place
Virginia Brady Young. Shedding the River. privately published, 1978.
Honorable Mentions
Gary Hotham. Against the Linoleum. Yiqralo Press, Laurel, Maryland, 1979.
George Swede. Wingbeats. Juniper Press, La Crosse, Wisconsin, 1979.
Proxade Davis. Scrub Pine. Zephyr Instant Printing, Hyannis, Massachusetts, 1980.
Geraldine C. Little. Separation: Seasons in Space. Sparrow Press, West Lafayette, Indiana, 1979.
Honorable Mention - Translation
Gary L. Ebersole and Hideko Yamaga. The Elm Erupts: Selections from the works of Horiguchi Seimin. privately published, 1977.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 1975-1977
Virginia Brady Young (chairperson)
L. A. Davidson, Alan Gettis, and Sydell Rosenberg
judges samples
First Place
Foster Jewell for the body of his work to date including these two books:
Foster Jewell. Haiku Sketches, Sangre de Cristo Press, Venice, California, 1971.
Foster Jewell. 9 Days on the Desert, Sangre de Cristo Press, Venice, California, 1977.Second Place
Elizabeth Searle and F. Bruce Lamb. Picasso’s “Bust of Sylvette”. Garlinghouse Printers, Topeka, Kansas, 1977. Text by Elizabeth Searle Lamb; photographs by F. Bruce Lamb.
Third Place
Geraldine C. Little. Stilled Wind. Bonsai Press, Prescott, Arizona, 1977.
Honorable Mention
Robert Mainone. High on the Wind. privately published, 1975.
Honorable Mention - for a book of translation and criticism
Makoto Ueda. Modern Japanese Haiku: An Anthology. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Ontario, 1976.
Merit Books Awards
for books published in 1973-1974
Geraldine C. Little (chairperson)
L. A. Davidson, William J. Higginson, Edythe Polster
judges samples
The committee of judges recognized and commended the “able work of editors of ongoing haiku publications, their dedication to, and promulgation of, English-language haiku.” Recognition and commendation also extended to Joseph Earner for his fine work in the starting and editing of New World Haiku.
First Prize
Calvin French. The Poet-Painters: Buson and His Followers. The University of Michigan Museum of Art, The Center for Japanese Studies, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1974.
Second Prize
Cor van den Heuvel, Editor. The Haiku Anthology. Anchor Books/Doubleday, Garden City, New York, 1974.
Third Prize
Foster Jewell. Passing Moments. Sangre de Cristo Press, Venice, California, 1974.
Fourth Prize
Jack Cain. “Paris” (haibun) from Volume 63, a biannual of poetry, October 1964, No. 2, Board of Publications, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, pages 32-35.
Fifth Prize
Anita Virgil. A 2nd Flake. privately published, 1974.
Sixth Prize
Rhoda De Long Jewell. Via Time Machine. Sangre de Cristo Press, Venice, California, 1974.
Seventh Prize
Janice Bostok. Walking into the Sun. Shelters Press, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1974.
Eighth Prize
Mabelle A. Lyon and Wallace H. Fuller. Roadrunner: American haiku of the desert Southwest. privately published, 1973.