Southwest Region of the Haiku Society of America

Haiku Society of America Region

~ ~ ~

Southwest Region

This region includes Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah.

The Southwest region has relatively few haiku poets over its large area, but a few of its poets can claim to have significant influence on haiku poetry.

Santa Fe, New Mexico was for many years the home of Elizabeth Searle Lamb, charter member and former president of the Haiku Society of America, and longtime editor of the society’s flagship journal, Frogpond. Santa Fe was also home to William J. Higginson, another HSA charter member and former president, and his wife, Penny Harter, also a former president. Together, these poets have had a huge impact on English-language haiku, especially Higginson with his landmark books: The Haiku Handbook (originally published in 1985, and now available in a 25th anniversary edition), The Haiku Seasons, and Haiku World (both 1996). New Mexico is also home to haiku pioneer John Brandi, and has also recently become the home of Charles Trumbull’s journal Modern Haiku, the oldest and most prestigious journal for haiku and haiku studies outside Japan.

In Texas, the Fort Worth Haiku Society was founded by Cliff Roberts. The group held events for many years, including hosting a national quarterly meeting of the Haiku Society of America. In 2012 they took part in National Haiku Poetry Day. They also hosted a HSA Quartely meeting last year. They also host a quarterly FWHS Haiku contest, sponsored a Poetry Society of Texas haiku contest.

The Austin Haiku Group was founded in 2019 by Agnes Eva Savich and continues bimonthly meetings in the Austin area.

If you would like more information about haiku activity in the region, please contact the Southwest regional coordinator.

Regional Links

Elizabeth Searle Lamb
http://americanhaikuarchives.org/curators/
ElizabethSearleLamb.html

William J. Higginson
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_J_Higginson

Cliff T. Roberts
Texoma Haiku Society

Southwest Region Haiku Anthology

An anthology of haiku by Southwest Region members, A Charm of Finches (The RoadRunner Press, 2022), edited by Agnes Eva Savich, features beautiful regional artwork by ten of the poets in addition to haiku by 36 poets from Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah. It can be purchased on Amazon, or direct from the editor, Agnes Savich.

~ ~ ~

Regional Coordinator

Writing Arizona:
An Immersive Haiku Workshop

Study and practice with two experienced and beloved haiku teachers in an inspirational setting.

Set at the foot of the Chiricahua Mountains alongside Cave Creek, Portal is known as an international birding site with eight bio zones from desert steppe to alpine meadows.

Generative activities include bird and nature walks and a dark skies party with the stars. Participants are encouraged to workshop haiku brought from home as well as poems written during our time together. Some of our workshop activities will be divided into two sections for an intimate opportunity to learn with both facilitators.

Agnes Eva Savich is a haiku poet and oboe musician performing in local orchestras and a woodwind quintet. She lives in Austin, Texas where she works at the university. Agnes is an HSA mentor and currently serves as a Touchstone Awards panelist, HSA Southwest Regional Coordinator, Treasurer on the HNA Director's Board, and leader of the Austin Haiku Group and Pflugerville Poetry Society.

Tom Painting teaches at the Paideia School in Atlanta, GA. His students have been recognized in prestigious writing events, such as the United Nations International School Haiku Competition. Tom is an associate editor for the haiku journal The Heron's Nest and has been active in the haiku community for over twenty-five years. Tom is an active birder and leads birding walks for youth in Georgia.

Haiku Society of America

Haiku Society of America Region

~ ~ ~