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Volume 37.2
Summer 2006

haiku book notes

 

Broken in Passing, by the Bangor Haiku Group (Bangor, Maine: haiku to go, 2005). 13 pages, 4 .25" x 2 .25", saddle-stapled. $3 postpaid from Steve Perrin, PO Box 585, Bar Harbor, ME 04609.

First collection from the local group that includes Bruce Ross, Robert Seretny, Ginger Graham, Christina Diebold, Wendy Striar, and Steve Perrin. A nice variety of voices. August night / I lie awake / arguing — Perrin.


Haiku Collection, by the TGU Haiku Circle (Osaka, Japan: 2005). 37 pages, 5 .25" x 8 .125", perfectbound. No ISBN. Inquire of Peter Duppenthaler, Tezukayama Gakuin University, Osaka-Sayama-shi, Osaka-fu, 589-8585, Japan.

Four poems each from eighteen former and present students in Prof. Peter Duppenthaler’s Haiku in English class at Tezukayama Gakuin University. Each poet has a distinctive voice. any fireflies yet? / neighbors’ greetings / in the cool dusk — Matsuyo Sato

Rustle of Bamboo Leaves, by Victor P. Gendrano (Morrisville, N.C.: Lulu Enterprises, 2005). 227 pages, 6" x 9", perfectbound. No ISBN. $19 from most online retailers.

An interesting book of haiku, related forms, and free verse that suffers from the inclusion of the online community’s commentaries and discussions of his poems — nearly all encouraging and complementary. That distraction aside, the author knows his stuff, and there are a lot of strong poems. spring rain / her parasol opens / to take him in

Autumn Mosquito, by Lee Gurga (Lincoln, Ill.: Modern Haiku Press, 2005). 18 pages, 4" x 5", letterpress printed, hand bound. No ISBN. $5 postpaid from Modern Haiku Press, PO Box 68, Lincoln, IL 62656.

Gurga’s poems have a strong sense of place and reveal their emotions to the reader quietly, without fanfare. Published in honor of the fifteenth anniversary of the Haiku International Association. prairie farmhouse / two empty lawn chairs / face the blacktop

Inside the Mirror: The 2005 Red Moon Anthology of English-language Haiku, edited by Jim Kacian (Winchester, Va.: Red Moon Press, 2006). 184 pages, 5" x 8", perfectbound. ISBN 1-893959-53-8. $16.95 plus $4.00 postage from Red Moon Press, PO Box 2461, Winchester, VA 22504.

The annual anthology turns ten years old this year, yet its collection of the best English-language haiku, senryu, haibun, linked poems, and essays from more than twenty journals, twelve contests, and countless other sources has never felt fresher. Kacian and ten other well-established editors pare down over 1,800 nominated poems to the best 139. I didn’t need to go further than the first haiku to find the excellent: what else / do I need to know… / pine trees growing from stone — Kay Anderson. This yearly is a must for every haiku library.


Around the World as Briefly as Possible, by Jim Kacian (Winchester, Va.: Red Moon Press, 2006). Compact disk. Inquire of the author at PO Box 2461, Winchester, VA 22604.

This audio CD offers the unique opportunity to hear a poet read his own work, in this case, the haibun of the same name. Recorded for National Public Radio.


The Youngest Ones, by Scott Metz (Greenfield, Mass.: Tribe Press, 2005). 2 pages, 15" x 4", letterpress printed, hand bound, accordion folded. No ISBN. $4 postpaid (cash only) from Rob Marsteller, 919 N 18th Street, Allentown, PA 18104.

Another in the Pinch Book series. Ten haiku from an elementary school teacher showing the differences between a child and adult’s perspective. a child’s drawing — / the ladder to the sun / only three steps


World Haiku 2006, edited by Ban’ya Natsuishi (Tokyo: Shichigatsudo, 2006). 230 pages, 5" x 8", perfectbound. $20 postpaid by International Postal Money Order or IRC from World Haiku Association, 3-16-11 Tsuruse-nishi, Fujimi, Saitama, 354-0026, Japan.

The second installment from the WHA includes 158 poets from 27 countries — mostly Japan and Eastern Europe — showcasing 472 haiku, 11 haiga, and 5 essays. As to be expected from a "world” and members’ anthology, the styles and quality vary greatly, but an interesting look outside the American haiku pond. See the full review of the 2005 edition in Modern Haiku 36.3. in the city / attracting bombshells / that fig tree — Keiji Minato.


& Y Not?, by Stanley Pelter (Easton, England: George Mann Publications, 2006). 144 pages, 6" x 9", perfectbound. ISBN 0-9546299-7-3. Free with $3 for postage from the author at 5 School Lane, Claypole, Newark, Lincolnshire NG23 5BQ, England.

More accessible than his earlier volume, Past Imperfect, but still a wild ride. Pelter challenges the limits of haibun with varied success. it begins / an open dictionary / falls to the ground


Pen & Brush, edited by David Kopitzke (Richland Center, Wis.: Hummingbird Press, 2005). 54 pages, 5" x 5", handsewn. ISBN 0-9629902-9-9. $15 postpaid from the editor at 15490 Bur Oak Lane, Richland Center, WI 53581.

A collection of Kopitzke’s best drawings and their original accompanying short poems from the past fifteen years of the journal Hummingbird. Not all of the poems are haiku or haiku-related, but some nice work. high above / the town’s holiday dazzle / the cradle-shaped moon — Phyllis Walsh.


Shadows Bloom, by John W. Sexton with translations into Irish by Gabriel Rosenstock (Kerry, Ireland: Doghouse, 2004) 67 pages, 5" x 7", perfectbound. Inquire of Doghouse Press at PO Box 312, Tralee G.P.O., Co. Kerry, Ireland or <doghouse312@eircom.net>.

A charming collection of poems in both English and Irish. broken sky / a single pony / keeps the field from straying or if you prefer, spear bhriste / ni ligeann an capaillin aonair / don ghort dul ar strae


Prairie Sunset, edited by Denver Stull (Hamilton, Ont.: Hamilton Haiku Press, 2005). 90 pages, 8" x 5", perfectbound. ISBN 0-9684239-3-0. $10.50 postpaid from Mekler & Deahl, 237 Prospect Street South, Hamilton, ON L8M 2Z6, Canada.

The long awaited 2000 Herb Barrett Award anthology. Like any anthology, especially one containing contest entries, it is of varying quality, but a nice production. The winning poem: prairie sunset / the old shed / leans into it — Joanne Morcom.


Tracing the Fern: The 2005 Haiku North America Anthology, edited by Michael Dylan Welch and Billie Wilson (Sammamish, Wash.: Press Here, 2005). 40 pages, 5" x 8", saddle-stapled. ISBN 1-878798-28-6. $9 postpaid ($10 in Canada, $11 elsewhere) from Michael Welch, 22230 NE 28th Place, Sammamish, WA 98074-6408.

A total of 122 haiku and senryu by 61 poets attending the 2005 Haiku North America conference in Port Townsend, Wash. The title poem: after love / she traces the ferns / in the window’s frost —Penny Harter.

 

 

 

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