… for some brief self-promotion. You can do like I always do and just hit mute while the commercial is running if you want, though. I won’t be offended.
Okay: Tomorrow (July 16) is the last day to get your registration in to Haiku North America in order to be eligible for reduced rate registration. (You can still register after this, it will just cost a little more.) HNA is a huge haiku bash that will be happening in Seattle from August 3rd to 7th. All kinds of fun things will be happening there, as you can see from this schedule.
One of the fun things is a panel discussion on haiku blogging, which will be conducted by Fay Aoyagi (Blue Willow Haiku World), Gene Myers (genemyers.com), Don Wentworth (Issa’s Untidy Hut), and me. What are we going to say? You know, I don’t have the faintest idea. It’s a surprise. You’ll have to show up to find out. (Evil laugh.)
I will say that those other three people are kind of, like, blogger superheroes. If you’ve spent any time around here at all you’ve heard me quote Fay and Don over and over again. I am not quite sure what the world of haiku blogging would be like without them but I don’t want to find out. And although Gene’s blog focuses less exclusively on haiku and thus has gotten less air time here, it is also fascinating and extremely rewarding. So I’m very flattered to be included in their company.
I hope to see a bunch of you there. I think what I’m most looking forward to about this conference is being able to meet people in the flesh who have previously been only disembodied names. Make sure to say hi if you see me, if I don’t say it first.
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One more quick public service announcement: Tomorrow is also the last day to get your haiku/tanka/haiga about mushrooms to me if you want them included in my super-mega mushroom blowout post next week. Saturday midnight. Don’t forget.
Red Dragonfly 
Well, Melissa: “What are we going to say? You know, I don’t have the faintest idea.” That certainly is the truth! I’ve just started making a few notes and they’re all about what I don’t know! In any case, I think we all have strengths that will complement each other on the panel and make it hopefully something that everyone can take something away from. I’d love it to be more open discussion, less talking heads, but we’ll have to see.
You can trust your very kind words won’t go to my head. It exploded a long time ago (hence the shying away from the talking head thing).
Don
I’m in agreement about the talking head thing, Don…for one thing, I’d like to know why people are there — to start their own blogs, get tips about blogging, just hear about our experiences with our blogs…I might end up just writing down a bunch of notes and then ad libbing depending on what it seems like people want to hear about.
Needless to say, I am really looking forward to meeting you and your exploded head…also, I trust you will have copies of your chapbook there. Because I need one.
Wow! What a chance that I’ll miss! But there will be other opportunities, I’m sure. Still, it hurts to know what I’ll be missing really…
Wish you could be there too, Alegria! One of these days I will have to make it to Vancouver, it’s one of those places I’ve always meant to visit. I’ve made it to Victoria twice (on my two previous visits to Seattle) but just never could squeeze out enough time to get farther north…