Sorry I haven’t been around much. I actually have been writing, I’ve just been keeping it selfishly to myself and trying to figure out what to do with it, along with everything else I’m always trying to figure out what to do with. (Life would be so much easier if I didn’t feel this constant need for it to make sense.)
Also I’ve been working on a few other haiku-related projects, which have come to fruition lately. Please check them out, because they’re kind of amazing, and I feel I can say that because for the most part they involve other people’s writing, not my own.
- Haibun Today 10.1. I edited the haibun section of this issue and I have to say I’m really happy with the mix of pieces we published. More and more people seem to be writing haibun from a wider variety of backgrounds and I’m seeing some very interesting work being submitted. It’s a pleasure and a luxury to read it all and to work with writers on editing their pieces. (A little-known secret of many, many writers is that a lot of the time we’d rather be editing than writing.) Speaking of, Glenn Coats, who is an excellent writer and editor, is in charge of the haibun section for 10.2, so send some work his way.
- Bones 9. Once again Johannes, Aditya, and I shared the task of selecting work for this issue and once again, I feel (if I do say so myself) that this journal is one of the most exciting out there for the quality and innovation of both poetry and artwork. Our submission period for Bones 10 is May 15-June 15, which is a ways away, but that gives you plenty of time to write something you love to send us.
- Juxta 2.1. I had nothing to do with editing this journal of haiku research and scholarship, but I did contribute a piece I had a great time researching and writing–a cumulative review of the three editions of The Haiku Anthology. For this effort I was forced (ahem) to read each edition all the way through several times, which I’ve theoretically done before but it’s different when you’re reading with a historical-critical eye. I learned a lot, including how to appreciate many writers and styles of haiku I hadn’t previously thought I had much interest in. I also spent a lot of time looking into the background of the anthology and the history of the English-language haiku movement, which if you know me you know is basically like saying, “I spent a lot of time eating chocolate cake and watching Cary Grant movies.” Anyway, if you’re interested in that kind of thing, give this journal a try.
Hope you’re all well. I have firm resolutions to begin contributing to the blog again, um, some time soon. I’ll let you know if I figure out the meaning of life, the universe, and everything.
Red Dragonfly 