A Special Selection
of WHC [World Haiku Club] Members' Haiku with Comments by Susumu Takiguchi
Susumu Takiguchi applies extremely high standards and quality criteria when he selects haiku poems for various purposes such as competitions, kukai or publication in World Haiku Review. In the last case, the number of works selected is only ten per category out of many entries (this could be less than ten if enough works of merit are not found). "In Praise of Non-Japanese Haiku" is no exception. In fact, even higher standards and criteria are used as the series aims at combing through the sea of haiku poems for its rarest gems.
WHChaikuforum was created to become a premier haiku forum in the world with very stringent admission criteria. The three core criteria are excellence as a haiku poet, excellence as a person and excellence in the ability to enjoy haiku writing and discussion at the list. Certain other, usual criteria such as reputation, leadership or length of haiku experience are not of primary importance. It is a small forum and the membership is by invitation only. Members are given much higher latitude and greater privilege by virtue of their excellence.
"In Praise of Non-Japanese Haiku" is a project undertaken by Susumu Takiguchi at WHChaikuforum. It is expected to appear from time to time in the World Haiku Review and to be included in one of his future publications. -World Haiku Review
From the archives of WHChaikuforum
Thursday December 5, 2002:
Some people assert that there is no such thing as American haiku or Japanese haiku and that there could be only one haiku: namely, haiku. They may well be right, though it also sounds like romantic idealism or a refined fundamentalist view in the same sort of sense as when people say, "We are all human". Either way, from a practical point of view, it is at times convenient to make such broad distinctions, in full recognition that there are similarities as well as differences between them. With that proviso, I wish to pick up some of the haiku poems written by the founding members of WHChaikuforum and present them as good examples of the haiku by non-Japanese poets' hand, which I think have come off well. This will be part of my modest contribution to this list and "my way" of celebrating and paying tribute to those parts of non-Japanese haiku which have been successful.
Kengin,
Susumu
In this issue are the first Susumu's "In Praise of" commentaries on sixteen haiku by the following poets (arranged in alphabetical order of the poet's surnames or pen-name). Click the author's name/poem to read them, or scroll down the page.
an'ya: "moonset"
Winona Baker: "moss-hung trees"
DW Bender: "before church"
Naomi Y. Brown: "new year day"
Sylvia Forges-Ryan: "Long ago"
Robert Gibson: "petals"
Kirsty Karkow: "empty shelf"
Kirsty Karkow: "push-ups"
Ferris Gilli: "floodlight"
Christopher Herold: "bird shadow"
Peggy Willis Lyles: "shake the vase—"
Michael McClintock: "I eat alone"
Gabriel Rosenstock: "lone dandelion stalk"
Gabriel Rosenstock: "in time of war"
Alison Williams: "cold rain—"
Paul O. Williams: "a cat watches me"
moonset
a sudden vastness
between stars
