Book review: Basho Haiku Challenge Chapbook, edited by Don Wentworth

The Basho Haiku Challenge was created by Don Wentworth, editor of Lilliput Review and the Modest Proposal Chapbook series, and the first annual contest ran from September 2008 to October 2008.  Mr. Wentworth chose some of the best poems from the competition to include in a contest anthology, including the winning poem by Roberta Beary:

on the church steps

a mourning dove

with mother's eyes

Beary is a well-known and well-respected haiku poet, and her collection The Unworn Necklace won first prize in the 2006 Snapshot Press Haiku Collection Competition.  The book was also a finalist for the 2008 William Carlos Williams Award.

In addition to Beary's winning poem, the Basho Haiku Challenge Chapbook contains 23 poems from 19 poets (three of Beary's other poems were also chosen for inclusion) as well as a translation of Matsuo Basho's famous "summer grasses" haiku.  Almost 200 poems were entered in the contest, and if the ones printed in the chapbook are any indication, it was a stiff competition.

Haiku fans will recognize many of the poets whose work was included, such as Richard Krawiec, Joshua Gage, Jim Kacian, and Ed Markowski.  This poem by Heidi George captures a serene moment of urban nature:

city park--

humans, pigeons

resting

Invoking Basho's spirit, Guy Simser contributes this haiku:

on the steep rock face

just one short, gaunt pine

                bowing

Patrick Sweeney (who has three poems in this book) writes about hidden motives:

dandelion sphere

I can see

right through you

The chapbook contains poems representing various forms and styles of haiku.  Most of the poems are three lines, but there are several one-line haiku, and even one with a title (which is rare to find).  There is also a humorous haiku by Miriam Chaikin, as well as this broken four-line poem by Craig Santos Perez:

dragonflies mating again-

st the finger-

print blushed wind-

ow

Mr. Wentworth has said he plans to make the Basho Haiku Challenge an annual contest.  The next contest has not been announced yet, but once it is the details and submission guidelines should be available on his blog, Issa's Untidy Hut.

The Basho Haiku Challenge Chapbook is 13 pages, printed on white paper with a yellow cardstock cover.  It is available for $3.00 (including shipping) from Modest Proposal Chapbooks, and it is #20 in the Modest Proposal series.  Like the other chapbooks in the series (and Lilliput Review) it's small enough to tuck in your pocket and take with you anywhere.

(Originally published on Helium.com, May 2009)

two haiku contests

Both of these contests close on October 31st:

2009 San Francisco International Competition: This contest, sponsored by the Haiku Poets of Northern California, is for haiku, senryu, tanka, and rengay. There are different prizes depending on the category, but for haiku there are three prizes of $100, $50, and $25. No simultaneous submissions or reprints. There is a $1 entry fee per poem.

IHS International Haiku Competition 2009: Entries for this contest (put on by the Irish Haiku Society) are $4/poem, or seven entries for $25. No previously published poems. There will be three prizes given of 150, 50, and 30 Euros each.

The deadline for the 2nd Annual Basho Haiku Challenge is also October 31st. If you feel like reading haiku instead of writing it, check out the new issue of Chrysanthemum (#6). There are a couple of good haiku by John Martone and Mark Miller, as well as poems by Peggy Willis Lyles, Bob Lucky, and Paul M.

some new books, random news

For anyone looking for new books to read (or give as gifts), two new books have just cropped up from Sam's Dot Publishing. The first is a collaboration from poets Joshua Gage and J.E. Stanley titled Intrinsic Night. The book is a collection of cinquain, and it can be pre-ordered from the Genre Mall for $5.85 plus shipping. There are some sample poems from the book on Josh Gage's blog.

The second book is a novella by Niteblade editor Rhonda Parrish, "Shades of Green." The scheduled release date is January 1st, 2010, so it should be available for pre-order sometime before then. The book is set in the same world as her story "Sister Margaret," which has gotten some great reviews.

In other news, Necrography has just announced it will be closing. Another good magazine gone by the wayside. If you haven't read the first (and only) issue, copies are still available from the website.

For haiku enthusiasts, Don Wentworth (editor of Lilliput Review) has just announced the 2nd Annual Basho Haiku Challenge. Up for grabs this time is a copy of Bashō and His Interpreters: Selected Hokku with Commentary, edited by Makoto Ueda, as well as a 15-issue subscription to Lilliput Review. Winners will also be published in the contest anthology (and receive free copies). Entry is free, and the deadline is Oct. 31st.

busy busy busy

Sorry everyone, it's been very busy in Schwartzville lately. I'll try to post more soon.

Here are two books I've gotten recently, both of which are amazing and I'll devote more time and space to them in a future post:

- Basho Haiku Challenge Chapbook: This little anthology, published by Modern Proposal Chapbooks, contains the best haiku from Don Wentworth's first annual Basho Haiku Challenge, including the winning poem by Roberta Beary. There are some great haiku in this book, and it's only $3.

- Anomalous Appetites: John Irvine started this project last year, and it's just given birth in the form of a mammoth collection of speculative poetry and art. The book is just under 200 pages, and you'll find dark and bizarre poems by names you recognize, like Aurelio Rico Lopez III (whose cinquain, "Alone," is my favorite so far), Kristin Ong Muslim, Marge Simon, Kurt Newton, and Ken Goldman. The illustrations complement the poems perfectly. The book has a somewhat-hefty price tag, but it's a huge book and it's worth it.

Just a couple other things to note:

Fans of Lunch Hour Stories probably already know this, but the magazine has recently folded. Another casualty in this unending war.

American Tanka is currently reading for issue #19, and will remain open to submissions through August.

I recently finished reading Empire by David Dunwoody, and posted my review of it here. I would recommend it, and if you're gonna read it, read it soon, because the author's already working on the sequel.