Sunday, June 20, 2010

Pravat Kumar Padhy - Three Questions

Pravat Kumar PadhyPravat Kumar Padhy, is a Petroleum Geologist, ONGC, in India. He received his Masters in Science and Ph.D in Applied Geology from Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, presently lives with wife Namita at Rajahmundry (AP), India. He is blessed with two daughters, Smita and Rupa. He has published literary articles and poems in leading English news papers, journals, anthologies and e-zines. His literary work appears in 'Interviews with Indian Writing in English', Indian Literature, Anger in Action: Exploration in Indian Writing in English, Spectrum History of Indian Literature in English, Alienation in Contemporary Indian English Poetry, A Survey of Indian English Poetry etc. Awarded "Certificate of Honour" from Writer's Life Line, Canada. He was included in the International Who's Who in Poetry and Poets, Literary article titled "Abstract Poems" adjudged as the 2nd best entry in the Asian American Poetry e-Journal. Member, World Society of Poets, USA, Honoured as "Featured Poet" in Poetry Street e-Journal, UK, Editors' Choice Poet award by Poetbay, USA. Poetry award from Writers Guild of India. His haiku and tanka appeared in World Haiku Review, LYNX-Aha Poetry, Akita Haiku International Network, The Four Seasons Haiku, Notes From the Gean, Anglo-Japanese Society (Tanka Online) etc. Credited publication of verse, 'Silence of the Seas'.

Blog: http://www.pkpadhy.blogspot.com



1) Why do you write haiku?

Of late I came across the Japanese shorter version of poems and I respect the age old exquisite poetic work of iconic literary pursuits of Japanese poets. I always wish to express the poetic essence in a compressed way so as to make the reader feel a continuous journey through the preserved meaning of the flow of poetry. We all are integral part of nature entwining the philosophy of science and arts. The tiniest object of nature has its genuine worth in this world and it is associated with us in different forms. It is the discovery of this truth that has given rise to genesis of a haiku poem. Haiku give the meaning of cause and response of each entity through the aesthetic way of presentation. Haiku imparts life to every object with the help of vivid imagery. Essentially the genre of expression acts as a diligent medium of wide spectrum of exploration. Moreover, it gives a liberty of expressing the experiment. Writing haiku unveils the poetic essence and lively moments associated with all the entities within the fold of nature and human observations. Essentially it explores the uncommon in the common. This is the precise reason I like the shorter version, like haiku, senryu, tanka etc.

Recently I have the opportunity of reading the scholarly articles by A C Missias, Jeanne Emrich, Jim Kacian, Jane Reichhold , Elizabeth St Jacques and others. Alice Frampton (Associate Editor, The Heron's Nest), Hidenori Hiruta (Editor, Akita Haiku International Network), Lorin Forn (Editor, The Notes From the Glean), rendered immense encouragement about haiku and I always remain grateful to them. I share my poetic regards to Valarie Vandegriff , Beatrice V, Colin Stewart, Leislipaints, Anna, Yousei Hime, Hisashi Nakamura, Michel D. Brown, R K Singh, Aju Mukhopadhyay, Urmila Kaul, Kala Ramesh and other well wishers for their support.

My special regards to Poet Curtis Dunlap for rendering this beautiful opportunity to share my feelings to poet brothers and sisters of the world.

2) What other poetic forms do you enjoy?

I used to enjoy poetic feeling of expression at an early age. I always feel acknowledging nature, social feelings and metaphysical intuition in my writings. In an interview for the collection, edited by Atma Ram, I said, "Poems come to my mind as fragrance to flower. Anything I see, it creates a symbolic frame in my mind......... when I see a small grain of seed, I feel it is tiny / because it nests with care / the mightiest in it.

Earlier I wrote both longer and shorter versions of free verses. I feel more comfortable writing shorter poems, giving enough energy for unveiling the touch of beauty through brevity. Earlier I was not fully versed with the Japanese short verses and I used to compose concise style of poems and named the minimalistic expression as "Abstract Poems".

Recently I tried to express the perspective of poem writings, its essence in a mini autobiographical way, directly bridging the poets inner feeling and his relationship with the society. Moreover, such writings candidly export the poetic essence to society from the poet himself.

I also love to write senryu and tanka. These type of poems give an opportunity to pronounce human and philosophical excellence . Recently I have coined an idea of "Astro-Poetry" assimilating the essence of scientific entities in poetic canopy. In one of my poems titled "The Other Being" I wrote : At times I wonder/Perhaps we are the/Living images/Of distance cosmic rays/At an imaginative focal length.

I also enjoy reading haiga and haibun.


3) Of the many wonderful haiku you've written, what do you consider to be your top three?



creation is mystical
vast value of life
compressed in a seed

World Haiku Review, Issue 2, August, 2009




Dog is misspelled
the child discovered
the Great

LYNX-Aha Poetry, XXV:1 February, 2010




Desert land
measuring sand dune height
a lone lizard.

The Notes From the Gean, Vol.2, Issue 1,June 2010




If you've been enjoying this weekly series and have not contributed, please consider sharing your response (whether it be for haiku or tanka) to the three little questions that Pravat Kumar Padhy answered. You must be a published poet to participate.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Alan Summers - Three Questions

Alan Summers lives in the UK. He was introduced to haiku when he walked into a local branch library in Ipswich, Queensland, and found two copies of The Haiku Handbook. Coincidently the following year Bill Higginson issued a call for his Haiku Seasons Project which resulted in the books: The Haiku Seasons: Poetry of the Natural World; and Haiku World: An International Poetry Almanac.

Alan had two flying fox haiku published in Haiku World. Bill's warmth and incredible day to day contribution to the haiku community is still a constant and very important inspiration to him. He urges everyone to buy copies of all three of these books, saying you won't regret it for a single second of your life.

Alan has since been published in Japan; as well as in numerous American; British; European; and Australasian magazines; plus Japanese newspapers such as Yomiuri Shimbun and Mainichi Daily News.

He is the renga/renku editor for Notes from the Gean, a Journal of Japanese Short Forms; and Haijinx (humor in haiku) editor for the United Kingdom; Ireland; Australia; New Zealand; Africa and the Indian Sub-Continent.

Alan Summers is a Japan Times award-winning writer for haiku and renga and was recently involved in what is believed to be the world's first Sign Language Renga (see Notes from the Gean). Alan runs various live renga/renku events around Britain and has just been commissioned for a six months renga project involving a city in Yorkshire.

Alan also runs The With Words International Online Haiku Competition with the next one being planned for later this year.

His Website: http://www.withwords.org.uk
His blog "Area 17" is at http://area17.blogspot.com/



1) Why do you write haiku?

My reasons have changed over the years, but mostly it sharpens my observational skills. We so easily overlook the smaller incidents of life which actually enrich our day to day existance.

2) What other poetic forms do you enjoy?

I write a hybrid form of ekphrastic poetry:

http://current.com/entertainment/music/89180182_the-searchers-by-paco-pomet-alan-summers.htm

It was high praise from artist Paco Pomet when he said:

"I was really moved by [the poem] and it is definitely the best compliment a painting can have." Paco Pomet, artist, SPAIN

3) Of the many wonderful haiku you've written, what do you consider to be your top three?

I often gauge what might be considered a "wonderful haiku" of mine when the general public get excited about a simple haiku at a reading or performance; workshop; or other activity that I do under the banner of With Words. For my flying fox haiku please buy a copy of the Haiku World.

The first of my chosen haiku is one of my most anthologised haiku and was featured in a full colour spread article in the Bristol Evening Post.

The second poem is a favourite of live audiences, and was also filmed live on BBC TV as part of a regional arts feature.

The third haiku was recently published in Wing Beats: British Birds in Haiku http://www.wingbeats.co.uk and has also been professionally illustrated by a friend of mine: http://tiny.cc/summerwind


the rain
almost a friend
this funeral

(first publication and selected)
Snapshots 4, Snapshot Press ISSN 1461-0833, Highly Commended, Haiku
Collection Competition (1998)
The New Haiku Snapshot Press, ISBN 1-903543-03-7 (2002)
First Australian Haiku Anthology ISBN 0 9577925 9 X ( 2003)



lime quarter ...
an icecube collapses
over jazz

(first publication and selected)
Presence haiku magazine ISSN 1366-5367 (2001)
Haiku Friends Vol. 1 ed. Masaharu Hirata, Osaka, Japan (2003)
City: Bristol Today in Poems and Pictures ISBN: 0954811704 (Paralaia 2004)
Twitter: Seven By Twenty (May 2010)



summer wind
a sparrow re-rights itself
at the peanut cage

(first publication and selected)
Wing Beats: British Birds in Haiku Snapshot Press ISBN 978-1-903543-24-5 (2008)
Haiku Friends Vol. 3 Ed. Masaharu Hirata Osaka, Japan (2009)
(earlier version) Azami haiku magazine, Osaka, Japan (1997)





If you've been enjoying this weekly series and have not contributed, please consider sharing your response (whether it be for haiku or tanka) to the three little questions that Alan answered. You must be a published poet to participate.

Sunday updates - 6-13-2010

Haiku Featured on Seattle Japanese Garden Audio Tour

Michael Dylan Welch has recorded two presentations about haiku for the new audio tour of the Seattle Japanese Garden. These professionally recorded and mixed tracks include koto and shakuhachi music performed by Elizabeth and John Falconer. One of these tracks, titled "Haiku and the Japanese Garden" (9:21 in length), is now available for free download or online listening. Check it out at http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/seattle-japanese-garden-audio/id370304184. Or visit http://www.seattle.gov/PARKS/parkspaces/JapaneseGarden/JapaneseGardenTour.xml. You can also download the CD liner notes at http://www.seattle.gov/parks/parkspaces/japanesegarden.htm#podcast. The second track, titled "Only in Seattle: An Introduction to Haiku Poetry" (approximately 22 minutes in length), will be broadcast on KSER radio sometime in June. On Sunday, June 6, 2010, the Seattle Japanese Garden celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Through the summer of 2010, the Haiku Northwest group has been holding its monthly meetings at the garden too, in their new meeting room. The May 13 meeting featured a presentation on Issa by Michael Dylan Welch. On June 10, Tanya McDonald talked about the haiku of Jack Kerouac. And on July 8, Richard Tice will talk about the haiku of Chiyo-ni. The August 12 presentation is still to be announced.

Seattle will also host a national quarterly meeting of the Haiku Society of America over the weekend of June 25-27, mostly at the Seattle Asian Art Museum, which is currently featuring an exhibit of Japanese woodblock prints (including Hokusai's "Great Wave").



M. Kei
has announced a special section at Atlas Poetica:




Saša Važic'
sent these updates:


Sunday, June 6, 2010

Anne Curran - Three Questions

Anne Curran is a Hamiltonian, New Zealander. She began writing haiku during the summer of 2009. Before that she was writing other forms of short verse. She lived in Japan for two years and enjoys many aspects of the Japanese aesthetic. Anne studied English and Communications at the University of Waikato, Hamilton. Her writing is inspired by the Hamilton landscape,and people. Hamilton is home to many wonderful artists. I have been encouraged by teachers
and family to write.



1) Why do you write haiku?

I started to write haiku during my summer holidays in New Zealand. I found it relaxing to sit down and produce haiku. This form also appealed to me because of its Japanese origins. I lived in Japan for two years in my twenties and found many aspects of the Japanese aesthetic coherent and peaceful. Perhaps then the haiku spirit is something I may have experienced and like to experience in my own life. I have gone on a haiku journey over the last five months. I started to write them possibly breaking all the rules and then with the guidance of a generous editor started to slowly integrate some of her advice into my work. I write about topics pertaining to my everyday urban life, local nature walks, and relationships. In the course of this learning curve I have really started to work on my editing processes as therein lies the challenge. I like the idea of haiku as an art form, the responses that a haiku might fetch from its readers, for example the questions it might raise, or the swallow of recognition.

2) What other poetic forms do you enjoy?

I enjoy haibun. I also enjoy longer poetic forms and have done some writing of this kind of poetry myself. I particularly enjoy poems about landscape and animals. Two of my favourite American poets are Robert Frost and Robinson Jeffers. Two of my favourite New Zealand poets are Adrienne Jansen and Anna Jackson. The poem of Adrienne’s that I most enjoy is titled ‘The Rain and the Spade’. Anna’s poem that I most enjoy is titled, ‘Hen of Tiredness’.

3) Of the many wonderful haiku you've written what do you consider to be your top three?


arms flung over a pool rung
a ripple wakes the surface
gossip between friends

Kokako 12, April 2010



as she turns to leave
my mother’s
girlish smile

Valley Micropress, June, 2010



beside the lake
a smiling tabby
bites a baby’s finger

(unpublished)



If you've been enjoying this weekly series and have not contributed, please consider sharing your response (whether it be for haiku or tanka) to the three little questions that Anne answered. You must be a published poet to participate.

Sunday updates - 6-6-2010

Saša Važic' sent this link to the

FWEE First Annual International Hydropower Haiku Writing Contest

http://www.fwee.org/haiku/contestinfo.html



Gabriel Rosenstock sent this link to Emerging from Absence: An Archive of Japan in English-Language Verse.

http://www.themargins.net/archive.html



The June issue of The Heron's Nest is online:

http://theheronsnest.com/



Shamrock Haiku Journal Issue 14 is online:

http://shamrockhaiku.webs.com/currentissue.htm



The fifth issue of Notes From the Gean is now online.

http://www.geantree.com/indexcover.html



Haiku Chronicles: Episode 12 - The Four Pillars Part I, The Narrow Thread has been posted.

http://www.haikuchronicles.com/



The next meeting of the Southeast Region of The Haiku Society of America will take place on Saturday, July 10 between 10:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

For directions and other details, please contact meisterp@uah.edu.

Allow several days for a response, as I’m not online every day in the summer.



Commemorate Shinran Shonin's 750th Memorial Observance with Poetry Calling for Haiku and Tanka

http://www.ingassho.com/haikucontest/haikucontest.html



25 Tanka for Children: Call for Submissions

The Special Features section of the Atlas Poetica web site is seeking submissions for a collection of ’25 Tanka for Children’ edited by M. Kei. Selections should be suitable for children ages 6 - 12 (1st - 6th grade reading levels), and should address topics that will appeal to children (and their educators and families). Upbeat, fun, and silly tanka are welcome, but so are serious tanka that address topics children may have to deal with in their lives, such as the loss of a pet, divorce, disabilty, bullies, etc. However, the purpose of the collection is to engage children with tanka poetry, so serious subjects should be handled in a positive and entertaining way. Poets should speak to children, not ‘about’ children.

Form: Tanka, kyoka, waka, gogyohka, cinquain, cinqku, and other recognized variants of tanka in English are all welcome. Poems should be untitled. Although tanka are not usually rhymed, anything that engages the attention of children is a welcome addition to the work. Shaped tanka, acrostic tanka, and visual tanka are all welcome. No illustrations. All work should be reproducible in text only. The collection will attempt to present different variations of tanka, such as sanjuichi, SLSLL, 2-3-2-3-3 beats, free form, and the variants, such as cinquain, but literary value and appeal to children are paramount.

Limericks: One or two limericks may be published to compare and contrast tanka with the five line poetic form most likely to be known to children. Limericks should be the author’s original work and adhere to the guidelines. The editor reserves the right to omit limericks for any reason.

Pedagogic Value: Vocabulary and grammar should be age appropriate, with proper English syntax. Although poems will be selected based on their appeal to children (test them out on any children you might have access to), poems will also be evaluated for their value in teaching basic elements of literature, such as alliteration, rhythm, metaphor, simile, etc.

Possible Teachers Guide: Poets who work with children in any capacity are invited to share their credentials and to comment briefly upon their poems regarding pedagogic value. These comments might be edited and expanded to become a ‘teachers guide,’ and poets understand that their commentary, if used, will receive a credit. The ‘teachers guide’ is not a firm project, and there is no guarantee that it will happen.

Age: The general Atlas Poetica guidelines apply, therefore poets must be 16 or older. Please visit http://atlaspoetica.org/ for complete guidelines and to view previous Special Features. Poems should be contained in the body of an email. Please query before sending attachments.

Submissions: Poets are invited to send up to ten poems each, but only one poem will be chosen by each poet, in keeping with the theme and format of the ’25 Poems’ features on the Atlas Poetica website. Send to: editor@AtlasPoetica.org, with a subject line of ‘Tanka for Children.’

Deadline: Deadline for submitting to ’25 Tanka for Children’ is September 15, 2010. The planned publication date is Winter 2010/2011. Special Features are published on an irregular schedule.

Email address for submissions: Editor (at) AtlasPoetica (dot) org -- subject line: 25 Tanka for Children



Hi All:

This has been the busiest year ever at Red Moon Press, with half a
dozen new titles already prepared for the new year (our 18th), and a
couple more coming soon. We think you'll find something for every
haiku reader and taste.

Here's what's new:

Individual Collections

• Stephen Addiss — Cloud Calligraphy
This volume finds Addiss at his most playful and features 6 of his
inimicable haiga as well. “Stephen Addiss creates an interconnected
meditation with both brush and ink. Each
poem starts on the page, but finishes in the reader’s mind! His
poems are so full of movement they have the power to stop us, and put
us back in the moment.” —Stanford M. Forrester, Editor, bottle
rockets


• Dimitar Anakiev — Rustic
Anakiev’s fourth book with RMP (At the Tombstone, Kosovo Peonies,
balcony) features 50 recent poems, each reflecting upon a different
keyword, and each with copious notes as to the origins of the poem
and the concept at hand. ". . . a literary historian’s dream,
providing the author’s statement of intent and detailed notes.
Reading the individual poems in context shows them to be simple and
profound, inviting the reader to join the poet in contem-plating
culture, history, and our collective roots in the natural world,
including chaos and war.” —Johnye Strickland, Professor Emeritus,
University of Arkansas


• Jim Kacian — where i leave off / waar ik ophoud
Produced by ’t schrijverke of the Netherlands in a bilingual
(English / Dutch) edition, this is Kacian’s 15th book devoted to
haiku. This one explores the one-line haiku, and includes a mini-
essay on the subject, as well as more than 50 examples, along with a
selection of his miniature “one-bun,” haibun where the prose is
limited to a single sentence. "Kacian breaks new ground by
systematically exploring the possibilities of one-line haiku in
English.” Max Verhart, Editor, Vuursteen


• Dietmar Tauchner — as far as i can
This is Tauchner’s long-awaited first full-length book of haiku in
English, and he doesn’t disappoint. The book pivots about a visit to
the Mauthausen Prisoner Camp, which provides perspective on the
poet’s life and pursuits. “Lean and quiet, the haiku in this
excellent collection convey deeply felt connections with nature,
other people, and the inner self. They dignify the commonplace and
affirm the unknown and mysterious within the familiar.” —Peggy
Willis Lyles, Editor, The Heron’s Nest


• Jim Westenhaver — long enough
This poet’s first book of haiku suggests he will be a name to watch.
This elegiac meditation on the fleeting touch between two people will
stay with you. “What is unsaid pulses through long enough, and yet
this slim collection of 27 poems overflows itself. Each haiku speaks
to the next; the white space between vibrates with increasing energy
until the last poem ricochets back to the first, demanding the book
be re-read wholly anew.” —Eve Luckring


Annual Publications

• where the wind turns: The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language
Haiku 2009
The fourteenth volume of the most decorated series in haiku history,
where the wind turns features 161 poems, 12 linked forms, and 6
critical essays on the reading, writing and study of the genre.
“Simply the best thing out there.” —Charles Trumbull, Editor,
Modern Haiku


• contemporary haibun Volume 11
This eleventh volume of the only series devoted to the best haibun
and haiga produced in English features 70 poems and 32 haiga..
“contemporary haibun has stood alone, for nearly a decade, as the
chief vehicle and bulwark of the burgeoning haibun movement in
English.” —Jeffrey Woodward, Editor, Haibun Today


Special Publications


• Ruth Franke — Schwerelos Gleiten / Slipping through Water
This innovative new book combines short prose and verse (haibun) with
visual artistic impressions by the renowned German artist Reinhard
Stangl. The 22 haibun invite the reader to enter the atmosphere of
the different scenes and allow the multi-layered content to take
effect. English versions by David Cobb and Celia Brown. Preface by
Jim Kacian. A magnificent production by Wiesenburg, distributed in
North America by Red Moon Press.


Coming Soon


• Carolyn Hall — How to Paint the Finch’s Song
Hall’s second major collection, out in June.

• Robert Boldman — Selected Haiku
Boldman’s return to haiku after a 25-year hiatus. Publication date
to be determined.


You can find these, and much more, at <www.redmoonpress.com>.
As always, thank you for your continuing support.


Jim Kacian
Red Moon Press