News

Hope You Like Our New Design

by Dave Russo on August 20, 2011

Welcome to the spiffed-up web site of The Haiku Foundation!

Our main goal for the new design was make it easier for you to find our content–especially our haiku collections and discussion areas. We reorganized the main menu and added a site index in the footer on every page. We added a slider on the home page to call attention to special features, such as the THF Haiku app for Apple devices. Click the > symbol in the slider to display the next feature.

Behind the scenes, we upgraded to the latest version of WordPress software, and we replaced our original site templates with the Thesis framework. These technical changes should make our site more stable and secure for the future. And they will enable us to take advantage of new features such as the quotation widget in the Quick Takes section in the right side bar that you’ll see on many pages of the site.

Our new design is the product of many hands. The Board of Directors drafted the new design in response to suggestions and comments from you, our readers. We hired Chris Guth (www.thesistheme.net) to implement the design in Thesis and WordPress. We hired Rich Agnew (www.computer-geek.net)–who created the database software behind the Haiku Registry, the Contest Archive, and the Per Diem feature–to make these applications work with the new design. And yours truly coordinated the various contributors.

Of course, the new design wouldn’t matter if we didn’t have content and experiences to offer you.

Hats off to our Forum moderators: Alan Summers; Laura Sherman; Don Baird; Gael Bage; John McManus; Jim Kacian; David Lanoue; Peter Yovu; and Billie Wilson. We think our forum is one of the best places for haiku-related discussions on the web.

Thanks to Billie for managing the Haiku Registry and our Event Calendars; to Paul Miller for managing the Contest Archive; to Laura for coordinating our HaikuNow! contests; and to Mark Harris for managing the Touchstone Awards.

None of this would be possible without your contributions of time, money, and attention. I hope that we can find more ways to keep you engaged with The Haiku Foundation.

THF Haiku Bowl A Hit at Haiku North America

by Billie Wilson on August 10, 2011

The Haiku Foundation’s Haiku Bowl 2011, a game show modeled on the GE College Bowl television show of the 1950s, but featuring questions about haiku, was a smash hit at Haiku North America this past weekend in Seattle.

The show, moderated by THF President Jim Kacian and adjudicated by Charlie Trumbull, featured two panels of haiku poets, the Birds and the Frogs, testing their haiku knowledge before an engaged and enthusiastic audience. The contest, which ended in a tie, was a remarkable display of haiku erudition.

The Frogs, captained by Eve Luckring, featured David Lanoue, Fay Aoyagi and Michael Dylan Welch, while the Birds, led by Melissa Allen, included Richard Gilbert, Emiko Miyashita and Cor van den Heuvel. The amassed haiku knowledge of these two groups was staggering, as they answered more than 200 questions on varying aspects of haiku, its history, lore and practice, with hardly a misstep. The audience also displayed a high level of understanding of the many aspects of the genre, often anticipating answers, and certainly getting behind their teams with cheers, jeers and a great deal of encouragement.

“That was a hoot,” said Michael Dylan Welch, HNA board member, conference organizer, and committed Frog.  ”I haven’t laughed so hard in years,” added Cor van den Heuvel, ardent Bird.  ”The fix was in,” opined a member of the audience who wished to remain anonymous (though we understand Rupert Murdoch is looking into who it is and will report shortly).

Safe to say, it was an event no one will forget soon, and it wouldn’t be entirely surprising if it were to be reprised at the next HNA, scheduled for Los Angeles in 2013.

THF Haiku: Our New iPhone App

by Dave Russo on August 4, 2011

We’re happy to announce THF Haiku, The Haiku Foundation’s app for the Apple iPhone!

THF Haiku brings contemporary haiku to your mobile device with a shake of your hand—literally. Shake your phone or other mobile device and a new poem appears. The app is loaded with 365 haiku from poets around the globe, showing the range of topics and form characteristic of today’s haiku. Additional poem packets soon to be available.

Many thanks to our app developer, Luke Bradford. Some of you might recall Luke’s first haiku app, Haiku Time, a haiku generator that generated quite a few comments on our blog.

You can download THF Haiku from the App Store on your Apple device.

Events Calendars Updated September 21, 2011

by Billie Wilson on July 22, 2011

Our Event Calendars have been updated.  These tools are designed to help haiku poets keep track of journal submission and contest entry deadlines, They are available in either pdf or html versions. The main document has publications and contests; the other is a contests-only version. They can be used as checklists as well as reminders. Many thanks to those who have sent information to help us keep the information current and correct. Please continue to send new information, updates, and corrections to calendar/at/thehaikufoundation.org (replacing /at/ with @).

The Haiku Foundation Contest Archive

by Dave Russo on May 6, 2011

I’m posting this on behalf of Paul Miller, who created the Contest Archive.

Paul writes:

“English-language haiku has grown substantially over the last forty years, both in the number of poets, as well as in the number of haiku organizations. This healthy growth has been a boon for budding and established poets. Part of this growth has been in the number of haiku contests. However, if the community has a weakness, it is that it is run by volunteers, and as such historical records aren’t always kept, or passed from outgoing to incoming President, or from coordinator to coordinator, as well as they should.

Since preservation of English-language haiku is one of the goals of the Haiku Foundation, an archive of contest winning poems is a natural fit. The Haiku Foundation has worked with local and national haiku organizations to create this online database. The contest data will be updated continuously; however, in order to allow the sponsor organizations first notification to the public, there will be a delay before such winners are posted on the HF site. This is an ongoing project so new contests will be periodically added. Corrections and suggestions are welcomed and encouraged.

In the creation of this archive we have found the process of revisiting years of our history rewarding. We hope others do as well.”

Paul Miller

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