…The Awakened One, a new anthology of Buddhist-themed haiku, is now available on Amazon and other platforms. Published by Poetry Chaikhana and edited by Adjei Agyei-Baah and Gabriel Rosenstock, the anthology features haikuists from around the world in dialog with Japanese masters such as Basho, Buson, and Issa. 

…The Haiku Apprentice: Memoirs of Writing Poetry in Japan, by Abagail Freidman with an introduction by Michael Dylan Welch (Stone Bridge Press, Berkeley, CA, 2006). Abigail Freidman was living in Japan as an American diplomat when she met haikuist Momoko Kuroda. At that time Kuroda was already a prominent teacher who had been featured in the anthology, Far Beyond the Field: Haiku by Japanese Women, by Makoto Uedo (the title comes from one of Kuroda’s haiku):*

greening the sky

far beyond the field —

lightning flash

Friedman, who was already studying calligraphy, joined Kuroda’s haiku group, Aoi Kaiku Kai, writing her first haiku in Japanese. She traces her learning curve here, offering passages on the significance of kigo and cutting words, and the value of working with a group. This lively account is as revealing for its intimate glimpses into Japanese culture as it is for its many insights into the practice of haiku.       

…The Poems of Nakahara Chuya, translated by Paul Mackintosh and Maki Suglyama (Gracewing Publishing, 2017). One of Japan’s early 20^th century poets, Nakahara Chuya was influenced by both Dada and French symbolism and has been referred to as the “Japanese Rimbaud.” He is known for his collections Yagi no Uta (Goat Songs, 1934) and Arishi Hi no Uta (Songs of Bygone Days, 1938).

*trans. jg