From the Editors
It is with great pleasure that we dedicate our fifth issue of Frogpond to the HSA, established in 1968 by cofounders Harold G. Henderson and Leroy Kanterman. We are especially pleased to celebrate Leroy’s 90th birthday with his haiku, which opens the haiku/senryu feature on page 5. Our wishes for him include continued health, vitality, and light. The last 45 years have rewarded the HSA with immeasurable growth in membership and talent, as well as leadership and outreach into the world haiku community. We are grateful for your continued support and contributions to Frogpond and, as always, we hope that you find inspiration in the pages of this autumn issue. We are indebted to Charlie Trumbull and Bill Pauly, who weed out the errors and inconsistencies that slip through the layout process. Sydney Bending’s trio of frogs is a delightful addition to the white space on a variety of pages, and Chris Patchel amazes us with another season’s beautifully designed cover.
Like autumn gourds, nourishing points of interest in our writing tend to cluster around certain images and certain themes. We are all of us, after all, only human. Yet, just as each gourd grows into its own shape, each of us may—must—assert our individuality by what we do with our words in the name of our own ineffable experience. There are many techniques and a variety of forms and venues at the poet’s disposal. As showcased in this issue, what counts at the end of the day is if and how these techniques and forms forge something fresh, startling, and ultimately meaningful for us all. Let the haiku community know what you think: in response to something that catches your eye in these pages, offer a re-reading or risk a new path in your work—and submit not “what we all can say” but what comes of “inner necessity.”
