Complete Archive of the Haiku Society of America Merit Book Awards

Haiku Society of America

Complete Archive of Merit Book Awards

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Merit Books Awards for 2023

Jim Chessing and Sondra J. Byrnes, judges
see the judges commentary

HAIKU BOOK AWARDS:

First Place

Where Rain Would Stay: The Haiku Poetry of Peggy Willis Lyles, Edited by John Barlow & Ferris Gilli, Snapshot Press, 2022

Second Place

Peter Newton. Glide Path. Winchester, VA; Red Moon Press, 2022

Third Place

John Hawkhead. Bone Moon. Uxbridge, UK; Alba Publishing, 2022

Honorable Mentions (not ranked but in alphabetical order by author)

Brad Bennett, A Box of Feathers, Red Moon Press, 2022

Bill Cooper. Rounded by the Sea. Winchester, VA; Red Moon Press

Bruce H. Feingold, Everything with an Asterisk, Red Moon Press, 2022

Aaron Barry, Eggplants & Teardrops: A Haiku Collection, 2022

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HAIBUN BOOK AWARDS:

Best

Andrew Riutta. Blessed. Winchester, VA; Red Moon Press

Honorable Mention

Sean O’Connor. The God of Bones. Uxbridge, UK; Alba Publishing, 2022

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HAIKU ANTHOLOGY AWARDS:

Best

Jim Kacian, editor, String Theory, Red Moon Press, 2022

Honorable Mentions

LudmilaBalabanova, editor, Tuning Up the Violins: Haiku Anthology, with Illustrations by Irina Karakehayova, Scribens Publishing, 2022

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ESSAYS/PROSE BOOK AWARD: Best

Lenard D. Moore and African American Haiku: Merging Traditions, by Ce Rosenow, Lexington Books, 2022

 

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Merit Books Awards for 2022

Agnes Eva Savich and Bill Cooper, judges
judges commentary forthcoming

HAIKU BOOK AWARDS:

First Place

John Stevenson, My Red: Selected Haiku of John Stevenson, Brooks Books, 2021.

Second Place

Edward Cody Huddleston, Wildflowers in a Vase, Red Moon Press, 2021.

Third Place

Tia Haynes and Jonathan Roman, After Amen: A Memoir in Two Voices, Published by the authors, 2021.

Honorable Mentions (not ranked but in alphabetical order by author)

Rebecca Lilly, Aporia, Red Moon Press, 2021.

John Martone, A Landscape in Pieces, Tufo, 2021.

Bill Pauly, Walking Uneven Ground: Selected Haiku of Bill Pauly, Brooks Books, 2021.

Michele Root-Bernstein, Wind Rose, Snapshot Press, 2021.

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HAIGA BOOK AWARDS:

Best

Jim Kacian, Terry Ann Carter, Claudia Brefeld, The Engdangered C, Red Moon Press, 2021.

Honorable Mention

Annette Makino, Water and Stone: Ten Years of Art and Haiku, Makino Studios, 2021.

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HAIBUN BOOK AWARDS:

Best

Sean O’Connor, Fragmentation, Alba Publishing, 2021.

Honorable Mentions

Rich Youmans, Ron Moss, Ludmilla Balabanova, Tish Davis, Terri L. French, Peter Newton, Bryan Rickert, and Harriot West, editors, Contemporary Haibun Volume 16, Red Moon Press, 2021.

Margaret Chula, Firefly Lanterns: Twelve Years in Kyoto. Shanti Arts Publishing, 2021.

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HAIKU ANTHOLOGY AWARDS:

Best

Jacqueline Pearce, editor, Last Train Home. Pondhawk Press, 2021.

Honorable Mentions

Jim Kacian and the Red Moon Press editorial staff, Jar of Rain: The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku 2020, Red Moon Press, 2021.

Jim Kacian and Julie Warther, A New Resonance 12: Emerging Voices in English- Language Haiku, Red Moon Press, 2021.

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ESSAYS/PROSE BOOK AWARDS:

H.F. Noyes, Favorite Haiku and Other Collected Essays, Red Moon Press, 2021.

 

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Merit Books Awards for 2021

Ce Rosenow and Bryan Rickert
judges commentary

First Place

Susan Antolin. The Years That Went Missing. Durham, NC: Backbone Press, 2020.

Second Place

Carolyn Hall. Cricket Dust. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2020.

Third Place

Elmedin Kadric. Light Packing. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2019.

Honorable Mentions (not ranked but presented in alphabetical order by author)

Hifsa Ashraf. Her Fading Henna Tattoo. Human/Kind Press, 2020.

Alan Bridges. In the Curves. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2020.

Debbie Strange. The Language of Loss. Sable Books, 2020.

Best Haibun Book

Keith Polette. Pilgrimage. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2020.

Honorable Mention Haibun Book

Zane Parks. Journey. Lulu.com, 2020.

Three Best Haiku Anthologies (ranked in order)

Gratitude in the Time of COVID-19. Edited by Scott Mason, Chappaqua, New York: Girasole Press, 2020.

Wind Flowers. Edited by Jim Kacian and the Red Moon Editorial Staff, Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2020.

Haiku 2020. Edited by Lee Gurga and Scott Metz, Champaign, IL: Modern Haiku Press, 2020.

Honorable Mention Haiku Anthologes (not ranked in alphabetical order by editor)

The Wanderer Brush. Edited with haiga by Ion Codrescu, Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2020.

All This Talk. Edited by Charles Trumbull, Yuki Teikei Haiku Society, 2020.


 


Merit Book Awards for 2020

Marilyn Hazelton and Rebecca Lilly, judges
judges commentary

First Place

Kon Nichi Translation Group. Haiku As Life: A Kaneko Tohta Omnibus. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2019.

Second Place

John Martone, Homelands. Charleston, IL: TUFO, 2019.

Third place

Stuart Quine. Wild Rhubarb. Uxbridge, UK: Alba Publishing, 2019.

Honorable Mentions (not ranked but presented in alphabetical order by author)

Glenn G. Coats. Furrows of Snow. Arlington, VA: Turtle Light Press, 2019.

William McCrea Ramsey, Umbrellas Rising, Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2019.

Jolanta Kajzer. Bread by Bread. Gdansk, Poland: Marpress, 2019.

Joshua Eric Williams, The Strangest Conversation, Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2019.

Best Haibun Book

Ludmila Balabanova. Sunflower Field. Plovdiv, Bulgaria: Zhanet, 2019.

Honorable Mention Haibun Book

Lew Watts. Tick-Tock, Ormskirk, UK: Snapshot Press, 2019.

Best Haiku Prose Book

Charles Trumbull, A History of Modern Haiku, Lincoln, IL: Modern Haiku Press, 2019.

Honorable Mention Haiku Prose Book

Geoffrey Wilkinson. Going to the Pine: Four Essays on Basho. Franksbridge, UK: Geoffrey M. Wilkinson, 2019.

Best Haiku Anthology

A New Resonance 11, Edited by Jim Kacian and Julie Warther, Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2019.

Honorable Mention Haiku Anthology

Ferry Crossing, Edited by Patricia J. Machmiller, Haiku Poets of Northern California, 2019.


Merit Book Awards for 2019

Chad Lee Robinson and Dan Schwerin, judges
judges commentary

First Place

Randy and Shirley Brooks, Editors. The Collected Haiku of Raymond Roseliep. Taylorville, IL: Brooks Books, 2018.

Second Place

Eve Luckring. The Tender Between. Princeton, NJ: Ornithopter Press, 2018.

Third place

John Stevenson. Emoji Moon. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2018.

Honorable mentions (unranked, in alphabetical order by author's last name)

Hasegawa Kai. Okinawa. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2018.

Bill Kenney. Senior Admission. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2018.

Larsson, Marcus. Dad’s Accordion. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2018.

Ben Moeller-Gaa. Wishbones: Haiku & Senryu. Meredith, NH: Folded Word, 2018.

Best Haibun Book

Harriot West. Shades of Absence. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2018.

Honorarble Mention Haibun Book

Rich Youmans. Head-On: Haibun Stories. Saint Paul, MN: Red Bird Chapbooks, 2019.

Best Prose - 1st Place Tie

Sato, Hiroaki. On Haiku. New York: New Directions Publishing Corporation, 2018.

Richard Gilbert. Poetry as Consciousness: Haiku Forests, Space of Mind, and Ethics of Freedom. Keibunsha Co., 2018.

Best Haiku Anthology

Jim Kacian and the Editorial Staff. Old Song: The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku 2017. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2018.

Honorable Mention Anthology

Chuck Brickley. Open Iris. San Francisco, CA: Two Autumns Press, 2018.


Merit Book Awards for 2018

Melissa Allen and Brad Bennett, judges
judges commentary

First Place

Peter Newton. The Searchable World. Mapleview Publishing, 2017.

Second Place

Elmedin Kadric. Buying Time. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2017.

Third Place

Carolyn Hall. Calculus of Daylilies. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2017.

Honorable mentions (unranked, in alphabetical order by author's last name)

Chuck Brickley. Earthshine. Ormskirk, UK: Snapshot Press, 2017.

Cherie Hunter Day. For Want. Princeton, NJ: Ornithopter Press, 2017.

Kristen Deming. Plum Afternoon. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2017.

Jim Kacian. after image. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2017

Best Haibun Book

Glenn G. Coats. Waking and Dream. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2017.

Honorarble Mention Haibun Book

Stella Pierides. Of This World: 48 Haibun. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2017.

Best Prose

Scott Mason, Editor. The Wonder Code: Discover the Way of Haiku and the See the World with New Eyes. Chappaqua, NY: Girasole Press, 2017.

Honorarble Mention Prose

Michele Root-Bernstein and Francine Banwarth. The Haiku Life: What We Learned as Editors of Frogpond. Lincoln, IL: Modern Haiku Press, 2017.

Best Haiku Anthology

Lenard D. Moore, Editor. One Window's Light: A Collection of Haiku. Greensboro, NC: Unicorn Press, 2017.

Honorable Mention Anthology

Jim Kacian and Dee Evetts, Editors. A New Resonance 10: Emerging Voices in English-Language Haiku. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2017.


Merit Book Awards for 2017

Terri L. French and LeRoy Gorman, judges
judges commentary

First Place

George Swede. Helices. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2016.

Second Place (tie)

Amanda Bell. Undercurrents. Uxbridge, UK: Alba Publishing, 2016.

Margaret Lane Dornaus. Prayer for the Dead: Collected Haibun & Tanka Prose. Ozark, AR: Singing Moon Press, 2016.

Third Place (tie)

Maxianne Berger. Winnows. Toronto, ON: Nietzsche’s Brolly, 2016.

Peter Yovu. Imago. Princeton, NJ: Ornithopter Press, 2016.

Honorable mentions (unranked, in alphabetical order by book title)

Kyle D.Craig. Invisible Tea. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2016.

Carol Judkins. at the water’s edge. San Bernardino, CA: wildflower poetry press, 2016.

Deborah P Kolodji. highway of sleeping towns. Pasadena, CA: Shabda Press, 2016.

Giselle Maya. Cicada Chant: Collected Haibun and Tanka Prose. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2016.

Philip Rowland. Something Other Than Other. London, UK: Isobar Press, 2016.

Best Anthology (tie)

nada annunaad: an anthology of contemporary world haiku edited by Kala Ramesh, Sanjuktaa Asopa and Shloka Shankar, Vishwakarma Publications, 2016.

galaxy of dust: The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku 2015 edited by Jim Kacian & The Red Moon Editorial Staff, Red Moon Press, 2016.

Honorable Mention Anthology

Scent of the Past. . . Imperfect edited by Renée Owen, Two Autumns Press, 2016.


Merit Book Awards for 2016

Joe McKeon and Naia, judges
judges commentary

First Place

Edward J. Rielly. Answers Instead: a life of haiku. Encircle Publications LLC, Farmington, Maine, 2015.

Second Place

Chad Lee Robinson. The Deep End of the Sky. Turtle Light Press, Arlington, Virginia, 2015.

Third Place

Roberta Beary. Deflection. Accents Publishing, Lexington, Kentucky, 2015.

Honorable Mentions (unranked, in alphabetical order by book title)

Rick Tarquinio. Mostly Water. Self-published, 2015.

Dan Schwerin. ORS. by Red Moon Press, Winchester, Virginia, 2015.

Bill Cooper. Young Osprey. Red Moon Press, Winchester, Virginia, 2015.

 


Merit Book Awards for 2015

Charles Trumbull and Neal Whitman, judges
judges commentary

First Place Award (tie)

Marjorie Buettner. Some Measure of Existence: Collected Haibun. Red Dragonfly Press, 2014.

Harriot West. Into the Light. Mountains and Rivers Press, 2014.

Second place (tie)

Garry Gay, ed. One Song. Santa Rosa, Calif.: Two Autumns Press, 2014.

Haiku Northwest. No Longer Strangers: Haiku Northwest 25th Anniversary Anthology. Bellevue, Wash.: Vandina Press for Haiku Northwest, 2014.

Honorable mentions

Ion Codrescu. Something Out of Nothing: Seventy-five Haiga. Winchester, Va.: Red Moon Press, 2014. 160 pages. ISBN 978-1-936848-35-5.

Lee Gurga and Scott Metz, eds. Haiku 2014. Lincoln, Ill.: Modern Haiku Press, 2014.

Ron C. Moss. The Bone Carver. Ormskirk, U.K.: Snapshot Press, 2014.

Edward J. Rielly. Spring Rain Winter Snow: Haiku. Brunswick, Maine: Shanti Arts Publishing, 2014.

John Stevenson. d(ark): Haiku. Winchester, Va.: Red Moon Press, 2014.

George Swede. Micro Haiku: Three to Nine Syllables. Toronto: Inspress, 2014.


Merit Book Awards for 2014

Deb Baker and Adelaide B. Shaw, judges
judges commentary

First Place

Tom Clausen. Laughing to Myself. Rochester, NY: Free Food Press, 2013.

Second Place

Dietmar Tauchner. Noise of Our Origin. Winchester,VA: Red Moon Press, 2013.

Third Place

Charles Trumbull. A Five-Balloon Morning. Santa Fe, NM: Red Mountain Press, 2013.

Best Book of Haibun

Peter Newton. Welcome to the Joy Ride. Winchenton, MA: Imaginary Press, 2013.

Honorable Mention - Haibun

Mike Montreuil. from the journal of a perpetual dreamer. Northing, Charleston, IL: Northing, 2013.

Honorable Mention - Anthology

Allan Burns, Editor. Where the River Goes: the Nature Tradition in English-Language Haiku. Ormskirk, UK: Snapshot Press, 2013.

Honorable Mention - Anthology

Lenard D. Moore and Roberta Beary, Editors. 7. Jacar Press, 2013.

Honorable Mention - Chapbook

Stanford M. Forrester, Editor. lonely together. Windsor, CT: Nut Wagon Press, 2013.

Honorable Mention

Richard Gilbert. Disjunctive Dragonfly. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2013.

Honorable Mentions - Book Design

Lidia Rozmus. Art and Design, for Moon Dance by Marian Olson. Santa Fe, NM: Deep North Press, 2013.

Bob Arnold. Book Design, for Our Waves Meet the Ocean Waves by Gary Hotham. Green River, VT: Longhouse, 2013.


Merit Book Awards for 2013

Paul MacNeil and Paul Miller, judges
judges commentary

First Place

Carolyn Hall. The Doors All Unlocked. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2012.

Second Place

Rebecca Lilly. Yesterday’s Footprints. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2012.

Third Place

Stella Pierides. In the Garden of Absence. Afterword by Michael Dylan Welch. Neusaess, Germany: Fruit Dove Press, 2012.

Honorable Mentions

Victor Ortiz. Into Borrego Valley. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2012.

Bruce Ross. Spring Clouds. Bangor, ME: Tancho Press, 2012.

Michael Henry Lee. Against the Grain. Saint Augustine, FL: Eleventh Hour Press, 2012.

Best Anthology

Robert Epstein, ed. The Temple Bell Stops: Contemporary Poems of Grief, Loss and Change. Baltimore, MD: Modern English Tanka Press, 2012.

Honorable Mentions for Best Anthology

Jim Kacian, et al., eds. Carving Darkness: 2012 Red Moon Anthology. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2012.

Patricia J. Machmiller, ed. Bending Reeds: 2012 Yuki Teikei Haiku Society Members Anthology. San Jose, CA: Yuki Teikei Haiku Society, 2012.

Best Criticism

Stephen Addiss. The Art of Haiku. Boston, MA: Shambhala Publications, 2012.

Special Award for Fiction

David G. Lanoue. Frog Poet. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2012.


Merit Book Awards for 2012

Carolyn Hall and Christopher Patchel, judges
judges commentary

First Place (tie)

Fay Aoyagi. Beyond the Reach of My Chopsticks. San Francisco, California: Blue Willow Press, 2011.
 
paul m. Few Days North Days Few. Winchester, Virginia: Red Moon Press, 2011.

Second Place

Robert Boldman. Everything I Touch. Winchester, Virginia: Red Moon Press, 2011.

Third Place

Allan Burns. Distant Virga. Winchester, Virginia: Red Moon Press, 2011.

Best Anthology

Lee Gurga and Scott Metz, editors. Haiku 21. Lincoln, Illinois: Modern Haiku Press, 2011.

Honorable Mentions for Best Anthology:

Robert Epstein, editor. Dreams Wander On: Contemporary Poems of Death Awareness. Baltimore, Maryland: Modern English Tanka Press, 2011.
 
Jerry Ball and J. Zimmerman, editors. Wild Violets: Yuki Teikei Haiku Society Members’ Anthology 2011. Sunnyvale, California: Patson’s Press, 2011.

Best Design and Aesthetics

Joyce Clement. Beyond My View. Bristol, Connecticut: Endionpress, 2011.

Best Book of Translation

Bouwe Brouwer, translated by Bouwe Brouwer, Norman Darlington, and Max Verhart. Messages from the Past. Den Bosch, Netherlands: ’t Schrijverke, 2011.

Honorable Mentions for Best Translation

Ljubomir Dragovic, translated by Sasa Vazic. A Narrow Road. Belgrade, Serbia: Liber Press, 2011.
 
Taneda Santôka, versions by Scott Watson. Walking by My Self Again. Sendai, Japan: Bookgirl Press, 2011.


Merit Book Awards for 2011

Michael Dylan Welch, judge
judges commentary

First Place

Karma Tenzing Wangchuk. Shelter/Street. Port Townsend, Washington: Minotaur Press, 2010.

Second Place

John Parsons. Overhead Whistling. Labyrinth Press, 2010.

Third Place

Christopher Herold. Inside Out. Winchester, Virginia: Red Moon Press, 2010.

Honorable Mentions:

George Swede. Joy in Me Still. Edmonton, Alberta: Inkling Press, 2010.

Gary Hotham. Spilled Milk. Paintings by Susan Elliott. Montrose, Colorado: Pinyon Publishing, 2010.

Carolyn Hall. How to Paint the Finch's Song. Winchester, Virginia: Red Moon Press, 2010.

Best Anthology

Stephen Henry Gill and Okiharu Maeda, editors, One Hundred Poets on Mount Ogura, One Poem Each. Kyoto: People Together for Mt. Ogura and Hailstone Haiku Circle, 2010.

Honorable Mentions for Best Anthology:

Lidia Rozmus and Carmen Sterba, Editors. The Moss at Tokeiji. Santa Fe, New Mexico: Deep North Press, 2010.

Billie Dee, editor. An Island of Egrets: 2010 Southern California Haiku Study Group Anthology. Pasadena, California: Southern California Haiku Study Group, 2010.

Stanford M. Forrester, editor, Donna Fleischer, contributing editor. Seed Packets: An Anthology of Flower Haiku. Windsor, Connecticut: Bottle Rockets Press, 2010.

Allan Burns, editor. Montage: The Book. Winchester, Virginia: The Haiku Foundation, 2010.

Spring Street Haiku Group, Efren Estevez, production editor. Suspiciously Small: A Collection of Haiku. New York: Spring Street Haiku Group, 2010.

Best Book of Haibun

Cor van den Heuvel. A Boy's Seasons. Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Single Island Press, 2010.

Best Book of Translation

Ruth Franke, translated by David Cobb and Celia Brown, paintings by Reinhard Stangl. Schwerelos Gleiten/Slipping Through Water. Schwinfurt, Germany: Wiesenburg Verlag, 2010.

Best Book for Children

Valerie Bodden, Poetry Basics: Haiku. Collingwood, Ontario: Saunders Book Company; Mankato, Massachusetts: Creative Paperbacks, 2010.

Honorable Mention for Best Book for Children:

Kala Ramesh. My Haiku Moments: An Activity Book for Young Haiku Lovers. New Delhi, India: Katha, 2010.

Special Award for Best Letterpress Book

Michael Ketchek, Over Our Heads. Northfield, Massachusetts: Swamp Press, 2010.


Merit Book Awards for 2010

Mike Dillon, judge
judge's commentary

First Place

John Stevenson. Live Again. Winchester, Virginia: Red Moon Press, 2009.

Second Place

Ce Rosenow. Pacific. Hillsboro, Oregon: Mountain Gate Press, 2009.

Third Place ($50)

Alice Frampton. A Gate Left Open. Winchester, Virginia: Red Moon Press, 2009.

Special Award for Fiction

David G. Lanoue. Haiku Wars. Winchester, Virginia: Red Moon Press, 2009.

Best Criticism (Tie)

Ian Marshall. Walden by Haiku. Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press, 2009.

Yoshinobu Hakutani. Haiku and Modernist Poetics. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009.

Best Anthology

Michael Dylan Welch, Editor. Seeing Stars. Seattle, Washington: Haiku Northwest, 2009. 


Merit Book Awards for 2009

an'ya and Cherie Hunter Day, judges
judges commentary

First Place

Lorin Ford. A Wattle Seedpod. Teneriffe, Qld, Australia: Post Pressed, 2008.

Second Place

Madeleine Findlay. Empty Boathouse: Adirondack Haiku. Portsmouth, NH: Single Island Press, 2008.

Third Place

Adelaide B. Shaw. An Unknown Road. Baltimore, MD: Modern English Tanka Press, 2008. 

Special Award for Anthology

Roberta Beary and Ellen Compton, Editors. Dandelion Clocks: Haiku Society of America Members Anthology 2008. New York: Haiku Society of America, 2008.

Special Award for Themed Haiku Collection

S.B. Friedman. It Has Been Many Moons. San Francisco CA: Lily Pool Press (Swamp Press), 2008.

Special Award for Chapbook

Helen Russell. Distant Sounds. 2008

Special Award for Haibun

Jim Kacian, Bruce Ross and Ken Jones, Editors. Contemporary Haibun, Volume 9. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2008.

Special Award for Haiku Criticism and Theory

Richard Gilbert. Poems of Consciousness. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2008.


Merit Book Awards for 2008

George G. Dorsty & Marie Summers, judges
judges commentsary

First Place

Marian Olson. Desert Hours. Northfield, MA: Lily Pool Press 2007.

Second Place

Quendryth Young. The Whole Body Singing. Alstonville, NSW, Australia, 2007.

Third Place

Roberta Beary. The Unworn Necklace. Liverpool, UK: Snapshot Press, 2007.

Honorable Mention (tie):

Matt Morden. Stumbles in Clover. Liverpool, UK: Snapshot Press, 2007.

Gary Hotham. Missed Appointment: Pittsburgh, PA: Lilliput Review, 2007.

Best Translation:

Kayoko Hashimoto. The Rabbit In The Moon. Tokyo, Japan: Kadokawashoten, 2007.

Best Anthology:

Jim Kacian, Editor. Big Sky: The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku 2006. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2007.

Best Haibun:

W. F. Owen. Small Events. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2007.


Merit Book Awards for 2007

Ed Markowski & Yvonne Cabalona, Judges 
judges comments

First Place:

Jeanne Emrich, Editor. Reeds: Contemporary Haiga. Edina, MN: Lone Egret Press, 2006.

Second Place:

Water Lines by Carolyn Hall. Water Lines. Liverpool England: Snapshot Press, 2006.

Third Place:

Paul Miller [paul m.]. Called Home. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2006.

Fourth Place:

Vincent Tripi. Paperweight for Nothing. Greenfield, MA: Tribe Press, 2006.

Special Category Honorable Mention For Haibun:

David Cobb. Business in Eden. Essex, UK: Equinox Press, 2006.

Special Category Honorable Mention for Anthology:

Beary, Roberta & Ellen Compton, Editors. Fish in Love: Haiku Society of America Members’ Anthology 2006. Haiku Society of America, 2006

Special Category Honorable Mention for Best International Collaboration:

Jim Kacian. Presents of Mind. Translation into Japanese by The Kon Nichi Haiku Circle, Kumamoto University. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2006.


Merit Book Awards for 2006

Yu Chang and A.C. Missias, judges
judges comments

First Place

Peter Yovu. Turn to the Earth. Saki Press, Normal, IL: Saki Press, 2005.

Second Place (tie)

Geri Barton. Crumb Moves the Ant.Saki Press, Normal, IL: Saki Press, 2005.

Nina Wicker. Wild Again: Selected Haiku of Nina Wicker. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2005.

Award for Best Anthology (tie)

Patrick Gallagher, Pamela Miller Ness, Laurie W. Stoelting, and Karma Tenzing Wangchuk. If I Met Basho. San Francisco: Two Autumns Press, 2005.

Jim Kacian and Dee Evetts, Editors. A New Resonance 4: Emerging Voices in English-Language Haiku. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2005.

Best Serial Book

Jim Kacian, Editor. Tug of the Current: Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku 2004. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2005.

Award for Best Book of Haiga:

Jeanne Emrich, Editor. Reeds: Contemporary Haiga 2005. Edina, MN: Lone Egret Press, 2005.


Merit Book Awards for 2005

Dean Summers and Ruth Yarrow, judges
judges comments

First Place

Quiet Enough by John Stevenson. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2004.

Second Place

Michael Fessler. The Sweet Potato Sutra. Wethersfield, CT: Bottle Rockets Press, 2004.

Third Place

Tom Painting. Piano Practice. Wethersfield, CT: Bottle Rockets Press, 2004.

Award for Best Anthology

Jim Kacian, Editor. Edge of Light: the Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku 2003. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2004.

Honorable Mention for Haibun

Lidia Rozmus. My Journey. Evanston, IL: Deep North Press, 2004

Honorable Mention for Haiga

Jeanne Emrich, Editor. Reeds: Contemporary Haiga . Edina, MN: Lone Egret Press, 2004.


Merit Book Awards for 2004

Kirsty Karkow and Edward J. Rielly, judges  
judges' comments

First Place

Carolyn Thomas. Puddle on the Ink Stone: Haiku and Other Short Poems. Cathedral City, CA.

Second Place

An'ya. Haiku for a Moonless Night, Volume 1. Crooked River Ranch, OR:Natal*Light Press.

Third Place

Faye Aoyagi. Chrysanthemum Love. San Francisco, CA: Blue Willow Press, 2003.

Award for Best Anthology

Jeanne Emrich, Editor. Reeds: Contemporary Haiga . Edina, MN: Lone Egret Press, 2003.

Award for Best Book of Criticism

Lee Gurga. Haiku: A Poet's Guide. Lincoln, IL: Modern Haiku Press, 2003.

Award for Best Book of Haibun

William M. Ramsey. Ascend with Care. North Falmouth, MA: Leap Press, 2003.

Award for Best Book of Linked Verse

Carol Purington and Larry Kimmel. A Spill of Apples: Tanrenga and Other Linked Verse. Colrain, MA: Winfred Press, 2003.


Merit Book Awards for 2003

Michael Ketchek and Tom Painting, judges
judges' comments

First Place

Paul Miller [paul m.]. Finding the Way. Sammamish, WA: Press Here, 2002.

Second Pace

Rebecca Lilly. Shadwell Hills. Delhi, NY: Birch Brooks Press, 2002.

Third Palce

Peggy Lyles. To Hear the Rain: Selected Haiku of Peggy Lyles. Decatur, IL: Brooks Books, 2002.

Honorable Mention

William M. Ramsey. This Wine. Evanston, Ill.: Deep North Press, 2002.

Award for Best Anthology

Jim Kacian, editor. The Loose Thread: The Red Moon Anthology of English Language Haiku 2001. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2002.

Highly Commended Anthologies

Cyril Childs and Joanna Preston, Edtiors. listening to the rain: an anthology of Christchurch haiku and haibun. Christchurch, NZ: The Small White Teapot Haiku Group, 2002.

David Cobb, Editor. The British Museum Haiku. London, UK: British Museum Press, 2002.

Award for Best Book of Haibun

Linda Jeannette Ward. A Delicate Dance of Wings. Coinjock, NC: Clinging Vine Press, 2002.


Merit Book Awards for 2002

Stanford M. Forrester and Bruce Kennedy, judges
judges comments

First Place

Vincent Tripi. Monk & I. Richland, WI: Hummingbird Press, 2001.

Second Place

Jeffrey Winke. What's Not There: Selected Haiku of Jeffrey Winke. Evanston, IL: Deep North Press, 2001.

Award for Best Translation (tie)

Akito Arima. Einstein's Century: Akito Arima's Haiku. Translated by Emiko Miyashita and Lee Gurga. Decatur, IL: Brooks Books, 2001.

Yoshiko Yoshino. Tsuru by Yoshiko Yoshino. Translated by Lee Gurga and Emiko Miyashita. Evanston, IL: Deep North Press, 2001.

Award for Best Criticism

Lee Gurga and Michael Dylan Welch, Editors. The Nick of Time: Essays on Haiku Aesthetics by Paul O. Williams. . Foster City, CA: Press Here, 2001.

Award for Best Anthology

Jim Kacian & Dee Evetts, Editors. A New Resonance 2: Emerging Voices in English-Language Haiku . Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2001.

Honorable Mentions for Anthologies

Jim Kacian, Editor. a glimpse of red: The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku 2001. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2001.

Carlos Colón, Editor. Voices and Echoes. Shreveport, LA, 2001.


Merit Book Awards 2001

Pamela Miller Ness and Karen Klein, judges
judges comments

First Place

Connie Hutchison, Editor. To Find the Words. The Haiku Society of America Northwest Region Members Anthology, 2000.

Second Place

Christopher Herold. A Path in the Garden. Oswego, OR: Katsura Press, 2000.

Third Place

Ernest Berry. Forgotten War. Queensland, Australia: Post Pressed, 2000.

Special Category Honorable Mention for Haiga

Raffael de Gruttola. Echoes in Sand. Upton, MA: piXeLaRt Press, 2000.

Special Category Honorable Mention for Criticism

A. C. Missias, Editor. In Due Season: A discussion of the role of kigo in English-language haiku; (Acorn Supplement #1). Philadelphia, PA: Redfox Press, 2000.

Special Category Honorable Mention for Tanka

Cherie Hunter Day. Early Indigo. Liverpool, England, UK: Snapshot Press, 2000.

Special Category Honorable Mention for Haiku Novel

David Lanoue. Haiku Guy. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2000.

Special Category Honorable Mention for First Book of Poetry

Laurie W. Stoelting. Light on the Mountain mt. Tamalpais a poet's view. Mill Valley, CA: Field Trips, 2000.


Merit Book Awards 2000

Tom Clausen and Ebba Story, judges  
judges comments

First Place

Gary Hotham. Breathmarks: Haiku to Read in the Dark. Moscow, ID: Canon Press, 1999.

Second Place

Chula, Margaret & Rich Youmans. Shadow Lines: Linked Haibun. Lake Oswego, OR: Katsura Press, 1999.

Third Place

Brooks, Randy. School’s Out: Selected Haiku. Foster City, CA: Press Here, 1999.

Honorable Mentions

Lamb, Elizabeth Searle. Across the Windharp: Collected and New Haiku. Albuquerque, NM: La Alameda Press, 1999.

Purington, Carol. Family Farm: Haiku for a Place of Moons. Colrain, MA: Winfred Press, 1989.

Vince Tripi. The Day I Find, Poems from a Desert Hermitage. Novato, CA: 1999.

Williams, Paul O. Outside Robins Sing. Decatur, IL: Brooks Books, 1999.

Special Category Honorable Mentions for Haiku Anthologies

Van den Heuvel, Cor, Editor. The Haiku Anthology, Expanded Edition. New York: W.W. Norton, 1999.

Kacian, Jim and Dee Evetts, Editors. A New Resonance: Emerging Voices in English-Language Haiku. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 1999.

Special Category Honorable Mentions for Haibun Anthologies

Welch, Michael Dylan, Cor van den Heuvel & Tom Lynch, Editors. Wedge of Light. Foster City, CA: Press Here, 1999.

Ion Codrescu. Oaspete strain / A Foreign Guest. Constanta, Romania: 1999.

 


Merit Book Awards for 1999

for books published in 1998

Mary Fran Meer and Michael Dylan Welch
judges comments

First Place

Lee Gurga. Fresh Scent: Selected Haiku of Lee Gurga.Decatur, IL: Brooks Books, 1998.

Second Place

H. F. Noyes. Favorite Haiku, Volume I. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 1998.

Honorable Mention

Ernest Berry. A Raindrop, A Flowing River. Blenheim, New Zealand: PhotoImage, 1998.

Honorable Mention

Spring Morning Sun by Tom Tico. Spring Morning. San Francisco, CA: Belltower Press, 1998.

Honorable Mention

Richard Wright. Haiku: This Other World. New York, NY: Arcade Publishing, 1998.

Honorable Mention

Jim Kacian. Six Directions: Haiku & Field Notes. Albuquerque, NM: La Alameda Press, 1998.

Honorable Mention

Haruo Shirane. Traces of Dreams:  Landscape, Cultural Memory, and the Poetry of Basho. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1998.

Honorable Mention

Makoto Ueda. The Path of Flowering Thorn: The Life and Poetry of Yosa Buson. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1998.

Honorable Mention

Patricia Donegan and Yoshie Ishibashi. Chiyo-ni: Woman Haiku Master. Boston, MA: Tuttle Publishing, 1998.

Honorable Mention

Cyril Childs, Edtior. The Second New Zealand Haiku Anthology. Wellington, New Zealand: The New Zealand Poetry Society, 1998,


Merit Book Awards for 1998

for books published in 1997

Peggy Willis Lyles and Paul O. Williams
judges comments

First Place (tie)

Dee Evetts. Endgrain: Haiku & Senryu 1988-1997. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 1997.

Lee Gurga. In and Out of Fog. Foster City, CA: From Here Press, 1997.

Second Place

Jeb Barton. Short Distance, Long Journey. Ubud, Bali, Indonesia, 1997.

Third Place

Edith Shiffert. The Light Comes Slowly: Short Poems from Kyoto. Oswego, OR: Katsura Press, 1997.

Honorable Mention

Vincent Tripi. Between God and the Pine. San Francisco, CA, 1997.

Honorable Mention for Translation

Kôko Katô, Editor. Translated by Kôko Katô and David Burleigh. A Hidden Pond: Anthology of Modern Haiku. Tokyo: Kadokawa Shoten, 1997.

Honorable Mention for Translation

Ishihara, Yatsuka. Translated by Tadashi Kondo and William J. Higginson. Red Fuji: Selected Haiku of Yatsuka Ishihara. Santa Fe, NM: From Here Press, 1997.

Honorable Mention for Anthology

Jim Kacian, Editor-in-Chief; Jan Bostok, Tom Clausen, Ellen Compton, Dee Evetts, Yvonne Hardenbrook, John Hudak, H. F. Noyes, Francine Porad, Ebba Story and Jeff Witkin, Editors. The Red Moon Anthology 1996. Berryville, VA: Red Moon Press, 1997.

Honorable Mention for Anthology

Carol Conti-Entin, Helen K. Davies, Cherie Hunter Day, D. Claire Gallagher, Marianna Monaco, Ce Rosenow, Ebba Story, and Joan Zimmerman. Editors. Beyond Within, A Collection of Rengay. Portland, OR: Sundog Press, 1997.

Honorable Mention for Tanka

Pat Shelley. Turning My Chair. Foster City, CA: Press Here, 1997.


Merit Book Awards for 1997

Hayat Abuza and Charles Trumbull
judges comments

First Place

Vincent Tripi. The Path of the Bird. Richland Center, WI: Hummingbird Press, 1996.

Second Place

David Cobb. Jumping from Kiyomizu: a Haiku Sequence. North Shields, Northumberland, UK: Iron Press, 1996.

Third Place

William Hart. Paris. Fulton, MO: Timberline Press, 1996.

Honorable Mention

Jim Kacian. Presents of Mind. Lake Oswego, OR: Katsura Press, 1996.

Honorable Mention

John Sheirer. Students Breathing. Elbow Lake, MN, 1996.

Honorable Mention

H.F. Noyes.. Between Two Waves/Intre doud valuri. Constanta, Romania: Editura Leda, 1996.

Honorable Mention

Vasile Spinei. Surasul calugarului/The Monk’s Smile. Constanta, Romania: Editura Leda, 1996.


Merit Book Awards for 1996

Randy Brooks and Gene Doty
judges page

First Place

Elizabeth St Jacques. Dance of Light, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario: Maplebud Press, 1995.

Second Place

Penny Griffin. A Dash Through Leaves. Whispering Pines, NC: Persephone Press, 1995.

Third Place

Tom Clausen. Unraked Leaves: Haiku by Tom Clausen. Ithaca, NY, 1995.

Honorable Mention

Lidia Rozmus. Sumi-e and Haiku. Glencoe, IL, 1995.

Honorable Mention

Sono Uchida, A Simple Universe, Foster City: Press Here, 1995.


Merit Book Awards for 1995

Bruce Ross and Alfred H. Marks
judges comments

First Place

Ion Codrescu, Editor. Ocolind iazul/Round the Pond, Antologie de/An Anthology by Ion Codrescu, Editor, Constanta, Romania, Editura Muntenia, 1994

Second Place

Nick Avis. Footprints. Pointe Claire, Quebec: King’s Road Press, 1994.

Third Place

Tom Clausen. Autumn Wind in the Cracks. Ithaca, NY: 1994.

Honorable Mention

Sam Savage. Trawlers. McClellanville, SC: Hardscrabble Press, 1994.

Honorable Mention

Vincent Tripi, White. Amherst, MA: Swamp Press, 1994.


Merit Book Awards for 1994

unknown judges
judges comments

First Place

Chula, Margaret. Grinding My Ink. Lake Oswego, OR: Katsura Press, 1993.

Second Place

Dickson, Charles B. A Moon in Each Eye. Edited by Vincent Tripi. Gualala, CA: AHA Books, 1993.

Third Place

Porad, Francine. The Patchwork Quilt: Haiku, Senryu, Tanka, Renku, Artwork. Mercer Island, WA: Vandina Press, 1993.

Honorable Mention

Childs, Cyril, Editor. The New Zealand Haiku Anthology. Wellington, New Zealand: The New Zealand Poetry Society, 1993.

Honorable Mention

Jorgensen, Jean. Border Crossing: Haiku and Related Poetry. Edmonton, Alberta: Four Seasons Corner, 1993.

Honorable Mention

Priebe, David, Editor. Timepieces: Haiku Week At-a-glance 1994. Los Angeles, CA: Cloverleaf Books, 1993.

Honorable Mention

Michael Dylan Welch, Editor. Fig Newtons: Senryu to Go. Foster City, CA: Press Here, 1993.


Merit Book Awards for 1993

Francein Porad and Robert Major
judges comments

First Place

Geraldine Clinton Little. More Light, Larger Vision. AHA Books, Gualala, California, 1992.

Second Place

Randy Brooks and Lee Gurga, Editors. Midwest Haiku Anthology. Decatur, IL: High/Coo Press, 1992.

Third Place

Jane Reichhhold. A Dictionary of Haiku. AHA Books, Gualala, California, 1992.

Honorable Mention

David Samuel Block. The Essence of This. 1992.

Honorable Mention

David Cobb. Mounting Shadows. Shalford, England: Equinox Press, 1992.

Honorable Mention

Ion Codrescu. Drawings Among Haiku. Constanta, Romania, 1992.

Honorable Mention

Marian Olson. Songs of the Chicken Yard. Rexburg, ID: Honeybrook Press, 1992.


Merit Book Awards for 1992

Raffael de Gruttola and Patricia Neubauer
judges comments

First Place

Alan Pizzarelli. City Beat. Islet Books, 1991.

Second Place

Anita Virgil. One Potato Two Potato Etc. Forest, VA: Peaks Press, 1991.

Third Place

Robert Spiess. The Cottage of Wild Plum. Madison, WI: Modern Haiku, 1991.

Honorable Mention

Anne Mckay. Shaping the Need. 1991.

Honorable Mention

Alexis Rotella. An Unknown Weed. Pointe Claire, Quebec: King’s Road Press, 1991.


Merit Book Awards for 1991

Elizabeth St. Jacques and Elizabeth Searle Lamb
judges

First Place

Virginia Brady Young. Warming A Snowflake. Hamden, CT: Sleeping Giant Associates, 1990.

Second Place

Hal Roth. Her Daughter’s Eyes. Glen Burnie, MD: Wind Chimes Press, 1990.

Third Place - Tie

Anne Mckay. From the Upper Room. Glen Burnie, MD: Wind Chimes Press, 1990.

Alexis Rotella. Carousel. La Crosse, WI: Juniper Press, 1990.

Honorable Mention

Adele Kenny. Castles & Dragons. Passaic, NJ: Yorkshire House with Muse-Pie Press, 1990.

Honorable Mention

Michael Dylan Welch. The Haijin’s Tweed Coat. Foster City, CA: Press Here, 1990.

Honorable Mention

Jane Reichhold. Silence. Gualala, CA: AHA Books, 1990.

Honorable Mention - Posthumous Award for Haiku Excellence

Charles Dickson. Out of Cassiopela. Deer Isle, ME, 1990.

Honorable Mention - Anthology

Alexis Rotella, Editor. The Rise and Fall of Sparrows: A Collection of North American Haiku. San Diego, CA: Los Hombres Press, 1990.

Honorable Mention - Renga

Jane Reichhold, Editor. Round Renga Round. Gualala, CA: AHA Books, 1990.

Honorable Mention - Miniature

Carol Montgomery. Outlines. Amherst, MA: Swamp Press, 1990.

Honorable Mention - Critical Writing on Haiku

Toshimi Horiuchi. Synesthesia in Haiku and Other Essays. Manilla, Phillipines: The University of the Philippines, 1990.


Merit Book Awards for 1990

Virginia Brady Young and R.W. Grandinetti Rader
judges

This year Mrs. Frances Levenson has made a special donation (in addition to her long-time annual donation) to fund the 1st prize award in our Merit Contest. She has noted that this is not a memorial, but rather, her way of remembering a very happy event occurring in September. Over the years Mrs. Levenson has been more than generous in supporting the HSA. As a way of expressing our gratitude, we have named this year’s 1st place award in her honor. Please note that this is for 1990 only.

First Place (The 1990 Frances Levenson Award)

Geraldine Clinton Little. Star-mapped: Selected haiku, collected haiku sequences, one solo renga, one tanka sequence. Silver Apples Press, 1989.

Second Place

Werner Reichhold. Handshake: Far East Form, Far West Thinking, An Exchange of Spirits. Gualala, CA: AHA Books, 1989.

Third Place

Kazuo Sato. And The Cat, Too. Gualala, CA: AHA Books, 1989. Translated by Jack Stamm.

Honorable Mention

Andre Duhaime and LeRoy Gorman. Parallel Journey/Voyage Parallele. Hull, Quebec: Editions Asticou, 1989.

Honorable Mention - Interview

Anita Virgil and Vincent Tripi. On My Mind: An Interview. Edited by Michael Dylan Welch. Foster City, CA: Press Here, 1989.

Honorable Mention - Renga

Anne McKay and other poets. A Woman of Passage. Glen Burnie, MD: Wind Chimes Press, 1989.

Honorable Mention - Anthology

Ricketts, Beard, Drummond, and Tanabe, Editors. Winter’s Blossoms. The New Zealand Poetry Society, Inc.: Nagare Press, 1989.


Merit Book Awards for 1989

Charles Dickson and Makoto Ueda
judges samples

First Place

Nicholas A. Virgilio. Selected Haiku. Burnt Lake Press, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, and Black Moss Press, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, 1988.

Second Place

Rod Willmot. Sayings for the Invisible. Black Moss Press, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, 1988.

Third Place

Jane Reichhold. Tigers in a Tea Cup. AHA Books, Gualala, California, 1988.

Honorable Mention Awards

Robert Spiess. New and Selected Speculations on Haiku. Modern Haiku, Madison, Wisconsin, 1988.

Dee Evetts. A Small Ceremony. From Here Press, Fanwood, New Jersey, 1988.

Joseph Gustafson. October Sun: A Year of Haiku. Leicester Hill Books, Worcester, Massachusetts, 1988.

Jane K. Lambert. Small Journeys. privately published, [Greenville, North Carolina], 1988.

Geraldine C. Little. Beyond the Boxwood Comb: Six Women’s Voices from Japan. Sparrow Press, West Lafayette, Indiana, 1988.

anne mckay. Street Songs. Wind Chimes Press, Glen Burnie, Maryland, 1988.

Wally Swist. Chimney Smoke. Juniper Press, LaCrosse, Wisconsin, 1988, and Unmarked Stones. Burnt Lake Press, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, 1988.

 

Merit Book Awards for 1988

Jerry Kilbride, Geraldine Clinton Little, and Charles D. Nethaway, Jr.
judges samples

Due to the increased volume of quality haiku publications produced every year, the HSA Merit Book Awards became an annual rather than biennial event, starting in 1987.

First Place

Adele Kenny. Migrating Geese. Muse-Pie Press, Passaic, New Jersey, 1987.

Second Place

Donald McLeod. Small Town, Big City. All Night Press, Sherman Oaks, California, 1987.

Third Place

Edward J. Rielly. Family Portrait. Advance Press, Carmel, California, 1987.

Honorable Mentions

John Wills. Reed Shadows. Burnt Lake Press, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and Black Moss Press, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, in association with Chant Press, New York, New York, 1987.

Vincent Tripi. Haiku Pond: A trace of the trail . . . and Thoreau. Vide Press, San Francisco, California, 1987.

 


Merit Book Awards for 1987

for books published in 1985 and 1986

John K. Gillespie and Peggy Heinrich
judges samples

First Place

Rod Willmot. The Ribs of Dragonfly. Black Moss Press, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, 1984.

Second Place

Richard Tice. Station Stop. Middlewood Press, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1986.

Third Place

R. W. Grandinetti Rader. Neon Shapes. Jade Mountain Press, Morristown, New Jersey, 1985.

Honorable Mentions

Adele Kenny. Between Hail Marys. Muse Pie Press, Passaic, New Jersey, 1986.

Elizabeth Searle Lamb. Casting into a Cloud. From Here Press, Fanwood, New Jersey, 1985.

Alexis Rotella. Rearranging Light. Muse Pie Press, Passaic, New Jersey, 1985.

Nicholas A. Virgilio. Selected Haiku. Burnt Lake Press, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, 1985.

Honorable Mention - Translation

Lenore Mayhew, translator. Monkey’s Raincoat: Linked Poetry of the Basho School with Haiku Selections. Charles E. Tuttle, Rutland, Vermont, 1985.

A selection from Monkey’s Raincoat, the last six verses of “Grass and Plum” (Ume Wakana), a 36-stanza renga:

Honorable Mention - Textbook

William J. Higginson with Penny Harter. The Haiku Handbook: How to Write, Share, and Teach Haiku. McGraw-Hill, New York, New York, 1985.

Honorable Mention - Anthology

Cor van den Heuvel, editor. The Haiku Anthology. Fireside/Simon & Schuster, New York, New York, 1986.


Merit Book Awards for 1985

for books published in 1983-1984

R. W. Grandinetti Rader (chairman)
Frank Robinson and Ruth Yarrow
judges samples

First Place

Rod Willmot, Editor. The Erotic Haiku Anthology. Black Moss Press, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, 1983.

Second Place

Bob Boldman. Wind in the Chimes. Juniper Press, La Crosse, Wisconsin, 1983.

Third Place

Adele Kenny. The Roses Open. Jade Mountain Press, Morristown, New Jersey, 1984.

Honorable Mentions

Alexis Rotella. After an Affair. Merging Media, Westfield, New Jersey, 1984.

Hal Roth. The Way the Wind. Wind Chimes Minibook, Glen Burnie, Maryland, 1983.


Merit Book Awards for 1983

for books published in 1981-1982

Virginia Brady Young
judge samples

First Place

Bob Boldman. Walking With the River. High/Coo Chapbook No. 8, Battle Ground, Indiana, 1980.

Second Place

Cor van den Heuvel. Dark. Chant Press, New York, New York, 1982.

Third Place

Elizabeth Searle Lamb. 39 Blossoms. High/Coo Mini-chapbook No. 17, Battle Ground, Indiana, 1982.

Eminent Mentions

L. A. Davidson. The Shape of the Tree. Wind Chimes, Glen Burnie, Maryland, 1982.

Alan Gettis. Sun-Faced Haiku, Moon-Faced Haiku, Volume I. High/Coo Chapbook No. 11, Battle Ground, Indiana, 1982.


Merit Book Awards for 1981

for books published in 1978-1980

Alfred Marks (chairman)
Sydell Rosenberg, and Lilli Tanzer
judges samples

First Place

Raymond Roseliep. Sailing Bones. Rook Press, Ruffsdale, Pennsylvania, 1978.

Second Place

Bernard Lionel Einbond. The Coming Indoors and Other Poems. Charles E. Tuttle, Rutland, Vermont, 1979.

Third Place

Virginia Brady Young. Shedding the River. privately published, 1978.

Honorable Mentions

Gary Hotham. Against the Linoleum. Yiqralo Press, Laurel, Maryland, 1979.

George Swede. Wingbeats. Juniper Press, La Crosse, Wisconsin, 1979.

Proxade Davis. Scrub Pine. Zephyr Instant Printing, Hyannis, Massachusetts, 1980.

Geraldine C. Little. Separation: Seasons in Space. Sparrow Press, West Lafayette, Indiana, 1979.

Honorable Mention - Translation

Gary L. Ebersole and Hideko Yamaga. The Elm Erupts: Selections from the works of Horiguchi Seimin. privately published, 1977.


Merit Book Awards for 1978

for books published in 1975-1977

Virginia Brady Young (chairperson)
L. A. Davidson, Alan Gettis, and Sydell Rosenberg
judges samples

First Place

Foster Jewell for the body of his work to date including these two books:

Foster Jewell. Haiku Sketches, Sangre de Cristo Press, Venice, California, 1971.
Foster Jewell. 9 Days on the Desert, Sangre de Cristo Press, Venice, California, 1977.

Second Place

Elizabeth Searle and F. Bruce Lamb. Picasso’s “Bust of Sylvette”. Garlinghouse Printers, Topeka, Kansas, 1977. Text by Elizabeth Searle Lamb; photographs by F. Bruce Lamb.

Third Place

Geraldine C. Little. Stilled Wind. Bonsai Press, Prescott, Arizona, 1977.

Honorable Mention

Robert Mainone. High on the Wind. privately published, 1975.

Honorable Mention - for a book of translation and criticism

Makoto Ueda. Modern Japanese Haiku: An Anthology. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Ontario, 1976.


Merit Book Awards for 1975

for books published in 1973-1974

Geraldine C. Little (chairperson)
L. A. Davidson, William J. Higginson, Edythe Polster
judges samples

The committee of judges recognized and commended the “able work of editors of ongoing haiku publications, their dedication to, and promulgation of, English-language haiku.” Recognition and commendation also extended to Joseph Earner for his fine work in the starting and editing of New World Haiku.

First Prize

Calvin French. The Poet-Painters: Buson and His Followers. The University of Michigan Museum of Art, The Center for Japanese Studies, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1974.

Second Prize

Cor van den Heuvel, Editor. The Haiku Anthology. Anchor Books/Doubleday, Garden City, New York, 1974.

Third Prize

Foster Jewell. Passing Moments. Sangre de Cristo Press, Venice, California, 1974.

Fourth Prize

Jack Cain. “Paris” (haibun) from Volume 63, a biannual of poetry, October 1964, No. 2, Board of Publications, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, pages 32-35.

Fifth Prize

Anita Virgil. A 2nd Flake. privately published, 1974.

Sixth Prize

Rhoda De Long Jewell. Via Time Machine. Sangre de Cristo Press, Venice, California, 1974.

Seventh Prize

Janice Bostok. Walking into the Sun. Shelters Press, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1974.

Eighth Prize

Mabelle A. Lyon and Wallace H. Fuller. Roadrunner:  American haiku of the desert Southwest. privately published, 1973.

 

 

 

 

The purpose of the Haiku Society of America's Merit Book Awards is to recognize the best haiku and related books published in a given year in the English language. Every year sees a fresh crop of fine individual collections, anthologies, translations, critical studies and innovative forms.

In the past, the HSA Merit Book awards were partially supported by a memorial gift. Leroy Kanterman, cofounder of the Haiku Society of America, made a gift to support the first place award in memory of his wife Mildred Kanterman. See the archives of Merit Book Awards.

Winners by Year (with judges' comments):

2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | 1995 | 1994 | 1993 | 1992 | 1991 | 1990 | 1989 | 1988 | 1987 | 1985 | 1983 | 1981 | 1978 | 1975 |

See the contest rules for entering the next Haiku Society of America Merit Book Awards competition. 

The Merit Book Awards competition is open to the public. Books must have been published in the previous year and must clearly contain a printed previous year copyright. A member, author, or publisher may submit or nominate more than one title. At least 50 percent of the book must be haiku, senryu, or haibun, or prose about these subjects (books mostly of tanka, for example, are not eligible). HSA will also consider collections that have only appeared in an e-book/digital book format. Two print copies of the digital book may be sent by the publisher. Books published by HSA officers are eligible for this award. Books published by the national HSA organization, however, are not eligible.