Haiku Society of America

Merit Book Awards for 1978

for books published in 1975-1977

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

 

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.

This puddle, so small,
the skidding of a leaf
     starts it shivering.

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

        Resting.
The buzzards come
   to see how I do.

 

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.

not knowing
this is the New Year, she smiles
in the same old way

going out to look at her
again
on the day he dies

 

Third Place

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

after Bach
the bare beauty
             of a winter branch

The swarming cities
             under
     this lifted rock!

 

Honorable Mention

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

In each snowy footprint
     the fox is leaving
          a bit of his shadow

Wobbly puppy
     drinking
          the wobbly moon

 

Honorable Mention - for a book of translation and criticism

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

Eating grapes—
like one word, another word,
and still another.

~ Nakamura Kusatao

I kill an ant
and realize my three children
have been watching.

~ Kato Shuson