Haiku Society of America Region
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Washington Region
The Washington region of the HSA has several active groups that meet on a regular basis. The first and largest group, Haiku Northwest, was founded by Francine Porad in 1988. The group meets monthly in the Seattle area, usually on the Eastside. In 2000, the group won the first place Merit Book Award from the Haiku Society of America with its hand-sewn anthology, To Find the Words, and its Seeing Stars collection won “Best Anthology” award in the 2010 Kanterman Book Awards (for books published in 2009). In 2014, Haiku Northwest also published No Longer Strangers, an anthology in celebration of the organization’s 25th anniversary.
The second group, the Port Townsend Haiku Group, for many years met monthly in Port Townsend, and also had a regular renku gathering. The group was founded in 1992 by Mimi Call and Doris Thurston. Port Townsend members played an integral part in hosting the 2005 Haiku North America conference, and Port Townsend was also the longtime home of the widely respected journal, The Heron’s Nest, edited by Christopher Herold. The Port Townsend group has been quiet recently, but its members continue to be active with haiku.
A smaller, more independent group meets on Vashon Island, and is known as Mondays at Three, named for the time they meet, founded by Helen Russell. They are noted for “publishing” their haiku on prominent roadside signs by the ferry terminal on the north end of the island. They persist in this endeavor even though people keep stealing the haiku signs, which they take as a sort of compliment.
A fourth group, the Bellingham Haiku Group, meets monthly in Bellingham, founded by Seren Fargo, taking inspiration from its close proximity to sea and mountains.
The fifth and most recently formed group meets monthly in Tacoma. The Commencement Bay Haiku group was formed in 2011 in Tacoma, and is led by Richard Tice
In addition to its monthly meetings, the Seattle, Port Townsend, Bellingham, and Tacoma groups occasionally meet up with each other for haiku outings and camaraderie. Seattle and nearby Bainbridge Island are also home to many haiku stones (in English and Japanese), and the city of Yakima, east of Seattle, is documented as being the first place in the United States where senryu poetry was ever written (in 1910 or 1912).
Every fall, Haiku Northwest has its annual Seabeck Haiku Getaway weekend retreat at the Seabeck Conference Center in Seabeck, Washington, the highlight of the year. Haiku Northwest has also participated in Seattle’s Folklife and Bumbershoot festivals, the Seattle Cherry Blossom Festival, and has appeared at the Japanese Garden, Sakura-Con, and the annual Aki Matsuri (Japanese Fall Festival) held at Bellevue College, among other events. Members of Haiku Northwest organized two Haiku North America conferences, first in Port Townsend in 2005, and then in 2011 in Seattle, and Haiku Northwest has hosted national quarterly meetings of the Haiku Society of America numerous times.
Washington State is also home to National Haiku Writing Month (NaHaiWriMo), celebrated every February (the shortest month for the shortest genre of poetry) by writing at least one haiku a day throughout the month. NaHaiWriMo also has an active Facebook page.
Please visit the Haiku Northwest for details on our ongoing events. If you want to attend one of our events, learn more about us, or join our mailing list, please contact the Washington State regional coordinator.
~ Michael Dylan Welch
Regional Links
Haiku Northwest
https://www.haikunorthwest.orgHaiku Northwest Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Haiku-Northwest/74082023006Francine Porad
http://americanhaikuarchives.org/curators/FrancinePorad.htmlGraceguts
https://www.graceguts.comHiway Haiku
http://www.portvashon.com/haiku.htmlKingfisher
https://kingfisherjournal.com/National Haiku Writing Month (NaHaiWriMo)
https://www.nahaiwrimo.comNo Longer Strangers (Haiku Northwest 25th anniversary anthology)
https://www.haikunorthwest.org/no-longer-strangers/
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