the archives of f/k/a . . .

If you stopped by the daily haiku weblogs of Matt Morden

and Paul David Mena on Sunday, you would have seen

two poems that moved me:

 

deepening snow

my mother struggles to remember

the names of my children

 

          paul david mena (Dec. 4, 2005)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

in my parents house

the smell of my grandparent’s house

 

           matt morden (Dec. 4, 2005)

 

 

Matt Morden is accumulating a very good list of links to daily haiku

weblogs and other haiku and hokku-related sites.  I’ve put a link to

the Morden Haiku site in the Sidebar for your convenience.

                                                                                            

 

At Matt’s place today, you can find a larger, color version of this photo     

and accompanying haiku,  The effect is breathtaking.

november light

found on the alder

leaf ribs

 

 

  On a perhaps less sublime note, if you went over to

Blawg Review #35 today, you learned that December 5th has been

designated The Day of the Ninja.  Of course, pseudo-ninjas are even

more annoying than pseudo-haiku. 

 

While at BR #35 — hosted by Colin Samuels of the Inferno-themed

Infamy or Praise weblog — you will find links to some of the best

law-related postings of the past week.  I was happy to learn that

Prof. Ross Runkel has started Employment Law 101 at his

Employment Law weblog.  It will be in 60 parts, posted on Mon-

Wed-Fri for 20 weeks.  

 

I also was pleased to discover The Airport Lawyer weblog — by

Sheryl Schelin, who has some interesting insights on Freedom

of Information requests, and also shows her exquisite taste by

including a link to f/k/a on her short weblog roll.  Thank you,

Sheryl.

 

                                                                         

 

Meanwhile, Colin has banished your Editor to the Sixth Ring of

Hell, due to my heretical thoughts on gay priests and the Catholic

Church.  Innocent as Charged!

 

 

cross words over turkey

over parenting –

the Yule log burns

                    dagosan  [Dec. 26, 2004]

 

                                                                             

 

If you’re a lawyer, judge or law professor in a big City (or even a lowly law

student), there’s a big chance you don’t spend much social time with folk

from outside the legal profession.  Here’s my recommendation for meeting

an assortment of interesting and friendly people, who cross generations and

careers, but share a love of language well-used and small moments experi-

enced fully: join the Haiku Society of America.

 

 

Where did that rather self-absorbed notion come from, you might ask?  Well,

I just attended my first HSA meeting (on Saturday, Dec. 3rd, in NYC) and

(a) had a great time – such that I’m not even going to complain about my post-

trip aches and pains and fatigue; (b) met, and started to get to know, people

behind names I have been seeing in haiku publications for years and people

with unfamiliar names but friendly faces and intriguing stories. And,

 

(c) Learned that HSA has been doing very little promotion of itself and virtually

no outreach to increase its membership, which now stands at about 800 —

with more than 75 members in New England, over 150 in the Northeast Metro

area, and over a 100 in both the Southeast and Midwest, plus 90+ in California,

and 3 in Alaska.

 

                                                                                             

 

Thus, this is my weblog-Google-friendly attempt to tell people about the Haiku

Society of America.   Along with the regular membership fee of $33 ($30 for students

and senior citizens), come the three annual editions of Frogpond — HSA’s haiku

journal (and source of many f/k/a haiku and senryu); newsletters; plus much

good feeling, camaradie. and occasional familial wrangling. 

The chance to mingle with the living history and future

of English-Language haiku is pretty exciting, too.

  One highlight of the HSA Meeting was acquiring the brand new book,

New Resonance 4: Emerging Voices in English-Language Haiku (edited by Jim

Kacian and Dee Evetts, Red Moon Press, 2005).  Even better was having three

of the 17 poets featured in New Resonance 4 read their own excellent work from

the book — Brenda J. Gannam, William Cullen Jr., and Efren Estevez (natives of

Savannah, Havana and Petersburg [VA], respectively, and all transplanted to the

NYC area). Click this link to see the cover of New Resonance 4, and go here for

information on the series.  

 

Another highpoint of the meeting was a Memorial for Jerry Kilbride, the much-

beloved poet/bartender and HSA inspiration.  Our Honored Guest, Pamela Miller

Ness led the memorial.  I did not know Jerry, but was moved by the palpable

love in the room.  Here is an award-winning, classic haiku by Jerry:

fog . . .
just the tree and I
at the bus stop

Here are tribute poems for Jerry, by three f/k/a Honored Guests, from

the current edition of The Heron’s Nest (Dec. 2005): 

 

 

morning bells
through a crack in the shutter
one bright star

 

          carolyn hall

 

“treebare”

 

 

 

turning tide
the river goes
from gray to blue

 

       peggy willis lyles

 

 

 

 

 

 

fog . . .
just the tree
at the bus stop

 

     michael dylan welch

 

If reading f/k/a has turned you into a haiku lover, please consider joining

HSA.  If you’ve been a haiku fan or writer for years, and haven’t yet joined

HSA, please consider a membership now.  End of the haikuEsq sales pitch

 

p.s.  At the meeting, I finally got to meet Pamela Miller Ness in

person, after our 18-month “relationship” here at f/k/a.  It was a

pleasure — and, as Pamela was just voted President of HSA — a

distinct honor.  Congratulations!