Haiku in Action Week 27
Haiku in Action Week 26
Annual Memorial Poetry Reading
Every year we gather by Nick Virgilio’s grave at the gorgeous and historic Harleigh Cemetery to read poetry and celebrate his life. The lectern memorial, engraved with Virgilio’s famous poem, “lily: / out of the water… / out of itself” overlooks a serene lake and is just up the hill from Walt Whitman’s tomb.
This year, we will begin our celebration at our writers house, where we will dedicate the new mural created by local artist, Danielle Cartier. Join us at 1pm at 1801 Broadway, and then make the short trip down Ferry Avenue to Harliegh Cemetery, at 1640 Haddon Avenue, at 2pm.
2021 Student Haiku Contest Winners
This school year has been difficult for students and teachers alike. Understandable then, that the number of submissions for our annual student haiku contest decreased from a high of 6,000 submissions, to the roughly 2,000 submissions that we received this year. That being said, the judges of this year’s contest still chose six high quality haiku to win that would rival poems from any other year. The students who submitted this year hailed from forty states plus Puerto Rico and D.C. We also were pleased to read submissions from international students from thirteen other countries. A list of the areas in which youth haiku is thriving can be seen below.
Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Washington DC, West Virginia.
Canada, India, Bulgaria, Qatar, Ethiopia, Ghana, Philippines, New Zealand, Spain, Nepal, Germany, United Kingdom, Romania.
Judges' Commentary for 2021
2021 Nicholas A. Virgilio Haiku & Senryu Competition
Awards for Grades 7 – 12
Judges
Tom Clausen and Sandi Pray
Judges Comments
hide and seek
the smell of detergent
on Papi’s shirtsAida Pardo Grade 8, Atlanta, Georgia
Papi’s closet would be a wondrous place to hide. What surprises me is the poet’s focus on the scent of his laundry rather than the hold-your-breath anticipation of being discovered. I feel that Papi is beloved. Is this a fond memory or perhaps last weekend’s game? So much to ponder in a few words. ~ Sandi
As much as I was captivated by the fun memory of various hide and seek times in my life, it was another hidden subtext that made this resonate even more for me. The reality of hiding someplace is that we suddenly must be perfectly still, quiet and in suspense as to how long it might be before we are found. It is during that time that a great intimacy with our surroundings is attained. It is in that hiding that we gain an up-close intimacy with our surroundings. That is a place where haiku awareness and sensibility begin. I delighted in this young poet being up close and personal with their Papi's shirts! ~Tom
• • •
harvest moon
corn whispers
the wind's pathGabby Short, Grade 7, Atlanta, Georgia
I closed my eyes and was there. This poem speaks to the senses . . . the touch and sound of cool wind, the sight of the full moon, the scent of corn husks. It has a melancholy about it that makes me wonder if the poet was alone. ~ Sandi
This poem has an appealing invitation to be out there in such a magical moment. The whisper of wind creates a natural bridge of some timeless secret of the harvests everywhere. I like the yugen sense of beauty calling from beyond that makes me glad to imagine being there now! ~ Tom
• • •
autumn breeze
the cold chains
of the old park swingAmiya Bhattacharrya, Grade 7, Decatur, Georgia
I found this poem to be an excellent example of wabi sabi. Fragment and phrase together bring feelings of nostalgia for what has gone . . . maybe just the recent summer break or the loss of a friend or of fun times past. The implied feel of cold chains and sound of creaking gives this poem great depth. ~ Sandi
The happy childhood memories of being in the park and swinging come alive in this haiku. Yet, the change in seasons is apparent in the cold chains, giving a hint of harsher weather looming ahead. I liked that the poet gave the reader the chance to feel their own memories through this poem. As we outgrow certain childhood pleasures there remains the desire to remember and revisit them. Swinging for children has an allure that lasts a lifetime. It brought back my own memory of swinging so high I felt as if I was reaching the sky. ~ Tom
• • •
eye clinic —
the medic squints
at my prescriptionUstat Sethi, Grade 11, Bangalore, India
A great observation of the commonplace. What might have been an ordinary poem about the infamous penmanship of doctors turns with humor to the medic's need to squint. Clear and concise this senryu definitely brings a smile. ~ Sandi
This senryu has a familiar truth plain as day! We all have seen plenty of prescriptions written in hieroglyphic script that is cryptic and puzzling when it should be absolutely clear and accessible! The wonderful humor of this being at an eye clinic and prompting a squint, as if that might help decipher it, makes for an instant smile and sense of insight into another indelible foible of humanity; poor penmanship! This senryu touches on our current day attachment to keyboards and the lost art of handwriting that a generation ago was so valued by many. ~ Tom
• • •
summer rain
breathing in
the earth's smellOshadha Perera, Grade 10 US Equivalent, Invercargill, New Zealand
What a sense of peace this poem evokes. The poet shows great sensitivity and perceptiveness in a moment that many would overlook as they busy themselves with other things. This is a good example of the use of sound and scent to make the ordinary seem extraordinary. So much said in few words. ~ Sandi
What a subtle but indelible sense it is to actually be able identify the smell of the earth. Summer is most associated with ease, leisure and pleasures and how entirely fitting that a summer rain would deliver this sensation. What a lovely communion it is to become acquainted with the great scent of our mother earth! The pared down simplicity and immediacy of this poem is an example of less being more. ~ Tom
• • •
quiet library
dust particles suspended
in a ray of lightAngelina Georgacopoulos, Grade 11, Tewksbury, Massachusetts
This poem evokes an atmosphere of quiet contemplation. Whether taking a break, hoping for inspiration or deeply troubled how often does one stare at seemingly nothing. The something found within the focus of nothing. Both sound (lack of) and sight are woven into a poem of narrowed focus with a hint of wabi sabi. ~ Sandi
Dust is likely the smallest sight available to see. It is meaningful to realize that it is in moments of stillness and quiet when we are able to see such a sight. I enjoyed being there amongst all the books and in that ray of light recognizing the "reading" of dust particles; a story for all time. ~ Tom
• • •
About our judges:
Tom Clausen is a lifelong resident of Ithaca, New York and a member of the Rt. 9 Haiku Group. He developed an interest in haiku and other brief poetic forms after realizing he needed more discipline in his writing attempts. He is married to Berta Gutierrez and they have two children, Casey and Emma. His books of haiku and tanka include: Autumn Wind in the Cracks (1994); Unraked Leaves (1995); A Work of Love (Tiny Poems Press, 1997); Standing Here (1998); Homework (Snapshot Press, 2000); Being There (Swamp Press, 2005); Growing Late (Snapshot Press, 2006); Laughing to Myself (Free Food Press, 2013).
Sandi Pray is a retired high school library media specialist living a quiet life in the wilds of the North Carolina mountains and river wetlands of North Florida. As a vegan she is a lover of all life and the rhythms of nature. Sandi’s haiku, haiga and tanka have appeared in WHA Haiga, Daily Haiku, Daily Haiga, Simply Haiku, Modern Haiku, AHG, Frogpond, Cattails, Acorn, The Heron’s Nest, Akitsu Quarterly, Hedgerow Poems, Brass Bell, Mann Library Daily Haiku, Under the Basho, Seize the Poem Anthology, DVerse Poetry Anthology, Fragments Anthology, Skylark, Moonbathing, Bright Stars, Atlas Poetica and Naad Anunaad: An Anthology of Contemporary World Haiku. She is a past haiga editor for A Hundred Gourds and is tank-art editor for Skylark Tanka Journal.
Mural Unveiling and Annual Graveside Celebration
The Nick Virgilio Writers House reopening went wonderfully, with guests joining us in person at our backyard garden and virtually to listen to Rocky Wilson read his poetry and watch Hifsa Ashraf join us over Zoom from Rawalpindi, Pakistan. The mood was joyous, as for many of us it was the first time gathering in a group since the pandemic began. Open Mic participants were outstanding both at the Writers House and from all around the world. We were even joined by a poet from Camden, London in the Zoom portion of the open mic, which was an outstanding connection of our two Camdens!
Winners of our annual student haiku contest in partnership with the Haiku Society of America will be announced in early May. Watch this space to find out more!
The next live event we have coming up is our annual graveside celebration of Nick Virgilio’s birthday on Sunday, June 27th, 2pm, at Harleigh Cemetery on the other side of Camden, NJ. We will read Virgilio’s poems together and our own poems in the open mic. Afterwards we will have a special gathering to unveil our brand new mural at the Writers House! Many thanks to Danielle Cartier, our mural artist, and Jack O’Byrne for the grant that made this possible. We’re so excited to adorn the side of our writers house with Danielle’s beautiful artwork commemorating Nick Virgilio and his Lily haiku.
Danielle Cartier is an artist with a studio at Camden Fireworks down the street from the Nick Virgilio Writers House.
Easter Egg Hunt!
Easter is almost upon us, and NVHA plans to participate in our community Easter egg hunt, organized by Heart of Camden. We will partner with Tom Martin of the Camden County Pop Up Library in order to distribute free children’s books at the event. We’re going to have a table with plenty of books to give away, plus information for children to sign up for Mighty Writers classes at the writers house. Join us for some family friendly fun and lots of give-aways for the kids!
The event is scheduled for April 3rd, from 11am to 2pm. Phoenix Park is located right along the Delaware River in our Waterfront South neighborhood at 227 Jefferson St, Camden, NJ 08104.
Spring Open Mic Reschedule
Hello everyone, unfortunately we have to reschedule our open mic that was set for March 27th because Rocky Wilson had to undergo surgery. The good news is that Rocky is recovering well and we are going to host the poetry reading in both live and virtual format on Saturday, April 10th, 2pm.
A small, socially distanced gathering with Rocky will open up our writers house again for the first time in over a year. If you would like to join us in person at the writers house, we ask that you RSVP via the form below.
Masks are required and the event will be outdoors in our backyard garden. In person attendance is limited so be sure to sign up as soon as possible!
If you can’t make it in person, we will be simultaneously streaming the event live over Zoom as we welcome Hifsa Ashraf from Rawalpindi, Pakistan and open mic readers from all over the world in our very own Camden, New Jersey.
We will have a television set up in the garden so that guests can watch haiku performed internationally, and we will be streaming from the writers house so that the world can watch us perform in Camden. We’re excited to reopen the writers house with this hybrid virtual and in person event!
Celebrate Spring with the Virgilio Open Mic Featuring Rocky Wilson and Hifsa Ashraf
Hello! We are excited to announce our springtime of 2021 Open Mic, which will connect our local community with the international community. On Saturday, March 27th, 7pm EST our program director Sean Lynch, and the Puppet Laureate of Camden Rocky Wilson, will stream live from the Nick Virgilio Writer’s House. They will be joined by renowned haiku poet Hifsa Ashraf from Pakistan.
The reading will still take place virtually, so anyone can join and read in the open mic.
You can register for the zoom link and sign up for the open mic reading by clicking the link below.
Hifsa Ashraf lives in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. She is one of the finalists for the Sable Books Contest 2020 for women, and an award-winning poet, and a story writer. She is an editor and a founder of a bilingual online magazine ‘Saawan Rut’ that is for the promotion of the short forms of creative writing. She is also an editor of the Haiku Commentary blog. She writes poetry in English, Urdu, and Punjabi. Her first individual chapbook about workplace Islamophobia is Working with Demons by Proletaria Publishing, Singapore. Her first collaborative chapbook with Alan Summers is The Comfort of Crows by Velvet Dusk Publishing, USA. Her two books about women issues Her Fading Henna Tattoo and Running After Shadows by Human/Kind Publishing Press, USA and available on Amazon. Please visit her blog to view her published work. http://hifsays.blogspot.com or follow her on twitter at @hifsays
Rocky Wilson is a poet, performance artist and Walt Whitman interpreter. For over 25 years, the author has hosted PIZZA AND POETRY, one of the longest running poetry series in New Jersey and in 2019, received the Camden County Freedom Medal for his celebration of the city. “Rocky Wilson is not just the muse of Camden, New Jersey, the poorest city in these rich, un-united states, he is its soul…” Peter Murphy, Stockton University.
Art Unboxed Workshop with Tom Painting
Our next event is a free, virtual writing workshop with renowned teacher and haiku poet, Tom Painting. Every year, Mr. Painting’s students are at the top of the list for our annual student haiku contest.
Here is a look at what to expect in this exciting workshop, “we will start with an activity that unlocks the mystery of why haiku in English is best written in fewer than 17 syllables (11-13ish ideally)
From there we'll go into sensory images, seasonality, haiku form and function... and so on. The workshop will feature many fine haiku written in English.”
If you’d like to submit to our student haiku contest, this is the best way for you to learn how to write a winning haiku.
This workshop is for all ages!
(The event will be video recorded and later posted to YouTube. If you do not wish to appear on video, you are welcome to turn off your camera in the Zoom meeting.)
Workshop Form:
Teacher Bio:
Tom currently teaches junior high humanities at the Paideia School in Atlanta, GA. Since 2000, his students have had winning haiku in the Nicholas Virgilio Memorial Haiku Contest. Tom’s own haiku have appeared annually since 1998 in The Red Moon Anthology of English Language Haiku, published by Red Moon Press. Tom is an avid birder and enjoys hiking.
2021 Student Haiku Contest
The annual student haiku & senryu competition is now open! Make sure to watch our workshop with Michael Dylan Welch in order to better master your haiku writing skills before submitting. You can watch here.
Here are the full guidelines to the contest on the Haiku Society of America website.
Once you’ve practiced writing haiku and feel like you’ve written your best work, you can submit to our contest for your chance of winning $100 by filling out the form here.