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My thanks go to Wayne Kingston, who got this topic going with his haiku. 

Much like episode 2, we can celebrate lots of new poets joining the community of writers today.

I’ll add twitter handles for all the poets, where I have them, so if you are not following each other, please do. Sometimes we have some discussions there too and it’s always great to have some support for our poems, and other creative writing.

Don’t forget that there will be a printed poetrypea quarterly Journal of haiku and senryu. The journal will contain all the verses that I read out on the podcast but as a bonus there are quite a number of verses that have been created for the topic which will appear only in the journal. In addition to this,  I have  a guest editor or judge for each topic who will choose his or her favourite verse for each topic and to give us an explanation why it was chosen. The results will be found in the journal.  I already have January’s and February’s results. Can’t wait to share them in the journal.

As usual I’ll start the podcast with Haiku and senryu that I’ve enjoyed reading in other publications. Then I shall read some verses from poets that are new to the podcast followed by verses from voices you should recognise.

Published

Michael Dylan Welch

from Haiku News

Valentine’s Day—
she reminds me
to fasten my seatbelt

Cattails Journal Oct 2019

Chen-ou Liu, Canada

love affair
with the scent of spring
a robin’s song

John McManus, England

the sweetness
of homegrown strawberries—
goodbye kiss

Pound

from “Haiku” selected and edited by Peter Washington an Everyman publication

As cool as the pale wet leaves
Of lily-of-the-valley
She lay beside me in the dawn

and lastly something by me, originally published on the haiku dialogue

Bisshie

Icarus dims
under the empty chair
his dog

Unpublished

This week our new poets come from three locations, vast locations, India, North America and Tajikistan. Welcome to you all.

We’ll start with our selection of poets from the sub continent of India:

**Bhawana Rathore

rain puddle
another moment
in this moment

Bio-

I’m a voracious student, with deep interest in anthropology and genetics. I believe in power of words and poetry in itself seems magical to me. And now when I’ve started this haiku journey, the beauty of simplest of things fascinates a lot. Like, watching a sunrise, listening to birds, or first rain’s scent, all such moments have become even more precious and blissful. The stalwart of my writing is the bond that I share with my grandpa. And I’m fond of emulating and learning new art forms from doyens of haiku zenith. I’m very thankful to my mentor Fractled, for always guiding and inspiring me. My work so far has been published in Cattails, Prune Juice, Under the Basho and FemkuMag. But mostly I write rhyming free verses. Good books, music and nature inspire me.

Blog 

**Neelam Dadhwal

sudden hush
our dog follows dad
to the gate

Bio:
Ms. Neelam Dadhwal is a haiku poet from Chandigarh, India. Her work have been published
in The Criterion, Literary Journal, Haiga Online, Daily Haiga, Muse India, Asahi Haikuist Network, Indian Review and others. She has penned two poetry books, Echoes and Footprints. Her online profiles are
Twitter: @neelamdadhwal
Instagram: @neelamdadhwal
Blog

**R. Suresh Babu

a kiss—
from puppy’s snout
the wetness of love

R. Suresh Babu works as an English teacher in a residential school in Chikkamagalur in India. His poem ‘Shadows’ was published in the anthology ‘We Will Not Be Silenced’ of the Indie Blu(e) publishing house. His poetry is also published in many anthologies in India. He has had his haikus published in the journal ‘Under the Basho’, the November 2019 men only issue of Femkumag, Failed Haiku and the selection list of the weekly challenge of the Haiku Foundation/Haiku Dialogue

Now let’s head to North America, where we will start with a couple of poets from British Columbia, where in 2021 the Haiku North America conference is taking place.

**Tara Steciuk

a thousand candles
lighting up the night’s darkness,
just one is needed

Bio:

I have studied Fish and wildlife for a diploma in renewable resources, Psychology, and recently another diploma in Immigration Studies. I’m both Ukrainian and Scottish decent, and born and raised in Kelowna, British Columbia. Love camping, fishing, gold panning, hiking, gardening, classic rock n roll.  I’m a mom of 5 children and wish for them to follow their dreams, be around good people, and to never give up. When I am a bit lost, I look to nature, and it always brings me back home; poetry helps.

twitter:   @TaraSteciuk
Blog

**Greta Makena Gibson

that honey’d moon hangs
sweet and lazy in the sky
a long easy life

Greta Makena Gibson is a writer and filmmaker. Their first book of poetry “Everything I’ve Ever Felt, All At Once” is available on February 24th, and her own audio drama podcast “Under The Table” comes out on February 20th.
Website
Twitter @GretaMakGibson

**Valentina Ranaldi-Adams

scented lilacs . . .
flashbacks
of you

Bio:

Valentina Ranaldi-Adams was born in the USA to parents from Arpino, Italy.  She
earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics, from the University of Akron.
She worked as a computer programmer for the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.
Valentina writes mainly short-form poetry such as haiku and senryu.  She
has been published in journals such as “Akitsu Quarterly”, “Blithe Spirit”, “cattails”,
“chrysanthemum”, “failed haiku”, “Frogpond”, “Presence”, “Ribbons”, “Wales Haiku Journal”, and “#FemkuMag”.

**Michael Morell

waterfall…
a song replaces
her silence

Bio:

Michael Morell lives in the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA, USA, and has been writing poetry for over 25 years. His first collection of haiku and senryu, leaf raking, was published in August 2019 by buddha baby press, an imprint of bottle rockets press. His work has appeared internationally in journals such as Modern Haiku, The Aurorean, Bleached Butterfly, The Stray Branch, Prune Juice, Shot Glass Journal, and elsewhere. Aside from writing, Michael enjoys bird watching, swimming, and photography.

“Leaf raking” inquiries to purchase ($10 + s&h) can be sent to michaelnmorell@gmail.com or I can be reached on my Twitter profile @MichaelNMorell.

**Bakhtiyar Amini

unfamiliar flower
let me call you
by my daughter’s name

Born in Tajikistan; poet and translator, author of three poetry books. He writes haiku and senryu in Russian, Tajik-Persian and English languages.

Awards and Other Honors:
The Heron’s Nest Award and Editors’ Choice Vol. XXI, No. 4: December 2019.

Books Published:
Nikahe nigah (“Marriage of glances”), 1994, Dushanbe, Tajikistan; Ba dunbale chashmha (“Following my eyes”), 2012, Dushanbe, Tajikistan; Tвоя модная улыбка – haiku and senryu (“Your trendy smile”), 2014, Odessa, Ukraine.

Wayne Kingston

crystal petals;
splintered shards ~
valentine heart lance

Wayne’s third volume of poetry, Pillow Talk Soliloquy, is currently listed on Amazon.com. Previous volumes (Eclectic Discernment, Listen Small) are also available, and on Barnes and Noble as well.

Dorothy Burrows

under water
his old hands
scrub her underwear

Twitter @rambling_dot

Devin Harrison

wolf moon
salting the slippery path
to your door

Devin’s book: Meeting Myself at the Gate available on Amazon

Kristen Lindquist

first night
we let the champagne
go flat

Blog
Twitter: @mainekestrel

Christina Chin

regurgitation
I change the clothes
he cleans the puke

WordPress Blog 

Blogger is an ongoing scheduled blog of my featured and published haiku.@Christina_haiku

Andrew Syor

warrior’s mind set
hating exhaustive training
loving victory

Video Blog 

Hemapriya Chellappan

frog on a frog on a twig

Twitter: @Hemapriya17
Instagram: @hematheone

Katherine E Winnick

Observe your soul
Tell of delicate delights
Writing love notes

Twitter @thewovenwords

James Young

hold my hand
and we are there again
again

Twitter: @BaitTheLines

medical website 

Blogs:

https://haikueye.blogspot.com/

https://baitthelines.blogspot.com/

Photography 

Robert Horrobin

l
O
v
E
he uses the other
fist

Marina Bellini

squid ink spaghetti
his black lips
so tasty

Blog

Tia Haynes

blackberry bush
his lips stained
by my fingertips

Her Chapbook Leftover Ribbon

Twitter: @adalia_haiku
Website 

Lovette Carter

mountain rain
the echo when you
say goodbye

Constance Bourg

two clouds join
and part
in a changing sky

Website

Giddy Nielsen Sweep

the enticing smell
of spices and sugar
hot tea cake

Twitter @GiddyNS

Kate Alsbury

slinking to the platform
my heart is still
on the last one

Jalmurra magazine
Twitter @land_alliance

Kim Russell

two pairs of footprints
remain on a windswept beach
the shelter of dunes

Website
Publications:
The Emma Press: Anthology of Aunts and Second Place Rosette.
The dVerse Poets anthology, Chiaroscuro – Darkness and Light
Twitter: @kim88110

Tracy Davidson

single again
she finds her first love
in the obituaries

Twitter: @tracydavidson27
Instagram: @tracydavidson27

Richa Sharma

the taste
of an old love song
apple pie

Twitter @bluelakemoon

Robin Rich

sparrow prepares
the highest branch
waiting for her text

Twitter @rrichwords
Instagram @rrichwords

Book “Walk to be Herd” available on Etsy, Smashwords and Amazon

Vandana Parashar

long winter
his memory takes shape
in my womb

Her Chapbook “I am

Alison Breewood

buttercups
a mother nuzzles
her playful twins

Twitter @AlisonBreewood

m shane pruett

blue bloom
in a thousand petals
she loves me not

Twitter @HaikuMyBrew

Prof R K Singh

meditation
cell phone rings
love echoes

Professor R K Singh’s blogs
https://rksingh.blogspot.in
https://rksinghpoet.blogspot.in
https://collectedpoemsofrksingh.blogspot.in
https://profrksingh.wordpress.com

Latest book:
THERE’S NO PARADISE AND OTHER SELECTED POEMS TANKA AND HAIKU.  It is now available on Amazon.

GOD TOO AWAITS LIGHT (tanka and haiku, September 2017, published by Cholla Needles, Joshua Tree, California)
GROWING WITHIN (regular poems, tanka and haiku, with translation into Romanian, published  by Anticus Press, Constanta, Romania, December 2017).

His new collection available online (free) and awaiting a publisher:

Mark Morris

in a cosy pub
a tug on my untucked shirt –
her smile aimed aloft.

Mark makes music inspired by haiku poetry, which can be found on Soundcloud

Unrelated to poetry, he also produces music under the pseudonym Journoiz

Twitter Pure Land Haiku (@HaikuPure)

Pearl

full moon
how long will we have
together?

Instagram “3_liner” at  https://www.instagram.com/3_liner/

Mineko Takahashi

starless midnight
bright daybreak
a roller coaster ride

Instagram sites teaching Japanese Idioms “your_private_japanese_tutor” and “ur_japanese_tutor” which teaches Japanese characters

FB account @yourjapanesetutor which discusses many facets of the language from the viewpoint of a foreign learner.

Jonathan Roman

night terror
i sit up
with his fear

His book Deeper Into Winter. It’s a collection of haiku, haiga, and haibun written in and about Iceland.
Website 
Twitter and Instagram: @deft_notes

Dr Tim Gardiner

the certainty
we’ll never meet
golden koi

Website 

Pravat Kumar Padhy

lovemaking—
the branches extend
each other

Blog 

Muskaan Ahuja

rainy night…
still moist on the pillow
thoughts of him

Mark Gilbert

looking for love
in the stationary cupboard
the smell of cardboard

His haiku foundation page

Isabel Caves

river bank
the twists and turns
of your affection

Website 

Goran Gatalica

neighbor’s wedding —
the migratory routes
of seabirds

Congrats to Goran, who won on the 2nd International Basho-an English Haiku Competition. Results are published on their pages on 10.2.2020. (there is selector’s Mr. Kai Hasegawa comments and my winning message).  On their pages there are also other selected haiku poems selected as “honorable mentions”.

His Haiku Foundation page

Pat Geyer

dandelion
painted on her cheek…
make love not war

Elaine Patricia Morris

grey day by the coast
I wrote his name in a shell
left it on our bench

Twitter @VotheroneMorris

Blog

Incidental haiku Group in Bolton, UK, new members always welcome, just get in Touch with Elaine.

Richard Bailly

mom’s best friend
bridge over stilled waters
together again

Peter Draper

I place two stones
on my shadow
and walk away

Blog

Ian Speed

Parted not divided,
segmented, not separated-
alone, yet not unloved.

Isabella Kramer

moon shadow
the blue sound
of our silence

Isabella’s blogs:
www.veredita.blogspot.de
www.haiku-veredit.blogspot.de
Facebook, Instagram  @isabella.kramer_veredit
Twitter @IVeredit

Her book

Ljiljana Dobra

in her smile
a million roses –
woman in love

Craig Kittner

home from work
asking her so she’ll
say she does

Craig’s book “Time’s Sweet Savor Poetry
Twitter @craigkittner

Debbie Strange

Valentine’s Day
our Dalmatian pup’s
new red leash

Publication and award archive, which also includes reviews of her books and hundreds of haiga and tanka art.
Twitter @Debbie_Strange
Instagram @debbiemstrange.

Tomislav Sjekloća

pushing the ground
with her toes –
first kiss

His haiku foundation page

wendy c bialek

building bookshelves
we learn
what matters

Eva Drobna

autumn evening
love in a bottle of wine
lost hope

Dan Burt

our song
still singing
the words wrong

Hannah Hulbert

such longing
to embrace the stranger
in my womb

Twitter @hhulbert

My thanks to all of you, poets, listeners and readers.

Don’t forget there are more verses from these wonderful haijin which will be featured alongside the ones you have just heard in the 1st Quarterly journal of haiku and senryu which will be out sometime after the end of March.

Thanks to those of you who have headed off to iTunes, soundcloud etc and left reviews, I appreciate it. If you haven’t done that already, it would be wonderful if you could when you have a minute. I know everyone is busy, so please don’t feel you have to.

The next podcast, on the first Monday of March I will be continuing with the essence of haiku. I had tons of feedback from episode 3, thank you. It’s given me a lot to think about. Now I’m puzzling over emotion and how to talk about that. Any thoughts?

Last but not least, a reminder for the next deadline, 1st of March for haiku and senryu on the topic of recipes. Tell me about your favourites. I’m looking forward to receiving more. Email me the results of your musing.

Until next time, keep writing…

Series 3 Episode 4: Loving the haiku and senryu