Guest Poet: Dr. Randy Brooks
Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences and Professor of English at Millikin University, has an extensive resume as a writer, editor, publisher, and educator in the area of English-language haiku. He has taught courses on haiku at Millikin for many years and hosted the Midwest Haiku Festival at Millikin University in 1992. In 2000 he co-hosted the Global Haiku Conference there (with Lee Gurga). His publishing ventures in the genre date from 1976, when he and his wife, Shirely Brooks, founded High/Coo Press. He is also responsible for a significant portion of the best presentations of ELH on the web, serving as electronic media officer for the Haiku Society of America, web editor for Modern Haiku magazine, and as the web editor for the American Haiku Archives web site.
Haiku North America has been convened every other year since 1991. The most recent incarnation took place on the Queen Mary, in Long Beach California during August. Yu and I were able to attend and, as a result, enjoyed the very stimulating company of poets from all over North America and from as far away as India, New Zealand, Japan, and Tasmania!
It is our very great pleasure to announce that the next Haiku North America conference will be held at Union College in Schenectady, NY. The Route 9 Haiku Group will serve as local organizers and we have already begun planning our welcome for everyone (http://vimeo.com/70412358).
We look forward to seeing you at Union from October 14 through 18, 2015! js
Sample Poems
the milkweed lets go
so many
possibilities
Randy Brooks
there are no promises
the rain
lets up
js
a slight veer
in the mower’s path
wildflower
tc
April lst
the sun plays
peek-a-boo
ht
leafing hydrangea
she is too young
to wear a mask
yc
Upstate Dim Sum 