About

What is Haiku Commentary?

A publication to help people learn more about haiku and related forms, and to discover the greatness of perhaps the smallest type of poem. We share commentary on poems from both living and passed-on poets.

Haiku, senryu, tanka, haiga, haibun, and shahai are selected and written about in-depth, and posted here with the permission of authors, who retain their full copyright. Poets can submit their poems and have them commented on, or submit their own poems with their own commentary. See our “Submissions” page for more information.

Our Staff

Editor: Nicholas Klacsanzky

Nicholas has had poems and essays published widely in journals, books, and on websites. Additionally, he has collaborated in creating the following books: Zen and Son and How Many Become One. His solo haiku book, Transported, was released in 2022 through Red Moon Press. At present, he is the haiku and senryu editor of Frogpond journal. He is a teacher by profession.

His father was George Klacsanzky—a pioneer in the American haiku scene, with his publication Haiku Zasshi Zo, one of the first haiku journals in the Pacific Northwest. Nicholas wants to carry on the tradition of his father by promoting haiku further. He lives in Seattle with his wife Linda.

Awards

  • Touchstone Award for Individual Poems, The Haiku Foundation (2016)
  • 2nd place, H. Gene Murtha Senryu Contest (2018)
  • 1st place, Seabeck Haiku Getaway 2020 Annual Kukai (2020)
  • 2nd place, Mandy’s Pages Tanka Time (2018)
  • 3rd place, International Kusamakura Haiku Competition (2018)
  • 3rd place, Mad About Cherita Contest (2018)
  • 5th place, Seabeck Haiku Getaway Kukai (2023)
  • Honorable Mention, Porad Haiku Award (2017)
  • Honorable Mention, A Little Iris Haiku Contest (2018)
  • Honorable Mention, UHTS Fleeting Words Tanka Contest (2019)
  • Highly Commended, H. Gene Murtha Memorial Senryu Contest (2023)
  • Commendation, Maya Lyubenova International Contest (2022)
  • Commendation, IAFOR Vladimir Devidé Haiku Award (2017)
  • Merit Award, Montenegrin Haiku Contest (2017)
  • Runner-up, Reader’s Choice Award for Shamrock journal (2017)
  • Certificate, 100 top haiku poets in Europe in 2015-2023 by Haiku Euro Top, curated by Krzysztof Kokot (while living in Ukraine and in now the US)

To see a selection of his work, you can visit his summary of published poetry.

Editor: Hifsa Ashraf

Hifsa Ashraf is a multi-lingual poet whose work has been published in many international journals, magazines, anthologies, and books. She has had eight books published, with some being solo and collaborative volumes. To see her catalogue, visit: https://hifsays.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

In terms of her achievements, she was one of the finalists for the Sable Books Haiku Book Contest for Women for the echap her deep-rooted scars: mental health issues of the Kashmiri women. She received special mention for her book, Her Fading Henna Tattoo, in the Touchstone Distinguished Books Award 2020 and in the Haiku Society of America Merit Book Award 2021. She has won The Touchstone Award for Individual Poems 2021 from The Haiku Foundation. She also won first place in the Third Annual Jane Reichhold Haiga Competition, first place in The 3rd Basho-an International English Haiku Competition, first place in the Australian Haiku Society, Summer Solstice Haiga Kukai 2020, and third place in the Annual Tanka Contest 2017 by Mandy’s Pages. Her haiku and tanka received honourable mentions in The 19th HIA Haiku Contest and Mt. Fuji Tanka Grand Pix Contest, Australian Haiku Society Winter Solstice 2019 Haiga Kukai for the Non-Seasonal Haiga category, Autumn Moon Haiku Contest, November 2019, UHTS annual AHA Haiku/Senryu Contest, 2020, haiku and haiga categories in the Third Edition of Santoka International Haiku & Haiga Contest, haiku selected for the “Masters of Japanese Prints: Haiku” based on Japanese prints in the collection at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, England, The Annual Betty Drevniok Award 2020 organized by haiku Canada org, and honorable mentions in the Best of Autumn Moon Haiku Journal.

Blog: https://hifsays.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @hifsays

Editor: Jacob Salzer

Jacob Salzer enjoys writing haiku, tanka, haibun, and linked-verse poetry. He is the current Managing Editor of Frogpond journal.

He is the editor of 4 haiku anthologies:

Desert Rain: Haiku Nook: An Anthology (Lulu, 2022) (dedicated to haiku poet Martha Magenta)

Yanty’s Butterfly: Haiku Nook: An Anthology (Lulu, 2016) (dedicated to haiku poet Yanty Tjiam)

New Bridges: The Portland Haiku Group Anthology (CreateSpace, 2018) (dedicated to haiku poet Johnny Baranski)

Half A Rainbow: Haiku Nook: An Anthology (Lulu, 2020) (dedicated to haiku poet Rachel Sutcliffe)

He is the co-author of:

Echoes: A Collection of Linked-Verse Poetry (Lulu, 2020) with Michelle Hyatt

Returning: Tanka Sequences (Lulu, 2022)

How Many Become One: A Haiku Sequence (CreateSpace, 2017) with Nicholas Klacsanzky

His most recent solo collections are:

Metal & Rain (Lulu 2023)

Origins: Haibun (Lulu, 2021), 2nd edition

Mare Liberum: Haiku & Tanka (Lulu, 2020)

Jacob’s haiku, tanka, and haibun have been published in the following journals, anthologies, and blogs:

A Hundred Gourds, Atlas Poetica, Bones, Chrysanthemum, Contemporary Haibun Online, Drifting-sands-haibun.org, Eucalypt, Failed Haiku, Frogpond, Haiku Canada Review, Haiku Commentary, Hedgerow, Heliosparrow, Is/Let, Kingfisher, Modern Haiku, Presence, Prune Juice, Ribbons, Seabeck Haiku Anthologies (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021), Skylark, Tanka Origins, The Heron’s Nest, Under the Basho

Awards:

Runner Up, the IAFOR Vladimir Devidé Haiku Award 2017

Honorable mention, the Mt. Fuji Tanka Grand Prix 2018 

Jacob is currently working on a collaborative tanka collection, a new solo collection, and is editing an international haiku anthology dedicated to the late haiku poet Martha Magenta and people who don’t have access to clean water.

He is currently serving as a haiku HSA mentor and is a member of HSA (Haiku Society of America).

He is the founder and editor of the Haiku Poet Interviews blog: https://haikupoetinterviews.wordpress.com/

To read free samples of Jacob’s poetry, please visit: https://jsalzer.wixsite.com/mareliberumhaiku