Last year Landmark Books partnered with Squirrel Cane Press to offer our first ever Haiku contest. For those who are unsure what a haiku is, here is the definition from the Academy of American Poets:
A traditional Japanese haiku is a three-line poem with seventeen syllables, written in a 5/7/5 syllable count.
We had few expectations when we put up posters and hit social media, what we got was an amazing barrage of poems from the areas local poets. In all we received nearly two hundred submissions of varying subject matter from all age groups. It was a tough decision, but we awarded the prize to Elizabeth Paxson for her poem “Wool Gathering”. It was an exciting event for her and for us.
So when 2016 rolled around, we decided to once again offer our Haiku Contest. This year we received poems not only from Michigan, but from around the world. In all over four hundred haikus made it to our mailbox. The decisions again were tough and on September 5th we announced the winner, Edd Tury. His poem simply titled “Passage” was a timely reflection of aging and the changing seasons. After working with Squirrel Cane Press on the design and execution we went to press. Edd visited the store over the weekend and signed the cards and they are now officially on sale. We are very excited with the finished product and hope you will be as well. They sell for $1.25 each and are selling fast.
We will hold the Haiku Contest next so keep your eyes out for announcements and postings and maybe we will publish your haiku in 2017!