3rd Annual Haiku Contest

A haiku is a very short form of Japanese poetry which became popular in the 17th century. Traditional haiku consist of 17 syllables, known as morae , arranged in three lines of 5, 7, and 5 on, respectively. Traditional subjects involved nature and mans relation with the environment. The most well known poet to use this form is Basho. Here is an example of one of his most loved haiku known as “Old Pond”:

old pond
frog leaps in
water’s sound

Modern haiku have little resemblance to the traditional examples. Subjects are wide open and often don’t follow the 5/7/5 structure. Here is an example of a modern haiku I wrote, “Forced To Relive the Past”:

past is out of print
no longer available
for Kindle or Nook

This year marks our third Annual Haiku Contest. Landmark Books along with Squirrel Cane Press will accept submissions of original Haiku all August. The winning Haiku will be published on a limited edition postcard by Squirrel Cane Press which are signed and numbered by the poet. Past winners have included haiku by Elizabeth Paxson for “Wool Gathering” and last year’s winner Edd Tury for “Passage”.

Typed poems can be dropped off at Landmark Books or emailed to landmarkbookstc@gmail.com. We will be accepting submissions until August 31st, 2017. The winning haiku will be announced on September 8th. Good luck, the contest is free and you can enter as many times as you like!