DHG

The British Haiku Society (BHS) was formed in 1990. Since then it has supported the appreciation and writing of haiku in the UK and has established links with other haiku societies internationally.

In the early period Membership rose to around 300 and has remained fairly stable at that number for some years. The membership is international and about one third of its members are from other European countries, Japan, the USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. The Society produces a quarterly journal, Blithe Spirit, which features haiku, senryu, tanka, haibun reviews and critical essays. The Society also presents a quarterly newsletter, The Brief, which keeps members up-to date with events, competitions, awards, magazines and other national and international news.

Society events are organised on both a regional and national basis. Local events: There are at present two thriving regional groups that meet regularly, one based in London and the South East, the other centred on the northern area of Yorkshire and Lancashire. Both organise readings, workshops and haiku walks. The Northern group has achieved some interesting radio coverage of their meetings whilst the Southern group has arranged several public readings and is currently publishing its third anthology of members work. Other more informal gatherings between members occur around the country and include workshops, haiku walks, and collaborative writing.

National events comprise the Society conference in April, haiku hikes in May and August and the Annual General Meeting with mini conference in September. The Society administers the prestigious James W Hackett Haiku Award and the Nobuyuki Yuasa International haibun Contest. The Society also has its own archives and library. The Society has been involved with displays and exhibitions, for example the touring exhibition Haiku and Glass, in conjunction with the association of glass sculptors.

Our services and resources are available to teachers, students and poetry groups. We offer a poster exhibition called Signposts to Haiku, for loan to libraries, art centres etc. and produce a Haiku Kit for schools and educational use. Our educational initiatives were acknowledged in 1996 when we were given a £5000 Japan Festival Award.

In representing the interests of haiku in Britain the BHS is clearly the main Society. There are, however, other organisations, for instance the Anglo-Japanese Tanka Society has just been formed in York, and there are other magazines besides our own Blithe Spirit, which publish only or mainly haiku. Of the three main magazines dealing with haiku, but not generated by the Society, two are edited by BHS members. There are several small presses run by Society members, which publish individual collections and anthologies in small circulation, of which the longest running is HUB publications with over 200 titles. Of other mainstream publishers IRON Press stands out as having supported haiku poets for many years. There are about 20 mainstream poetry magazines that also publish haiku on an occasional basis.

Since its inception in 1990, members of the Society have made substantial contributions to the sum of haiku scholarship and to the dissemination of haiku awareness through their publications. A list of just some of the books available is appended below.

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF BOOKS WRITTEN BY BHS MEMBERS, PAST AND PRESENT

HAIKU ANTHOLOGIES

Barlow J. & Lucas M. (eds.) The New Haiku, Snapshot Press, 2002

Cobb D. and Lucas M. (eds.) The Iron Book of British Haiku. Iron Press, 1998 (sold 2,500 copies to date)

Cobb D. The British Museum Haiku. British Museum Press. 2002

England G. The Art of Haiku 2000. New Hope International, 2000

Kirkup J., Cobb D. & Mortimer P. (eds.) The Haiku Hundred, Iron Press. 1992 (sold 9000 copies to date)

Mason S. (ed.) Night Bus, (haiku anthology). BHS Members. RAM Pubs. 2003

Mason S. (ed.) Journeys (haiku anthology). BHS Members. RAM Pubs. 2004

Stryk L. & Bailey K. (eds.) The Acorn book of Contemporary Haiku. Acorn Book Company. 2000

Tasker B. (ed) In The Ship’s Wake. An anthology of tanka. Iron Press. 2001

Williams F. (ed.) A Trolleyful of Pumpkins (haiku anthology) BHS Members

RAM Publications 2005.

Added to this there are countless personal collections of haiku published by HUB; RAM Publications; Bare Bones Press; JEKAL and other desk-top publishers who are also members of the Society.

Other personal collections by individual members have appeared from independent publishers such as Snapshots Press; Iron Press; Feather books; The Acorn Book Company and others.

COLLECTIONS OF HAIBUN

Cobb, D. (1997) The Spring Journey to the Saxon Shore Equinox Press, 1997

Cobb, D. (2004) Forefathers, Leaf Press, 2004

Cobb, D. (2002) Palm, Equinox Press, 2002

Jones, K. (2002) Arrow of Stones, British Haiku Society,

Jones, K. (2003) Stallion’s Crag, Iron Press.

Jones. K.; Norton. J.; O’Connor. S. (2001) Pilgrim Foxes, Wales, Pilgrim Press.

Jones. N. (2003) Stone Circles, Wales, Pilgrim Press.