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THE ROMANIAN HAIKU SOCIETY (RHS)

The Romanian Haiku Society (RHS) was founded on 9 March 1991on the initiative of the author Florin Vasiliu (1929-2001), who became its first president. Among other founding members were the writers Vasile Smarandescu, Mioara Gheorghe, Emil Burlacu, Vasile Moldovan and Ion Acsan. Shortly after its foundation the RHS entered into partnership with the Haiku International Association (HIA). The founder of of HIA, Sono Uchida, also its president from 1989-2006, corresponded with the RHS committee by post and met Romanian poets in Bucharest in 2003, an occasion which was marked by publication of his haiku book, On the Ruins of Rome.
The RHS has its own journal, Haiku, which actually began publication two years before the society itself was set up. For the first two years the journal was published quarterly, but thereafter twice yearly. During the first decade of its life RHS had its own Haiku Press, owned by its president, which brought out a dozen publications of poems and essays. The majority of these were in three languages (Romanian, English and French), which facilitated their distribution abroad. Many authors who published with other presses followed the same principle. But nowadays the trend is towards publication in two languages only, Romanian and English, and an increasing number of authors translate their haiku for themselves. In fact, a few have even begun to write their haiku directly in English.
In 2000 a contest was organised leading towards a Book of the Best Haiku. By then some 100 haiku chapbooks had been published. Since then the number has doubled. Over the years twelve national anthologies of haiku and related poems have appeared, eight of them published by RHS.
RHS has more than 200 members in all parts of the country. About twenty of them meet each month in Bucharest, in a haiku circle named for the society's founder. Other members network with each other either through the post or more often by email. At the monthly meetings haiku are read and discussed, newly published books are on show, and news of haiku activities around the world is shared. Discussions of haiku are done anonymously to ensure complete objectivity of comments. The author is disclosed afterwards. We've followed this procedure for 15 years now, and it realy adds spice to these occasions.
In Romania there have been nine haiku magazines altogether, of which three are still publishing. These contain, as well as haiku, tanka, renku and poems in a Romanian form devised in 1936 to approximate to the haiku form.
Romanian poets often take part in international haiku competitions. Last year they were awarded a total of 32 prizes and commendations; eighteen of these were given to members of RHS. These poets are equally active on the internet.