2009 Appearances

30 March 2009: “Hands On Haiku” workshop for the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival 2009 Haiku Invitational, 7:00 p.m. at the Alice MacKay Room, Vancouver Public Library, in Vancouver, British Columbia. See event poster.

6–8 March 2009: Haiku Society of America national meeting, Clark Honors College Library, Chapman Hall, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon (presentation on the American Haiku Archives and a workshop on “A Moment’s Notice: Taming Time in Haiku”).

25 April 2009: Writer's Block Literary Festival, University of Washington, Seattle, 3:00 p.m. (“Haiku Targets: Myths and Realities” workshop).

7 May 2009: Teaching haiku to three separate fourth-grade classes at Cherry Crest Elementary School in Bellevue, Washington (complete with vinegar and baking soda to illustrate the way combining two parts in a haiku creates magic!)

9 May 2009: Tanka Symposium (with Amelia Fielden), Mercer Island Library, 4400 88th Avenue SE, Mercer Island, Washington, 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m. (presentation of “The Seed of the Human Heart: An Overview of Tanka Poetry”).

15–17 May 2009: Haiku Canada national meeting, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia (reading and presentation on “The Problem of Haiku Uniqueness: A Survey of Déjà-ku”).

28 June 2009: SoulFood Poetry Party, celebrating three years of my hosting, with Lana Hechtman Ayers, the SoulFood Poetry Night (see photos of the party).

5 July 2009: “Japanese Poetry” presentation (11:00 a.m.) and “Love Poems from the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu (100 Poems by 100 Poets)” reading (1:00 p.m.) for the Tanabata Festival at the Seattle Japanese Garden.

11 July 2009: Joint meeting of Haiku Northwest and the Port Townsend Haiku Group, Marrowstone Island, Washington (near Port Townsend), 11:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

24–26 July, 2009: Gabriola Haiku Weekend, Gabriola Island, British Columbia, at Drumbeg House on Saturday and Gabriola Commons on Sunday (presentation on “Cracking You Open: The Joy of Haiku”). See weekend photos.

5–9 August 2009: Haiku North America conference, National Library of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario (two featured readings, welcome address, and numerous presentations, including on the American Haiku Archives and “Fuyoh Observations: Seven Haiku Lessons We Can Learn From Japan”; see photos in album 1, album 2, and album 3). See also the Ottawa Citizen article (features an interview with me) about this conference.

24 August 2009: SLUG Food Haiku Reading, Jewelbox Theatre, 2322 2nd Avenue (at Bell), Seattle, 7:00 p.m. (one of several featured readers of food-related haiku stamped onto paper grocery bags; see photos). See also the Seattle Times article about this reading. +

13 September 2009: One of four featured readers at the 20th Anniversary Two Autumns reading, Fort Mason, San Francisco, 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. (I also read at the first reading in 1990). See photos. A book collecting poems by each of the four readers, titled My Neighbor, was published for this event, and a video was also recorded.

11–17 October 2009: Featured poet online at Daily Haiku (click to see the first of seven poems).

16–18 October 2009: Seabeck Haiku Getaway, Seabeck, Washington (annual retreat that I direct for the Haiku Northwest group, including my presentation “Learning from Shugyo Takaha”; see retreat photos).

25 October 2009: Featured poet at Seattle Bookfest, Columbia City Event Center, 3528 Ferdinand, Seattle, at 2:00 p.m. (when my time slot starts).

14 November 2009: Featured poet at Tacoma Poetry Marathon, 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (my 20-minute time slot starts at 3:55 p.m.), King’s Books, 218 St. Helens Street, Tacoma, Washington (includes open-mic slots twice during the day).

25 November 2009: Contestant in the Seattle Poetry Slam’s annual Haiku d’Etat, 8:00 to 11:00 p.m. Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Avenue, Seattle. Alas, I was knocked out by Karen Finneyfrock in the semifinal.

13 December 2009: One of three featured poets in the Haiku Foundation’s Montage series, with seven haiku on the theme of “Halcyon Days.”