2021 Appearances

• 9 January 2021: ONLINE. Cohosting a quarterly meeting of Haiku Northwest, and giving a presentation, “Even in Kyoto.” Free, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., Pacific Time. See details.

• 10 January 2021: ONLINE. “Going Nowhere: Learning Haiku from Pico Iyer” presentation and “Forgiveness” animated haiku sequence for the Haiku Arbutus group in Victoria, British Columbia. Free, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., Pacific Time.

• 14 January 2021: ONLINE. Featured poet at the annual William Stafford Celebration at Southern Oregon University, Ashland, Oregon, sponsored by the Friends of Hannon Library. Reading with Angela Decker, Barry Vitcov, Susan DuMond, Pepper Trail, Tiel Aisha Ansari, and James Armstrong. Free, 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time, via Zoom. See Facebook event. Register here for this webinar.       +

• 17 January 2021: ONLINE. “Going Nowhere: Learning Haiku from Pico Iyer” presentation for the Yorks-Lancs Haiku Group in the United Kingdom. I will also perform my “Forgiveness” animated haiku sequence and lead a haiku workshop. 8:30 a.m. Pacific Time, 4:30 p.m. GMT.

• February 2021: Coordinating the eleventh annual National Haiku Writing Month (NaHaiWriMo) and providing daily writing prompts on the NaHaiWriMo page on Facebook, with more than 3,200 participants. Please join us in writing at least one haiku a day in the month of February—the shortest month of the year for the shortest genre of poetry!     +     +

• 1 February 2021: Short radio appearance regarding National Haiku Writing Month (NaHaiWriMo) on NPR affiliate KJZZ FM (Phoenix) with Tom Maxedon. Also quoted are D. Ellsworth Hoag and Natalie Goldberg.

• 1 February 2021: Natalie Goldberg and I feature in a half-hour radio podcast regarding National Haiku Writing Month (NaHaiWriMo) on NPR affiliate KJZZ FM (Phoenix) with Tom Maxedon.

• 11 February 2021: ONLINE. Featured poet at Ghost Town Poetry, Vancouver, Washington. Free, 7:00 p.m. Click the link to see registration instructions and to receive the Zoom link. See Facebook event.

• 13 February 2021: ONLINE. Presenting “The Weather-Beaten Jizō: Shikoku Pilgrimage Haiku by Shūji Niwano” for the monthly meeting of the Yuki Teikei Haiku Society. Free. 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

• 15 February 2021: Submission period ends for First Frost, the new haiku journal I coedit with Eric Burke, Elizabeth McMunn-Tetangco, and Dale Wisely.

• 27 February 2021: ONLINE. National Haiku Writing Month open haiku reading #1 via Zoom, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Free. Please register to read.

• 28 February 2021: ONLINE. National Haiku Writing Month open haiku reading #2 via Zoom, 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. Free. Please register to read.

• 1 March 2021: Submission deadline for the new John Bird Dreaming Award haiku contest sponsored by the Australian Haiku Society. I’m cojudging this contest with Vanessa Proctor. Free to enter up to three haiku.

• 1 March–June 1, 2021: Consulting for the Haiku Invitational and the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival, including development of judges, online events (see listing for 17 April), and the Bloom! educational video. See overview video.

• 2 March 2021: ONLINE. Presenting a haiku overview and facilitating an anonymous workshop for the Puget Sound Sumi Artists, with poems by its Haiga Adventure Study Group. 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, for members only.

• 13 March 2021: ONLINE. “Even in Kyoto” presentation and workshop for the Ohaio Haiku Group. Free, 7:00 to 9:00 a.m., Pacific Time.

• 13 March 2021: ONLINE. “Tanka and the Five W’s” PowerPoint presentation for the Capital Area Tanka Group (Washington, D.C.), about the who, when, what, where, and why of writing tanka, with group discussion and a short writing exercise. Free to members. 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon Pacific Time (12:30 to 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time).

• 16 March 2021: ONLINE. Facilitating an anonymous haiku workshop for the Haiga Adventure Study Group of the Puget Sound Sumi Artists. 10:00 to 11:30 a.m., for members only.

• 25 March 2021: ONLINE. Poet Laureate Reunion reading on Zoom, organized by the City of Redmond. Reading with Rebecca Meredith, Jeannine Hall Gailey, Shin Yu Pai, Melanie Noel, and Raúl Sánchez. Free webinar. 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time.

• 10 April 2021: CANCELLED. Presenting my “Haiku Targets” free public workshop for the Los Altos Public Library, Los Altos, California. 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, via Zoom.

• 10 April 2021: ONLINE. Cohosting a quarterly meeting of Haiku Northwest, featuring Scott Mason, plus haiku sharing and critique, and featured readings by Christopher Patchel and Rick Dadarrio. More details on the Haiku Northwest Events page. Free on Zoom, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., Pacific Time.

• 14 April 2021: ONLINE. Featured poet for Yakima Coffeehouse Poets, 7:00 p.m. Free. See details.

• 17 April 2021: ONLINE. In celebration of International Haiku Writing Day: “How to Haiku” free public workshop, in two separate sessions, sponsored by the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival. 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, and 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. (choose one or the other). Click to register (Zoom meeting details provided in confirmation email after you register).

• 1 May 2021: Results announced for the Australian Haiku Society’s inaugural John Bird Dreaming Award for Haiku, which I cojudged with Vanessa Procter. Read the results and our commentary.

• 3–21 May 2021: Two photographs, “Trinity” and “Crossing Howe Sound,” in the Artist’s Personal Exchange “No Criticism” gallery exhibit at Centro Cultural Mexicano, 7945 Gilman Street in Redmond, Washington.       +

• 8 May 2021: ONLINE. “Even in Kyoto” presentation and workshop for How to Haiku, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Free, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, Pacific Time.       +

• 15 May 2021: Artist’s reception for “No Criticism” gallery exhibit at Centro Cultural Mexicano, 7945 Gilman Street in Redmond, Washington. Free. 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

• 22 May 2021: Featured reader for the British Columbia and Yukon regional reading for the 2021 Haiku Canada weekend on Zoom. Free, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Pacific Time.

• 23 May 2021: “Assessing Eric Amann’s The Wordless Poem” presentation (in celebration of my press’s future publication of the book’s new edition) for the 2021 Haiku Canada weekend on Zoom. Free, 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, Pacific Time.

• 1 June 2021: ONLINE. “Haiku Targets” workshop for Bellevue, Washington’s 2021 Japan Fair, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Free. Please register here. See Facebook event.

• 5, 6 June 2021: POSTPONED to a later date. ONLINE. Directing the Poets in the Park festival, this year via Zoom, featuring Natalie Goldberg. Readings and performances on June 5, workshops on June 6. All free, but with registration required, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (to be confirmed).

• 6 June 2021: “The Weather-Beaten Jizō: Shikoku Pilgrimage Haiku by Shūji Niwano” presentation for the 30th anniversary British Haiku Society Zoom conference. 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time. Free.

• 7 June 2021: ONLINE. Featured reader for the Striped Water Poets and Poetry at the Rainbow Cafe series (normally) at the Rainbow Cafe, 112 East Main Street, Auburn, Washington. 7:00 p.m. Via Zoom.

• 12 June 2021: ONLINE. “Even in Kyoto: Place Names in Haiku” presentation and workshop for the two-day Haiku Society of America Zoom conference. Free, 9:00 to 10:00 a.m., Pacific Time. Registration details to come.

• 14 June 2021: Submission deadline for Bellevue, Washington’s first-ever Japan Fair community haiku contest that I’m judging. Click for instructions on entering either one or two haiku. Free to enter. Winners announced on 26 June 2021 during the Virtual Japan Fair. See video of haiku contest winners.

• 23 June 2021: ONLINE. “How to Haiku” workshop via Zoom for the North American Japanese Garden Association. 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., free. Click here to register.

• 30 June 2021: ONLINE. “Haiku Targets” workshop for the Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network (BARN). 6:3o to 8:30 p.m. Click here to register ($40 for members, $52 for nonmembers).

• 8–10 July 2021: ONLINE. Academic paper on “Lorine Niedecker’s Exchange for Haiku,” for the American Literature Association conference, The Westin Copley Place, 10 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts. Prerecorded session (recorded on 10 June 2021, via Zoom); see conference program.       +

• 11 July 2021: ONLINE. Guest poet (via Zoom) for the San Diego Haiku Group in San Diego, California. 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. (Seattle time), presenting “Lorine Niedecker’s Exchange for Haiku, Part One” (second part on 12 September 2021).

• 17 July 2021: ONLINE. “Haiku and the Art of Forest Bathing” presentation for the Southern California Haiku Study Group. 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Free. For more information, including the Zoom link, please contact Deborah P. Kolodji.

• 27 July 2021: ONLINE. “The Weather-Beaten Jizō: Shikoku Pilgrimage Haiku by Shūji Niwano” presentation for the Poetry Society of New Hampshire. Free. 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time.

• 15 August 2021: Guest speaker (mini-presentation) for the Triveni World Haiku Utsav (celebration), in India, via Zoom. 5:00 to 11:00 a.m. Free.

• 15 August 2021: Submission period ends for First Frost, the haiku journal I coedit with Eric Burke, Elizabeth McMunn-Tetangco, and Dale Wisely.

• 7 September 2021: ONLINE. “Forgiveness” and other animated haiku and tanka sequences presentation for the Poetry Society of New Hampshire. Free. 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time.

• 10–11 September 2021: Judging a free haiku contest, and reading the winners, each night at the Seattle Japanese Garden Moon Viewing Festival (tickets available for Day 1 and Day 2; see Events page), 7:00 p.m. ($25 admission). See the garden website.

• 12 September 2021: ONLINE. Guest poet (via Zoom) for the San Diego Haiku Group in San Diego, California. 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. (Seattle time), presenting “Lorine Niedecker’s Exchange for Haiku, Part Two” (first part was on 11 July 2021).

• 25 September 2021: ONLINE. Guest presenter for the Evergreen Haiku Study Group in East Lansing, Michigan, via Zoom. 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time, 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Pacific Time. Giving my “Count the Syllables” presentation on the nature of syllables and a reading of my haiku, with PowerPoint animations.

• 26 September 2021: ONLINE. Hosting the honorary curator reading (via Zoom) for the American Haiku Archives, featuring 2021–2022 honorary curator Gerald Vizenor. Free, 11:00 a.m. to noon, Pacific Time.

• 15 and 16 October 2021: ONLINE. “Writing Rengay” (with Garry Gay), group writing workshops for Haiku North America. 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., via Zoom. Free with HNA registration.

• 16 October 2021: ONLINE. “HNA Memorial Reading” (with Agnes Eva Savich) for Haiku North America. 9:00 to 10:00 a.m., via Zoom. Free with HNA registration.

• 16 October 2021: ONLINE. “Doing it Right: Two Season Words in Haiku,” PowerPoint presentation for Haiku North America. 2:15 to 2:45 p.m., via Zoom. Free with HNA registration.

• 16 October 2021: ONLINE. “Even in Kyoto” presentation on place names in haiku for the Japan Writers Conference at Tokai University, Shonan Campus, in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa, Japan. 9:00 to 10:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Free.       +

• 17 October 2021: Closing speech for the 2021 Haiku North America conference, with an announcement of the 2023 conference location. 5:30 to 6:00 p.m., via Zoom. Free with HNA registration.

• 18 October 2021: Judging the third annual Morioka International Haiku Contest in Morioka, Japan with Toru Kiuchi. September 30 is the submission deadline, and the award ceremony will be held in Morioka on December 26. See the 2019 and 2020 results and commentary, with Japanese translations.

• 27 October–1 November 2021: Traffic Culture Exhibition 2021 at Ueno Station in Tokyo, Japan, featuring my translations with Emiko Miyashita of train-related haiku contest winners, including commentary by the judge, Kai Hasegawa.       +

• 28–31 October, 2021: Directing Haiku Northwest’s fourteenth annual Seabeck Haiku Getaway in-person at the Seabeck Conference Center in Seabeck, Washington. Our featured guest is Chuck Brickley and our weekend theme is togetherness. I’m giving a PowerPoint presentation, “Harold Henderson’s Grammar Haiku,” on 31 October.

• 7 November 2021: ONLINE. Guest poet for the Haiku Society of America’s Under 40 “Haiku Social Club,” 1:00–4:00 p.m. Free to members, on Zoom. Presentation on juxtaposition, running a workshop, and showing a selection of my PowerPoint haiku sequences.

• 13 November 2021: Featured poem on the Haiku Foundation website.

• 19 November 2021: CANCELLED [to be rescheduled]. Featured poet, with Jessica Gigot, in the Pelican Bay Reading Series at Pelican Bay Books, at 520 Commercial Avenue in Anacortes, Washington. Free. 7:00 p.m. Music by an artist to be announced.

• 20 November 2021: Opening day for the “We Are Here” art show at VALA Art Center, in which I have a five-panel erasure poem, titled “Homage to Syntax” (after Campbell McGrath). Free reception from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Show goes to 7 January 2022.       +       +

• 22, 23, 24 November 2021: 11:00 a.m., 4:00 p.m., and 9:00 a.m., presenting “Introduction to Haiku,” each class for two hours, for Big Head Club’s Oni Ronin NFT project. Free to Big Head Club Discord participants, on Zoom.

• 29, 30 November, 2 December 2021: 11:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 4:00 p.m., presenting “History of Haiku,” each class for two hours, for Big Head Club’s Oni Ronin NFT project. Free to Big Head Club Discord participants, on Zoom.

• 30 November 2021: Announced as the guest selector for the daily “Haiku in English” online column for the Mainichi, Japan’s oldest newspaper.

• December 2021 and January 2022: Guest selector for the daily “Haiku in English” online column for the Mainichi, Japan’s oldest newspaper.

• 6, 7, 9 December 2021: 11:00 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 4:00 p.m., presenting “Writing Haiku,” each workshop for two hours, for Big Head Club’s Oni Ronin NFT project. Free to Big Head Club Discord participants, on Zoom.

• 11 December 2021: “Tanka and the Five W’s” PowerPoint presentation for the Young Adult Tanka Group, 10:00 a.m., on Zoom, free for members.

• 13 December 2021: Featured Per Diem poem on the Haiku Foundation website as part of a library theme (“scattered petals . . . / the thud of my books / in the book drop”).

• 13, 14, 16 December 2021: 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 4:00 p.m., presenting “Death Haiku,” each class for two hours, for Big Head Club’s Oni Ronin NFT project. Free to Big Head Club Discord participants, on Zoom.

• 18 December 2021: Participating in the Artist Chat at VALA Art Center, an event in conjunction with the “We Are Here” art show in which I’m a contributing artist. Free, 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

• 29 December 2021: Release of “Moving Mountains,” a short video on YouTube featuring haiku by Michael Dylan Welch and Ron C. Moss, with photography by Ron C. Moss, and Schumann piano music performed by Steve Hodge.

• 30 December 2021: Publication of Ocular Oracle, the fourth in my trilogy of “hydrogen jukebox” poems. Read the book’s introduction, “My Word,” where you can also view the free PDF ebook.

• 31 December 2021: Featured weekly haiku on Pulse.

Click to see current appearances.