Woodnotes

Woodnotes set a new standard for the quality of haiku—and related forms such as tanka, linked verse, and haibun—published in haiku journals. The articles were groundbreaking and the quality of the layouts and artwork were outstanding.” —Cor van den Heuvel, “American Haiku’s Future,” Modern Haiku 34:3, Autumn 2003

From 1989 to 1997, I edited the haiku journal Woodnotes, which became one of the most prominent and influential English-language haiku publications of the 1990s. This page celebrates Woodnotes and its many contributors and their contributions, complete with selected poems, essays, reviews, reports, haibun, artwork, and other content from each of the journal’s 31 issues. I offer this content as a historical record for the enjoyment of past and future readers. Please explore the following links to see poetry selections from all issues and other content, or click each cover image below to see summaries of each quarterly issue, including selected haiku and senryu, “Woodnotes Award” winners, scans of selected pages, and frequent links to essays, reviews, and other content.



Selected back issues of Woodnotes are still available. If you're interested in copies, please contact Michael Dylan Welch to inquire about availability.       +

1989

#1 — Spring 1989

#2Summer 1989

#3Autumn 1989

Some of these scans do not reproduce the covers with entirely accurate or consistent colours, such as for issues #12, #13, #20, and #29.

1990

#4 — Winter 1990

#5 — Spring 1990

#6 — Summer 1990

#7 — Autumn 1990

1991

#8 — Winter 1991

#9 — Spring/Summer 1991

#10 — Autumn 1991

#11 — Winter 1991

1992

#12 — Spring 1992

#13 — Summer 1992

#14 — Autumn 1992

#15 — Winter 1992

1993

#16 — Spring 1993

#17 — Summer 1993

#18 — Autumn 1993

#19 — Winter 1993

1994

#20 — Spring 1994

#21 — Summer 1994

#22 — Autumn 1994

#23 — Winter 1994

1995

#24 — Spring 1995

#25 — Summer 1995

#26 — Autumn 1995

#27 — Winter 1995

1996/1997

#28 — Spring 1996

#29 — Summer 1996

#30 — Autumn 1996

#31 — Autumn 1997