Two months ago, just after Thanksgiving, I was thrilled and honored to be invited for the first time to nominate haiku and related forms for The Red Moon Anthology of English Language Haiku (RMA), the most honored series in the history of English-language haiku. The series was founded in 1996 by Jim Kacian, owner of Red Moon Press and Editor-in-Chief of the RMA.

Volume 26, string theory: The Red Moon Anthology 2021, has recently been released, and the book comprises “161 poems (haiku and senryu), 17 linked forms (haibun, renku, rengay and sequences), and 5 critical pieces on the reading, writing and study of the genre” (from publisher’s description).

The Contemporary Haibun Series, currently edited by Rich Youmans (editor-in-chief of the journal contemporary haibun online), is dedicated to featuring the best haibun and haiga published each year in English around the world. Volume 17 has just been released.

With bows of appreciation to the following fine writers and artists for publishing with MacQ, I’m so pleased to announce my nominations for these anthologies.

Submitted at the end of November, these nominations were drawn from five issues of MacQ published in 2021 (MacQ-6 thru MacQ-10), and are listed below in alphabetical order by author’s (and/or artist’s) last name. Works that were selected by the Red Moon Press editorial team for publication are flagged with an asterisk.

Nominations for string theory:

1. Simpatico [split sequence, haiku] by Cynthia Anderson
   
   
2. [there is no spoon—] [senryu, untitled] by Cynthia Anderson
   
   
3. Ancient Call [split sequence, haiku] by Tom Clausen and
   Christine L. Villa
   
   
4. Headstream [haibun] by Glenn G. Coats *
   
   
5. 42R Mill Street [haibun] by Cherie Hunter Day *
   
   
6. Wild Persimmons [haibun] by Jonathan Humphrey
   
   
7. Love Thing: The Allure of the Split Sequence [essay] by
   Peter Jastermsky
   
   
8. Riding Into Shore [haibun] by Kat Lehmann
   
   
9. Sensory Revelation Tank [haibun] by Kat Lehmann *
   
   
10. A Posthumous Lesson From My Mother [haibun] by Bob Lucky *
    
    
11. [origami cranes] [untitled haiku, ekphrastic] by Gary S. Rosin
    
    
12. [whispers in the air] [untitled senryu, ekphrastic] by Gary S. Rosin
    
    
13. Spanish Chestnuts [tanka prose] by Charles D. Tarlton
    
    
14. Inheritance [split sequence, haiku] by Christine L. Villa and
    Peter Jastermsky
    
    
15. Title VII [haibun] by Alison Woolpert
    
    
16. Living Color [haibun] by Rich Youmans *
    
    
17. Through the Looking Glass [haibun] by Rich Youmans *

*Selected for inclusion in Contemporary Haibun 17

Nominations for Contemporary Haibun 17:

Note: All haibun and tanka prose nominated for the RMA above were automatically considered for this anthology as well.

1. Formerly Known as Ion [haibun] by Cynthia Anderson *
   
   
2. This Is Just to Say, or Carly Calls Me for the Fifth Time on Her Birthday [haibun] by Roberta Beary
   
   
3. Out of the Haze [haiga] by George Digalakis and Gary S. Rosin *
   
   
4. Le Rêve [haibun, ekphrastic] by Margaret Dornaus *
   
   
5. Milestones [haibun] by Claire Everett *
   
   
6. NASA Gives Spiders, Insects LSD [haibun] by
   Jonathan Humphrey *
   
   
7. Legacies [haibun] by Peter Jastermsky
   
   
8. The Party [haibun] by Bob Lucky *
   
   
9. Cruising Downtown Santa Fe [haibun] by Lew Watts *
   
   
10. Things I’ll Never Tell You [haibun] by Harriot West *
    
    

*Selected for inclusion in Contemporary Haibun 17