UPDATE: 2019 Akita International Haiku Contest

Greetings Akita International Haiku Network Friends,

February 4th was the first day of risshun 立春, or the coming of spring (in the Northern Hemisphere, of course!) Instead of white apricot petals outside, however, the people in Akita woke up to a fresh snowfall.

I would like to update everyone who entered the 2019 Akita International Haiku Contest: I have collected everyone’s haiku, and have sent them to the judges. The judges will notify me of their decisions by February 14th. I will then contact the poets of the selected haiku by around February 21st.

After that I will begin putting together Serow, Volume 3, which will feature the selected haiku… and more!

And please pardon my shameless self-promotion, but those of you who enjoy Japanese sake my be interested in another endeavor of mine:

https://philosophyofsake.com/

This international workshop, which I am organizing with a philosophy colleague from Akita International University, will be the first of its kind! We just launched the site and plan to add more information to it gradually. Haiku & Sake—what better combination!

–Ben Grafström
Serow, Editor
Akita International Haiku Contest, Organizer