My thanks to editor Allyson Whipple for selecting the following haiga for the cover of this issue:
Welcome to this archive of my published poetry, photography and art. Thank you for allowing me to share my creative passions with you, and for taking the time to visit. Please be kind, and do not copy any of the content on this site without permission and attribution. All rights reserved © Debbie Strange. I unfold my origami self / and swim into a lake of fire / washing my hair in ashes / the crane-legged words / of a thousand burning poems.
- Archive
- Articles/About
- Awards & Honours
- Images & Words
- Other Writing
- Photography Publications
- Poetry of Light Photography Exhibition
- Readings/Videos
- A Year Unfolding: Haiku
- Mouth Full of Stones: Haikai eBook
- Prairie Interludes: Haiku eChapbook
- Random Blue Sparks: Haiku
- The Language of Loss: Haiku & Tanka Conversations
- Three-Part Harmony: Tanka Verses
- Warp and Weft: Tanka Threads
Sunday, December 31, 2023
Tsuri-doro: A Small Journal of Haiku and Senryu, Issue #19, January/February 2024
three hands
on her belly . . .
moonquake
United Haiku and Tanka Society, Songbirds Sedoka Online Journal, Premier Edition, 2023
dawn flushes
across the pale cheeks
of this winter sky
we wonder
if you will make it
through another night
Editor's Choice
Commentary by the editor, an'ya:
A very visually descriptive sedoka by Debbie Strange that utilizes nature in the first tercet and deepens to a human emotion in the second tercet. Her juxtaposition is outstanding, as we see the pale cheeks of that winter sky in the person who may not make it through another night. Debbie also has so easily managed a perfect 3/5/5 rhythm in both verses.
Ink Sweat and Tears - The Poetry and Prose Webzine - December 2023
The Twelve Days of Christmas Feature
December 25, 2023
(note: this haiga first appeared in Cattails, April 2019)
December 29, 2023
(note: this haiga first appeared in the Yuki Teikei Haiku Society's 2021 Haiga Holiday Celebration)
haikuNetra, Issue 1.4, December 2023
haikuJyoti - The third Eye
hydroponic garden
every strawberry
a lantern
haikuDrishti - The Observation
origami cranes
offered to the river . . .
a silent protest
haikuPrakash - The Enlightenment
snow-clad lake
pine shadows growing
taller, shorter
haikuRatna - Editor's Pick
mourning dove
today, mother knows
who I am
Fresh Out: An Arts and Poetry Collective, December 2023
Curated by Eric A. Lohman
Featured Artist: December 18, 2023
Daily Haiku: Charlotte Digregorio's Writer's Blog, December 2023
December 6, 2023
pine forest
the advice I'd give
my younger self
Honourable Mention
Soka Matsubara International Competition, 2020
rural road
one skater unzips
the dotted line
Editor's Pick
haikuNetra, 1.3, 2023
skeins of wool
unravel at my feet
in the last light
a swirl of snow geese
begins to descend
Honourable Mention
Fleeting Words Tanka Competition, 2023
Daily Haiga: An Edited Journal of Traditional and Contemporary Haiga, December 2023
Featured Artist: December 6, 2023
Labels:
Daily Haiga,
haiga,
haiku,
tanka,
tanka art
Seashores - An International Journal to Share the Spirit of Haiku, Vol. 11, November 2023
silhouettes
becoming conifers . . .
foreglow
sculpted dunes
everything that shapes
a life
Presence, Number 77, November 2023
the day slips
through our fingers . . .
sunfall
prognosis
the waterfall blown
off course
wool waulkers . . .
Hebridean rhythms
still beating
in the frayed fingertips
of great-grandma's gloves
Friday, December 01, 2023
Thursday, November 30, 2023
Folk Ku: A Journal in Honour of Master Masoka Shiki (1867-1902), King River Press, Issue 2, November 2023
sprigs of clover
in the gopher's mouth . . .
funeral luncheon
Note: for my sister, Elaine MacKenzie Bulmer, who is at rest on a prairie hill (1944-1972)
Wednesday, November 29, 2023
The Art of Tanka, Issue 1, Fall/Winter 2023
crowns of snow
soften every thistle
in the pasture
your words cannot
wound me now
Eucalypt, Issue 35, December 2023
icicles fringe
every granite cliff
our sticks
tap the tinkling notes
of winter's celesta
Geppo: The Work-Study Journal of the Yuki Teikei Haiku Society, Volume XLVIII:4, November 2023
August - October 2023
autumn haiku the oak grove's white spaces
shadow season
the long and short
of it
damselflies
knit the reeds together . . .
stagnant pond
farmers' market
we choose a bouquet
of daisy gourds
Autumn Challenge Kigo: Insect's Cry, mushi no koe, mushi no ne
grasslands
the pulsing of wind
and katydids
Honoured to know that "damselflies" was included among Dojin Patricia J. Machmiller's favourites!
Geppo: The Work-Study Journal of the Yuki Teikei Haiku Society, Volume XLVIII:3, August 2023
May - July 2023
pelting rain
all the potholes
disappearing
the crest
of a wood partridge . . .
punk rockers
yin yoga
a harbour seal practices
its banana pose
breaking day
I share my grapefruit
with an oriole
Summer Challenge Kigo: Waterfall, taki
sweet alyssum
a cascade of white flowing
over wet rocks
Honoured to know that "pelting rain" was included among Dojin Patricia J. Machmiller's favourites!
Geppo: The Haiku Work-Study Journal of the Yuki Teikei Haiku Society, Volume XLVIII:2, May 2023
February - April 2023
woodlands
the scent of bluebells
ringing
fox's wedding
this metamorphosis
of light
newts migrate
to their hatching pool . . .
Mother's Day
late thaw
a ribbon of water
unspools
Spring Challenge Kigo: Spring Sea, haru-no-umi
spring sea
sandpipers rising
falling
Honoured that "late thaw" was included among the "Voted Best" (8 or more votes) in the subsequent issue!
Honoured to know that "woodlands" was included among Dojin Hiroyuki Murakami's favourites, and that Dojin Patricial J. Machmiller included "fox's wedding", "newts migrate", and "late thaw" among hers. Dojin Emiko Miyashita also selected "late thaw" as a favourite!
Tuesday, November 28, 2023
The Haiku Foundation, Celebration Fortnight 2023
Honoured that my video, "Shadowlight" was selected for the video of the day!
Fractured by Cattails, Haiku Society of America Members' Anthology 2023
frozen trough
I cup the warm breath
of my horse
1st Place
2018 Sharpening the Green Pencil Haiku Contest
Triveni Haikai India, November 2023
My thanks to Rashiana Singh for selecting the following haiku for the Triveni Spotlight Feature on November 23, 2023:
a new year
how long before I stop
missing you
#FemkuMag, Issue 9, 2019
Fresh Out: An Arts and Poetry Collective, November 2023
Curated by Eric A. Lohman
Featured Artist: November 26, 2023
Between Sun and Shadow, Yuki Teikei Haiku Society Members' Anthology, 2023
My thanks to the editor, Naia!
dried thatch
the green button you lost
last spring
rows of maize
we put our affairs
in order
Creatrix Poetry and Haiku Journal, Number 63, December 2023
half-light
the rooster decides
not to wait
ancestral farm
a sapling takes hold
of the roofline
drought
wheatfields withhold
their promise
barn doors
swallow nestlings open
their beaks
widowhood
the love-in-a-mist
gone to seed
Mariposa, Number 49, Autumn/Winter 2023
ancient caldera
clouds waterfalling
over the rim
homeless men
play chess in the park . . .
each one
a forfeited pawn
in someone's game
Friday, November 17, 2023
Wales Haiku Journal, Autumn 2023
ensō the fullness and emptiness of sorrow
neuropeptides the ebb and flow of a smile
elfinwood
father shrinking
day by day
haikuNetra, Issue 1.3, November 2023
haikuJyoti - The Third Eye
twinflowers the duality of (our) nature
haikuDrishti - The Observation
sea wolf
I wasn't expecting
to find you here
haikuPrakash - The Enlightenment
hillwalkers
how many footsteps
make a track
haikuRatna - Editor's Pick
rural road
one skater unzips
the dotted line
The Haiku Foundation, Haiku of the Day (formerly Per Diem), November 2023
Selected by Charlotte Hrenchuk for the theme of "The North": November 16, 2023
northern lights
the blur of scarves
as skaters pass
Zatsuei Haiku of Merit
2019 R.H. Blyth Award
Monday, November 13, 2023
Winnetka-Northfield Public Library (Illinois), Poems About Animals Contest, 2023
Thrilled that the following haiku received an Honourable Mention in this contest. My thanks to the judge, Charlotte Digregorio!
prairie antelope
a smudge of rainbow
between its horns
Jane Reichhold Memorial Haiga Competition, 2023
Thrilled that the following haiga received an Honourable Mention in the traditional category from Judges Terri and Raymond French:
Judges' Commentary:
A lovely haiga, We liked the implied connection between the back-and-forth of migration and life's inevitable changes, often changing direction unexpectedly. The cranes flying in different directions, the swish in the center suggesting movement and the flowing font of the senryu all work together so well.
The Cicada's Cry: A Micro-Zine of Haiku Poetry, Autumn 2023
a swirl of leaves
the Witch of November
taps at our door
Ribbons, Volume 19, Number 3, Fall 2023
Windswept
spear grass
pins this hillock
to the prairie . . .
these family graves
tended my magpies
sorrow
flourishes inside
my chest,
taking root as if to say
it means to stay awhile
Note: an'ya and I judged the 2023 Sanford Goldstein International Tanka Competition, and the results and our commentaries are included in this issue.
Frogpond, Vol. 46, Number 1, Winter 2023
Thrilled to have the following poem nominated by the editors for a 2023 Touchstone Award:
funeral lilies
our hands gilded
with pollen
Change, British Haiku Society Members' Anthology, 2023
a fallen owl
father measures us
against its wings
Blithe Spirit, Volume 33, Number 4, November 2023
raindrops
fringe the hayloft . . .
burial day
insomnia
arrives like a thief
every night
stealing sleep to sell
on the black market
Autumn Moon Haiku Journal, 7:1, Autumn/Winter 2023-2024
moonlit path
silver seed gourds
begin to wander
Haiku Canada Review, Volume 17, Number 2, October 2023
farmer's tan
the white stripe
on a black swan's bill
the hands
that shaped our family
at rest now
in this prairie meadow
alive with bumblebees
harlequin ducks
ride swelling waves
I wait
to catch a glimpse
of the real you
Thursday, November 02, 2023
Geppo: The Haiku Work-Study Journal of the Yuki Teikei Haiku Society, Volume XLVIII:1, February 2023
November 2022 - January 2023
winterberry
the first holiday
alone
fallen snow
the garden
underneath
farm chores
this frost-fringed hole
in my mitten
the gardenias
in father's mind . . .
winter moon
Winter Challenge Kigo: Narcissus, suisen
i force myself
to get out of bed . . .
paperwhites
Honoured that "winterberry" was chosen for commentary in the subsequent issue:
Dojin's Corner:
The winterberry, a bright red, holly-like berry sets up this poem to be a poem of joy. This sense of joyfulness carries through the second line. Then the one-word third line tells us this poem is not about joy, but about sadness in the midst of everyone else's joy. The way this poem is constructed is very effective in creating how feelings of isolation and loneliness are deepened when the outside world in its merriment is oblivious to one's individual pain.
—Patricia J. Machmiller
"Winterberry" is a form of holly, a plant with deep spiritual meanings in many different cultures. As a kigo it matches well with the feelings of celebrating a holiday alone for the first time. The "winter" in "winterberry" evokes the solitude and desolation of the season while the bright red berries bring to mind the joyful aspect of winter holidays. This is an effective choice for conveying the poet's complex emotions.
—Phillip R. Kennedy
The author spends the New Year's holiday alone, with bright red shiny winterberry, a plant in the holly family. The tone of the haiku is not so lonely; however, there is the sense of missing someone who was there before. "The first holiday" can be interpreted as the New Year's holiday and the first holiday to be alone.
—Emiko Miyashita
Also honoured to know that Dojin Patricia J. Machmiller included "winterberry" among her favourites, and Dojin Emiko Miyashita included "farm chores" among hers!
Yamadera Basho Memorial Museum English Haiku Contest 2023
15th Contest Selected Haiku Collection
a charred banyan
only the fragments
of clouds remain
red-crested cardinals
flames begin to flicker
across the island
New Zealand Poetry Society International Poetry Competition 2023
White-Hot Heart - NZPS Poetry Anthology 2023
My thanks to Anatoly Kudryavitsky, the judge of this contest, and to the editors, Janet Newman and Margaret Moores, for including these poems!
marsh marigolds
dark waters patched
with light
Highly Commended
washed-out road
telephone poles pin
the ditches together
New Zealand Poetry Society International Poetry Competition 2023
My thanks to Anatoly Kudryavitsky, the judge of this contest!
marsh marigolds
dark waters patched
with light
Highly Commended
(note: there were 786 haiku entries)
Haiga in Focus, Issue 65, November 2023
Curated by Claudia Brefeld
Translated into German
Honoured to have the following haiga selected as the Editor's Choice:
Claudia's Commentary:
The haiku radiates the lightness of magic. The composition of the image supports this statement: the color of the right-hand side attracts the eye (across the fog on the left-hand side) into the image - a harmonious and coherent addition to the haiku. A haiga that requires no further explanation but rather, in its entirety, creates a connection of imaginations and thus evokes nuanced moods.
This haiga was also selected for the issue:
A Fine Line: The Magazine of the New Zealand Poetry Society, Spring 2023
earth day
the shimmering wave
of a bee colony
2nd Place
2020 World Haiku Save Our World Competition
Tsuri-doro: A Small Journal of Haiku and Senryu, Issue #18, November/December 2023
foreclosure the last nest egg gourd
Sunday, October 29, 2023
Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival, Haiku Invitational, 2023
cherry rain
the hospice shingled
with petals
Honourable Mention
Canada
Saturday, October 28, 2023
The Take 5ive Journal, October 2023
Theme: Childhood
with one chiff
of the church organ
this sudden
girlhood fear of fire
and brimstone
my first kiss
beneath a bower
of honeysuckle,
steeped in the folklore
of everlasting love
screeching siblings
with their arms akimbo
defending
bunkbed territory
like sandhill cranes
unseaworthy,
the ship that carries
our memories . . .
I prefer your version
of childhood to mine
Cattails, October 2023
rogue wave
a limpet holds on
tighter
mountaineering
owl-eyed tents light up
the night
little sisters
cover their smiles
with yellow fans
the ginkgo's leaves
were made for this
jackrabbits
frolicking in the snow
around your grave
there will be time enough
tomorrow for my tears
Noon: Journal of the Short Poem, Issue 24, October 2023
blowhole
whale's
a
from
stench
the
crimes
war
Saturday, October 14, 2023
Ink Sweat and Tears - The Poetry and Prose Webzine - October 2023
Word and Image Feature for National Poetry Day: Refuge
Fresh Out: An Arts and Poetry Collective, October 2023
Curated by Eric A. Lohman
Featured Artist: October 8, 2023
Fireflies' Light: A Magazine of Short Poems, Issue 28, October 2023
Note: this haiku first appeared in Kingfisher 6, October 2022
Note: this haiku first appeared in Time Haiku 58, August 2023
Wednesday, October 04, 2023
Drifting Sands: A Journal of 21st Century English-Language Haibun and Tanka Prose, Issue 23, September 2023
This issue includes the results of the Wearable Art and Haiku Contest, and I'm thrilled to announce that the following haiku was selected as a winner. It will be paired with this lovely art by Chrissi Villa, and will be available for purchase on various items as a fundraising effort for the Drifting Sands community:
Talking About Strawberries All of the Time, Issue 11, October 2023
Delighted to have the following three paper collages from the series "Pen to Paper" included in this issue:
scrawl the naked poetry
Petrichor, Number 23, Pebbles Volume 3 Autumn, October 2023
Honoured to have the following vispo selected for the cover of the Pebbles section of this issue! "The Shreds of a Life" represents the chronic illness/invisible disability challenges and limitations facing this poet:
Modern Haiku, Vol. 54.3, Autumn 2023
tongue
my
of
tundra
the
from
erupting
pingos
Grateful to have the following haiku mentioned as a favourite in the editor's review of World Haiku 2023:
pressed flowers
the meadow I will give you
this winter
Akitsu Quarterly, Summer 2021
haikuNetra, Issue 1.2, October 2023
haikuJyoti - The Third Eye
sea stacks
giants once lived
here
haikuDrishti - The Observation
traffic jam
a penguin trundles
its chick elsewhere
haikuRatna - Editor's Pick
you vanish
into the mist . . .
mossy rail ties
Saturday, September 30, 2023
The High Lonesome: The Haiku Foundation Volunteer Anthology 2023
I'm honoured to be a content provider for The Haiku Foundation's HaikuLife Film Festival, Haiga Galleries, and New to Haiku feature, among others. I have also donated several artworks to the Gift Shop as a token of my thanks!
The Haiku Foundation, Haiku of the Day (formerly Per Diem), September 2023
Selected by Marianne Dupre for the theme of "Fall": September 28, 2023
harvest moon . . .
the cat's whiskers sparkle
with grain dust
Cattails, January 2014
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