Triya Mag: Monsoon Edition, July/August 2026

Translated into Hindi

Honoured to have the following haiku selected as Editor's Choice:

cloudfall

mother's face softens

into sleep

Acorn, Number 56, Spring 2026

Commentary by Teji Sethi:

This haiku achieves its subtle power through contrast. The fragment, cloudfall suggests heaviness, thunder, and the forceful descent of rain. Yet in the very next phrase, the image shifts to the mother's face, softening into sleep—a gesture of quiet tenderness.

This haiku by Debbie distills a moment into three lines, embodying the essence of haikai aesthetics. It carries karumi, the lightness that allows the verse to breathe and zoka, the vital energy of nature that makes the image striking. The interplay of a storm's intensity with the gentleness of rest, creates a layered resonance. It reminds us that even within life's turbulence, there is repose.

With this evocative haiku, we open the Monsoon Edition to our readers...

Also included in this edition:

distant slopes

turning blue at twilight

the soft folds

of this tweed blanket draped

around father's shoulders

Runner-up, The Linda Jeannette Ward Tanka Award

British Haiku Society Awards, 2025

Sakura Fubuki: Pakistan Japan Cultural Association Islamabad (PJCA), First International Multilingual Haiku Anthology, Summer 2026

Thrilled to have the following haiku included in this anthology on the theme of cherry blossoms and translated into Urdu and Japanese:

mother's passing

this fallen branch

of sakura

Haiga in Focus, Issue 96, August 2026

 Curated by Claudia Brefeld

Translated into German

Haiga in Focus, Issue 95, July 2026

 Curated by Claudia Brefeld

Translated into German

Enchanted Garden Haiku Journal, Issue 16, Lunae Feeria, July 2026

Translated into Romanian

a child's eyes

full of lightning bugs . . .

mason jars

Sommergras: Magazine of the German Haiku Society, Issue 152, March 2026

Translated into German

Honoured to have the following collaborative haiga included in this issue:

photograph: Claudia Brefeld

haiku: Debbie Strange

NeverEnding Story: Biting NOT Barking Series, May 2026

Translated into Chinese by Chen-ou Liu:

zombie fires

come back from the dead . . .

this wilderness

haunted by skeletons

and memories of trees

Blithe Spirit 35.4, 2025

Chen-ou Liu's Comments:

This tanka bridges climate science and Gothic imagery. In L1, "zombie fires," refers to overwintering peat fires that smoulder underground through freezing winters before reigniting in spring. By framing this ecological phenomenon as a literal haunting in L2, the tanka emphasizes the lingering trauma climate change inflicts upon natural landscapes.

In L4, "skeletons" operates as a powerful double entendre, evoking both charred tree trunks and traditional images of the dead. L5, "memories of trees," deepens the sense of grief and absence, suggesting ecosystems that survive only as traces or recollections. Nature is irrevocably altered: the once-living forest has become a graveyard of skeletons that refuses to rest in peace.

Haiga in Focus, Issue 94, June 2026

 Curated by Claudia Brefeld

Translated into German

Haiga in Focus, Issue 93, May 2026

 Curated by Claudia Brefeld

Translated into German

Haiga in Focus, Issue 92, April 2026

 Curated by Claudia Brefeld

Translated into German

Honoured to have the following haiga selected as the Editor's Choice:

Claudia's Commentary:

This haiga is a fine example of how a work unfolds gradually — yet without ever allowing itself to be fully grasped. At first glace, the connection between the haiku and the image may not be immediately apparent. However, when one considers that 'skyquake' can also be translated as 'sky trumpets', a point of intersection emerges between the haiku and the image. Skyquakes are described as a mysterious phenomenon (a loud bang that seems to come from the sky), which appears to have various causes but has never really been clearly explained. And the clouds in the sky? Are they unaffected  by the events (split apart/come together), or are they part of the events?

This creates a space for interpretation that is not too vast, but just large enough to be filled  with one's own associations and conjectures.

World Haiku, Number 22, 2026

Translated into Japanese

bag lady

a halo of pigeons

circling her head

garden rookery

the sycamore fills

with shadows

laden branches

chickadees displaces

a thousand stars

Note: these haiku previously appeared in Geppo

NeverEnding Story: Biting NOT Barking Series, March 2026

Translated into Chinese by Chen-ou Liu:

refugee train

small hands starfished

against the glass

1st Place, 2024 Triveni Awards

Chen-ou Liu's Comments:

The haiku places a heavy, geopolitical subject ("refugee train," L1) against a fragile, personal one ("small hands," L2). this contrast—the massive, moving machine versus the stationary, tiny hands—is a classic haiku technique for creating depth.

The verb, "starfished," is the emotional anchor of the haiku. It creates a stark, physical image of small fingers spread wide, suggesting vulnerability, a search for stability, or a desperate attempt to connect with the world passing by.

And the glass in L3 acts effectively as both a literal and figurative barrier. It highlights the "othering" of the refugee experience—the children are visible to the world, yet physically separated from safety or a permanent home.

Enchanted Garden Haiku Journal, Issue 15, Emerald, April 2026

Translated into Romanian

the moss

on an angel's wing . . .

vespers

Thrilled to receive an Editor's Choice for the following haiga!

Commentary by the editor, Steliana Voicu:

What a lovely effect of the leaves, and the picture seems to be imprinted with movement. The leaves may suggest the movement of the special tea brush for a tea ceremony. For me, matcha has a strong, intense flavor - this tea doesn't leave you indifferent. The tea moment is calm and tranquil - it smells like spring, it tastes like spring. This haiga is so vibrant and savoury. Thank you for enchanting us, dear Debbie!

Chrysanthemum, Number 36, April 2026

Translated into German

Triya Mag: Basant Edition, February/March 2026

Translated into Hindi

palliative care

a branch of loquat flowers

our light in the dark

Honourable Mention, 2025 Tokutomi Haiku Contest

how fragrant

this parched earth

after rain

I can almost

hear the roses

growing

Cherita Lighthouse Award, The Cherita, Book 94

Sommergras: Magazine of the German Haiku Society, Issue 151, December 2025

Translated into German

Honoured to have the following collaborative haiga included in this issue:

photograph: Claudia Brefeld

haiku: Debbie Strange

Haiga in Focus, Issue 91, March 2026

 Curated by Claudia Brefeld

Translated into German

Haiga in Focus, Issue 90, February 2026

 Curated by Claudia Brefeld

Translated into German

Haiga in Focus, Issue 89, January 2026

 Curated by Claudia Brefeld

Translated into German

Double Horizon: An International Haiku Anthology, The Fishing Cat Press, 2025

Grateful to have work selected and translated by Jean Antonini and Gilles Fabre (and team) for this anthology!

Translated into French

cattle roundup

a charred bean can

full of rain

1st Place, 2024 Sharpening the Green Pencil Haiku Contest

bioluminescence

I skip a pebble across

the universe

seashores, Volume 2, 2019

1st Place, 2019 OtherWordly Intergalactic Haiku Competition

glassy lake

flocks of snow geese

pull up the moon

1st Place, 2017 Autumn Moon Haiku Journal Contest

starflowers

light the woodland . . .

we find our way

Award Winner, The 2017 Snapshot Press Haiku Calendar Competition

scrub jay

nothing left of the blue

in dad's jeans

2nd Place, 2024 Betty Drevniok Award

marsh marigolds

dark waters patched

with light

Highly Commended, 2023, New Zealand Poetry Society Int'l Competition

My Perspective:

When I first set foot along the haiku path, I had no idea how much it would engulf and expand my world! My daily haiku practice helps mitigate the effects of chronic illness by focussing my mind on joy rather than pain. Over the years, it has become a healing and a meditative force. These little poems have enriched my life beyond measure by introducing me to the work of the global haiku community. The poet an'ya, was the first editor to publish my work, and I am forever grateful to her for changing the course of my writing life.

Note:

I was honoured to learn that Gilles Fabre and Jean Antonini gave an interview, and read my perspective on haiku (among others) on French radio!