Bob Moyer, Lenard D. Moore, and I organized the Haiku North America 2007 conference in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. We survived, and (we hope) prevailed.
Haiku North America (HNA) is the largest and oldest gathering of haiku poets in the United States and Canada. Organizing an HNA conference is a privilege, a challenge, and a lot of fun. I’ve attended five HNA conferences—in Evanston, Boston, New York, Port Townsend, and Winston-Salem—and all of them were amazing in their own ways. Our conference was the first HNA conference in the Southern United States; the first to focus on African-American poets such as Sonia Sanchez, Kalamu ya Salaam, Tara Betts, and Derrick Weston Brown; and the first be to featured in a full-length film. Many thanks to all of the people who were there with us and made it all happen.
The following links will give you a feel for HNA 2007:
- Archive for 100 Bridges: Haiku North America 2007 (schedule, presenters and other information about HNA 2007)
- Haiku: The Art of the Short Poem (film and book by Tazuo Yamaguchi, with interviews and poems from HNA 2007)
All Aboard the Queen Mary for Haiku North America 2013
Haiku North America 2013 will be held onboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. Deborah P. Kolodji and Naia are the able co-chairs of the conference.
Hope to see you on those teak decks!
