Essays
Revelations Unedited:
Five Musings on Matters Haiku
frogpond 31:3 2008
The Usual Suspects
I've just returned from another haiku conference. These gatherings are good places to meet other poets known only through their haiku. Often a keynote speaker will spend an hour on matters close to his heart. I use the male pronoun advisedly. I have heard the same two or three haiku poets give keynote speeches at various conferences over the past several years. Of all the haiku conferences and meetings I've attended, I can't think of one where the keynote speaker was a woman. I hope I'm wrong and that the editors of this journal are deluged by women poets who have been keynote speakers. In case that doesn't happen and it turns out that there have been few, if any, women keynoters, I suspect the reason is a combination of two things. The first is the instinct of conference organizers to play it safe, which is why I have heard the same poet give more than one keynote address; the second is, as a rule, women do not ask but instead wait to be asked. Off the top of my head, I can think of a number of women whom I would love to hear give a keynote address at the next major haiku conference: Penny Harter, Anita Virgil, Alexis Rotella, Marlene Mountain, and Jane Reichhold immediately come to mind. Finally, I'm willing to give conference organizers the benefit of the doubt when it comes to picking keynote speakers. Perhaps women haiku poets are not purposely overlooked. Perhaps all that is needed is to give conference organizers a gentle push in the right direction; or a not so gentle push.
FOP Book Reviews
Have you ever read a rave review of a new haiku collection only to be disappointed once you've actually read the book? You're not alone. Usually these types of reviews are penned by people I term FOPs (Friend of the Poet). A typical modus operandi is that the author of a new collection asks a haiku poet-friend to review it. A close reading of an FOP review often shows a lack of critical insight--and an unwillingness to be fully candid. After an FOP review appears, the collection will make the rounds among fellow haiku poets. Each will cite the same three or four haiku out of 100. This goes on until some brave soul whispers, "I read the collection and I didn't think it was very good." Were you to read any haiku journal, print or online, you would be certain to find at least one of these FOP reviews. They stand out by the unctuous praise with which the collection is anointed.
According to an Editor's Note to its readers in the Washington Post Book World, a reviewer signs an agreement which states that he or she has not "had any contact, friendly or otherwise, with the author of this book," and is advised that "if there is any possibility of an appearance of a conflict of interest in the assignment of this review to you, please let Book World know immediately." (See Washington Post Book World, 8/7/05; p.12.) Were this standard to be applied to haiku journals both print and online, it would certainly result in the dawning of a new age. There are two things that would help usher in this new age: The first, for journal editors to assign book reviews to people who are reviewers and not haiku poets; the second, for these same editors to refuse to accept unsolicited reviews. George Swede has written about this issue in a column called "Tracks in the Sand: Sand Fleas" in the online journal Simply Haiku (Spring 2007 vol. 5 no. 1). I wanted to see that column reach a wider audience so I nominated it for inclusion in an annual "Best of" series. I'm sorry to say that the column was not included.
Civility in Haiku USA
When I returned to the States from Japan in the mid 90's I found the haiku community to be very welcoming and open. Constructive criticism was encouraged as were opposing points of view. Somehow things have gotten less civil lately. I have noticed an increase in internecine strife among haiku poets. My email box is full of complaints about the mediocrity of haiku published in today's journals. While I agree that poets should not automatically be guaranteed publication in prestige journals by virtue of their past accomplishments, I see little benefit in going into an email attack mode. A more thoughtful approach would require a closely reasoned critique in a letter to the editor suitable for publication. That being said, each haiku submitted to editors should stand on its own, regardless of the name that appears below, no matter how exalted that name is in the haiku hierarchy.
Serial Presenters
Haiku conferences can be wonderful experiences. There are often fascinating workshops and interesting presentations with topics that are varied and innovative. Unfortunately for me, the more conferences I attend, the more I notice the problem of what I term "recycled presentations." These offerings often seem familiar because I've heard them before, by the same presenter at another conference. Presenters should not emulate community college composition instructors who use the same lesson plan year after year. If they are lucky enough to be chosen to present often, they should try to ensure that each presentation is interesting to both seasoned haiku poets and newcomers. Conference organizers who find themselves in the delicate position of deciding how to award coveted presenter slots would do well to follow the advice of Nancy Reagan to "Just Say No" when faced with applications from chronic recyclers. There is, however, at least one upside: The soporific effect of recycled presentations often eliminates the need for prescription sleeping pills. So perhaps we have discovered at long last the First Lady's alternative to illegal drugs.
Book Blurbs by Dr. Who
If I wanted to appear more scholarly when writing a book blurb for a haiku collection I would add "Dr." before my name. After all, I do have a Juris Doctor degree, which technically allows me to use the doctor title. But the result would be misleading. Someone with a law degree should not be masquerading as a doctor of philosophy in order to promote the sale of books. The same goes for other types of degrees which allow the use of the word "doctor" as an honorific title. Those relying on these creative credentials might take a lesson from the long-standing custom of addressing faculty at Harvard's graduate schools as Mr. or Ms. on the theory that everyone teaching there possesses a doctorate--or doesn't need one. On the other hand, book blurbs are too often just another form of advertising. Caveat emptor.
On the subject of book blurbs, I am often amazed by the number of male-authored collections or books of haiku criticism with blurbs by men only. Wouldn't it be great if these authors recognized that women make up a substantial part, if not a majority, of the book-buying population? This woman would like to see more collections of haiku and books of criticism by male authors with blurbs that include women.