When the first A New Resonance was published in 1999,
I wrote to Red Moon Press expressing my hope that more such
volumes would be forthcoming. I was excited when I learned
there would be a volume two, and pleased to read in the
introduction to that book that more will likely follow.
This is an important series that is certain to be highly
valued by many in the decades ahead.
With
a generous fifteen poems from each featured author, we are
given an opportunity to really appreciate a poet's work.
Each "chapter" includes a list of all seventeen
contributors with the featured poet's name highlighted.
This unique approach symbolizes for me that we are each
part of the whole haiku community and that we are inspired,
and inspire, within the context of that whole.
Each
poet's photo is included (a welcome touch for those of us
unable to attend haiku conferences), as is brief biographical
information and an insightful editorial comment about the
poet's work. The poems are treated with great respect. The
first and the last verses of each poet appear singly on
a page, and the rest are nicely balanced two or three to
a page.
The
selections include many personal favorites that I had seen
in various journals and The Red Moon Anthology annual
series (another topshelf series from Red Moon Press and
one of the most significant and enjoyable of recent haiku
publications). Some poems were included in Cor van den Heuvel's
The Haiku Anthology, and a number have won major
haiku competitions. There is also a nice mix of previously
unpublished work to add even more interest.
Sadly,
two of the poets, John Crook and Bruce Detrick, died during
the preparation of the book. For me this enhances the value
of this volume, however, and it is gratifying to see their
work permanently honored in this way.
It
is impossible to detail the quality and power of the haiku
selected by the editors, so I have selected only two haiku
to stand as a representation of the whole.
ebb
tide
the shell I keep reaching for
carried further away |
John
Crook
|
winter
dawn
emptying the wastebaskets
after he leaves |
Pamela Miller Ness
|
|