Volume 33.3
Autumn 2002

Letter from the Editor

FROM THE EDITOR

I would like to thank everyone who has written for their kindness and understanding as we try to carry on Bob’s legacy at Modern Haiku. I would particularly like to thank Charles Trumbull, Lidia Rozmus, Randy Brooks, and Eva Hill for all their hard work in getting the summer issue out on time. Without them it would not have happened.

The summer issue seems to have been well received, and we thank you for your words of encouragement. There were several errors and oversights in the issue, including a failure to print the deadline for the fall issue. We regret any inconvenience our errors might have caused and will work to correct the deficiencies subscribers were kind enough to point out.

Now that we have all the systems in place, we are able to respond to the normal number of submissions. Please feel free to resume sending your normal frequency and number of submissions. We are delighted to read and consider your best work at any time. When submitting, be sure to put your name and address on each sheet of submissions. Please make sure your name appears on the submissions just as you would like it to appear in the journal. If you would like to have comments on your work, please send a note to that effect with your submissions.

As you will discover, staff of MH did most of the book reviews and notices for the current issue. In the future, we would like to have a wider range of opinion in the book review section. If English-language haiku is to grow as a serious art, it is important to have informed, balanced, appropriately critical reviews of the current haiku literature. We would encourage anyone who has an interest in reviewing haiku books to inform us as well as letting us know of any individual interests they might have. We would also appreciate it if you would let us know about any books important to haiku that you think might not have crossed our desk.

We will do what we can to bring you the best haiku and senryu at the most reasonable subscription rate possible, trying to maintain a balance between quality and frugality. As you will probably have noticed, the summer issue was printed on a higher quality paper than previous issues.

Postal rates increased this summer, which has made it necessary for us to raise the basic subscription rate by one dollar. We hope to be able to avoid any other increases for the coming year. If you would like a bulk mail subscription, please renew your subscription promptly after receiving notice that a renewal is due. If we receive your renewal after the bulk mailing for the next issue, you may have to wait several months before the next bulk mailing.

While I will remain editor and publisher of the journal, Modern Haiku Press will now be edited by Charles Trumbull. Charlie will continue as proprietor of his own Deep North Press as well.
The following titles are still available from Modern Haiku Press:

by Robert Spiess:

Five Caribbean Haibun (1975, unbound) $10.00
The Shape of Water (1982) $12.00
A Year’s Speculations on Haiku (1995) $10.00
Some Sticks and Pebbles (2001) $9.00

by Matthew Louvière:

The Marsh (2001) $8.00

All prices postpaid in the U.S.; elsewhere in North America, please add $2 per book. Outside of North America, please add $4 per book. If you would like any of these for your library, you might think about getting copies now. When the last copies are gone, they are gone.

I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the many generous contributions MH has received over the past several months. You will notice there are several new friends of Modern Haiku. We have just received an advance ruling on our tax-exempt status. All donations (not subscriptions or purchases) to Modern Haiku made after March 28, 2002 are deductible from your federal income tax.

May you have many haiku moments!

Lee Gurga

©2002 Modern Haiku • PO Box 68 • Lincoln, IL 62656