Poetry Magazines - The best collection of poetry magazines online - Simon Armitage

When I wrote the editorial for Guest Editorship of the September 1999 journal I little thought that within two years I’d be in sole charge; then I wrote about being able to luxuriate in the temporary haiku-sifter’s ‘absolute irresponsible freedom to choose just what I liked without thinking too much about Guidelines’.

That was in Summer 1999; now I am weighed down with the burden of responsibility for maintaining the high standard of the journal achieved under Caroline and Jackie Hardy before her; gone is the absolute irresponsible freedom of the temporary haiku-sifter. However what does remain is the unassailable belief in our making choices of haiku that demonstrate ‘truth to the moment’, that at least appear to come out of states of ‘heightened awareness’ when the poet is driven to operate ‘with verve and without conceit’, ‘treating us like adults’ by offering space for interpretation or completion in whatever way we choose, and above all, maybe, haiku that convey a sense of humour and/or lightness of touch. I have filled an empty space on page 50 with a short piece in which I come clean about my own attitude to haiku for which I hope to be forgiven.

This is a bumper 23-pages-of-haiku edition which is perhaps a suitable celebration of the beginning of the next ten years of Blithe Spirit. David Cobb’s ‘Headmaster’s Report’ on page 4, the new logo (p63) and Frank Williams’ Afterword (p64) acknowledge the end of one decade and the beginning of another.

I invited Caroline Gourlay to write a follow-up to the comment in her final editorial about links between haiku and ‘mainstream poetry’: what is the difference between writing a haiku and writing a longer poem? (p36) Others may wish to take up this challenge which [non-royal] we intend to pursue.

Having been dilatory (be warned!) over appointing a judge for the Museum of Haiku Literature Award I invited my English-teacher wife to adjudicate (p43).

Jesse Peel is the first member of the Society to put pen to paper (p15) on the subject of David Platt’s ground-breaking, mind-bending proposal for a new technological assessment of the qualities of haiku (Blithe Spirit 10/2)

Though I would be only too willing to be proved wrong, I have a belief that reviews don’t sell books so that to be worthy of space in the journal a review should foster further discussion of haiku issues and allied topics in general. I recommend reading the Review Slot (pp57-63) for the content even if you would not contemplate buying the books, in particular to keep up with recent developments in Japan on which we will need to have a view.

Articles, thoughts, haiku, tanka - closing date for the June journal is the end of the second week in May. The SEASON for the June journal is SPRING.