Details

Sława Sibiga

(1950 – 2025)

Sława Sibiga was a distinguished Polish poet, haiku author, sumi-e painter, haiga creator, children’s book author, and craft artist. Born in 1950 in Rozkosz, near the Bug River valley, she trained as a nurse before settling in Tychy, southern Poland, in 1985. A profound lover of nature, she drew inspiration primarily from Lake Paprocańskie, infusing her multifaceted creations with joy and a deep commitment to sharing her art with others.

Sibiga played a pivotal role in Poland’s haiku community. She chaired the jury for nine editions of the National Wakai Haiku Contest in Tychy and coordinated the haiku meeting at the VI Slavic Poetry Festival (2018). She participated in the II and III International Haiku Conferences in Kraków (2015, 2024) and was a founding member of the Polish Haiku Society (established 2015).

Literary Output

Sibiga authored nine poetry volumes, four dedicated to haiku:

  • Wędrując pomiędzy myślami (Wandering Between Thoughts, 2008, debut);
  • Skrzydła (Wings, 2009);
  • Sen o Japonii. Haiku (Dream of Japan: Haiku, 2016);
  • W każdym drzewie noc (Night in Every Tree, 2016);
  • Zatańcz ze mną na czubkach sosen (Dance with Me on Pine Tips, 2017);
  • Ślad na księżycu / Trace on the Moon. Haiku (2018, Polish-English);
  • Ślad na księżycu / Spur auf dem Mond. Haiku (2019, Polish-German);
  • Kształt wiatru / The Shape of the Wind (2020, Polish-English);
  • Róże o zmierzchu / Roses at Dusk (2023, Polish-English).

She co-authored fifteen haiku anthologies, including three international ones: Anthology of the II International Haiku Conference, Kraków 2015 (Kontekst, 2015), To Live Here (The Wee Sparrow Poetry Press, 2023), and 四季+ / Seasons+ / Pory roku+ (issa BOOKS, 2024).

Her children’s books include Dwie Myszy czyli wierszyki dla Psoty i Niki (Two Mice, or Poems for Psota and Nika, 2011), Dwie Myszy czyli harce szkolnej Psoty (Two Mice, or School Shenanigans of Psota, 2014), and co-authored: Przygody Małej Amelki (Adventures of Little Amelka, 2014) and Czytanie na drugie śniadanie (Reading for Second Breakfast, 2016).

Publications and Recognition

Her work appeared in Lamelli, Nasze Sprawy, Przekrój, Haiku Port Quarterly, The Heron’s Nest, Modern Haiku, cattails, and Under the Basho, with haiga featured on DailyHaiga and Failed Haiku. She was a regular contributor to Ptaki wędrowne / Migratory Birds (the Polish Haiku Association Almanacs) and other Polish anthologies incl. Nieobecność. Absence. Antologia polskiego haiku funeralnego (Poznań 2021) and Dajmy grać świerszczom. Antologia haiku o zwierzętach (Poznań 2013). Her poems were aired on Polish Radio Katowice and Koszalin. Her awards include nominations for the Ewa Tomaszewska Poetry Award (2018, 2022) and wins in national contests like ‘Wiśnie i wierzby’ (Cherry Blossoms and Willows, 2021, 2022, 2024) and the Polish International Haiku Competition (2023).

Visual and Craft Arts

Two sumi-e paintings earned distinctions at the 2022 Art Beyond Borders exhibition (Tokyo National Museum of New Art); and she held solo shows „Sen o Japonii” (Dream of Japan) and „Mała Japonia” (Little Japan) in Tychy (2022). Her thread-crafted angels graced exhibitions, charitable events, and global private collections.

Sibiga’s warmth, artistry, and enduring influence as a friend and creator left an indelible mark, mourned widely upon her passing on 26 November 2025.

Selected work:

mój stary dom
pierwsze płatki śniegu
spadają w ciszy

my old house
first snowflakes
falling in silence

—Skrzydła, wyd. Okręgowa Izba, Pielęgniarek i Położnych, Katowice, 2009; (Almanach nr 1)

*

upał
na progu domu resztki
cienia

heat
on the house threshold
remains of shade

—Pory roku w polskim haiku, Wydawnictwo Kontekst, Poznań 2015

*

nasza ławeczka—
jego imię
ledwie widoczne

Lover’s bench—
his initials
hardly visible

—Haiku Anthology, Second International Haiku Conference, Kraków 2015

*

kwitnąca wiśnia
stary ogrodnik zdejmuje
kapelusz

cherry blossoms
the old gardener
takes off his hat

—Sen o Japonii. Haiku, Wydawnictwo Kontekst, Poznań 2016

*

ciepły wiatr
na suchym źdźble trawy
huśta się ważka

warm wind
on a dry blade of grass
a damselfly swings

płatki śniegu
zapisuję pędzelkiem
każdy ruch

snowflakes
I note down each movement
with a fine brush

—(Almanach nr 3)

*

frost
a new sound
of the wind

—Commendation at the 13th Polish International Haiku Competition (PIHC), 2023

*

globalne ocieplenie
nieliczne kwiaty
zakwitają

global warming
few flowers
bloom

—四季+ / Seasons+ / Pory Roku +, Third International Haiku Conference, Kraków 2024

*

The Asahi Shimbun (Asahi Haikuist Network, the David McMurray’s column):

black on white
on the first sumi-e
dragon’s mark

—(March 15, 2024)

global warming
an old man tells a story
of winter

—(January 17, 2025)

trails of rain--
why is this autumn
so quiet

—(November 7, 2025)

 

With deep gratitude to Marta Chociłowska and Robert Kania for providing invaluable information about Sława Sibiga. 

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