1955

  • Iulian, Dan

    Dan IulianDan Iulian

    Born: 1955, Obirsia Olt, Romania
    Living in: Bucharest, Romania
    Contact: dan_iulian09 (at) yahoo (dot) com

    Dan Iulian (pseudonym of Iulian Ciupitu) is a retired engineer. He loves the arts, nature and travels. Since 2011, he meets the world of haiku and joins of the Romanian Kukai Group. Prizes for haiku in English, French, Italian and Romanian languages. Publications in country and abroad.


     

  • Murtha, H. Gene

    H. Gene Murtha

    Born 1955 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
    Lived in New Jersey, USA
    19 October 1955 – 9 October 2015

  • Španović, Marinko

    Marinko SpanovicMarinko Španović

    (1955-2011)

    Marinko Španović was born in Samobor, Croatia in 1955. He has been writing within the literary group ‘Katarza’ in Samobor since 1975. His haiku have been published in many haiku journals and magazines, such as South-West, Daily Yomiuri, Mainichi Daily News, Feasta, Woodpecker, and others. Marinko edited over 30 haiku collections and anthologies, and wrote a number of book reviews. He was a selector and a translator to and from English, presented in many anthologies. Marinko has published six books: two books of poetry and four bilingual haiku collections. He was also an editor at Sparrow (Vrabac) – the magazine of the Croatian Haiku Association. Marinko was not only one of the most presented Croatian haiku poets but he also won numerous awards and honours both national and international.

    Marinko Španović died unexpectedly in Samobor on 8 July 2011.

    Awards and Other Honours:

    • Third Place, 300th Anniversary of Basho's 'Oku No Hosomichi' and Days of Japanese Culture and 'NHK' Japanese TV (1988);
    • Mainichi Haiku Contest (1998);
    • Toranomon Haiku Newsletter by Sakuzo Takada (1999), 101 Haiku (edited by Sakuzo Takada and Fusao Maki); Favourite Haiku, Tom Noyes, Azami Yutaka Ikokku Santo (1998);
    • Commendation by Polish Haiku Society for haiku cyclus Slavonske šume/Forests of Slavonia and for long time collaboration (2000);
    • Choice of haiku, The Herb Barrett Award (Hamilton, Canada, 2000);
    • Mainichi Daily News Haiku Column (June 2001);
    • Commendation, Haiku Calendar/Rokovnik, Ludbreg, Internationl Haiku contest in English (2001);
    • Honourable Mention, HIA 4th haiku contest (2002);
    • Award, Ito-En, International Haiku Contest (2003);
    • First Prize, Haiku Day, Dubravko Ivančan (Krapina, 2003);
    • Third Prize, Kloštar Ivanić Haiku Contest, Croatian language category (2003);
    • Commendation, The 39th A-Bomb Memorial Day (2005), Third Prize, International Kusamakura Haiku Competition (Kumamoto, Japan, 2005);
    • 22nd Prize, Kloštar Ivanić Haiku Contest, Croatian language category (2005);
    • Honourable Mention, Mainichi Haiku Contest (2005);
    • First Prize, Haiku Day, Dubravko Ivančan (Krapina, 2006);
    • Genkissu! Spirits Up! World Wide Hekinan Haiku Contest Award in Japan (2007);
    • Second Prize - Kloštar Ivanić Haiku Contest, Croatian language category (2010).

    Books and some other publications:

    • Planinski vjetar / Mountain Wind, Edition Matsuo Basho, Haiku poetry, Razvigor, Požega (Ex-Yugoslavia, 1988);
    • Duga / The Rainbow, Haiku poetry, Edition Matsuo Basho, Dom kulture Odžaci (Ex-Yugoslavia, 1989);
    • Poljubac svjetlosti / Kiss of Light (Hrvatsko haiku društvo: Samobor, 1995);
    • Brbljanje o neizrecivom / Gassing about the Unspeakable (Hrvatsko haiku društvo: Samobor, 1998);
    • Otvoren put/Free Road, Anthology, editors: Marijan Cekolj, Marinko Spanovic, Samobor 1999);
    • haiku selected for inclusion in William J. Higginson's Haiku World, An International Poetry Almanac (Kodansha International, 1996);  
    • 10 haiku selected for inclusion in A. Duhaime's Canadian Anthology, Haiku Without Borders (1998); haiku selected for inclusion in Knots: The Anthology of Southeastern European Haiku Poetry [edited by Dimitar Anakiev and Jim Kacian] (Prijatelj, Slovenia, 1999; distributed by Red Moon Press).

                                                           

    Selected work:

    dječji crtež
    iste su boje tenk
    vojnik i sunce

     

    a child's drawing:
    the same color for tank,
    for soldier, and sun

    (Haiku in Wartime (Croatian Haiku Association, 1992); also in Frogpond 22:2 (1999)

    *

    nastupa zima;
    očevim češljem gladim
    svoju kosu

     

    winter setting in;
    with my dad's comb
    I stroke my hair

    (Third Prize, International Kusamakura Haiku Competition (2005)

    *

    proljetna kiša
    poskakuje poklopac
    zakipjelog graha

     

    spring rain—
    the lid is hopping
    over boiling beans

    (Third Place, 300th Anniversary of Basho's 'Oku No Hosomichi' and Days of Japanese Culture and 'NHK' Japanese TV (1988)

    *

    pružajući ruku
    kojom prosi, skriva drugu
    koje nema

     

    extending a hand
    the beggar hides the other
    he hasn't got

    (William J. Higginson: Haiku World, An International Poetry Almanac (Kodansha International, 1996)

    *

    ledeni siječanj
    kosti drveća škrguću                                
    u zubima sunca

     

    iced January
    trees’ bones gnashing
    in the sun’s teeth

    ( 7. haiku dan/7th Haiku Day - Dubravko Ivančan, Krapina 2006 - 1. nagrada/1st Prize)

    *

    božićno jutro:
    tri ljeta od očeve smrti
    miriše škija

     

    Christmas morning;
    three years from my dad’s death
    the smell of his tobacco...

    (Haiku Calendar/Rokovnik, Ludbreg 2001, Internationl Haiku contest in English – Commendation)

    *

    munja terasom
    a potom grmljavina
    napuni prazne čaše

     

    lightning on the terrace

    afterwards the thunder fills
    ... our empty glasses...

    (Mainichi Daily News Haiku Column, June 2001)

    *

    slijepčev štap
    osluškuje vodu
    u lokvici

     

    a blind man’s stick
    listening to water
    in the puddle

    (Ito-En, International Haiku Contest, Tokyo, Japan, 2003 - 5th Place Award)

    *

    Isa Isa oh,
    kako je teško
    voljeti muhe

     

    Issa Issa
    it’s so hard to love
    the flies

    (101 Haiku edited by Sakuzo Takada and Fusao Maki, Toranomon Haiku, Newsletter by Sakuzo Takada, 1999)

    *

    zimsko jutro
    sestra je osmijehom
    proširila nebo

     

    - Winter morning
    my sister widens the sky
    with her laughter

    (Woodpecker, magazine for sharing haiku, Leeuwarden, Netherlands, No. 2/2002)

    Sources:

  • Strange, Debbie

    Debbie StrangeDebbie Strange

    Born 1955 in Canada
    Living in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
    Debbie Strange is a maker of poems, music, photographs, and art. She has an affinity for birds and water, and feels most at peace when exploring nature with her husband. Debbie's creative passions are her solace and salvation, connecting her more closely to the world and to herself.
    website: http://www.debbiemstrange.blogspot.ca


     

  • Watson, Roger

    Roger WatsonRoger Watson

    Born: 1955 in Aberdeen, UK
    Living: Kingston-upon-Hull, UK
    Roger Watson is a biologist, nurse and academic editor working at the University of Hull, UK. He was born and raised in Scotland and has lived in many parts of the UK and Ireland. He travels extensively in China and the Far East. He is married with eight children.
    Haiku blog: https://haikuflyku.blogspot.co.uk/


     

    Roger Watson Reading Several Of His Haiku