Barbara Ungar, Robin White, Tom Sacramona
Kristen Lindquist, John Stevenson, Tom Clausen
Remembering Stuart Bartow: A Tribute
Photo by Tom Clausen
Editor’s Note: Read through Stuart Bartow’s haibun and haiku, and you have a front-row seat to a capacious mind full of wonder—about nature, about space and time and the galaxies, about humanity and those moments where the personal and universal intersect. “You don’t have to go to distant planets to find alien life,” he once said in an interview. While he was talking about his beloved natural world (specifically, the 80 species of beetles on the planet), the statement encompasses his way of viewing everything around him. The universe holds many wonders, as long as you remain awake to them.
Stuart passed away from cancer in January at the age of 72. He left behind a legacy as both a committed environmentalist (he was a founder and chair of the Battenkill Conservancy, a group committed to preserving the Battenkill watershed in upstate New York) and a dedicated teacher, primarily at SUNY (State University of New York) Adirondack. He was also a facile writer who left behind several books—non-fiction (Teaching Trout to Talk, which won the 2014 Adirondack Center award), longer-form poetry, and, of course, haiku and haibun. An expanded edition of his book of haibun, Invisible Dictionary, was released by Red Moon Press earlier this year, and its 88 haibun offer a mix of sharp-eyed narratives, engaging meditations, and bursts of humor that remind us how, in the end, we are all just guests in this world, and the best we can do sometimes is go along for the ride. “Take it in and enjoy it,” Stuart once said. “Life’s hard. It’s got tragedy and it’s bittersweet, but it’s beautiful and you don’t want to miss it.
The following essays pay tribute to this man who definitely knew how to be open and take it all in. They were written by some of those who knew him best, beginning with his longtime fiancée (whom Stuart liked to refer to as his “consort”), the poet Barbara Unger. Others offer reflections from the times Stuart spent at haiku gatherings, especially those at Wild Graces in Deerfield, New Hampshire.
The tribute will close a selection of haibun published earlier in cho, as well as the final haibun in Invisible Dictionaries. They offer a glimpse into Stuart’s mind and style, but only a glimpse. I encourage you to read more of his work. Really, you don’t want to miss it.—RY
“Wandering Among Stars” by Barbara Ungar
“Unhurried. Humble. Wise.” by Robin White
“A Wandering Aengus” by Tom Sacramona
“And Happen” by Kristen Lindquist
“Life Is Good” by John Stevenson (photo by Tom Clausen)
Selected Haibun & Books by Stuart Bartow