Commentary by Ron C. Moss, Haiga Editor
Haiga Showcase: E.L. Blizzard
E. L. Blizzard creates haiga with passion and skill. As seen in her subject choices, she observes the world around her deeply and considers her words carefully, to ensure they both highlight and connect with her digital captures and manipulations.
“after rain” presents a sea of green and flowers—but once the haiku is read, we are immediately drawn to go looking for that cottontail.
In the monochrome “summer morning,” we can see the connection to the haiku with the shapes and texture of the image.
In “graduation day” there’s a wonderful dragonfly in full colour, and the senryu has some nice suggestive linking that takes the story into different directions.
You can see with “cooling her heels” another creative view of the world, and the choice of colour links to the coolness suggested in the words. In this collection we see a poet and artist who is exploring the image and poem combination with great results.
E.L. explains in her own words:
I’m new to haiga and love playing in this big sandbox. Manipulating photos allows me, and hopefully the viewers, to connect even deeper with haiku and senryu moments. Sometimes the poem comes first, sometimes the image. Every once in a while, they occur together. In school, I studied cultural anthropology and used fieldwork photography to capture what might be missed. This influenced how I see the world. The beauty and sometimes ugliness of my home, The South, is a constant muse for me in both nature and humanity.
About the Artist
E. L. Blizzard lives in the U.S. South. She’s published in The Other Bunny, Drifting-Sands-Haibun, cho, Bones, Wales Haiku Journal, Failed Haiku, #FemkuMag, Poetry Pea, Autumn Moon, Under the Basho, and others. She’s worked in advocacy, allying with immigrants/refugees, cis/straight/LGBTQ+ survivors of intimate partner violence, and those experiencing homelessness.