New Books Received

The Cottage of Visions: Genjuan International Haibun Contest Decorated Works 2018-2021

Compiled by Stephen Henry Gill
Hailstone Haiku Circle Publications, July 2021

The third volume of winners from the Genjuan contest (and the fourth in a series, if you include its predecessor anthology, the Kikazua International Haibun Contest Decorated Works 2009-2011). Unfortunately, it will also be the last volume, as Stephen Henry Gill (Tito) notes on the Hailstone website, “the organizers (Hailstone Haiku Circle) have at this point decided to call it a day.” This book is fine capstone to the distinguished series. It includes the 40 works decorated over the four-year period, as well as commentary from the various judges (a true behind-the-contest view); three new translations of work by Kyorai, Basho, and Kikaku; and a postscript from Nobuyuki Yuasa (Sosui), who before retiring in 2014 worked with Gill to foster the growth of haibun through the competition. “Although my dream of reviving the long-dead tradition of haibun in Japan has not yet been achieved, that other dream of mine—to foster English haibun by creating a Japan-based international contest—has been warmly received by haibun lovers of the world.” More information can be found on the Hailstone website.

The Lure of the Threshold

By Sonam Chhoki
Editions des petits nuages, Ottawa, Canada, 2021

A selection of 24 haibun, with an introduction by Mike Montreuil and an afterword by Glenn G. Coats, who write, “I remember two sentences that Cynthia Rylant wrote, “I didn’t know the very way I looked at things was poetry. I mean, I notice things other people don’t and usually it has something to do with the way one small thing means so much.” I thought of those words after I read The Lure of the Threshold and I knew that I had experienced a unique and special voice.” E-mail the publisher at petitsnuages@gmail.com for ordering information.

Full reviews of these books will appear in a future issue of contemporary haibun online.