Red Moon Press Publishes contemporary haibun 21 Print Anthology
The 2ist edition of contemporary haibun—the annual print anthology showcasing a state-of-the-art selection of haibun, tanka prose, and haiga from around the world—contains 88 haibun and tanka prose, 32 full-color haiga, and a new section devoted to critical essays about haibun. Three of the essays were published in 2025: “Wandering Pigeons: New Ways to Approach Haibun” by Jennifer Hambrick; “The Art of Haibun Prose, Part 1: Approaching the Wild Haibun” by Lew Watts: and “You’ve Written Your Haibun—So Now What?” by Billie Dee. A fourth, “Narratives of the Heart” by Bruce Ross, was published in 2021 and honors one of contemporary haibun’s (and cho’s) founding editors, who passed away in early 2026.
The book is co-edited by Rich Youmans and Peter Newton, with Ron C. Moss serving as haiga editor. The expanded editorial team also includes Terri L. French, Bob Lucky, Doris Lynch, Bryan Rickert, Neena Singh, and Lew Watts.
The 212-page book is priced at $30 and is available from Red Moon Press.
Three excerpts:
Reverberation
By Zachery May
I know what it’s like…
to feel your joints burn away, to run your hands under warm water willing the needles in your knuckles to melt, to beg your chemo-ridden mom to open the peanut butter lid, to grip your baby too tight in your arms terrified you’ll drop her
sunset
to have a diagnosis carve years off your headstone, to waste months playing the insurance game, to feel your mouth split open with sores from side effects, to pray to a god you don’t believe in anymore that you didn’t pass this on to your kids
on the cherry's skin
to be kissed by someone who loves you anyway, to appreciate a day with good bones, to walk the wooded trail with your children, to drink the stars on a glassy night
I eat the light
Golden Years
By Kanjini Devi
Reaching across the table, I hold Tom’s hands while we wait to be served. His fragile frame informs me the end is near, yet his cyan-blue eyes have never been brighter. We both know we may never come back here again together. I get the fettuccine, and Tom asks for the salad. When our meals arrive, he takes one glance at my dish and says next time he’ll have the pasta.
stubble fields I stumble along without you trusting somehow all is as it should be
It so often feels there are no words that can possibly share that expeience. Seventeen years ago I experienced that scene several times, and tthen for a long while afterward. you succinct capture of ithe whole pictur was perfect. Beautiful, in fact masterful.
It so often feels there are no words that can possibly share that expeience. Seventeen years ago I experienced that scene several times, and tthen for a long while afterward. you succinct capture of ithe whole pictur was perfect. Beautiful, in fact masterful.