The Haiku Foundation

Here is press release from Jim Kacian:

Dear Friends:

The Haiku Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to archive the accomplishments of the first century of haiku in English and to create greater opportunities for its second, was chartered in the state of Virginia, USA, on 6 January 2009. It is a volunteer organization primarily designed to create and implement projects centered around haiku. Most haiku organizations have privileged the poet and her needs: education, publication, socialization. The Haiku Foundation instead seeks to foster the growth of haiku itself. This is where poets come when they want to give back.

We are pleased to announce the public unveiling of our website. We hope you will visit it often and with pleasure. Please tell us how it serves you, and how it might serve you in the future. And most of all, we welcome your participation. Please join us to help us realize our goals.

Jim Kacian
The Haiku Foundation

The website is incredible, and the projects they have line up are extremely ambitious. I strongly recommend anyone interested in haiku explore Charles Trumbull's Haiku Bibliography. This resource is essential for anyone interested in haiku. I'm also looking forward to reading Juxtapositions, their new academic journal.

There are lots of opportunities for poets interested in haiku. However, to bring it home, how do you all think we could tie this in to Cleveland? I'd love to propose a conference, small press, class series, journal, etc. that would build a bridge between The Lit, The Haiku Foundation and the city. Let me know if anyone has any ideas.