The Breath of Surrender: A Collection of Recovery-Oriented Haiku, edited by Robert Epstein. Often described as “wordless” due to its brevity and directness, haiku poetry highlights, and... More > celebrates, our often unseen connection with nature. Recovery from the hell realms of addiction: alcohol, drugs, sex, shopping, over-eating, makes possible a reunion with life and one’s fellow beings. In The Breath of Surrender—the first collection of its kind—haiku poet and psychotherapist Robert Epstein brings together the haiku and recovery communities, whose unique perspectives expand our appreciation of the world within and around us. Whether new to, or widely traveled on, the path of recovery, readers will discover new wholes in their lives sparked by the courage, strength and hope in the inspiring poems that fill these pages.< Less
In this Issue 3 of Ambrosia: Journal of Fine Haiku, we are pleased to present another 100 fine haiku from twenty-nine outstanding poets. All these poets, while writing in English, respect the formal... More > values of traditional Japanese haiku. When you read through this issue, please take time to notice, besides what these haiku are, also, what they are not. They are not faux-Japanese. They are not formulaic. They are not humorlessly philosophical. They are not all about the classically lovely natural subjects. The “first person” is not totally absent. They are not all grammatically fragmentary— some read as sentences. None of them are senryu although people figure largely in several. These haiku demonstrate the very broad range possible in English poems that respect traditional haiku values while not fearing to innovate, fully using the riches of English. As haiku should be in any language, these haiku are resonant far out of proportion to their brevity.< Less
This premiere issue of Ambrosia: Journal of Fine Haiku includes 100 top drawer haiku from twenty-eight leading poets from around the world. All these poets, while writing in English, respect the... More > formal values of traditional Japanese haiku. Ambrosia holds that a haiku in English, to be fine, must have the traditional shape and duration of haiku, its metre and music, and exhibit aspects of traditional Japanese poetic aesthetics. We prefer haiku written in a natural, modern, English idiom with great care for the sound of the verse when spoken. Ambrosia’s haiku touch the reader powerfully.< Less
This Issue 2 of Ambrosia: Journal of Fine Haiku includes another 100 top drawer haiku from thirty-one fine poets. All these poets, while writing in English, respect the formal values of traditional... More > Japanese haiku. Ambrosia holds that a haiku in English, to be fine, must have the traditional shape and duration of haiku, its metre and music, and exhibit aspects of traditional Japanese poetic aesthetics. We prefer haiku written in a natural, modern, English idiom with great care for the sound of the verse when spoken. Ambrosia’s haiku touch the reader powerfully.< Less
Don Baird's As the Crow Flies brings us once again on a journey of the unique blending of Japanese poetry styles and kung fu. By using the allure of haiku and hokku mixed with the elegance and power... More > of martial art philosophies, Don guides us to open our eyes to our own, personal journeys where we may be able to finally live in the splendor that is the richest, vital core in each of our lives.< Less
Lilacs After Winter is a chapbook of haibun—haiku with prose—by Key West poet, Francis Masat. Journeys to the edge of life and death may not be pleasing, but the truth, insight, and... More > outcomes at the heart of this collection show that the journey is worth the costs. Rich with experience, the poet uses natural images to show the interventions of fate. All of us have probably noticed little things in Nature like birds and raindrops, snowflakes and field mice, or stars and blossoms. But when they encompass a human story of love, loss, and redemption, they become more than one might imagine. A deeply moving collection.< Less
In Issue 5 of Ambrosia: Journal of Fine Haiku, we are pleased to present another 100 fine haiku from fifty-four outstanding poets from around the world. All these poets, while writing in English,... More > respect the formal values of traditional Japanese haiku. These haiku cover a broad spectrum of content and style while keeping within the form’s traditional shape and sound. It is this strong vein of vitality and innovation within the broad limits of tradition that is so exciting and satisfying about 21st century haiku in English. Read and enjoy!< Less
In this final Issue 4 of Ambrosia: Journal of Fine Haiku, we are pleased to present another 100 fine haiku from forty-three outstanding poets from around the world. All these poets, while writing in... More > English, respect the formal values of traditional Japanese haiku. These haiku demonstrate the very broad range possible in English poems that respect traditional haiku values while not fearing to innovate, fully using the riches of the English language. As haiku should be in any language, these haiku are resonant far out of proportion to their brevity.< Less
“Poets are our intrepid adventurers into the unknowable, thinkers on the unthinkable. Epstein’s collection brings us a refreshing look at the brave task of examining the most common, in... More > fact ultimate, human experience of dying, all too often shunned and studiously avoided in our Western society. Anytime we can pause to consider death, ..., we are brought more closely to fully living, to valuing each and every breath and moment as only the consideration of death allows.”
—Jana Baldridge Vargas, author of The Promise of Death, The Passion of Life: A Reflective Exploration of Death, Loss and Living Fully.
“In the face of death, human beings create art. Robert Epstein has collected pieces of that art together in one place for your consideration. Within this collection you will find your own awareness of death reflected in the voices of your fellow human beings, as we all seek to come to terms with impermanence.”
—Patricia J Anderson, All of Us: Americans Talk about the Meaning of Death.< Less
