DailyHaiku - A Daily Shot of Zen

About DailyHaiku

DailyHaiku exists to promote and preserve the gentle written art of haiku. It serves as “a daily shot of zen”, a small island of simplicity and calm within the frantic pace of modern life. One haiku is published per day on www.dailyhaiku.org (ISSN 1913-3936), and we publish one collected print edition per year (ISSN 1913-3928).

DailyHaiku publishes the work of Canadian and international haiku poets, blending contemporary, experimental, and traditional styles to push the boundaries of English-language haiku. Through our special features section, we also aim to chronicle and explore the diverse and ever-changing landscape of contemporary haiku-related forms.

Editors: Nicole Pakan and Patrick M. Pilarski

(Submission Information)

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What is Haiku?

There is some debate as to the definition of haiku and its "proper" form. The best and most concise definition seems to be:

Haiku is a minimalist form of unrhymed poetry consisting of seventeen syllables or less.

Traditional Japanese haiku carry an unrhymed, three line, 5-7-5 syllabic (beat) structure with a seasonal reference. Over the years, English Language haiku authors have transplanted the traditional Japanese structure into their own language with varying degrees of success. The 5-7-5 structure continues to define haiku for many people, and, despite it falling out of use in modern times, it is still taught to students everywhere.

Modern haiku artists take a more organic approach to haiku, one that is perhaps closer in spirit to the Japanese tradition. Contemporary English Language haiku artists have largely abandoned the 5-7-5 structure, viewing it as archaic, and tend to gravitate toward shorter syllabic counts more representative of their Japanese counterparts. Additionally, in light of many people living in urban centers, the requirement for a seasonal or nature reference has been loosened. At DailyHaiku we strive to represent a wide range of contemporary haiku and have a bunch of zen-like fun doing it.

For further information about the structure of modern and traditional haiku (and related forms), a concise and extremely useful set of definitions has been put forward by the Haiku Society of America.

Resources

DailyHaiku is a 'populist' haiku website. We're here to have some fun and bring haiku to those who might not be exposed to it on a regular basis. If you'd like to dive a little further, there are many online haiku journals, websites, and resources. Here a few that we wholly recommend:

Another excellent resource for writers of all kinds is Duotrope's Digest, an online site to explore the writing market (fiction and poetry, both online and print) and track submissions.

Contributors and Submissions

DailyHaiku features the work of six authors presented over a six month time frame. Each week, the work of a different author from the current contributing team is featured on this site. The contributing team at DailyHaiku changes twice per year—once in April and once in October. We accept submissions between March 1 and 31, and September 1 and 30 ONLY. Submissions received at any other time will not be accepted.

All submitted and contributed work will be also put into consideration for our yearly print journal. Published once a year in the early fall, the print journal features the work of the previous two contributor teams. One exemplary week of contributed haiku each year will also be awarded the DailyHaiku Editors' Choice Award and featured prominently in the print edition. No submissions are paid, but contributors will receive one contributor's copy of the yearly print journal featuring their work.

submissions are now open!

Are you interested?
The deadline for Cycle 6 (Fall 2008/Winter 2009) submissions is:
11:59pm, September 30, 2008.

how and when to submit

Email submissions to: desk@dailyhaiku.org
We accept submissions between March 1 and 31, and September 1 and 30 ONLY. Submissions received at any other time will not be accepted.
A note to previous contributors: please wait one or two cycles before submitting more of your work for consideration; we like to make sure we keep a set of fresh faces in each print edition.

what to submit

Work should be "NEW", i.e. not published elsewhere and not under consideration by other journals or websites. We require first print and online serial rights. Copyright remains with the author. In the event of subsequent re-publication, DailyHaiku should be listed as the place of first publication.
Please send your haiku submission in the body of your email, or as a ONE-PAGE email attachment, titled with your first and last name (e.g. "Bob-Bobberson-Cycle-1-Submission.doc" — Word, PDF, or plain text format only please).
Your one page submission should contain your name, an operating email address that you check regularly, a short bio or blurb about yourself and your work (75 words), and your submission consisting of seven previously unpublished haiku—no more, no less.
We occasionally accept and publish senryu if it fits well with the upcoming cycle—we're fairly liberal with regard to formal boundaries—but our focus is primarily on haiku.
Anonymous submissions will be rejected.
Send one submission only. Multiple and/or simultaneous submissions will be rejected.
All submissions are final. No after-the-fact changes and no additions except those requested by the editors to comply with DailyHaiku publication policy.
NOTE: We're OK with foul language, but be advised that we do not accept poems that contain racist, sexist, misogynistic, overly violent, homophobic, or any other hateful content.
If you have any questions about these guidelines, or wish to inquire as to the suitability of your work for this journal, please drop us a line.

when you'll hear back

All submitters will receive a confirmation email when their submission has been received.
All submitters will be notified within a week of the submission closing deadline as to the results of the selection process. If you have not heard from us by that point, please send us a query note. Sometimes email does strange things.
Once submissions close, all submitted work is anonymized for a blind review process. A short list may then be sent out to external reviewers for a double-blind review (we will notify you if your work has been short-listed).
If your submission is successful, you will be asked to promptly provide a photo of yourself and a 75-word biography.
If selected as a contributor, you will be responsible for providing a total of 28 haiku over a six-month period.

want a reminder?

Like to be notified via e-mail when submissions open? Fill in this handy-dandy form and we'll shoot you a message when the time is right.

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Thanks

Thank you for your interest in DailyHaiku. We look forward to delivering your "daily shot of zen".

Patrick M. Pilarski and Nicole Pakan
Editors — DailyHaiku
Contact DailyHaiku here.

DailyHaiku - A Daily Shot Of Zen