The following interviews were conducted by Michael Dylan Welch in the fall of 2018 with the winners in each of the six categories in VCBF’s 2018 Haiku Invitational contest presented by Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd.: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, United States, International, and Youth. We invite you to get to know each winner a little better through his or her responses and to learn their influences and recommendations regarding haiku poetry.

To read their interviews please click on the poet’s name or picture

Vancouver
Vicky Rizzardo
Vancouver, British Columbia

Playing tag
under the cherry blossoms—
the streetlights come on

British Columbia
Cheryl Ashley
Nanaimo, British Columbia

in a dark cupboard
full of coats
cherry blossom petals

Canada
kjmunro
Whitehorse, Yukon Territory

riding my bike
a new way home
cherry blossoms
 

United States
Christine L. Villa
North Highlands, California

yaezakura petals
a child learns
to count beyond 5

International
Eduard Tara
Iași, Romania

blossom by blossom—
the old cherry tree
gathers light

Youth
Daniel Flaszynski, age 10
Christchurch, New Zealand

Early morning
the cherry blossom
opens my hand