Celebrating the Season with Haiku and "Pandemiku"

Submission Deadline Sunday, May 9

 If you live, work, or go to school in Albany, you are invited to submit haiku to be considered for inclusion in this year's "Spring into Haiku"  program. The haiku theme this year is "Remembering and Renewal." 

The idea is to capture moments in the year that has just passed as well as moments in this season that suggest that life goes on, that we have finally turned the corner toward health and normalcy. 

This has been a challenging year for everyone in Albany, yet with vaccines being available and schools opening back up, things are looking much brighter. Let's reflect on what’s happened and express hope for the future…

Selected haiku are printed on signboards and panels and installed in public places in May and June. Approximately 70-80 haiku are selected from citywide submissions. This program received a generous donation from the Albany Community Foundation and is organized by the Albany Arts Committee.

Who Can Enter

Anyone who lives, works, or goes to school in Albany can submit a haiku for consideration. You do not need to be a published poet, just someone who enjoys writing haiku. All ages are welcome to submit.

What to Enter 

Submit an original haiku poem related in some way to this year's theme, Remembering and Renewal.

What is a haiku? A haiku is a very short poem based on a traditional Japanese literary form. The Haiku Society of America defines a haiku as follows: “A haiku is a short poem that uses imagistic language to convey the essence of an experience of nature or the season intuitively linked to the human condition”

Many English writers of haiku say that a haiku consists of 17 syllables broken into 3 lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively. We do not insist that you follow a rigid haiku form. “Around” 17 syllables are fine. But we would like you to break your haiku into 3 lines to make sure it fits nicely on the signboard!

You may enter ONLY 1 haiku per submission form. You may enter up to 5 separate submission forms. We will include only 1 entry per person in the final selection.

How to Enter

Click here to submit your haiku for consideration - Deadline Sunday, May 9.

You will be asked to provide:

• your name
• your Albany address (your residence or place of work)
• your phone number
• your email address
• your age or your grade in school (if under 18 years old)
• any special notes about printing your poem, italics, word breaks, etc.

To submit a hard copy haiku in person or by mail:

    City of Albany Arts Committee - Fall into Haiku
    1000 San Pablo Marin Avenue
     Albany, CA 94706

Note

The poem you submit belongs to you, but if your poem is selected for inclusion in the program, you give the City of Albany the right to reproduce your poem and to archive it on the city website in perpetuity. Your poem will always appear crediting you as author.

You may only submit haiku that you yourself have written (or that you are submitting on behalf of someone else, with their permission). No haiku should include material taken verbatim from anyone else’s work. Poems with language or images that are offensive in the opinion of the judges will be disqualified.

All poems must be in English. 

If you are under 18 and your haiku is selected, your parent or guardian may be contacted to approve your work’s inclusion in this year’s program.

Your poem may be edited for style, grammar, or spelling. You may be contacted to discuss any editorial changes to your haiku.

Submissions dates coming soon! 

If you have questions, contact  lkelly@albanyca.org.

"Spring  into Haiku" has received a generous donation for the Albany Community Foundation.