I would like to give a giant thank you to Marilyn Ashbaugh and John Pappas for all of their work as judges this year. It was no small task. There was a record number of contest submissions, and the quality of the submissions was fantastic. I would also like to thank everyone for submitting such fine senryu. This contest is always topnotch and sets a high standard for senryu everywhere. My congratulations to all the winners and honorable mentions.

-Bryan

One Hundred issues seem like a landmark but I feel that it is not an accomplishment that any of the editors here at Failed Haiku can claim as their own. I feel that the success of all this lies with the contributors and readers. Without a dedicated senryu community, this experiment would have fizzled out long ago. My sincerest thank you to everyone who trusts me with their poems and to Michael Rehling for this opportunity to be your editor. Michael kindly agreed to write a small introduction for the issue and I encourage everyone to read it. Some new things are on their way to Failed Haiku.

-Bryan

Information regarding the Murtha contest was sent out earlier in an email. I apologize to those who are not on the email list because the information was not posted on the site. Here it is. No worries, there is still time.

Contest Rules

1. Only TWO UNPUBLISHED submissions per poet.

2. Poems that have been workshopped or appeared on social media are suitable.

3. Short submission time of 10 days. Submissions begin on June 1st beginning at 12:01 AM EDT and must be in our email box by midnight EDT on June 10th. Any emails received either before or after will NOT be judged.

4. All email submissions MUST be sent to:  failedhaikucontests@gmail.com with MURTHA CONTEST in the Subject field.

5. The top three Winners will be notified by July 1st but I will not rush the judges so extra time will be given if necessary.

I’d like to thank our judges who will remain anonymous during the course of the contest and for all of the wonderful participants that make this contest so great every year.

-Bryan

People have been mentioning “scroll fatigue” to me so I have made changes to the formatting of the issue. In some cases, there will be more than one poet on a single page. I believe this makes for a better flow to the reading. In your next submission, please feel free to tell me if you like the change. Also, we have a new feature. John Pappas has written commentary on a senryu from the previous issue, and it is a must read! Thank you to everyone for submitting and reading.

-Bryan

It is no secret that former editor Hemapriya and I were editing smaller issues of Failed Haiku this last year. This issue does not follow that trend. I would like to thank all of the submitters in January for the wonderful work that they sent my way. I would also like to show my gratitude for the Cherita writers out there who submitted and for all the first timers that did so great. I know it’s a long issue but think of it this way, you have two months to read it instead of just one. With that in mind, submissions open again on March 10th. An open issue with no theme. Please enjoy this great issue!!!

-Bryan

A great big thank you to our guest editor Allyson Whipple for curating this fantastic issue. So many great senryu poems to read! Please be reminded that our submission and publication schedule has changed. Head on over the submissions page and take a look. I look forward to starting another great year of Failed Haiku and to reading all of your submissions.

-Bryan

A great big thank you to everyone who submitted to this latest issue. We can not do Failed Haiku without YOU. Next month we will have a guest editor with a new and exciting theme. Give us a few days to iron out all the details then head on over to the submission page for more information. Be on the lookout for a few emails mid-December addressing the topic of some very important changes that will be happening to the journal next year.

-Bryan

Terri and Raymond French Judging

The wait is over! I would like to thank everyone who submitted this year for the Reichhold Haiga Competition. A contest is only a contest when people actually enter, and we did have a record-breaking number of submissions this year. I would also like to thank our wonderful judges, Terri and Ray, for all of their hard work and time. My sincerest congratulations to the winners and to all of our honorable mentions. It is wonderful to see such a diverse group of participants and themes. Results are posted below.

-Bryan

I would like to thank Hemapriya and all of the poets who submitted to this fun and one of a kind issue. So great to see an all split-sequence Failed. I will be returning in November with an open submission issue. Please remember to head over to the submissions page and review our recent changes.

Bryan

I would like to thank the many people who submitted to Faile Haiku this past month. I had a wonderful time reading all of your work. So many great senryu in this issue. Next month will be a themed issue so visit the submissions page sometime around the 5th of the month to see what Hemapriya will have in store for us! Enjoy reading this issue!

-Bryan