Consulate General of Japan at Chicago - Japan Information Center

HAIKU CUT - Like a Poetry Slam, Only Sharper

Co-Organized by the Japan Information Center,

and

The Contest

On September 25, 18 poets threw their pens in the ring to battle it out with fellow haikuists at the Haiku Cut, organized by the Consulate General of Japan and the Japan America Society of Chicago. By all accounts, the event was a resounding success. We had a full slate of contestants (and then some), 65+ people in the audience, and - most important - a good time with some great haiku.

The purpose of holding the Haiku Cut was to offer local poets a chance to try their hands at a traditional Japanese poetic form. We encouraged people not to pay too much attention to the cliched 5-7-5 syllable structure, but to refocus on other aspects of the form, specifically the seasonal reference and the juxtaposition of two images. The poets seized this opportunity and delivered some wonderful examples. Reprinted below are samples of haiku from our 4 semi-finalists, as well as the winner of the Audience Choice Award.

Almost everything about this contest exceeded our expectations. We had very willing and eager judges, generous support from our sponsors, significant media coverage, a full bracket of contestants, and a great turnout of people who just came to watch and support the poets. But, the most satisfying result was the quality of the haiku. Based on the success of this contest, we hope we can do it again next year.

The Final Results

On the day of the event, we drew 16 contestants from the the pool of 18 names. They were Bob Chicoine, Andrea Crain, Chris Dyrkacz, Rex Flodstram, Jim Freeman, Ted Gerstle, Scott Glander, Alisa Hauser, Wayne Jones, Tamara Laville, Ron Levitsky, Chris Patchel, Tom Roby, Carlee Tressel, Keith Whitten, and Eric Ziegenhagen.

After two hard-fought preliminary rounds, the semi-final match-ups pitted traditionalist Chris Patchel against scrappy challenger Jim Freeman and sweet but edgy Carlee Tressel against slam poet veteran Bob Chicoine. In both these contests, experience bested energy. Patchel's conservative minimalist verses first won out over Freeman's playful, sentimental images. And then Chicoine's witty, powerful (and powerfully delivered) offerings fended off a frisky try by Tressel's more free-form and highly sensual haiku.

When Patchel and Chicoine faced off in the final round, it was a close contest in the beginning. However, the judges eventually threw their votes to Patchel, preferring his run of tight, autumnal poems to Chicoine's rather more loose and experimental forms. Still, the judges all admitted it was a very difficult charge to judge between them.

Just before the final round, we also collected the ballots for the Audience Choice Award. The popular favorite was Eric Zeigenhagen, who bravely gave the audience a selection of introspective and often self-deprecating poems.

A Sampling of Poems from the Winners

Chris Patchel (Champion)		Bob Chicoine (Runner-Up)
	the clamor of unseen sparrows... autumn maple catching a maple leaf just before the ground— Indian summer a path of leaves our conversation turns wordless		Windy day: the moth my cat will catch tonight is 20 miles away Anne's body removed. A stemmed glass on her nightstand The wine still breathing Seven nights of rain Laundry on the line all week We wear clouds to work

Jim Freeman (semi-finalist)		Carlee Tressel (semi-finalist)
	The sky darkening as evergreens become white too small of a hat Long indian bean dangling high in your tree please fall down to me There's a vacant lot where old cans and bottles go and tall sunflowers		Petals refolded Speaking to an empty womb Rain falls upwards Tight jeans, tangerine A hot Memphis nobody The asphalt applauds Acutely daybreak. Glimpse the first unfrozen waves Tanzanite headache

Eric Ziegenhagen (Audience Choice winner)
	Winter dinner At the Olive Garden— Three brothers, three cars. Listen, pal: You want a story and a poem? You want a mermaid? My shirts from high school Still fit— But what about your dreams, Eric?

Sponsors

The Haiku Cut was made possible by the generous support and cooperation of the following organizations:

Japanese American
Service Committee

An Independent Journal
of Haiku and Haiku Studies

MIZU Yakitori and Sushi Lounge

Poetry Slam, Incorporated

Prizes

Following were the prize packages given to our winners

Prize Package A
- $75 Certificate to Mizu Yakitori and Sushi Lounge
- $50 Certificate toward any class(es) at the Japanese American Service Committee (See Class Offerings)
- One-Year subscription to the journal Modern Haiku

Prize Package B
- One-Year "Friend of the Festival" Membership to Cinema/Chicago and 2 Moviegoer Passes for the Chicago International Film Festival
- $50 Certificate toward any class(es) at the Japanese American Service Committee (See Class Offerings)
- One-Year subscription to the journal Modern Haiku

In addition, we will give away an Audience Choice Award as determined by audience vote:

Audience Choice Award Prize Package
- $50 Gift Certificate toward any class at StoryStudio Chicago
- One-Year subscription to the journal Modern Haiku

Consolation Registration Prize
- $100 Savings Bond at Citibank

Judges & MC

The judges for the contest were:

Dr. Phyllis Lyons, Associate Professor of Japanese Literature at Northwestern University
Dr. Charles Trumbull, Editor of Modern Haiku
Ms. Kay Kawaguchi, bilingual Japanese tanka poet and staff member at the Japanese American Service Committee.

Our Master of Ceremonies for the evening was local poetry celebrity, Mr. Charlie Rossiter.